Do you realize that you wield the greatest power on earth when you unleash the power of the gospel? We need not entertain the crowd or cave to culture; we need only to give them what they so desperately need – the truth and nothing but the truth! It is, and always will be the gospel that delivers unstoppable power.

This article will lay out four practical tips for “dropping our lines” into waters which are teeming with unconverted “fish”—men, women, and children who need to hear the saving gospel message.

It’s been a year since COVID-19 first drove churches from their buildings. For many churches, this marked their first foray into online ministry. When it first began, I was serving as the Director of Digital Platforms for Grace to You. And I can’t count how many pastors contacted us asking where to begin. Most had never live-streamed a service before; many didn’t even have a website.

Stories are an essential part of being made in the image of God. Everyone has a story, and God gifts us with storytelling abilities. Most notably, every single one of us exists in the most significant story of all: God’s redemptive story. As people redeemed by God, there is nothing more important than worshipping God by declaring His story of redemption to others.

As followers of Christ, we receive spiritual check-ups at many different stages of our Christian walk. We receive a spiritual check-up when we read the Bible, as it does its work of “piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow . . . judg[ing] the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12).

The wise men of every age ask the same questions: “Why are we here?” “What should we be doing?” “What is the meaning of life?” For answers, some look to Confucius, Aristotle, or Nietzsche. Or, more likely these days, we look to books, blogs, or YouTube channels.

For those of us who know Christ, two simple words hold the key to life everlasting: The Gospel. This phrase is like sweet honey to those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. To believe the Gospel means that we have peace with God, that we have a heavenly Father, and that we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom.

Our world is deeply fallen. In the midst of our pain and fallenness, voices are crying out for social reform, for economic redistribution, and for major institutional changes to the educational system and law enforcement. After thousands of years of human history, our world is still blinded to the reality that the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart.

From January 25th – February 3rd I and a brother from our church embarked on a 34-hour journey deep into the heart of India. While it’s not necessary to share our exact location, I can share that we were in the southern half of India. Our objective on this trip was not to convert Hindus, but rather, to strengthen and encourage local pastors who are facing monumental challenges in ministry.

Like all generations throughout church history, one of the primary focuses we need to be pre-occupied with today is taking the gospel to those who have never heard it before. However, as apostasy increases and seemingly faithful men and women go rogue theologically, we’ll need not only “outreach” (to those who’ve never heard the gospel), but great emphasis on “inreach” (to those believing in a false gospel).

There is nothing on earth like the local Christian church. Hundreds of conferences offer life-changing experiences for several days but can’t come close to the life-long impact of a local church. Evangelistic crusades may draw tens of thousands to hear the gospel, but the crusade team can’t possibly facilitate the spiritual growth of those converts the way the local church can.

Whenever the word “evangelism” comes up, it’s not uncommon for Christians to experience some sort of emotional response that is less than pleasant. Eye rolling, ear plugging, or even church hopping are all strategies that some will employ just to avoid the topic altogether.