Gospel in a Nutshell

My Mom loved to go to a restaurant where we could throw the nutshells on the floor. As you walk in, there was a big barrel of peanuts and you could fill up your pail and take it to the table with you. One of her last birthdays we celebrated together before her death, we went to one of these restaurants. Every time I go to a restaurant today where you can do this (which isn’t very often), I am reminded of different passages of Scripture referred to as the “Gospel in a nutshell”. Usually what is meant by that, is the Gospel is presented in a clear, concise package.

One such text is I Corinthians 15:1-8:
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

To summarize the Gospel from this passage:
* Jesus died, according to Scripture
* Jesus was buried
* Jesus rose from the grave, according to Scriptures
* All this was confirmed by eyewitness testimony

That puts the Gospel in a very clear, concise manner. If you will, the “Gospel in a nutshell”. If we believe that a person must start with hearing the Gospel—this would be at least a good place to start.

I remember hearing Ed Bousman speak of an experience he had one time at a meeting in Cincinnati of some big denominational preacher. As he described the sermon, he said it was one of the best sermons on the blood of Christ that he had heard. He continued on, though and said that the only problem with it was (and this is a BIG problem), the preacher didn’t tell us how to apply that blood. So I Corinthians 15 may lay out the groundwork for sharing the Gospel, but how do I apply it to my life?

One other passage I like to think is the “Gospel in a nutshell” is Acts 8:35:
Then Phillip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture (Isaiah 53) he preached Jesus to him.

Now you ask, where is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus in that passage! You would have to open up your Old Testaments to Isaiah 53 to find out about the death of Jesus—that is what the Ethiopian was reading. But Luke, the author of the book of Acts, summarizes the Gospel in the translated phrase “he preached Jesus to him”. “Preaching Jesus” is pretty concise and to the point. But what did it mean?

* To “preach Jesus”, is to share Jesus!
* To “preach Jesus” is to share His death!
* To “preach Jesus” is to share His burial!
* To “preach Jesus” is to share His resurrection!
* To “preach Jesus” is to share His love!
* To “preach Jesus” is to share His grace!
* To “preach Jesus” is to share how to apply this whole event to our lives.

All one has to do is to look at the very next verse in Acts 8 and you will find one of the things that “preaching Jesus” included:
As they traveled along the road they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?”
(Acts 8:36)

How did the Ethiopian Eunuch know he needed to be immersed UNLESS the preaching of Jesus included it? Now I challenge you to go back through the other conversion accounts in the book of Acts and see what sharing Jesus meant! Read through sermons! You will find the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. But you will also find the need for the non-Christian to believe this Gospel and to apply it to his or her life by repenting of sin, confessing Christ, being immersed into Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, and then continued faithful living!

Lets all learn the “Gospel in a nutshell”. And then lets all “preach Jesus” - share our faith in Christ!

Your evangelist,
Kevin

Lunar Eclipse

Tonight my family and I watched the lunar eclipse together. The picture shows our view right before it was completely covered. It was a beautiful, clear and cold night here in Illinois. The next full lunar eclipse does not occur until December 20, 2010.

When I see events like this, it reminds me of our Great Creator God, who with His word. On the fourth day of creation the Bible says, "Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so.16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day" (Genesis 1:14-19).

Great is our Lord and worthy to be praised!

Confidence in Christ!

This month South Side has the privilege of hosting the Vermilion County Churches of Christ and Christian Churches County Meeting. And I, as the evangelist here, have the privilege to preach! This year it happens to fall on President Abraham Lincoln’s 199th birthday. Being in the Land of Lincoln, we will celebrate our heritage as a nation.

As I have been planning for this great meeting, I have come across some interesting facts in regard to Lincoln and his possible immersion into Christ. The debate on whether he was immersed or not has been around since Lincoln’s untimely death.

David Lipscomb mentions the debate in the July 24, 1873, edition of the Gospel Advocate:
Quite an interesting discussion is going on as to whether Mr. Lincoln was a believer in the Bible and in Jesus Christ. One of his biographers, an intimate, personal friend, pretty clearly proves that he was an infidel and ridiculed the Bible and the claims of Jesus to be the Christ until the end of his life. Others present pretty conclusive evidence that he did acknowledge a change in his opinion about Christ, before his death. He often, after the forms of public rulers, expressed a reliance on God and Christ in his public proclamations.
Gospel Advocate, July 24, 1873, 691.

There basically are two stories told about Lincoln and his invitation to be immersed. One takes place in Springfield, IL, and the other in Washington, D.C.

The immersion in Springfield is described by James DeForrest Murch:
There is a tradition among Illinois Disciples that John O’Kane, when state evangelist, discussed the state of Lincoln’s soul with him on several occasions; finally he was convicted and wished to be immersed. He reportedly knew that his wife, who had strong Episcopal and Presbyterian social obligations in Springfield, would be greatly embarrassed if it were known that a “Campbellite” evangelist had baptized him. But one night, Lincoln slipped away from the house with proper garments for baptism, met O’Kane and was immersed in the waters of the Sangamon River.
Christians Only, Standard Publishing, 1962, p. 155.

The other story was submitted by W.R. Lowe:
W. H. Morris told me that in 1862, while his regiment was in Washington, or just across the river in Arlington Heights, he held a protracted meeting of about two weeks, during which he baptized many of the soldiers of his regiment. Mr. Lincoln and his Cabinet attended his meeting. Mr. Lincoln and Secretary Stanton attended nearly every night and, near the close of the meeting, Mr. Lincoln came to him and said, “Morris, do you think it necessary for every person to be baptized?” He replied: “It is not a matter of think-so with me! It is a matter of revelation. Jesus said, ‘Go and teach all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned.’ And Peter, by the Holy Spirit, said, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins.’” When he had made these quotations from the old Book, Mr. Lincoln said: “Well, Morris, I look at this matter just as you do, and I intend to attend to it.” Bro. Morris says he thinks from what he saw that Secretary Stanton and other members of his Cabinet persuaded him to defer the matter for the time being, and he never had a favorable opportunity after that, or, at least, he never attended to it.
W. R. Lowe, “An Interesting Incident,” Christian Standard, January 21, 1911.

I doubt a biography will ever be written about me. But if one is written, just for the record, I was immersed on October 21, 1984, at the Central Christian Church in Tampa, Florida, by evangelist Edgar Harris.
We should have confidence in Christ!