How to Share the Gospel Message Faithfully

by Pastor Michael Gobel

Photo Credit: Michel Krakowiak and iStock

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”
— Matthew 28:16–20, NKJV

The Significance of Proclaiming Christ

For many “Christians” around the world, Easter, Christmas, including weddings, christenings and baptism celebrations and religious events, stand as profound commemorations of Jesus Christ’s birth, ministry, death, and resurrection and sadly they happen to also be the only time that we witness a full complement of the ‘children of God’ visit the house of the Lord. Yet these events are not mere holidays and special celebrations but sacred, symbolic periods that serve as the foundation of our faith in Christ.

Yet in our modern age, these spiritual observances have tragically been commercialized—reduced to cultural rituals rather than deep spiritual encounters. Instead of drawing us into worship, thanksgiving, reflection, and repentance, they are increasingly marked by consumerism and superficiality. The modern-day church is more focused on ‘inward’ preaching than ‘outward’ proclaiming of the Message of Christ. In truth, we are preaching to the converted while the real need in proclaiming the love of God and the redemptive power of Christ is being ignored by the millions of lost souls that might know about God but who have not yet submitted their lives to Christ and who are not walking in obedience to the will and purposes of God.

The life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are not only the pillars of Christian belief—they are essential doctrines of salvation, underscoring our faith and hope in eternal life. These truths demand not only our reverence for God but call for an active response from the body of Christ (you and I) to share this message with the rest of the world. It is for this reason that I am overjoyed that we have applications and platforms such as Substack that allow for this form of fellowship and community sharing between like-minded people and entities.

At the heart of Jesus’ post-resurrection ministry stands the “Great Commission”—a divine mandate given to His followers in Matthew 28 and again in Mark 16:15: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” This is not a suggestion; it is a command. Evangelism is not reserved for a few trained ministers or missionaries—it is the duty of every believer.

Too often, we are content to commemorate the events of Christ’s life without embracing the call to proclaim them. But the true celebration of Christ’s resurrection must move beyond pageantry to proclamation.

I am convinced that if the Church were to prioritize preaching, teaching, and witnessing above religious observance, we would be better equipped to navigate life’s storms, resist temptation, and walk in holiness. Hebrews 12:2 calls us to fix our eyes on Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith,” while 2 Corinthians 4:18 urges us to look beyond the visible to the eternal.

We are not merely recipients of the Gospel—we are stewards of it. As 1 Peter 4:10 teaches, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.”

Let us therefore reject the temptation to become spiritual spectators or “lone rangers.” If we were to all share the Gospel with as much zeal as we celebrate its message, the world would see revival, and the Church would shine as the light of Christ in a dark and broken world.

The Sower and the Soil

One of Christ’s most insightful teachings on evangelism is found in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3–9). Here, Jesus illustrates four types of soil, each representing a different response to the Word of God. Only one soil—the good ground—yields fruit.

This parable must profoundly shape how we view evangelism. It reminds us that while we are called to sow the seed, the condition of the heart determines its growth. Evangelism is not a performance, nor should it be reduced to emotional appeal or personal gain. Faith in Christ must never be built upon personalities, church aesthetics, or entertainment value. As Scripture warns, “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires… they will heap up for themselves teachers.” (2 Timothy 4:3)

True evangelism must not manipulate human desire. It must confront it. The Gospel calls for self-denial, not self-promotion. Jesus said clearly in Matthew 10:34–39 that He came not to bring peace, but a sword—that following Him may cause division even within families. The cost of discipleship is real. As He declared: “He who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.”

The message of salvation requires repentance, surrender, and death to self. As Jesus said in John 12:24–26, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone—but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

True repentance and faith in Christ deny the usual depraved longings of the human will and seek to connect to the Spirit. The Word of God says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:24–26 NASB)

If neither raw emotion nor rational desire is a reliable gauge for true faith, then what is? As Jonathan Edwards (an American preacher and theologian from 1703 – 1758) rightly observed, a dependable indicator is a “humble, broken-hearted love for God.” He wrote: “The desires of the saints, however earnest, are humble desires; their hope is a humble hope; their joy, even when it is unspeakable and full of glory, is a humble and broken-hearted joy that leaves the Christian poorer in spirit, more like a little child, more disposed to a universal lowliness of behaviour.”

According to Edwards, evangelism should not aim to influence emotion or manipulate the will because those things are not only easily accomplished but are unsafe signs of conversion. Rather, “a holy life is the chief sign of grace .” A holy life flows from a holy heart, which produces holy affections directed at the Holy One. This is only possible when the mind of the sinner is persuaded to see his sin for what it is and the Gospel as his sole solution to a life of righteousness and holiness in Christ.

The “messenger” is not the Means to Salvation

In many ways, the current evangelical movement is similarly confused. The dominant myth amongst modern-day evangelicals is that the success of Evangelism depends on how popular, handsome or stylish the “messenger” is. The perceived mandate is that, if the Gospel is to remain relevant and ‘modern,’ Christianity must somehow adapt to appeal to the latest cultural and societal trends of our time.

That kind of thinking used to be limited to the thrill-seeking or emotionally driven type crowds and congregations associated with the Pentecostal and charismatic movement, but sadly, it has recently even leapt into the more Reformed or conservative denominational circles. There are entire movements that would agree to the truths of predestination, election, and total depravity, but then also, inexplicably, demand that pastors act and dress more like rock stars than humble shepherds and servants of the Lord.

Influenced by the “emotional rhetoric” of bad theology and radical worldviews, people tolerate the idea that the cultural shrewdness of a pastor determines how successful his message is and how influential his church will be. Current church growth methodology claims that if an evangelist wants to “reach the culture of the masses” (whatever that means), he must emulate the nature of that culture in some way. But such an approach runs contrary to the “biblical paradigm.” The power of the Spirit in the Gospel is not found in the messenger, or in the way we dress or “perform” on a Sunday, but lies in the Truth and Glory of the Message that is shared with the children of God. Thus, the motivation behind the thrill seeker-driven mindset might be noble, but it is seriously misguided and flawed.

Any effort to manipulate the outcome of evangelism by changing, adapting or compromising on the Truth of the Message or stylizing the messenger is a huge mistake. The idea that more people will repent if only the preacher were cooler or funnier invariably causes the church to suffer through a ridiculous parade of entrepreneurial types who act as though their charm, the quality of their ‘entertainment’ or the size and magnificence of their auditoriums can draw people to Christ.

This error leads to the harmful notion that a pastor’s conduct and speech should be determined by the cultural norms in which he ministers. If he is trying to reach an “unchurched” or “ungodly” culture, some would argue, he should speak and act like the unchurched or ungodly, even when their behaviour is unholy or worldly. There are many problems with that kind of logic, but foremost is the false assumption that a pastor can manufacture true conversions by looking or acting a certain way. The bottom line (outcome) is that only God is in control of whether or not sinners are saved as a result of any form of preaching or teaching.

In reality, the hard truths of the Gospel are not conducive to gaining popularity and influence within secular society. Sadly, however, many preachers crave cultural and human acceptance so much that they are willing to alter, change or even manipulate God’s message of salvation and His standard of righteous and holy living to achieve such acceptance. The result, of course, is another false gospel that is not the true Gospel of salvation.

Such compromises do nothing to increase the church’s witness within the society or, for that matter, within the holistic body of Christ. They have the opposite effect. By creating a “synthetic gospel,” they facilitate filling churches with people who have not truly repented of their sins or who, with the first struggle and obstacle in life, will take their eyes off Christ and easily fall back into a life of sin and unrighteousness. Instead of making the world like the church, such efforts succeed only in making the church more like the world.

Photo Credit: Roger de la Harpe and iStock

“God gives the Increase”

The apostle Paul understood this principle. When he brought the Gospel to Corinth, he planted the church and left it in the care of Apollos. Later, he described the experience this way: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6). God was the one who drew sinners to Himself, changed their hearts, and caused them to be sanctified. Paul and Apollos were both faithful, but they most certainly were not the explanation for the supernatural life and growth of the early Church (body of Christ). This truth caused Paul to say, “So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:7).

Jesus intentionally highlights the farmer’s lack of influence over the growth of the seed in the parable of the sower, as we saw earlier. In fact, Jesus stresses that the farmer, after planting, simply went home and fell asleep. This is directly analogous to evangelism. For a person to be saved, the Spirit of God must draw him and regenerate his soul (John 6:44; Titus 3:5). This runs counter to the notion that the results of evangelism can be influenced by the wardrobe of the pastor or the kind of music that is played before the Message.

The pastor who thinks designer jeans will make his message more palatable is akin to a farmer investing in a designer seed bag so that the soil will be more receptive to his seeds. Do not mistake this as an apology for wearing decent casual trousers. The point Jesus makes is not that the evangelist or preacher should wear a suit and tie and sing only psalms and hymns.

The entire parable is making the statement that, as far as evangelism goes, it simply does not matter what the evangelist wears, or how he does his hair or even the depth of his knowledge of Scripture. Such externals are not what makes the seed grow. When people argue that a pastor who behaves like a particular segment of a culture or social norms is better able to reach that culture or segment of the population, they fail to understand Jesus’ point.

All the farmer can do is “sow,” and all the evangelist can do is "proclaim." As a preacher, if I thought someone’s salvation was contingent upon my adherence to some subtle aspect of the cultural norms, the depth of my revelation of God’s Word or the value of my wisdom and knowledge of Scripture, I could never sleep at night. But instead, I know that “the Lord knows those who are His” (2 Tim. 2:19). He knows my heart, my love for Him and my desire to share the Gospel with the lost and to teach and preach the Truth of God’s Word with those who wish to grow in their faith.

Therefore, when I stand and deliver a sermon or present a teaching to the body of Christ, I do so in absolute faith and trust that God will lead and guide my words and my speech and empower me to speak only Truth that is inspired by His Word, and which is led by the power of His Holy Spirit that resides inside of me. It is not coincidental that the New Testament never calls evangelists to bear the responsibility for another person’s salvation. Rather, having proclaimed the message faithfully, we are called to rest in the sovereignty of God's power to bring conviction, repentance and transformation to the body of Christ.

Irrespective of whether you are an Apostle, prophet, preacher, teacher, evangelist, or ordinary child of God, it is our duty and purpose as followers of Christ to plant the Gospel seed wherever we go and in whatever situation we might find ourselves in, without which no one can be saved (Romans 10:14–17). Then we need to trust God with the results, since only the Spirit can give life (John 3:5–8). May your labour and toil not be in vain, and may it bear much fruit to the glory and honour of God and His Kingdom.

A Call to Action

So, what is the measure of authentic faith? It is a life surrendered to Christ and committed to proclaiming His truth. Evangelism is not an optional extra—it is the natural outflow of a heart set ablaze by the love of God.

In closing, I urge every believer: deepen your walk with Christ. Immerse yourself in the Word. Commit to prayer. Participate in fellowship and the sacraments by visiting your local church every Sunday. And most importantly, take up your calling to make Christ known.

Let this season in your life be marked not only by celebration and thanksgiving for the mercy and grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, but by our commission to spread and share the Good News of God’s love through our speech, actions and behaviour.

“For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher?”
— Romans 10:13–14

If you wish to support this mission and ministry to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost or in helping us deliver humanitarian relief to the marginalized through our feeding and clothing program for hundreds of widows, orphans and the elderly, including the most vulnerable people in the community, fell free to contact me via email and/or subscribe, support and share this platform with as many of your family and friends around the world.

In God’s love,

Pastor Michael Gobel

Email: michaelgobel14@gmail.com

If you wish to purchase a copy of my latest book, Mending Hearts, Transforming Lives, you will find it on Amazon.com, see link below:

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