Bible Verses About Sharing the Gospel

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””

Before ascending, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit's power and calls his followers to be witnesses, starting at home and reaching outward. A witness tells what they have seen and known.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.”

Paul says he is not ashamed of the gospel because it is God's power to save everyone who believes. The message itself carries the force, not the messenger's skill.

“How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!””

Paul asks how people can call on someone they have not heard of, and who will tell them unless someone goes. Sharing is the ordinary way faith spreads.

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.”

Having been reconciled to God, believers are given the ministry of reconciliation and described as ambassadors who appeal on Christ's behalf. The invitation is to be reconciled, not to win an argument.

“But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.”

Peter tells believers to be ready to explain their hope to anyone who asks, and to do it with gentleness, respect and a clear conscience. The tone matters as much as the content.

“Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Paul asks believers to use their time wisely with outsiders and to let their speech be gracious and well seasoned. Good conversation opens more doors than pressure does.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Jesus calls his followers the light of the world and says their good works lead others to glorify the Father. Life and words are meant to work together.

“Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), to win those under the law. To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not outside the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.”

Paul describes adapting himself to different audiences, without giving up the message, so that he might win some. He meets people where they are.

“Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’”

In Athens Paul begins from what his listeners already know, even quoting their own poets, before introducing the God who made all things. He starts with respect and curiosity.

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.”

Paul passes on what he received as of first importance: Christ died for our sins, was buried and was raised, and appeared to witnesses. The core is an event, not a theory.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

God's love for the world led him to give his Son, so that believers might have eternal life. The aim is rescue, not condemnation.

“that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.”

Paul links confessing Jesus as Lord with believing in the heart that God raised him. Faith is both inward trust and outward confession.

“Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.””

Peter says salvation is found in no one else than Jesus. Christians differ on how this applies to people who never hear, but all share the urgency to tell.

“For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.”

Paul says he preaches Christ, not himself, and that the treasure is held in ordinary clay jars so the power clearly belongs to God. Messengers can be weak; the message is not.