Sunday School Lesson

Let Us Recommit Ourselves To Spreading The Gospel

​​Pastor Rusty Chatfield Northern Michigan Baptist Bible Church-Burt Lake, Michigan

“Our churches are in trouble today. We have left our first and most important mission, getting the Word to the world. By Word, I mean the Gospel. The world is still waiting on the Gospel. I do not need to tell you that without hearing and believing the Gospel, people cannot go to Heaven when they die. Gospel tracts are the Marines of our movement in this spiritual warfare and we need more of them.” Dr. Pastor Tom Sexton, Gulf Coast Baptist Church, Cape Coral, FL

1. The Great Commission is clear.

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. [19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

2. There is power in the life changing message.

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

3.The Holy Spirit empowers us to spread the Gospel.

Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

4. ALL CHRISTIANS have these commandments and promises.

Acts 8:4 says, “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.”

When the Lord Jesus gave the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to the Apostles, it was threefold. They were to make disciples, baptize them, and teach those disciples to observe everything that Jesus taught them. The first thing he taught them was to win people to Himself. It has been said that the great commission can be summed up by, “Win ‘em, wet ‘em, work ‘em.” We cannot make disciples until we win them by giving them the gospel (Romans 1:16). No Christian has been completely discipled until they are doing their best to win people to Christ. The Bible clearly teaches in Ephesians 4:11-19 that the pastor’s task is to bring Christians to full maturity. Ephesians 4:12 says, “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” The pastor teaches his people to do the work of the ministry, a large part of this is soul winning. The beginning of soul winning is the carrying of gospel tracts. Of course, the pastor should be an example and leader in word and deed. However, it is the people that are to do the work of the ministry. It is all of God‘s people that do God’s work. ​

5. Carrying the Gospel is a fundamental part of spiritual warfare.

Ephesians 6:15 says, “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

A Christian’s armor is not complete if they are not ready to give the gospel out. Satan’s most fundamental goal is to blind men‘s eyes to the gospel. 2 Corinthians 4:3,4 says, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” One could argue that THIS IS THE BATTLE! Even a casual reading of the book of Acts displays the fact that the church’s primary task was to fulfill the great commission. (Matthew 28:18-20)

God’s people are blessed when they engage in this battle. They experience God‘s presence and approval in their lives like never before. That said, remember that as soon as we engage in this fight to win souls for Christ, Satan will be enraged and will do everything to oppose us. Stay strong! Ephesians 6:10 says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”​

6. Give the Gospel clearly and completely.

I Corinthians 15:1-4 says, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; [2] By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. [3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; [4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

7. Gospel Tracts are a proven and irreplaceable tool in spreading the gospel.

There are multitudes of testimonies of people who have been saved by reading a gospel tract and which lead them to believe in Jesus. No one is saying that Gospel tracts are the “end all” of soul winning. BUT they are the START. I know of no consistent soul winner that does not carry Gospel tracts. Make sure that you have Gospel tracts on your person at all times. I never want to meet a stranger again without having a Gospel tract in my pocket. Too many times in my life, I reached for a tract and I did not have one. That is shameful admission for a preacher of the gospel. People who carry tracts are the people who give out tracts.

“I would like to share with you the testimony of how the back half of a ‘This Was Your Life’ Chick Tract can change the lives of countless individuals. This is the story of a man that for a long time was an alcoholic. When this man became drunk, he would often become verbally and physically abusive. When he could hold a job, he worked in a factory in Indiana.

“One day while changing the trash, this man found the back half of a gospel tract entitled “This Was Your Life.” I stress the fact that it was the back half because that is the half that gives you the gospel and includes the church name and address. It was torn in half because the soul winner at the factory had handed it to someone who had clearly rejected the message and threw it away. However, I think it may have been the Holy Spirit’s opportunity to immediately capture someone else’s attention.

“The man who found it knew exactly who in the workplace had shared the tract and asked that soul winner if he could have read the rest of the tract. That soul-winner took the opportunity to share the gospel and led that man to the Lord. Having given up alcohol, this man became burdened for his family. He began with one station wagon and filled it as full as he could with his family and whoever would like a ride to church. That one station wagon would eventually become a caravan of multiple station wagons, and eventually an addition to the bus ministry of a Baptist church in Indiana.

“One of those children in the station wagon caravan who gave her heart to the Lord became my wife in 2003. When I met her in junior high, I would quickly come to call this man ‘Grandpa.’ He would eventually become my bus driver, bringing me to church, allowing me to receive the Gospel and accept Christ as Savior, along with countless other children in my hometown. For 16 years, Grandpa didn’t miss one day of driving the church bus. Today his granddaughter and I are serving the Lord as the pastor’s family for Wolverine Baptist Church in Michigan.

“You truly cannot pass out the gospel to the wrong person.”-Pastor Jason Springer, Wolverine Baptist Church, Wolverine, MI

8. Let us all recommit ourselves to always have Gospel tracts in our pockets.

As I never forget to put my shoes on, I should never forget to put my gospel shoes on. Preachers have learned this about themselves and their people. Without commitments, things rarely get done.

9. Gospel tract holders can be a help to you if you have a true desire to walk with and be a witness for Jesus.

For decades, many people have sometimes neglected to carry tracts because there was no convenient way to do so. Or, they would be embarrassed to hand them out because they had become so wrinkled. Keep your tracts neat and clean. Remember it is a bad reflection on the Lord’s work to give out damaged material.

10. Quality Gospel tract holders can help you.

“When I heard brother Chatfield and his church were constructing tract holders, and they were available, I ordered 25 for my church family. They were gone immediately. I ordered 25 more and now they are also gone. These tract holders keep tracts fresh and new. Also, I have a specific pocket in which I keep my tract holder, so I always have tracks with me. Ladies can easily carry the tract holder in their purses. Because of this wonderful device we are passing out more gospel tracts. What a blessing!” Dr. Pastor John Vaprezan, Metro Baptist Church, Belleville, MI

The leather gospel tract holders are GIVEN to any preacher who PROMISES to carry gospel tracks on their person at all times. The vinyl ones are for any layperson who promises to do the same.

Our church, the Northern Michigan Baptist Bible Church in Burt Lake, Michigan, is committed to this endeavor. We have spent thousands of dollars and have handed out hundreds of tract holders in the last couple of months. We will do this as long as preachers are committed to handing out gospel tracts and our money does not run dry.

11. Carrying gospel tracts on your person will help you walk with God.

1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” As we feel the leather gospel tract holder in our pockets, it reminds us to sanctify the Lord in our heart. It reminds us to walk in holiness and that we are always “on the clock” for the LORD. Simply putting your hands in your pocket and feeling the tracts is a constant reminder to be looking for opportunities for people who need salvation.

Passing out gospel tracts “brings our Christian walk to life. We instantly feel the need of God’s power and strength to hand out that tract and to say a word for the LORD. Our flesh absolutely does not have the power to do that, and our flesh hates it and resists it. All of a sudden we have this instantaneous need to do what is right. We realize it is only by God’s strength that we can do anything. It is His Spirit that fuels us. It’s like when somebody has to teach or preach, there is this instantaneous awareness that comes in a moment of need. Handing out tracts and witnessing works the same way.” Pastor Garth Hutchison, Black Lake Baptist Church, Muskegon, MI.

​12. Once a person hands out gospel tracts to their friends, neighbors, and coworkers, they will then feel the necessity to be more Christian in all their behavior.

Handing out gospel tracts helps us in so many different ways.

13. Let us return to our “first love” (Revelations 2:4)

As a young boy, I loved baseball. I loved baseball so much that I would go to bed with my glove. In the middle of winter, I would take a baseball and throw into my glove repeatedly. When my father would take me to Tiger Stadium, I would take my glove in case a ball was it my way. As the years passed, of course, I began to sleep without my glove.

When I was in my twenties, I went to a Tiger game and a ball was hit toward the upper deck in left field I reached over the railing and the ball hit the tips of my fingers and fell back to the field. If I would’ve had my glove, I would’ve caught that ball! I never want another sinner to slip through my fingers without me handing him a gospel tract. I want to sleep with my gospel tracts right next to my bed at all times. It is simply a reminder of my responsibility to spread the gospel. It is also a reminder of the great price that the Lord Jesus Christ paid for me.