Lesson 5 | Application & Decisions
The call to respond
The gospel is a call
But while we should lean away from immediate, public, prescribed responses, we nonetheless must call on people to respond! For while the gospel contains many objective facts, it does not end there. The gospel beckons believer and non-believer alike come to God. This is a call to think, feel and live a certain way. It is a call marked by repentance, faith, trust, and a relationship with God.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
—2 Corinthians 5:18-20