Proclaiming the good news

Major Noel Wright begins a new series in which different writers explore the territory’s five marks of mission

THE FIVE MARKS OF MISSION

* Proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ

*Making, teaching and nurturing believers

*Responding to human need by loving action and relationships

*Seeking to transform unjust structures of society

*Striving to safeguard the integrity of creation

IN his interview titled ‘Engaging in mission’ (Salvationist 29 February) Secretary for Mission Lieut-Colonel Drew McCombe said the definition and development of the territory’s mission is ‘adapted from the Anglican five marks of mission’. He went on to list these five defining marks, and top of the list is the proclamation of the gospel. This is where the gospel should always sit since, according to Scripture, it shapes and drives who we are and everything that we do.

In my role I have been meeting with a number of different groups in various parts of the territory to facilitate ‘a gospel conversation’. Early in these conversations the groups were asked to spend time thinking about what the gospel is. Early reflections on their responses are illuminating. Thankfully, most of the lists compiled by the people I’ve met contained references to the gospel being good news and that the news is about Jesus.

Other points that were common include love, hope, forgiveness, peace and reconciliation. But are these the gospel or are they the consequences of the gospel? Is believing in Christ the gospel? Or is it a response to the gospel?

As I listen to people sharing their thoughts about the gospel I sense that we need to rediscover clarity as to what the gospel is. This clarity will become the foundation of what we share about the gospel when the opportunity arises.

Put simply, Jesus is the gospel and the gospel is Jesus. Look at how Mark opened his record of the gospel: ‘The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God’ (1:1). The gospel is not primarily about us and how we should live, it’s about Jesus – who he is and all that God has done, and is still doing, in and through his Son.

Given that people today aren’t asking whether the gospel is true but rather wanting to know what’s in it for them, we should start sharing with them at the place where their thinking is rooted, telling them about all that is offered through it. But sooner or later they will need to know that the blessings that God gives only come through an acknowledgement of Jesus and a personal acceptance of him as Saviour.

Within the pages of the New Testament there is an emphasis on the verbal sharing of the good news of Jesus by way of preaching, teaching and witnessing. Jesus is the good news we need to declare. We can demonstrate the good news through all we do and by how we live our lives. We do well to reach out to people in need, we do well to give of our time in connecting with others, in building relationships with them, but we must not miss taking the opportunities to share why we do what we do. Our lives should serve as a witness to the Jesus we follow, our programmes should be God-honouring demonstrations of love and compassion, but without the verbal declaration of who Jesus is, do we end up pointing people to ourselves rather than to their Saviour?

If in my preaching I make no reference to Christ, am I preaching the good news as revealed in Scripture? If in my witnessing I fail to name him and speak of him, is it the true gospel I am sharing? (See Romans 10:17.)

Some may think that the proclaiming of the good news of Jesus is work for the professionals, those who get paid to do it. But according to 1 Peter 3:15 each of us should ‘always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have’. This is challenging and sometimes costly but we have good news that needs to be shared. All of us live in communities where the vast majority of people know little or nothing about Jesus but many of them know someone who does.

The gospel remains the good news about Jesus, the Jesus who is ‘able to save completely those who come to God through him’ (Hebrews 7:25). Through Christ there is light for those living in darkness, peace for the chaotic, hope for the hopeless, purpose for the pointless, strength for the weak, love for the unloved.

Jesus is the good news, the gospel worth proclaiming, worth hearing, worth believing, worth living.

MAJOR WRIGHT IS THE TERRITORIAL EVANGELIST