Evangelism and the gospel go hand in hand. You can't do one without knowing the other. And when I thought about how to define the gospel, words like
Suffering, Pain, Love, Redemption, and Salvation came to mind.
The gospel looks different for each person, because we all come to know God and Jesus in our own personal ways. For some, religion was always a part of their lives and looking down at their WWJD bracelets to ask themselves, "what would Jesus do?" was a natural action. For me, I experienced the gospel when I was most broken.
While I have a lot I can say about the healing powers of Jesus and the wholeness I feel when I'm in the presence of the Lord, my faith could often be described as "hill and valley" faith. This means that I had mainly experienced God in "aha" moments (these are hills) or in times of deep depression or anger (these are the valleys). But the key is to find your balance, where you are always connected to your faith (the space between the hill and valley) and only occasionally experience the highest and lowest emotions, because hill and valley faith is not sustainable and will only result in frustration.
If I had to give a short explanation of the gospel, I would say that
it is the greatest story of hope and love expressed through Jesus Christ that sets an example for not only Christians, but all humans to live with purpose and to love one another. Because I am loved, I am called to show love and be love in this world to live out the Kingdom of God on earth.
I had to interview a Presbyterian pastor for a final paper in my evangelism class and when I asked him to define the gospel, he replied,
"Luke 15 and Isaiah 35. We all get lost. There are many reasons why we get lost, but when we are found, there is a huge party." This really resonated with me, since my personal story of meeting the gospel consisted of my own "lost-ness."And what goes better with a party than music??
Since I experience my faith most through music, I thought I'd compile a "mixtape" of songs that best explain the gospel for me. The songs are compiled in an order to express the progression of the gospel as I see it. It starts with an introduction to Jesus, followed by a recognition that our hearts are fragile and misguided, which leads to a desire to give our hearts to Jesus and the change that this action creates within us. Then there are songs that express the importance of doing as Jesus taught (to be moved to help the world and point the world to Jesus. This is followed by a Christmas song — which I think is quite appropriate, considering the gospel revolves around Jesus Christ — and songs about the appreciating the presence of Jesus, our redeemer. It concludes with what I like to call the evangelism anthem. This Relient K track embodies the gospel, while embracing the idea that evangelism is about sharing the story of love more than converting someone.
Click on a title below to hear the track on YouTube.
The Mixtape Gospel:
1. "
Truth" by Alexa Allmann
2. "
Breakable" by Ingrid Michaelson
3. "
Hearts A Mess" by Gotye
4. "
Here's My Heart" by Lauren Diagle
5. "
Noticed" by MUTEMATH
6. "
Strangely Dim" by Francesca Battistelli
7. "
Love Come to Life" by Big Daddy Weave
8. "
Words" by Hawk Nelson
9. "
You Are My Vision" by Rend Collective
10. "
I Celebrate the Day" by Relient K
11. "
You Are Mine" by MUTEMATH
12. "
I'd Be Lying" by Greg Laswell
13. "
Worship You" by Vampire Weekend
14. "
I Just Want You to Know" by Relient K
What songs would you add to your gospel mixtape? Let me know in the comments below!
