Do You Need the Gospel Anymore?

by Becca Kuest

When we talk about the Gospel, it is usually in reference to when we were first saved or when we share it with others. “Saved by grace.” “Share your faith.” “Spread the good news of Jesus.” But do we as followers of Jesus need the Gospel anymore?

A dear friend of mine gifted me the book A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love by Milton Vincent. This 97-page book is one of the most influential books I’ve ever read. It helped me see that I need the Gospel message every day.

“God did not give us His gospel just so we could embrace it and be converted. Actually, he offers it to us every day as a gift that keeps on giving to us…” – Milton Vincent

The author continues to share all the benefits of preaching the Gospel to ourselves. From helping combat sin and reminding us of God’s grace to opening our eyes to see those who don’t know the Gospel.

“The more I rehearse and exult in gospel truths, the more there develops within me a corresponding burden for non-Christians to enter into such blessings.” – Milton Vincent

A burden for non-Christians…for our neighbors, our friends, our family, and the world. Did you know there are still 3.2 billion people living in countries that do not have a local, indigenous witness of the Gospel? That should burden us, because it’s our mission to help them learn about the Gospel. As Paul writes to the church in Corinth, God “reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18, ESV). No matter what you do in life, whether you work or go to school or whether you’re unemployed or pursuing a passion project, if you are a follower of Jesus, this is your ministry. But you can’t do it alone.

Do you ever get nervous or scared thinking about sharing your faith? I know I have. But I’ve come to realize that in those times of fear, I’m relying on myself, not God. When we rely on ourselves, it’s easy for all of the excuses and what if’s to have their way in our minds and hearts. But sharing the Gospel isn’t supposed to be like giving a speech or selling a product. It’s a way of life.

“If Christians would do more preaching of the gospel to themselves, non-Christians might have less trouble comprehending its message, for they would see its truth and power exuding from believers in indisputable ways.” – Milton Vincent

When we fill ourselves with Gospel truths, those truths will naturally display in our words and actions. It will become a normal part of our life. That’s what Jesus was talking about when He said in John 15 to abide in Him. We don’t produce fruit. God produces that fruit as we seek Him.

So what does it look like to preach the Gospel to yourself daily? Here are some tips to get you started:

1) Read or listen to God’s Word.

The YouVersion app offers a free audio Bible. You can listen to it while you get ready or when you drive in the car. Even it’s just five minutes a day or one verse a day, it’s a start.

2) Memorize Scripture.

There’s a free app called Verses for memorizing Scripture. It provides different levels and challenges to help your brain retain the words. You can even invite friends and start a group to memorize verses together. Or there’s always the old-fashion flash card that you can post on your wall. That works too.

3) Speak the truth out loud.

One of my biggest struggles is getting trapped in lies. It can get so bad that it is physically debilitating. When I was in college, my counselor had me write a list of lies that I was believing and then write the truths to replace them. Then she had me say them out loud. When I wrote them down, I felt nothing, but when I read them out loud, I cried and felt a huge burden lifted from me. I’m no expert, but I believe there is a powerful physical and spiritual freedom that happens when we speak words of truth out loud.

Start preaching the Gospel to yourself right now! Don’t close out this page or just quickly glance over these verses. Take a minute to soak in these rich truths.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”

– Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV)

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

– Romans 5:8 (ESV)

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

– Romans 8:1 (ESV)

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” – John 1:12 (ESV)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

– 1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV)