3 Simple Ways to Refresh and Rekindle Your Delight in the Gospel

Writer

Updated May 05, 2023

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Phil. 3:10-11).

“Hmm, I said ‘plan’ too many times. The word’s lost all its meaning now. Plan, plan, plaaan!” – Ted Lasso

The repeated familiarity with a thing—whether an idea, a word, or a truth—can often cause the impact of its meaning to slip from us. This is sometimes called a “lullaby effect.”

Growing up in church, surrounded by conversational faith, every so often I would be struck by the words we said so casually about God, about salvation, about life and death and heaven and angels. In such moments, I realized that in some way I had been sleeping.

Over the course of a life of faith, we move through both times of discovery and excitement as well as times of stagnation. We simply love to be sure of what we know, and without rhythms of abiding and worship that daily draw us deeper into the discovery and beholding God and what he has done for us, we easily allow his gospel to slip into the background noise of our lives, where we quickly fail to see its wonder, its comfort, and its centrality to our every moment.

Yet, just as Scripture says this same Spirit that lives in believers is the same that raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11), we can live knowing that the gospel message we received is the same that has changed the course of history, and continues to spark new light in a darkened world.

Here are three ways to rekindle your delight for, and deepen your knowledge of, the gospel.

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1. Preach the Gospel to Yourself

“Again he asked, ‘What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough’” (Luke 13:20-21).

Many people become Christians with the mistaken belief that the gospel is a once-and-done sort of deal—a transaction at the point of salvation that works like a ticket into heaven.

But the work of the gospel in one’s life is so much more than a point on a timeline. It’s like yeast, as Jesus describes the kingdom of God, that sets to work, expanding and rising, until it fills every part of the dough. Salvation is just the beginning.

Hearing and responding to the good news, many Christians may learn what they have been saved from, but don’t properly come to understand of what they have been saved for.

To say that Jesus came preaching a message of salvation is only part of the story. Through his message as well as his works of healing, restoration, and displays of power and authority, Jesus came ushering in God’s Kingdom: a new reality that turns the ways of the world upside down, and starts shaping believers’ hearts with new affections for a world that is coming, marked by new life, healing, restoration, and redemption—a world which we catch glimpses of now.

Do you long for a world made right? Then there is good news! You don’t have to wait to be a part of it, for the “kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:21b).

See how the gospel matters for you today just as much as it mattered when you first heard it? It never loses its relevance.

Practice: Tell yourself the good news of the gospel as if you were sharing it with a friend. Walk through the story that changed your life when you first heard and received it. Many of us spend plenty of time repeating discouragement to ourselves. See what a difference simply preaching the truth of Christ’s passion for you makes in the meditation of your heart.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Priscilla Du Preez

2. Share the Gospel with Someone Else

“If speaking the gospel to someone else feels weird coming out of your mouth, do you really know the gospel?”

This question, spoken by a mentor, has stuck with me. If you grew up in church, in youth programs or other faith cultures in which the beliefs that gather you together can often be taken for granted, this is an important question to ask. Having lived around the good news for so long, time and casual handling can pack it into a formula rather than allow it to move through us as the living and active Word.

In the same way, we may stop hearing the message that gives us such great hope because, at some point along the way, we began to tune out what we think we already know. If your habit is to scan or filter for new information and move on, then you’ll be missing grand dimensions of the truth that can only fully be known through immersing yourself in the drama of the gospel story.

Those who have grown up in church must especially continue to ask ourselves whether we have taken full ownership of this message. How well the gospel has become a part of you becomes most evident when it’s your turn to share with someone else the truth that we Christians claim all of reality hinges upon.

“And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ” (Ephesians 1:9-10).

How many of us are more in the habit of repeating what we’ve heard rather than allowing the fullness of the gospel to land, settle and take up residence in our hearts? Let’s be careful not to rob ourselves of the joy of identifying more deeply with Christ by falling into that habit, and not taking ownership of the message by sharing it with another.

Practice: What difference does Jesus make in your life? It’s a simple question, but take some time to consider and then think of one person to share your answer with. It could be a fellow believer, or someone who does not yet walk with Christ. Pray for opportunities to share with someone, and experience refreshment in the speaking of these words.

3. Don’t Assume Others Know the Gospel

A friend, who is a child of missionaries, once said that as a kid, people always assumed that she knew the gospel.

Of course she would have heard it from her parents, been surrounded by the message as they ministered and shared in many different contexts, but this didn’t guarantee that she had grasped it for herself.

There are wonderful things about growing up in the church and being raised in a Christian family. If your parents know Jesus themselves, value their relationship with him above all else, and seek to align every part of their lives with his life, then their children ought to have witnessed how there is something different about their family from the rest of the world. Being a Christian family doesn’t just mean being church people.

Not everyone’s experience is the same of course. But I think one of the greatest dangers of growing up surrounded by Christian-y things, particularly Christian culture, is from a young age, kids may assume they understand everything they need to know about faith, or adults assume they’ve heard and know the message well.

Of course, this mistake costs everyone in the end. The person people assume knows the gospel can feel shame for not feeling the same way about their faith as their others appear to. They can also experience pressure to keep certain questions to themselves that they think they should know by now. Older believers on the other hand miss out on the experience of hearing a young Christian or seeker’s refreshing, and often challenging, questions, as well as the opportunity to walk with someone as they move closer to Christ or mature in their faith, and experience the power of the gospel in new and deeper ways, or even for the first time.

Practice: If you’re talking to another Christian, ask them if they remember the first time they heard the gospel, and what it meant to them then. If you’re speaking with a nonbeliever, ask them if they have ever heard the gospel from someone else before. These questions can quickly lead to an encouraging conversation for believers that bolster faith, as well as a fruitful chance to share the gospel with someone new.

Pressing On and Taking Hold

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12).

Paul encountered the living Christ in a way few of us can imagine. And still, he wrote to the church at Philippi of his deep desire to “know Christ” more and more. He recognized his need to continue to “take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

If you have been hearing the gospel message your whole life, praise the Lord! Let’s not allow that familiarity to keep us from seeing the gospel for what it truly is, and what it means for us every moment.

Sarah E Martin is a sister, aunt, daughter, and sometimes a globe trotter. She has a background in English literature, and a devotion to good tea. When she’s not writing or studying, she is attempting to learn the names of her backyard birds, or planning long, unhurried walks in her favorite places. She believes that Jesus is the answer to bringing all our stories together, and is the one who satisfies our ache for home.