The Gospel Works

Many of my readers and subscribers write me about their particular struggles in teaching situations. (If you'd like to do that, contact me here.) Sometimes I pick up a tone of "I'm looking for the secret manipulation formula so they'll get it!" -- I don't think people are consciously doing this, but in our eagerness to teach and serve, we sometimes focus too much on method and not enough on message.

That's why I was delighted to read a recent "evotional" from Mark Batterson:

"One of the speakers at Catalyst was Franklin Graham. Spitting image of his dad! So forthright. One thing he said really stuck me: "You don't have to help the gospel." He said, "The gospel works." Such a profound reminder.I feel like all of us could do a better job of consistently communicating the simple gospel message. I'm thinking and rethinking how we help people cross the line of faith. As a dad, one of my roles is to engineer experiences that create memories. The end result is a defining moment. In the same sense, as a pastor, I want to set up God encounters. I'm obviously not suggesting we can or try to man-u-facture anything. But I need to be more intentional about helping people create spiritual memories."

Here's a good prayer for teachers: "Father, I know your Gospel works. You've worked into my life. Please do it again in their lives. Glorify your name! Amen."