The Compelling Gospel

The Compelling Gospel

2 Corinthians 5:12-21

I recently heard a preacher say, “If the church building burned down tonight, then the church would wake up tomorrow.” That is a powerful statement. We respond well to a crisis. We become motivated and do amazing things.

Why then do we not share the gospel with passion? It is to our shame as the church that we do more for a crisis than for the gospel message itself. Nothing is more compelling than the truth that Jesus Christ came down from heaven and died on the cross in order to take the punishment for our sins. The gospel itself should be compelling enough for us to serve and share with the greatest of passion.

Paul had such a heart. In this passage, he opens up his heart and shares it with us. God gives us a glimpse into the heart of a soul-winner. In this passage, we will see three ways the gospel should be compelling for us.

Read the passage.

1. OUR RESPONSE TO SALVATION

In verse 14, Paul states clearly that it is the love of God which compelled him to preach. Paul had met Jesus on the road to Damascus and was saved from hell and judgment. He shares from his heart that the fact of trusting in Jesus death on the cross for salvation should compel us to share the truth of salvation with others.

He restates the gospel in verses 14 and 15. His response is clear: those who live – because Jesus gave them life through salvation- should not live for themselves any longer, but for Jesus who gave His life for them.

Who better to share the gospel than one who looked into the face of judgment and then looked into the face of Jesus? Your testimony is your most powerful tool in sharing the gospel. But it should also be your most compelling motivation.

2. THE RECONCILIATION OF SINNERS

In verses 18-19, Paul reminds us that sin has separated the world from God. That separation can only be crossed through faith in Jesus. He is clearly making this point by discussing reconciliation. He then makes it clear we have the ministry of reconciliation. This means that we are stewards of the only means of reconciling a lost world to God.

We need to be reacquainted with a lost and dying world. The “lostness” of man should compel us to share the gospel. Verse 19 states this ministry has been “committed” to us. It is ours. We will conduct it with the same amount of passion with which we are brokenhearted over the lostness of those around us.

When was the last time you were broken-hearted over a loved one or friend? When was the last time you came to the altar during the invitation broken hearted for a response to the gospel? How is your heart for missions? If we had more Christians going on missions trips, we would have a greater sense of the lostness of our world. This lostness is more than enough to compel us to share the gospel.

3. OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE SAVIOR

The final truth that should be enough to compel us share the gospel is our responsibility to the savior Jesus Christ. Verses 20-21 show just how impassioned Paul was. He says he is imploring them to respond to Jesus “as though God were pleading through us.” Paul says we are ambassadors for the gospel message. We carry this responsibility. We must carry it with the same passion He did. The same passion that carried Jesus to the cross.

God made Jesus sin for us so that we could be righteous. What does that act of love and sacrifice require from someone who has accepted that gift? Such a gift requires the same response from us. We are responsible to Jesus because of His sacrifice for us. That is why God made us His ambassadors – because we carry the passion and truth of just what it means to be saved. We are righteous because of what Jesus did for us. How can this truth not compel us to share? We are responsible for this message. There is only one plan in scripture for evangelizing the world with the gospel – through His people who have received and believed in the gospel.

Are you compelled to share your faith? If not, considering this truths of what it means to be a Christian should stir your heart. Will we respond