# Is this an incomplete gospel message?



## xirtam (Jul 6, 2013)

I saw a guy this evening wearing a t-shirt that said, "God is looking for a person."

I approached him and asked what the shirt meant. He said that God is looking for someone for His purpose.

I asked, "What is that purpose?"

He replied, "To be saved from sin."

I asked what "sin" was and he explained that Adam sinned by eating from the tree of the knowledge of God and evil, so we all have sin.

I asked, "What is sin?"

He said, "Disobedience to God is sin."

I asked, "What disobedience?"

He said, "Adam's sin."

It went on and on like that as I tried to get him to explain to me what sin meant. He got a little agitated and said that if I was chosen by God, then I would know. Then he asked me what church that I attend. I said that does not matter at that point.

I tried to explain to him that the Bible "summarily tells us" that sin is found in God's law, namely the ten commandments. But he did not want to hear about that. He kind of got more agitated and said the Holy Spirit will tell me everything I needed to know about being saved. He said that his purpose was just to tell people about Jesus. 

I asked what does he say about Jesus and then he said to just "believe" and quoted John 3:16 and then walked away saying ,"I'm happy."

Is this a full gospel message?


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## Vladimir (Jul 6, 2013)

1. The High and most Holy God is not 'looking' for anyone or anything.
2. Adam's sin being imputed to his posterity would need quite a bit of theology to prayerfully study before it gets personal.
3. What about God' justice? How can you ever get through the meaning of the legal transaction that happened on the Cross without it?
4. Not just believe, repent and believe. Turn away from sins and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I think that a great example of the minimum requirements for a Gospel message is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wordless_Book. This black does not seem black, red is ambiguous and where is the white?

But it is not like He cannot use even the most imperfect of attempts at sharing the Good News. As I have already quoted from Leonard Ravenhill, a lost man once started attending the church, and one day was saved. When the pastor asked him how he ever ended up in a church, he said that some weird guy came up to him on the street and asked if he wanted to go to Heaven. When the man frustratedly said 'No', the guy said, 'Well go to hell then', and walked away. And the man was restless ever since.


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## GoodTreeMinistries.com (Jul 6, 2013)

Yes it makes me sad if the full gospel is not presented. Walking a person in the way of the master approach using the 10 commandments is a good way to talk about sin and show they are a bad person in need of a savior. I have also had times when witnessing to people where I was nervous and for some reason could not think of what I was trying to say. A few days ago I meet a guy claiming to be a Christian and he gave me a number and said it was the really Jesus. I could called Jesus and ask him anything I wanted to know. He then told we cannot know if we are saved and after death is the same as life as we know it now.

I like the method God Man Jesus Response as to sharing the gospel. Here is an example on my website: Repent and Believe the Gospel - Good Tree Ministries (Bearing Good Fruit) 
Here is my evangelism page with links to good gospel messages audio and video: Evangelism Page - Good Tree Ministries (Bearing Good Fruit)


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## Jack K (Jul 6, 2013)

You know, if the guy acknowledged that disobedience to God is sin and that we need to be saved from that, I wouldn't get too upset that he didn't bring up the Ten Commandments. I've often summarized the gospel and spoken about disobedience and unbelief without referencing the Ten Commandments specifically—because a summary doesn't including everything one might say. I think one can present a decent introduction to the gospel without mentioning them, as long as there's an acknowledgement that we've disobeyed God.

As for "just believe," we need to allow for the fact that the Bible's own language often lumps repentance in with faith under a general term like "believe." Yes, some people use that term wrongly, imagining a faith that skips repentance, but we shouldn't automatically assume people are doing so and chastise everyone who simply says "believe."

That said, if I wore a T-shirt in public with a message about God (which I don't tend to do), I'd try to be more prepared to speak in greater detail about the gospel. I still might, however, get a little flustered if someone came up and started peppering me with questions.


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## ClayPot (Jul 6, 2013)

It probably wasn't a very good one, that's for sure. Any presentation that leaves a person confused about what they must due to be saved (because the message is confusing or incomplete, not because they are unregenerate) is not a gospel presentation. His quote of John 3:16 probably fulfilled that requirement, but it sure doesn't sound like he was doing very much to help hearers understand the gospel.


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## Tim (Jul 6, 2013)

Brian, I am going to ask you a challenging question. Do you think that man went away from the conversation encouraged or discouraged? Whether or not he had a comprehensive systematic theology, do you think he was built up after speaking with you? 

I will openly admit that in the past, I have approached such people in an overly critical manner. But I also remember instances in which I felt I knew more than the other person but was able to be encouraging. I don't know whether you were overly critical or not; I was not there, and don't wish to make a judgment. You stated that he became agitated. In hindsight, are you happy with how you approached the situation?

What do you think? It is challenging for all of us when we meet someone who doesn't approach things with the same rigor that is the norm on the Puritan Board. How can we correct people (often strangers) in the right way?

(...and I sincerely hope that _my_ post has been encouraging to you, brother ).


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## MarieP (Jul 6, 2013)

What strikes me is that he wasn't willing to discuss these things with you. It's very rare that he'll get asked those questions- he doesn't need to add to it by making salvation into something esoteric!




Vladimir said:


> The High and most Holy God is not 'looking' for anyone or anything.



"the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost"- Luke 19:10. In a sense, He could be described as "looking." It's the fella with the t-shirt who doesn't seem to be 



xirtam said:


> He got a little agitated and said that if I was chosen by God, then I would know.



This actually sounds like some sort of hyper-Calvinist response!


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## xirtam (Jul 6, 2013)

Does it matter that he was a youth group leader in his late twenties or early thirties?


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## Vladimir (Jul 7, 2013)

I think it matters that there are 'youth groups', but I won't get into that.


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## xirtam (Jul 7, 2013)

Tim said:


> Brian, I am going to ask you a challenging question. Do you think that man went away from the conversation encouraged or discouraged? Whether or not he had a comprehensive systematic theology, do you think he was built up after speaking with you?
> 
> I will openly admit that in the past, I have approached such people in an overly critical manner. But I also remember instances in which I felt I knew more than the other person but was able to be encouraging. I don't know whether you were overly critical or not; I was not there, and don't wish to make a judgment. You stated that he became agitated. In hindsight, are you happy with how you approached the situation?
> 
> ...



Tim, your question is challenging. I was asking it to myself during my conversation with the guy, after, and even to this day. During my conversation, I affirmed what he was saying to be accurate and I told him that I would like to encourage him in that he brought me back to Adam and original sin. Then I asked him if he knew how to open up the definition of sin. I asked him if he was a Presbyterian, to which he affirmed and acknowledged the Reformation, Calvin, the Westminster Confession, and the likes, but when I mentioned these things and the Ten Commandments, he said that was not necessary and that the Holy Spirit would let a chosen person know that they were chosen. He said that he just needed to say, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus..." to which I think he meant, "Believe in Jesus" even still, He said nothing of repentance, even when I brought it up from Mark 1. 

That being said, I would like to have another opportunity to speak with him, because I am sure that I could have taken another approach. My sin does not escape me, even when I try to proclaim my Savior of those sins. Oh.... 

In Christ,


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## Tim (Jul 7, 2013)

Brian, thanks for this additional information. As it turns out, there was much more to the conversation than what you wrote in your original post. There seems to be some encouragement already in what you said, and I do hope that you will have another opportunity to be a Barnabas (son of encouragement). I am reminded of this verse:



> And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly (Acts 18:26).


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## xirtam (Jul 7, 2013)

Thanks Tim, but I am sure there was much more discouragement from my side, than my pride will let me see.


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