There are a lot of differences in the world we live in today; differences in race, colour, sex, education, financial status, socio-economic status, culture, achievements etc. However, there is one thing that is common to all men. Romans 5:12 says “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” You can see from the text that all men have sin and death problem, and there is only one thing that can fix it – the Gospel. The Gospel is not about being liberated from poverty or having outstanding achievements. It is not about having a successful career or being philanthropic. While all of that is good, it is not the Gospel. So, what is the Gospel?
The Gospel is about what Christ has done. It is the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus; and this is what we believe. The crux of what Christ has done is His resurrection and consequently, His ascension which shows that He is living in our hearts. The Gospel shows that Jesus came to save the world from sin and the danger of death. When you hear ‘the world’, do not think too far; instead, think about you, your neighbour and every other person around you. We are ‘the world’ that Jesus came to save from sin and the consequences thereof.
Luke 4:18-19 reads “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Let us look closely at some of the components of this passage.
‘Poor’ means destitute, that is, those who need help. The gospel supplies the help that man needs. It is the cure for spiritual lack.
‘Brokenhearted’ means shattered. It reveals that something is missing, which in this case, love (Romans 5:5). The gospel supplies love. It heals and makes the broken heart whole.
‘Deliverance to the captives’ means setting those under the threat of sin and its consequences free.
‘Recovering of sight’ means to see. The gospel brings light which is the light of life (John 8:12).
‘Bruised’ means messed up and damaged. The gospel sets at liberty.
As you can see, the gospel targets the whole being of man. The gospel is that through Christ Jesus, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed (Galatians 3:8). The gospel is not seeker-friendly or selective. It does not hide from a particular race, colour or social status. It does not run from intellectuals, neither does it avoid the highly immoral. It is for ALL MEN. The gospel is the one answer for the one thing the whole world has in common: sin and death.
Remember you read earlier about the ascension of Christ. When a man believes, Christ reigns in his heart, and that is the greatest transformation – becoming one with Christ simply by believing. After believing the gospel, a man becomes righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). He also becomes a new man who has been reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).
Seeing that the Gospel is the answer to the world’s needs, how do you take the gospel into all the world? 2 Corinthians 5:18 says “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation”. You have been given the ministry of reconciliation and this is the mandate to spread the news of the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Romans 10:14 reads “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” The world will not believe if you do not do your part. You have been given the privilege to announce the gospel. It is therefore your responsibility to fill the earth with the message of the gospel of Christ.
