This past Sunday, we wrapped up our walk through the book of Ephesians after a 13-week journey. Like any of Paul’s letters, there was plenty to take away from this book of Scripture but if we spend any significant time in any part of the Bible, we begin to see a common theme--especially in Paul’s writings: the Gospel of Jesus is everything!

In the final message of the series, Jeremy Gardner gave three points of application for us based on the entirety of Ephesians:

1. Distinguish the voice of God

2. Abide in the Father

3. Declare the Gospel

Once we recognize the voice of God, we should rest and rely on it consistently in every part of life. This task becomes very tricky for us because we often listen to God’s voice once, rely on him when things get REALLY tough, and then forget about the truth of the Gospel most of the time.

We forget that our salvation is not of our own doing; we forget that God has placed us where we are for specific good works that he created beforehand for us to walk in; we forget the battle being waged around us and inside of us for our souls and the souls of those around us. Rather than being wartime sons and daughters of the King, we become numb to the Gospel because we don’t declare it to ourselves or remind ourselves of it. 

We listen to our sin, the world and to the enemy more often than we listen to the words of our Father. This is why the third point Jeremy gave is so important: declare the Gospel. This means to preach the Gospel of Jesus to yourself daily. Remind yourself of God’s character, his work on the Cross, and the impact it has on who you are and how you should live. If we fail to remind ourselves of these truths, we will fall into the current of the world far too easily.

As a staff, we want to give you resources to equip you to wrestle well in light of the Gospel and on behalf of the Kingdom of God in your daily life--in your marriage, your family, your school work, and even in your car while you’re driving. 

A Gospel Primer is a fantastic book to help create the habit and practice of declaring the Gospel to yourself on a daily basis. It walks through the amazing truth of the Gospel and then gives ways to memorize and recite Gospel truths to yourself and others. It has helped me tremendously in my walk and God has used it in more ways than I know to allow his word to truly take root in my heart and my soul. We cannot recommend it enough to all of you and pray that God would use it mightily in your life as well. 

You can buy A Gospel Primer online at Amazon or at other bookstores. If you wish to get a copy but can’t purchase it right now, please email Kyle McClendon at kyle@sharonchurch.com to explore options to get you a book.