Evangelism story: What is the Gospel?

I was talking to some Christian youth leaders from a local church here in town and I asking them to tell me what the gospel was. They told me Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. That was the only thing they knew about the gospel. Then I asked them how does someone get to heaven? One replied repent and that was it. I continued to ask questions until the other one said Believe in Jesus. Then they asked me why I was asking them these questions. I told them that 90 % of people that claim to be Christians don't know the gospel. One of them though I was rude for asking and told me maybe I was asking the wrong question. That I shouldn't be asking what is the gospel. The other one didn't have much to say. I left them but I thought about what this person said about asking Christians about the gospel. As I thought about it verses came to my mind. I wondered what did this person think when she read the New Testament and the word gospel came up? I wondered if she even read her Bible, because if she had she would have known what I was asking when I asked about the gospel. The word "gospel" is used in the Bible 96 times. In Romans 1 we find the gospel mentioned 4 times. I look at this instance and I think about this and I wonder what these people are being taught. As I have met many young people in Helena who are trying to serve the Lord who have gone to church for most of their life and yet many of them know nothing about the Bible and what it says. It is sad. When I talked to these two youth leaders they were running a climbing wall for a church to give it publicity. It was a sad waste of time because they neither shared the gospel with the people that came nor gave them gospel tracts. It saddened me, but I am thankful that I can go out and share the gospel, though many others tell me that I am hindering people from coming to Christ by handing out gospel tracts and talking to people about my Savior. It is the Spirit that works in people’s hearts and I am told to go and preach the gospel so that is what I do. I cannot be hindering people if I am doing what my Lord commands. How can anyone keep this amazing gift from God to themselves? What an amazing Savior we have.

If you want to know more about the gospel go to:
http://cbf.thelivingword.us/Messages/StudyDays/Salvation/Salvation.html