We don’t see ourselves as musicians who happen to have a message.

We see ourselves as messengers who happen to use music. 

The CTI community focuses on being messengers first and musicians second.  The message of the gospel takes priority over our musical interests. Music helps us to win an audience and bring them to a place where they will listen to what we have to say, so we need to be prepared to say something worth listening to!  And this doesn’t only apply when we’re speaking from stage - when we leave the stage, people will still be listening.  In fact, they’ll probably be listening more closely. 

Through CTI you may have opportunities to share the gospel, both from stage and through one-on-one interactions within the host culture.  You need to do some work to prepare for those opportunities before you arrive for training.

What do we mean when we use the term “gospel”?

We use the word gospel to refer to both our need for redemption and God’s provision of it - specifically (and solely) through Christ’s atoning death on our behalf and subsequent conquering of death through his resurrection.  We’re also referencing the overarching truth of a fallen creation, God’s ultimate plan to redeem it, and the present, ongoing way He makes us new as that plan is unfolding. 

This is the good news that we hold out to the world.  When we invite others to respond to this gospel, we are encouraging them to recognize and accept both their need for redemption and God’s provision of a redeemer.  Responding to the gospel also involves worshiping God and continually aligning ourselves with His plan as we join in the work He calls all of His followers into.  This gospel message is therefore as relevant for believers as it is for not-yet-believers.

How does one prepare for opportunities to share the gospel?

You can’t help someone else understand their need for Jesus without understanding your own need for Jesus, so the first (and best) way you can prepare for these opportunities is to make sure you are constantly growing in your own understanding of the gospel. 

We’ll spend the first few days of training focusing on the gospel, exploring how our lives are different because of it, and learning how we can share the gospel with others by sharing about our own need for Jesus.  You need to prepare for this aspect of training by considering your own need for Jesus and how your life has changed as a result of the implications of the gospel.

Understanding our own need for Jesus profoundly alters our perspective on the world.  We see things differently than those who do not understand their need for redemption and God’s provision of it, and as we share with them about why we are Christians, we can explain the reason for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15).

Ultimately, each one of us is a Christian not because of how we came to understand the gospel, but because of the gospel itself.  We are Christians because of our belief that our sin separates us from our creator and father God, but that, because of His grace, we can be restored to Him through faith in Christ and the atoning sacrifice He made on our behalf.  This is our story.

It is important for each of us to carefully examine and reflect on our own lives in order to identify the impact the gospel (God’s story) has on our own stories  This understanding will help us build bridges between the gospel and whoever we’re sharing it with.  But we must always remember: our purpose in sharing about our lives is not to draw attention to ourselves, but to draw attention to the gospel.

How can sharing about our own lives help us share the gospel?

In reflecting on our lives, we want to identify how the truth of the gospel has been shown. For example:

Our sin: Where, in your own life, can you see that your sin has separated you from God?  We don’t want to glorify the “badness” of our stories or stack ourselves up as “worse” than others, but identifying our sin and its spiritual consequences gives us evidence of our need for a savior.

His grace:  Understanding our own sin gives us a practical context in which to better understand God’s grace.  Until we identify our sin, grace is only theoretical (i.e. “God promises to forgive us if we confess our sin to Him”).  But when we identify our own sin, we can talk about how His grace impacts us specifically (i.e. “God promises that He is faithful and just to forgive me for cheating in school if I confess that sin to Him” – see 1 John 1:9).  Can you specifically identify how He offers grace to you in your own life?

Our response (faith):  In order for the gospel to finish its work in us, our response (“through faith”) is essential (see Romans 10:9-11).  As you have become aware of your need for redemption and God’s provision of it, how have you responded?  Think beyond how you initially came to Christ – you may not even be able to identify that specifically, and that’s okay – but how are you constantly reminded of your need for a savior, and what has been your response to those realizations?  Repentance? Faith? Trust? Prayer? Worship? Action?

Our restoration:  Here again, our own experiences can help us talk about restoration specifically rather than theoretically.  Instead of saying “Though we were dead in sin, God has made us alive in Christ, forgiving our sins and cancelling the record of debt that stood against us”, we might be able to say “The sin of selfishness separated me from God and made me dead to Him, but when I turned to Jesus, that record of sin was cancelled, and now I am alive to God again!” (see Colossians 2:13-14). Even if your life circumstances aren’t different on a practical, day-to-day level, consider how you have been restored as you have responded to God’s grace, and how you can share that with others.

We can also look beyond our direct life experiences to help us share a gospel-centered worldview. For example:

Our observations of fallenness: What have you observed or experienced that illustrates the overarching truth of a fallen creation?  Your sin (as discussed above) would be one example, but the pain, suffering and struggle all around us also points to this reality.  Perhaps there are specific examples that you have observed, but that are larger than just your personal story?

Our altered perspective: Because of our understanding of God’s provision of redemption, we have a different perspective on life (the hope that we profess.)  We have a different view of the world because we believe in God’s ultimate plan to redeem His creation.  How does understanding the gospel change your view of the world and give you hope in the midst of the brokenness of creation? How can this perspective provide hope to others?

Our growth in Christ:  As we live in the light of this worldview and continually respond to the gospel, we are formed more closely in the image of Christ, God’s Son.  This kind of life-change is evidence of the assurance that, “in Christ, we are a new creation.”  In what ways have we personally experienced this growth? In what ways might this opportunity for newness – this “right to become children of God” – be appealing to others?

Once we have identified ways in which the gospel has impacted our own lives, we can use our experiences to help communicate the truth of the gospel to others:

Prepare to share:

The following questions are designed to help you prepare for opportunities to share the gospel, both from stage and through one-on-one interactions.  We want you to work through these questions and bring your answers with you to training.  You’ll be using them right away, so do this before you arrive!

This section can also be downloaded as a worksheet - see the bottom of this article.

1.     Using the reflection points outlined on the previous page, identify at least three specific examples of how you have been made aware of your need for redemption.  These can either be recognition of your own sin or ways in which you have experienced the overarching truth of a fallen creation, but it is a good idea to make sure at least one example is specifically evidences your own need for redemption.

2.     How does God’s provision of redemption through Christ impact each of the examples you identified above, or how is the gospel evidenced to you through these experiences?  What does it look like to respond to the gospel in each situation?

3.     How have you experienced restoration as you have responded?  Or how has your eternal perspective been changed?  What Biblical assurances of this restoration can you share?

4.      Consider how you might use the opportunity of your CTI experience to share the gospel with your audiences, both from stage and one-on-one.   Are there specific songs in your repertoire that you can use to set up or bridge from your story?   Are there specific Bible verses that speak to the truth of what you have experienced?  (See below for scriptural support of what we mean when we use the term gospel.) 

5.     On a separate sheet of paper: Develop at least one of your examples into a short narrative that uses your personal experience to illustrate your own need for redemption and God’s provision of it in Christ, and how this relates to the overall truth of the gospel for everyone (refer to the chart on the previous page.)  Make sure your narrative stands on the truth of God’s word – our purpose in sharing about our lives is not to draw attention to ourselves, but to draw attention to the gospel!

Here's a sample of what this narrative could look like: