My college roommates and I have an annual tradition of meeting for a weekend away together. Over time, we’ve embraced certain rituals like enjoying leisurely meals and staying up late talking. Another tradition we love is choosing a favorite item to bring and share as a gift to the others. Last year I couldn’t wait to give them a book that impacted me significantly. As they scanned the table of contents, I was giddy sharing about all the ways I’d benefited from what I learned.
Maybe you’ve experienced a similar dynamic. When you find something beneficial to you, you’re enthusiastic about passing it along to others. Why is it, though, that we don’t always have the same exuberance when it comes to telling people about the good news of Jesus? There are many explanations, but I think one is that we just don’t know what to say.
In her Bible study 20/20. Seen. Chosen. Sent., Christine Caine highlights this by asking, “Could you walk someone through the truth of the gospel?” (page 151) She goes on to explain, “If the sole purpose of salvation is to go to heaven when we die, then wouldn’t it be more merciful of Jesus if, after He saved us, He took us home immediately? But we have a purpose to fulfill here on earth. We are the sent ones commissioned to go into all the world and proclaim His good news.” (page 152)
Her words echo Jesus’ teaching known as the Great Commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 18:19-20, NIV)
This reminds me of a young businessman named Bill Bright who heard the message of the gospel and began a personal relationship with Jesus. As his faith grew, he couldn’t contain his enthusiasm. Jesus’ words in the Great Commission compelled Bright to tell the good news to anyone who would listen. Eventually, he dedicated his life to sharing the gospel and to training others to do the same by founding Campus Crusade for Christ International in 1951. Now known simply as “Cru,” the ministry focuses on sharing the good news about Jesus on college campuses around the world.
Soon after founding Cru, Bill Bright realized that many believers were unable to communicate the gospel succinctly. So, using skills he’d acquired in the business world, he set out to write a clear and simple explanation of the good news that others could learn to share. As a lover of science, Bright decided to make a comparison between physical laws that govern the universe (such as the law of gravity), and spiritual laws that govern our relationship with God. He created a simple document called The Four Spiritual Laws that helped to communicate the gospel to non-believers. It also gave Christians a roadmap for sharing the good news of Jesus with others. If you’ve ever struggled to find the right words for sharing the hope of Jesus, Bright’s tool might be helpful for you to learn. Here’s an overview of it:
Law 1: God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10b
Law 2: People are sinful and separated from God. Therefore, we can’t experience God’s love and plan for our lives.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Law 3: Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin. Through Him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life.
-He died in our place, paying the penalty for our sin: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
-He rose from death: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-6
-He is the only way to God: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6
Law 4: We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” John 1:12
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Every person can receive Christ by faith by saying a simple prayer like this:
Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You and my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.
Bill Bright’s passion led him to share the gospel, disciple, and train thousands of people. Today, Cru has ministries in 5300 locations on college campuses in addition to ministries reaching a variety of other people groups worldwide.
Will you follow Bill Bright’s example and learn to share the gospel so you can participate in fulfilling the Great Commission? Ask the Holy Spirit to empower and lead you to others who are hungry for the hope found in Jesus.
For a deeper dive into understanding the Four Spiritual Laws, check out these four posts in my “Faith Foundations” series:
For more information on Cru visit their website.
For more inspiration, check out Bill Bright’s biography Amazing Faith
Christine Caine, 20/20. Seen. Chosen. Sent., Lifeway Press, 2019.