Gospel Fluency

By the Spirit, congregations in the Philippines
embody gospel fluency in both word and deed.

Adonis Caguioa, District Director North Central Luzon, Philippines
San Carlos, Pangasinan

Fluency is the ability to produce, understand, and communicate information smoothly and accurately. It is essential for effective use of any language.

When we attempt to communicate without fluency, we can easily cause misunderstandings and fail to pass on our message effectively.

Preaching the gospel to not-yet believers requires clear communication. That is why it is important for a congregation to have not only language fluency, but also gospel fluency in word and deed.

In Word

To be gospel fluent, a congregation must know that the most important word in the gospel is the living Word himself — Jesus.

Preaching from the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) helps us proclaim the gospel. It not only helps us keep our messages Christ-centered, but it creates a rhythm of learning about the life of Jesus throughout the year. Within a cycle of three years, members walk through the Gospels, as well as parts of the Old Testament, Psalms, and Epistles.

Moreover, part of this fluency is seen in the alignment of the RCL with the Worship Calendar, as certain days highlight important hallmarks of Jesus’ life. From Advent to the celebration of Jesus’ reign as King, the full gospel is presented to the people year after year.

Members of his Body should always be talking about Jesus and recognizing what he is doing in the ordinary circumstances of life: Jesus in our school, Jesus in our business, Jesus in our home — every moment of our life.

It’s important for congregations to equip members to tell the story of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and New Creation. We learn to tell the story to our friends and neighbors, relating it to who Jesus is and what he has done. Then we help people understand who they are within that story.

Helping people find answers to important questions is a fluent way of sharing the gospel. Who is God? What did God do? Who am I because of who he is and what he did? How should we live because of who he is and what he has done?

In our congregations, using key words like participation, place-sharing, faith, hope, and love is also part of gospel fluency.

By Deed

As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words; in the same way, gospel fluency can also be seen in how members of a congregation live.

GCI’s motto, “Living and Sharing the Gospel,” is an excellent illustration of fluency. As we proclaim the good news that God is love, we also live a life of love.

As we show love to other people without expecting anything in return — not even a thank you — we let people experience kingdom life now. Our words are aligned with our deeds, and that makes the gospel come alive in everyday life.

As mentioned above, participation is one of the key words we often hear, but it is also one of our key beliefs. In our churches, we recognize that ministry is not our own, but our participation in what God is doing in the lives of people. We do not have a ministry of our own. God owns the ministry, and we are called to participate.

Place-sharing cannot be shown apart from gospel fluency. It is grounded in the understanding of God’s nature as love and in the truth that Jesus still cares for and loves humanity. Sharing in the place of Jesus in a person’s life is one way of preaching the gospel fluently.

One specific expression of love is forgiveness. As we proclaim in our congregations that our God forgives, we must, of all people, be forgiving. Remembering that we ourselves have been forgiven helps us do so, while also acknowledging that we cannot forgive by ourselves without the presence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit living in us.

Even our response of faith, hope, and love is gospel fluency by deed — an action that is not an obligation, but a delightful response to the love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Gospel fluency, therefore, is a missional lifestyle. We are discipled to share the message about the Person and work of Jesus. We do this while living a life in communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the midst of people who are looking for answers and in need of good news.

The gospel is proclaimed not only in words but also in deeds, because we live and share the gospel of Jesus.