Live the Gospel and Use Your Words

Wrapping up our collection called Orbit, Grant Partrick emphasizes the importance of intentionally proclaiming the Gospel with our words and shares practical steps in evangelism. We want to be messengers commissioned and compelled by love to tell others the Good News for His glory.

Read 1 Corinthians 9:1–27, 1 Corinthians 11:1, and Philippians 2:6–7.

To the Jews, Jesus became like a Jew. He understood them and operated under their rules. Why? To win them to Christ. He had no problem with their Jewish practices as long as they were not considered to give people the right standing with God, which He knew could only come from Christ.

He wanted to do anything he could to make sure the gospel got a proper

hearing. He was intentional, and He didn’t want just to win arguments. He tried to win them. Intentionality isn’t a gift that few people have; it’s a choice few people are willing to make.

To the Gentiles, those not having the law, He made it clear to them that he wasn’t under the Old Testament law while not being free to sin...why? To win them.

Paul will flex in certain circumstances to ensure that nothing hinders the gospel from being heard and understood! (1 Corinthians 9:12)

"Why does Paul say here that he becomes 'like' the people in the culture he is evangelizing? That doesn't mean he 'gives them what they want to hear.' It means giving them much they do not want to hear but in language and with arguments they can understand." — Tim Keller

Paul wasn’t a chameleon who just blended into whatever crowd he found

himself in so he could fit in and be accepted, afraid of what people would

think about the real him. That would be a compromise rooted and compelled by fear. This is him being commissioned and compelled by love. Paul’s motive is clear—he wanted them saved.

The only thing that could convince someone to inconvenience themself, deny themself, and lay their rights aside for the sake of someone else is to make them believe what you have is better. People will want what we have when we display AND declare that what we have is better...that Jesus is better. And we will go so far as to lay ourselves down to tell them about it. Paul was convinced of that, so he says, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”

As we do this, we must be aware of two things to ensure that our hearts and motives are like Paul's and aren't rooted in fear or the desire to be accepted and fit in.

Ask yourselves these questions:

1. Am I becoming more like them, or are they becoming more like Christ?
2. Is my burden and passion for winning them to Christ growing or waning?

These will be indicators that you aren’t compromising based on fear but

being commissioned and compelled by love.

"It is clear you don't like my way of doing evangelism. You raise some good points. Frankly, I sometimes do not like my way of doing evangelism. But I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it." – DL Moody.

Here’s the thing. It’s not an either-or. The way we live or the words we use. It’s a both and. So often, we in the church want to make things an either or that were never meant to be.

Is your church about discipleship or evangelism at your church? It should be both.

You must have stopped reading the Great Commission at the first comma. Make disciples. It's to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey everything. It's evangelism and discipleship. Be careful about forcing things into either-or’s that weren’t meant to be.

It's not just meant to be displayed with our lives; it's also to be declared

with our mouths. The gospel is inherently verbal. It is a proclaimed word.

Read Romans 10:14-15 and 1 Corinthians 9:16.

It’s meant to be SEEN + HEARD.

Here are two takeaways for preparing you to tell others about Jesus:

1. Share your story.

How has God changed your life? Every follower of Jesus should actively practice sharing their story.

John 9:25

Are you prepared to answer the question....what has God done for you? Paul was in front of King Agrippa in Acts 26. He just shares his story. Do not underestimate your story.

In perhaps the Bible’s clearest verse on personal evangelism, Peter tells us to be “prepared.” 1 Peter 3:15–16

2. You need to be prepared to articulate the gospel.

Romans 1:16

Relieve fear of being perfect...

Mark 4:26–27—The Parable of the Growing Seed

Your eloquence and theology will not save anyone. Only God can soften hearts and illuminate Jesus so people can see Him. You won't say the wrong thing.

We can't cause the growth. We can plant seeds and hope they grow.

Matthew 10:18–20

What is the Gospel? Read 1 Corinthians 15:1–4.

What do we do as we are sent out?

1. Pray
2. Prepare + Practice
3. Plan + Pursue
4. Proclaim