Evangelistic Apologetics – A Closer Look (Part 6)

Our new series follows the popular series Evangelistic Apologetics – The Church Under Attack, which published as a 33-part series on FaithandSelfDefense.com from January 2014 to March 2020. That series is now available for free as a set of five eBooks.

The purpose of this new series, A Closer Look, is to address the challenge our Lord has given us to preach the Gospel and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). We are looking deeply into the basics of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how to share it effectively with family, friends and others God leads into our lives. We are looking at the importance of personal evangelism and how to use apologetics as we tell others of the wonderful grace of our mighty God.

Here’s what we’ve looked at so far:

Evangelism is the job (work) of every Christian, not just the professionals. Jesus Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to His Church, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13).
In the second part of our series, we looked at what Jesus had in mind when He gave His Church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. What role do they play in the Lord’s Eternal Plan?
In the third part of our series, we looked at what real ministry looks like. A Christian’s ministry is to do whatever Jesus says we should do. Jesus said He had all authority in the universe and that we should make disciples and teach them to obey the teachings of Jesus. We also follow the example, the pattern, that Jesus gave us for life and ministry. We took several steps with Jesus from His childhood to His baptism and wildness experience to see how He ministered.
In the fourth part of our series, we looked at what Jesus preached after He left the wilderness and began traveling through the cities of Galilee.
In the fifth part of the series, we looked at what Jesus preached in the Jewish synagogues.

We move now to the next part of our study where we look closely at the Gospel that Jesus preached in Israel.

I’m also including this as part of the Faith & Self Defense Podcast. Click here to listen!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

When someone I’m talking to about Jesus Christ shows interest in reading about His life, I usually recommend the Gospel of Mark. Mark’s Gospel may be the first Gospel account written (some scholars think Matthew’s Gospel was first), so that’s interesting. Another reason is that it is the shortest Gospel account, so it doesn’t take long to read. Early Christian leaders (1st and 2nd centuries AD) wrote that Mark wrote down what the Apostle Peter preached and taught, so that’s another important reason for recommending it. I also like the way the Gospel of Mark opens:

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Mark 1:1

This is important. Mark, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, identified the “beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” The Gospel of Jesus Christ had a “beginning.” The Greek word for beginning (arché) means “origin, initial starting point.” So, we ask, what is the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? The next words in the Gospel of Mark tell us:

As it is written in the Prophets: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
Mark 1:2-4

The Gospel of Jesus Christ began with the preaching of John the Baptist. John was the prophetic fulfillment of Old Testament prophets (Isaiah and Malachi). John’s purpose was to prepare the way of the Lord and make His paths straight. Isaiah 40:3 called the path “A highway for our God.” Malachi 3:1 says that God sent “My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.” Malachi went on to write that “the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple.” John the Baptist was actually preparing the way for the God of the universe to step onto earth and appear in His temple.

John’s message was specific: “preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” John baptized people in the River Jordan based on repentance. How did people respond to John’s preaching?

Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
Mark 1:5

People came to him in large numbers to confess their sins and be baptized. They recognized that God was again speaking to Israel through a prophet. It was a time so many had prayed would come. The Jewish people knew the promises of Isaiah and Malachi. They knew that God had not spoken through a prophet for 400 years. They were waiting for God to fulfill His promise. John the Baptist appeared, preaching the message of God, and the people responded.

Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” John confessed that he was the not the messiah or Elijah or “the Prophet.” John did tell them that He was “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.” The priests and Levites asked John, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” (John 1:19-27)

John saw Jesus coming toward him the next day and said — “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” (John 1:29-31) John did not want to baptize Jesus and tried to prevent Him from doing that, but the Lord said — “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Jesus came up immediately from the water, the heavens were opened to Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove a alighting upon Him. “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17) John the Baptist was a witness of this and said — “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:32-34)

The Apostle John did not include a reference to Jesus’ wilderness testing period that occurred after His baptism (e.g. Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13). John’s Gospel account went from Jesus’ baptism to His having disciples. John wrote: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

So, what did Jesus preach after His baptism and wilderness testing?

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19)
“Follow Me.” John 1:43

Preaching “repentance” was central to Jesus’ Gospel ministry. John 4:17 reads, “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The literal reads, “From that time began Jesus to proclaim and to say …” We cannot understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ if we do not understand the absolute need for repentance. God requires repentance from everyone before He saves them. Here are some examples:

When Jesus heard that, He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. Matthew 9:12-13

And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!’ So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. Mark 6:11-13

Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. Luke 10:13

There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:1-3

I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7

Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10

Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Luke 24:46-48

The Gospel of Repentance

Luke 24:46-48 gives us an excellent example of what Jesus told His disciples to do after He returned to Heaven. Jesus had died on the cross, been buried and had risen from the dead. He had appeared to His disciples multiple times and was about to ascend to His Father. Jesus said it was necessary:

for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day
and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

As we learn later from the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 15:1-8), the Gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ “the third day according to the Scriptures.” Jesus, in Luke 24, connected the Gospel with the preaching of repentance. The remission of sins follows repentance. Any preaching that is called “Gospel preaching” must include the preaching of “repentance.”

Unfortunately, many preachers around the world have removed the need for “repentance” from their sermons. Any preacher or teacher who does not preach repentance is not a “Gospel” preacher. They may be nice people. They may be friendly and helpful in a variety of ways, but they are not helping people know the Gospel of Jesus Christ if they do not preach the need for people to repent of their sins.

Repentance (metanoia) means “a change of mind, change of inner man.” The word repent (metanoeó) means “to change one’s mind, change one’s purpose, change the inner man.” The idea of both words is to “think differently after.” True repentance affects the way a person thinks. The Gospel changes people from the inside. It is truly transformational. The preaching of the Gospel “transforms” people from one type of thinking to another, from one purpose to another, from one way of living to another. In order to change spiritually, a person must repent of their sins and believe the Gospel.

[Listen to a Podcast of this study by clicking this link.]

eBook

You can download a free eBook of Chapters One – Five of this study here. Please share with family and friends as God leads.

Next Time

We will learn more about how Jesus taught the “transformational” power of the Gospel in the next part of our special study, Evangelistic Apologetics – A Closer Look.

Faith & Self Defense

Building Confidence Through Evidence

Evangelistic Apologetics – A Closer Look (Part 6)