Chester and Timmis base the first chapter, “Why Gospel?” on the biblical presupposition that the Word must be the foundation of all we say and do. “Through the words of Jesus, ” they note, “the Father is doing his work. And God is at work today through the proclamation of the gospel” (23).
Our ministry will be blessed (I did not say “effective;” our estimation of effectiveness is often flawed) only as we preach and live the Word. The authors say, “The kingdom grows through the word as it elicits faith” (29). If we want to see lives changed by the gospel, we must preach it — there is no other formula for spiritual change.
So how can we live as effective missionaries to College Station, the nation, and the world? The authors encourage us to think about what kind of questions we would ask ourselves if we were going to plant a church in some other part of the world. They suggest we would ask, among others:
1. What standard of living would we expect?
2. What would we spend our time doing?
3. What opportunities would we be looking for?
4. What would our prayers be like?
Our answers to these questions would be contextualized to the place where we were planting. The only thing that would not change would be our message — the Gospel as revealed in Scripture.
Our vision is simple at New Life: “We exist to preserve and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as revealed in Scripture, for the glory of God through the delight of all peoples.” We desire to see God glorified by all peoples coming to delight in him.
God has chosen us as his means of communicating his Gospel to the lost. How are we sharing the Gospel with and praying for those God has placed in our mission field? Let’s challenge one another to be everyday evangelists as we live the Gospel in the mission field God has given to us.