The Gospel as Place
This resource will equip you to share the good news of Jesus through the concept of the gospel as a place where peace with God, others, self, and creation exists.
Do you want to share the good news of Jesus Christ with friends and others on campus? Are you looking to relate Biblical teachings to the pressing challenges of today's world?
If yes, we've crafted a guide for you. It introduces "the Gospel as place"—a concept that empowers you to share the hope of Jesus and how it relates to our relationship with God, others, ourselves, and creation. This guide will not only prepare you to communicate this message but also provide deeper insights to strengthen your faith, enabling you to compassionately share the Gospel with others.
The Gospel as Place: An Introduction
The gospel (good news) is really about a kingdom. A land where God’s shalom is present impacting all aspects of society and our individual lives:
- Peace with God is the primal peace for which we all long.
- Peace with others means we can embrace others, even in their brokenness, because God embraces us.
- Peace with self means we can hold our faults AND the fact that we are made in the image of God.
- Peace with creation is possible because God made all things very good and called us to be part of creation’s flourishing.
Interested in learning more about this concept? This article unpacks it even further.
The Gospel as Place Article
The Gospel as Place Presentation
How to Use this Resource
- First read the article to get a deeper understanding of the concept of “Gospel as Place.”
- Read through the power point presentation and notes to get a sense of the overall presentation.
- Spend some time reflecting on how the Gospel as place concept connects with your life: Where have you seen the four elements of the Gospel operating in your life?
- Plan how you will walk through the presentation, note the specific slides where you can share a story or examples from your context.
- Practice with a friend before sharing.
- Share and invite people to respond!
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About the authors
Scott Bessenecker is Director of Global Engagement and Justice for InterVarsity. He has written several books including The New Friars: The Emerging Movement Serving the World’s Poor and Overturning Tables: Freeing Missions from the Christian Industrial Complex.
Angelo Blancaflor serves as the Asian American Ministries assistant director. Pursuing the calling to honor and reach Asian American communities on campus, Angelo has a focus on witness and evangelism as a trainer, coach, and resource creator. He has helped direct coaching rooms at Urbana and Staff Conference, and coaches conferences around the movement to become more friendly for non-Christians. Most recently, he helped to create the Refresh campaign, a Proxe station that centers a Native American re-telling of the gospel; and the “Two Ates (sisters)” Pocket Proxe which imagines the story Jesus, Mary, and Martha in the context of a Pilipino family.He has served on staff for 10 years and lives in Chicago with his wife, Alison, and their two cats, Clide and Sly.