An understood gospel
is a powerful gospel

Even long-time believers have gaps in their understanding that need filling

A better understood gospel made all the difference

A pastor who has trained hundreds of other leaders in the gospel shared:

“We’ve found that, when teaching believers, you never know what and where the gaps exist in people’s minds. But when you teach from Creation to Christ, most of those gaps get filled in. Then you have true understanding, and an understood gospel is a powerful gospel.”

  “…an understood gospel is a powerful gospel.”

This certainly was the case for Todd*, a young man who found that those gaps in his understanding were the difference between eternal death and life.

“I have been a church goer all my life. Thus, Jesus … has always been a part of who I am … I question and look for evidence and proof before making decisions. This inherently led me for a few years to occasionally ask the questions, “Do I really believe this?” or “How can I be sure?” I began to look at church as a chore and something I had to do… Although I was a church-goer, it wasn’t until I went through Soteria [Church’s] Starting Point Class that things began to click. The factual nature of the “Stranger on the Road to Emmaus” started giving me the insight I was looking for. The ever-lingering questions of “Do I really believe this?” or “How can I be sure?” began to fade and were replaced by requests: “Lord, help me understand,” or “Lord, use me to do your will.” In summary, in the past I could put up a good front and say the right things when asked, but it wasn’t until recently that I truly believed for myself that Jesus died for our sins and credited us his righteousness. There is a new energy in who I am. I am excited and eager to go to church, be part of a growth group, and spend time in the Word. I look forward to growing and strengthening my faith in the years to come and leading my family in a God-fearing, God-first manner.”

Our blog highlights similar stories from other churches. While the approach varies, these churches desire their entire congregation and any newcomers to go through a creation-to-Christ curriculum. This has a number of advantages:

• This ensures no one slips through the cracks, thinking they are saved, but are not due to an incorrect understanding of what that means.
• When an entire congregation shares the same foundation of knowledge, the pastor is able to go deeper in his teaching without leaving people behind.
• Believers have a strong foundation on which to build their Christian walk. B
• elievers have a more comprehensive understanding of the gospel and thus, are better able to share the gospel with others in the community.

An understood gospel is powerful. What difference might it make in our churches if everyone grasped a clear gospel message? Let’s ensure the foundations are strong so the lives built on them can be lived with confidence.

*Name has been changed