Replies

Like you, I enjoy Bible discussions with others in the church assembly, etc., because others have studied things I haven't or see things I've missed. But always, we must draw our own conclusions, since each of us will stand alone before God and answer for our response to the gospel.

God gave us His Scriptures, His communication to us. If we'll read it, He'll tell us what He wants us to know. Some things may be difficult to understand at first, and some may even take years of study. But Philip preached Jesus to a fellow from Ethiopia while they rode along in a chariot, so we know it doesn't require years spent pursuing a degree in theology. Then when they came to some water, the Ethiopian asked if he could be baptized. (And just why would he want to be baptized? Because Philip had "preached unto him Jesus.")

As I've been reading the gospels lately, I've noticed that Jesus was often doing a "sifting". He would demonstrate His power and make claims of authority, which would initially draw people to Him. But He would leave them in no doubt as to what was expected of them.

Not everyone would continue to be His disciples. ("Upon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." - John 6:66) And so His teaching and His parables would sift the interested from the uninterested.

At the end of Matthew, after His death and resurrection, Jesus
(1) makes a summary claim: "All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth."
(2) followed by a conclusion with an instruction: "Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations"
(3) and then tells how this is done: "baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you".

In short: Since Jesus is Lord and Master, people are expected to become His disciples. And we're told how disciples are made: (A) baptism and (B) teaching submission to the Lord's commands.

In Mark, we find Jesus again talking about a sifting that will take place by the preaching of the gospel:

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned."

The preaching of the gospel will sort the hearers into two categories: the saved and the condemned. And He tells us how people get into each category, according to their reponse to the gospel.

-----------
Whaddya think? Is that an okay intro to the gospel? Something that might spark questions in someone who's never heard the gospel, and lead to a profitable discussion?