Practical Ways To Share Your Faith (Pt 3)

As the final segment in this three part series on sharing our faith, I wanted to address the final practical step that we can engage in as we pray for and pursue those people that are in our lives and need Jesus. This third topic is one that may bring out a negative response from you at first, but give me a couple of minutes to explore this idea with you. Our last topic is: PERSUADE! 

PERSUADE

Perhaps you are thinking…Three P’s is a cute thing to remember but I should have picked a different word than persuade. Persuade is a strong word, and when I first considered this as a means of sharing our faith in Jesus, it didn’t seem quite right.  This is because when I think persuading, I think of “arguing.” But let me give you a few other synonyms for persuade: influence, convince, plead your case, win over, or change somebody’s mind. I literally want you to think of persuading as pleading your case about Christ to someone, or influencing your friend in such a way that it leads them to Christ, or convincing your friend that God is real in your life and loves them, or changing your friend’s mind about the way they are living and submitting their lives to Christ. Persuading is not arguing at all in this context, but influencing people in their thoughts about Jesus.  The ultimate goal of persuading someone is to change their mind about a certain subject. We as ambassadors of Christ, want to share who God says He is and what He has done to reveal Himself to the world and to us personally.

We can persuade many people about God by how we live.

Are we practicing what we preach at work, at home, at church, or wherever we go? We are told in by the apostle Matthew that we are to live in such a way that unsaved people will glorify God and submit their lives to Him just by looking at our lives (Matt 5:13-16). A practical way you can persuade someone to follow Christ is by living for Jesus in the choices you make and the way you live. You can invite them to spend time with some of your Christian friends to see what people who follow Jesus are really like. The Bible says that when two or more are gathered in Jesus’ name, He is there. Are your friendships a place where unsaved people can come and see Jesus living? You can invite some of your unsaved friends to church or community group. As a pastor, I want you to know that I WANT UNSAVED PEOPLE TO COME TO CHURCH!!! Why wouldn’t we want people to come to church and hear the word taught and have a chance to worship God and have an opportunity to pray with people and even accept Christ?

We can also persuade people to understand the truth about Jesus by clearly explaining who He is and what has done.

The apostle Peter said “in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).” We as Christians are told to be able to explain the gospel to people and what we believe with love and respect. Paul asked the Roman church, “How will unsaved people know how to have a relationship with God unless you tell them (Rom 10:14-15)?”  Paul also lived out this principle and “reasoned” with the people of Athens and clearly explained the Gospel to them (Acts 17:16-34). Sadly, God has been misrepresented to a lot of unsaved people, and we, as Christians, are told to share the truth with these people so they can get a clear and accurate picture of our Savior. So we need to know what we believe and why!!! Can you clearly explain the gospel to someone? Will you allow God to use you to share with people that God loves them and wants to have fellowship with them?

So, as we continue to do the work of the ministry, I want to encourage you to make the most of every opportunity you have to share the love of Christ with people. I hope this series of blogs has helped you see that you can reach people in wherever you are. Remember that God wants to use you and has empowered you with His Spirit and will give you the words to say (John 14:26-27). These are just some practical tips and principles and nothing here is set in stone. The reason why I wrote these blogs was to get you thinking about sharing your faith with others! Hopefully you can think of other ways as well. This is great because my heart is that people would come to know and love Jesus Christ, and I believe that God wants to use EVERY Christian to share His love with as many people as possible.

Could you imagine if every Christian in our community began to PRAY for at least one friend, PURSUE bringing God up in conversations, and PERSUADE them to come to Christ by clearing explaining the gospel to them and THEN made disciples for Christ?

Matt 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

Be blessed,

Pastor Daniel

Practical Ways To Share Your Faith (Pt 2)

Last time, I wrote on the necessity of prayer being the first step in practical ways to share your faith. I hope you were able to take that to heart and have begun to lift up your friends and people you know who need to come to Christ. We will now move on to the second very practical step in sharing your faith in Jesus with those around you, and that is: PURSUE!

PURSUE

We must pursue those relationships we have on a deeper spiritual level. This means we need to actually bring Jesus into our conversations. This can be done in a very natural way and we need to understand that there are many opportunities to talk about God in normal conversation, but we have to be willing to do so. There are many different ways that you talk about Jesus in your conversations, and here are three examples for you: 1. Asking questions, 2. Sharing what God has been doing in your life, and 3.Using relevant issues.

Practical Ways To Share Your Faith (Pt 2) By Pastor Daniel
Last time, I wrote on the necessity of prayer being the first step in practical ways to share your faith. I hope you were able to take that to heart and have begun to lift up your friends and people you know who need to come to Christ. We will now move on to the second very practical step in sharing your faith in Jesus with those around you, and that is: PURSUE!

PURSUE

We must pursue those relationships we have on a deeper spiritual level. This means we need to actually bring Jesus into our conversations. This can be done in a very natural way and we need to understand that there are many opportunities to talk about God in normal conversation, but we have to be willing to do so. There are many different ways that you talk about Jesus in your conversations, and here are three examples for you: 1. Asking questions, 2. Sharing what God has been doing in your life, and 3.Using relevant issues.

1. Asking questions. 

Whether you know this or not, people like to talk…especially about themselves. So a great way to bring God into conversations is to ask questions. Ask your unsaved friends what their spiritual beliefs are? If they were to die today would they make it to heaven? Are they afraid of death? Who do they think Jesus is? Now when you ask these questions, remember to actually listen. Love your friends and don’t get ready to attack them and say that they are wrong. The point of a question is to find out information and learn more about the person you are talking to—many times, this will you give you a direct opportunity to share about Jesus. So if you respond respectfully and lovingly, they might even ask you some of the same question back.

2. Sharing what God has been doing in your life. 

We talk with our friends about our relationships with our family, our spouse, our kids, and so on, so what is so weird about talking about our relationship with Jesus? If we have a relationship with Jesus it should be easy and natural for us to explain what He has been teaching us or how He loves you or what you have been doing with Him or whatever. An easy way to bring God up in your conversation is when your unsaved friends ask you what you did over the weekend. Rather than just talking about how you mowed the lawn, went to the mall, and updated your facebook, you could also mention that you went to church, read your Bible, or prayed to God about a certain situation. Just talk about God like He is a real person, and don’t always try to hide Him and what He is doing in your life with your unsaved friends.

3. Using relevant issues. 

Did you know that Christians watch movies, listen to music, ride skateboards, read books, play X-Box 360, play sports, read the newspaper, go to the mall, and even have a facebook page? I know it is hard to believe, but you are a culturally relevant person just like most people in your life. So, that means you can probably talk about a lot of relevant topics that happen in your job, your town, and even in the world. You can talk to your friends about Whitney Houston’s recent death. Then explain that nothing has satisfied your soul like having a relationship with God, and you don’t need to be rich and popular to have joy. Or maybe you can talk to your friends about the Grammy Awards, and explain that you agree with the mentality of rewarding someone for a good job, and that God promises to reward those of us who diligently seek HIM! And you can’t get there by your own good works but by faith in Jesus. You can totally talk about many relevant issues without approving of them and still point people to Christ. Paul used this principle when he went to Athens. He “perceived” that the city was given over to idols and “considered” their objects of worship. Basically he found out a little about their culture and used the relevant topics of their many gods to preach about Christ the true and living God (Acts 17:16-34).

I pray that you will take the time to consider and act on some of these ideas as you’ve read this blog and will begin to pursue people in your life in Jesus’s name!

Whether you know this or not, people like to talk…especially about themselves. So a great way to bring God into conversations is to ask questions. Ask your unsaved friends what their spiritual beliefs are? If they were to die today would they make it to heaven? Are they afraid of death? Who do they think Jesus is? Now when you ask these questions, remember to actually listen. Love your friends and don’t get ready to attack them and say that they are wrong. The point of a question is to find out information and learn more about the person you are talking to—many times, this will you give you a direct opportunity to share about Jesus. So if you respond respectfully and lovingly, they might even ask you some of the same question back.

Practical Ways To Share Your Faith (Pt 2) By Pastor Daniel
Last time, I wrote on the necessity of prayer being the first step in practical ways to share your faith. I hope you were able to take that to heart and have begun to lift up your friends and people you know who need to come to Christ. We will now move on to the second very practical step in sharing your faith in Jesus with those around you, and that is: PURSUE!

PURSUE

We must pursue those relationships we have on a deeper spiritual level. This means we need to actually bring Jesus into our conversations. This can be done in a very natural way and we need to understand that there are many opportunities to talk about God in normal conversation, but we have to be willing to do so. There are many different ways that you talk about Jesus in your conversations, and here are three examples for you: 1. Asking questions, 2. Sharing what God has been doing in your life, and 3.Using relevant issues.

1. Asking questions. 

Whether you know this or not, people like to talk…especially about themselves. So a great way to bring God into conversations is to ask questions. Ask your unsaved friends what their spiritual beliefs are? If they were to die today would they make it to heaven? Are they afraid of death? Who do they think Jesus is? Now when you ask these questions, remember to actually listen. Love your friends and don’t get ready to attack them and say that they are wrong. The point of a question is to find out information and learn more about the person you are talking to—many times, this will you give you a direct opportunity to share about Jesus. So if you respond respectfully and lovingly, they might even ask you some of the same question back.

2. Sharing what God has been doing in your life. 

We talk with our friends about our relationships with our family, our spouse, our kids, and so on, so what is so weird about talking about our relationship with Jesus? If we have a relationship with Jesus it should be easy and natural for us to explain what He has been teaching us or how He loves you or what you have been doing with Him or whatever. An easy way to bring God up in your conversation is when your unsaved friends ask you what you did over the weekend. Rather than just talking about how you mowed the lawn, went to the mall, and updated your facebook, you could also mention that you went to church, read your Bible, or prayed to God about a certain situation. Just talk about God like He is a real person, and don’t always try to hide Him and what He is doing in your life with your unsaved friends.

3. Using relevant issues. 

Did you know that Christians watch movies, listen to music, ride skateboards, read books, play X-Box 360, play sports, read the newspaper, go to the mall, and even have a facebook page? I know it is hard to believe, but you are a culturally relevant person just like most people in your life. So, that means you can probably talk about a lot of relevant topics that happen in your job, your town, and even in the world. You can talk to your friends about Whitney Houston’s recent death. Then explain that nothing has satisfied your soul like having a relationship with God, and you don’t need to be rich and popular to have joy. Or maybe you can talk to your friends about the Grammy Awards, and explain that you agree with the mentality of rewarding someone for a good job, and that God promises to reward those of us who diligently seek HIM! And you can’t get there by your own good works but by faith in Jesus. You can totally talk about many relevant issues without approving of them and still point people to Christ. Paul used this principle when he went to Athens. He “perceived” that the city was given over to idols and “considered” their objects of worship. Basically he found out a little about their culture and used the relevant topics of their many gods to preach about Christ the true and living God (Acts 17:16-34).

I pray that you will take the time to consider and act on some of these ideas as you’ve read this blog and will begin to pursue people in your life in Jesus’s name!

We talk with our friends about our relationships with our family, our spouse, our kids, and so on, so what is so weird about talking about our relationship with Jesus? If we have a relationship with Jesus it should be easy and natural for us to explain what He has been teaching us or how He loves you or what you have been doing with Him or whatever. An easy way to bring God up in your conversation is when your unsaved friends ask you what you did over the weekend. Rather than just talking about how you mowed the lawn, went to the mall, and updated your facebook, you could also mention that you went to church, read your Bible, or prayed to God about a certain situation. Just talk about God like He is a real person, and don’t always try to hide Him and what He is doing in your life with your unsaved friends.

3. Using relevant issues. 

Did you know that Christians watch movies, listen to music, ride skateboards, read books, play X-Box 360, play sports, read the newspaper, go to the mall, and even have a facebook page? I know it is hard to believe, but you are a culturally relevant person just like most people in your life. So, that means you can probably talk about a lot of relevant topics that happen in your job, your town, and even in the world. You can talk to your friends about Whitney Houston’s recent death. Then explain that nothing has satisfied your soul like having a relationship with God, and you don’t need to be rich and popular to have joy. Or maybe you can talk to your friends about the Grammy Awards, and explain that you agree with the mentality of rewarding someone for a good job, and that God promises to reward those of us who diligently seek HIM! And you can’t get there by your own good works but by faith in Jesus. You can totally talk about many relevant issues without approving of them and still point people to Christ. Paul used this principle when he went to Athens. He “perceived” that the city was given over to idols and “considered” their objects of worship. Basically he found out a little about their culture and used the relevant topics of their many gods to preach about Christ the true and living God (Acts 17:16-34).

I pray that you will take the time to consider and act on some of these ideas as you’ve read this blog and will begin to pursue people in your life in Jesus’s name!

Practical Ways To Share Your Faith (Part 1)

Colossians 4:2-6 

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

As we are joining together as a new church plant, I want to encourage you to make the most of every opportunity you have to share the love of Christ with people. There are going to be many opportunities to share your faith and tell others about the glorious good news of Jesus Christ. But for many of us these conversations that occur in the grocery check out or local coffee shop about God do not feel like opportunities at all—they become more like panic attacks! Many of us want to share our faith with our unsaved friends and people we meet, but have aren’t quite sure how to go about it.  So I want to share with you a practical strategy that I just found a while back from dare2share.org on how to be an ambassador for Christ and share the gospel with your unsaved friends in a very practical way. There are three steps to this strategy: 1.Pray, 2.Pursue, and 3.Persuade. This first segment will address the first topic: PRAY!

PRAY

This makes sense doesn’t it? There are so many promises from God’s Word (Matt 7:7-11; John 15:7; Phil 4:6-7; Luke 18:1; 1 Thes 5:17; James 5:15-18) that confirm the power of prayer, yet it seems that many of us (including myself) forget to go to God first about our situations and try to take control of them ourselves. We will try to talk to people about God without talking to Him first. In Romans 10:1 Paul said that his “heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” The word in this verse literally means begged. Paul wanted so desperately for his friends and brothers to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior that he begged God to save them from their sin. When was the last time you begged God to save one of your unsaved friends?

There was a study done to find out what made an effective student evangelist. After studying, they discovered that the most effective student evangelist (meaning that the student reached the most of their unsaved friends for Christ) prayed every single day for his unsaved friends to come to know Christ. We are not all students, but we can see the same principle at work in our lives whether we are professionals, parents, or students. Paul said to the Colossian Church to devote themselves to prayer and to pray for him to have an opportunity to share Christ clearly with those that have not received Him. Before we start sharing with our unsaved friends, we need to start praying for them! Andrew Murray, South African minister and author, wrote, “Reading a book about prayer, listening to lectures and talking about it is very good, but it won’t teach you to pray. You get nothing without exercise, without practice. I might listen for a year to a professor of music playing the most beautiful music, but that won’t teach me to play an instrument.” So even as I write this article now and am praying that you might receive it and apply it, it is up to you how you respond and make your request known to God. I challenge you to pray for at least one of your unsaved friends every day and wait to see how God answers your prayers!

Love One Another

We are studying through the teachings of Jesus, and it is amazing that God not only wants to restore our relationships with Him, but with others as well. When we accept Christ, we are brought into the family of God—He uses words like “body with many members” or “brothers and sisters” to describe the type of relationship that we are to have with ONE ANOTHER. When we become more like Jesus and grow in our relationships with Him, this will spill over into our relationships with people as well. Jesus is the perfect demonstration of what it looks like to love perfectly, and we know that when we obey the command to love ONE ANOTHER, we are blessed! As you read through these verses, ask the Holy Spirit to help you as you seek to love others as Christ has loved you!

Much Love,

Pastor Daniel

Luke 10:37

27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Zechariah 8:16-17

16 These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; 17 do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD.”

Roms 12:10;16

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

1 Cor 6:7

To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?

Gal 5:13

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Eph 4:1-2

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Col 3:13-14

13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

1 Thes 3:12

and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,

Heb 3:13

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

James 5:9

Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

1 Pet 4:8

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Phil 2:3-5

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

1 John 4:7-11; 20-21

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 

20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1 Cor 13:1-3

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,but have not love, I gain nothing.

QUEST FOR JOY by John Piper

Have you ever known true joy? Do you have this joy in your life right now? If you are longing for fulfillment, for true joy, please read on—this blog may assist you in your quest.

1. God Created Us For His Glory

“Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth… whom I created for my glory” (Isaiah 43:6-7). God made us to magnify his greatness—the way telescopes magnify stars. He created us to put his goodness and truth and beauty and wisdom and justice on display. The greatest display of God’s glory comes from deep delight in all that he is. This means that God gets the praise and we get the pleasure. God created us so that he is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

2. Every Human Should Live For God’s Glory 

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). If God made us for his glory, clearly we should live for his glory. Our duty comes from his design. So our first obligation is to show God’s value by being satisfied with all that he is for us. This is the essence of loving God (Matthew 22:37) and trusting him (1 John 5:3-4) and being thankful to him (Psalm 100:2-4). It is the root of all true obedience, especially loving others (Colossians 1:4-5).

3. All of Us Have Failed To Glorify God As We Should 

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). What does it mean to “fall short of the glory of God?” It means that none of us has trusted and treasured God the way we should. We have not been satisfied with his greatness and walked in his ways. We have sought our satisfaction in other things and have treated them as more valuable than God, which is the essence of idolatry (Romans 1:21-23). Since sin came into the world, we have all been deeply resistant to having God as our all-satisfying treasure (Ephesians 2:3). This is an appalling offense to the greatness of God (Jeremiah 2:12-13).

4. All Of Us Are Subject To God’s Just Condemnation 

“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). We have all belittled the glory of God. How? By preferring other things above him. By our ingratitude, distrust, and disobedience. So God is just in shutting us out from the enjoyment of his glory forever. “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). The word “hell” is used in the New Testament twelve times—eleven times by Jesus himself. It is not a myth created by dismal and angry preachers. It is a solemn warning from the Son of God who died to deliver sinners from its curse. We ignore it at great risk. If the Bible stopped here in its analysis of the human condition, we would be doomed to a hopeless future. However, this is not where it stops…

5. God Sent His Only Son Jesus To Provide Eternal Life And Joy 

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1 Timothy 1:15). The good news is that Christ died for sinners like us. And he rose physically from the dead to validate the saving power of his death and to open the gates of eternal life and joy (1 Corinthians 15:20). This means God can acquit guilty sinners and still be just (Romans 3:25-26). “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Coming home to God is where all deep and lasting satisfaction is found.

6. The Benefits Purchased By The Death Of Christ Belong To Those Who Repent & Trust Him 

“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). “Repent” means to turn from all the deceitful promises of sin. “Faith” means being satisfied with all that God promised to be for us in Jesus. “Whoever believes in me,” Jesus says, “shall never thirst” (John 6:35). We do not earn our salvation. We cannot merit it (Romans 4:4-5). It is by grace through faith that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is a free gift (Romans 3:24). We will have it if we cherish it enough to receive it and treasure it above all things (Matthew 13:44). When we do that, God’s aim in creation is accomplished: He is glorified in us and we are satisfied in him—forever.

Does This Make Sense To You? 

Do you desire the kind of gladness that comes from being satisfied with all that God is for you in Jesus? If so, then God is at work in your life.

What Should You Do? 

Turn from the deceitful promises of sin. Call upon Jesus to save you from the guilt and punishment and bondage. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Start banking your hope on all that God is for you in Jesus. You can break the power of sin’s promises by putting your faith in the superior satisfaction of God’s promises. Begin reading the Bible to find his precious and very great promises, which can set you free (2 Peter 1:3-4). Find a Bible-believing church, and begin to worship and grow together with other people who treasure Christ above all things (Philippians 3:7).

(Source: goodnewstracts.org)

Gospel vs. Religion

If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. – Galatians 1:9
 

Is your Christianity marked by a deep belief, assurance and dependency on grace through Jesus? Or is your heart bent on man-fearing, self-worshiping religiosity? Religious people are glory thieves – taking from God what is rightfully his. Even worse than resulting in personal corruption, religion spread insidiously in churches; Paul’s fiercest commands throughout his letters were always against the religious people in the church.

Grace is freedom from the curse of works (Gal. 3:10), freedom from condemnation (Gal 2:15), freedom from slavery (Gal. 5:1) and freedom to worship and obey Jesus by the power of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16). Religion can never love or honor Jesus – it is ashamed of and offended (Gal. 5:11) by the gospel that declares all as sinners in need of a Savior. Religion says you can save yourself. Religion is “another gospel.”

What gospel are you spreading like a wildfire in your church or life? Grace? Or Religion?

Tim Keller shows the difference between Religion and Gospel in his new publication, Gospel in Life Study Guide (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), p. 16.

Acceptance

Religion: “I obey; therefore, I’m accepted.”
Gospel: “I’m accepted; therefore, I obey.”
 Motivation

Religion: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.
Gospel: Motivation is based on grateful joy.
Obedience

Religion: I obey God in order to get things from God.
Gospel: I obey God to get God – to delight in an resemble him.
 Circumstances

Religion: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or myself, since I believe that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.
Gospel: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle, but I know my punishment fell on Jesus and that while God may allow this for my training, he will exercise his Fatherly love within my trial.
Criticism

Religion: When I am criticized, I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a “good person.” Threats to self-image must be destroyed at all costs.
Gospel: When I am criticized, I struggle, but it is not essential for me to think of myself as a “good person.” My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ.
Prayer

Religion: My prayer life consists largely of petition, and it only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of the environment.
Gospel: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with God.
Confidence

Religion: My self-view swings things between to poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel humble but not confident – I feel like a failure.
Gospel: My self-view is not based on my moral achievement. In Christ I am simul lustus et peccator – simultaneously sinful and lost, yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad that he had to die for me, and I am so loved that he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deep humility and confidence at the same time.
Identity

Religion: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work, or how moral I am – and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral.
Gospel: My identity and self worth are centered on the one who died for me. I am saved by sheer grace and I can’t look down on those who believe or practices something different from me. Only by grace am I what I am.

By Scott Thomas, President of Acts 29 Network