#gospelfluency

As you speak Jesus to one another, do it with grace, wisdom, and love, all of which you can get from him in limitless supply. As you receive these gifts from him, give him credit for what he gives and what he does. Keep speaking Jesus, because you talk about what works—and Jesus works; the gospel works. Keep growing in your love for Jesus, because you talk most about what you love most. The gospel is the love of God that works because it is the power of God for salvation for all who believe. So don’t be ashamed! Tell yourself. Tell your friends. Tell your family members. Tell everyone that you have good news for them—good news that will change them forever. #GospelFluency (at Addyston Place Neighborhood) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kHWT9jDeJ/?igshid=3lm9kvrbgrv0

We can have right knowledge of the gospel, faith in the gospel, power to proclaim the gospel, and all the tools in the world to creatively do so, but still lack love. And if that is the case, our proclamation will mean nothing. At the heart of the gospel is the love of God. And if we speak about the love of God without love for people, the noise of our lives will drown out the words coming from our lips. #GospelFluency (at Addyston Place Neighborhood) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-hKf4ujumg/?igshid=1g2d83orsvyr3

It is so important that we give people the good news of Jesus. It’s not our job to get them to believe it. That’s the Spirit’s job. We are called to live lives that demand gospel explanations and, when we have the opportunities, to give people Jesus as the answer for our hope. We might show how Jesus is better than what they have been trusting in. Maybe we listen to their stories and help them find hope, healing, and redemption by filling in the gaps with the true story. Or perhaps, just by listening, we discover their deeper longings and show how Jesus can do for them what nothing and no one else can. Maybe, they need someone to help them see that the fruit of their lives is connected to the roots of their faith, and the time has come for them to see that they can place their faith in far better roots. Whatever the means, whatever the method, they need to hear about Jesus and the good news of the gospel. #gospelfluency (at Addyston Place Neighborhood) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-eo_bwD08M/?igshid=1kcflmc8xr297

We were created by God to find our greatest satisfaction and fulfillment in him. Every human is hungry for God. Everyone has eternity written on their hearts, producing a longing for something—someone—better, more significant, and eternal. This is a longing for God. The cry of every heart—the native tongue of our souls—is for better, not for worse; for the eternal, not for the temporal; for healing, redemption, and restoration. And only Jesus can bring this about. We all long for Jesus Christ. Everyone is seeking him, even if they don’t know it. #GospelFluency (at Addyston Place Neighborhood) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-cBeRBjApE/?igshid=1oeo2x2mf5lnc

When we tell our stories and fail to confess our sins, we often fail to show our need for a Savior as well. Jesus won’t be the hero of the story if we don’t really need a Savior for our sin. #GospelFluency (at Addyston Place Neighborhood) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ZWATVDw4F/?igshid=wja696s6bkv

A community committed to growing in gospel fluency together doesn’t respond like everyone else. We have good news to bring to bear on the difficulties of life. Sure, it’s good to enter into someone’s pain and struggle with empathy. However, we also have good news to give. @jeffvanderstelt regularly encourage his groups to ask these questions: (1) How does the gospel bring good news to this situation? (2) What about the gospel do we need to hear right now? (3) What about the gospel have we forgotten or failed to believe? and (4) How is Jesus better than what we have or what we want? - So Good!!! #GospelFluency (at Addyston Place Neighborhood) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-XH0r0jvaL/?igshid=1ieznast2ru28

So often, when people are led to confess their sins, they only confess their sinful behaviors. In other words, they confess the fruit. They say: “I’m sorry I lied. Please forgive me.” Or: “I looked at pornography. I know that’s wrong. Please forgive me.” The problem, however, is that they need to confess their sinful beliefs—the roots, the stuff below the surface that is motivating and producing their behaviors, the sin beneath the sins. All sin stems from wrong beliefs—lies we believe—and ultimately from our unbelief in Jesus. And because we generally don’t go beyond the fruit to the root, we end up aiming at behavior modification instead of gospel transformation. “I’m sorry, I promise I won’t do it again” or “I’m going to try harder in the future” are among our typical responses. #GospelFluency (at Addyston Place Neighborhood) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-R2fhcDrIa/?igshid=b1szt78lq6qz

To take something captive is to take control of it and put it in a controlled environment. It is like subduing a ferocious animal and putting it in a cage. This is what we regularly need to do with our thoughts—subdue them, capture them, and put them in a mental cage. Then we need to take a close look at them and consider what we’re thinking and why. What is going through your mind? What do you regularly hear spoken in your head? What are you believing about God, his work in Jesus, others, yourself, and what you should do? #GospelFluency (at Addyston Place Neighborhood) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-PMeSyjVdu/?igshid=w8hlkig65jsa