Have you ever wondered how to share the Gospel with somebody? From the vast narrative of God’s creation story, to the coming of Christ and the earth-shattering sacrifice of the cross, Christianity can be exceedingly complex to explain to someone in simple terms. But Pete Hughes, pastor of King’s Cross Church in London, England, has pieced together a fantastic video in which he distills the crucial aspects of Christianity into a lively three-minute presentation.
“When a lot of people pick up the Bible, they freak out,” Hughes explains in the video for Yesheis UK. “But the Bible in its simplest is a love story.”
Hughes goes on to split the Biblical narrative into three sections: Creation, Decreation and Recreation. It is a remarkably simple way of cutting the story of Christianity into bitesize chunks that can be explained in a matter of minutes.
Creation
“God created the world, and as the pinnacle of that part of the story, he creates humanity in his image and likeness,” Hughes explains, adding that God placed Adam and Eve, the first human beings, in the Garden of Eden. The garden was a place of beauty and peace. There was no sin or shame — it was perfect.
Then, everything went horribly wrong, when a piece of forbidden fruit was consumed. This is commonly known as “The Fall.” At this point, “sin enters the story,” Hughes notes. “Created order begins to unravel and we begin to unravel. We descend into decreation.”
Decreation
Martin Luther defines sin as a “life turned in on itself,” Hughes notes. “It is all about looking after number one.”
“When you multiply that mindset by almost 8 billion people, it explains some of the pain, suffering and violence we see all around us,” he says.
Hughes explains that God was profoundly grieved at the state of our sin-saturated world, and thus sought to restore things to how they were at the beginning.
“That plan looked like God wrapping himself in human flesh in the person of Jesus,” Hughes says. “The creator stepping into creation. Jesus lived for us and died for our sins.”
The story of the cross is, arguably, the central message of the Gospel — that Jesus Christ, who was put to death on a Roman cross, died to take away the sins of the world. Christ took our most grievous sin, and, through his death, nailed it to the cross on which he was slain. Through doing so, he banished the inherent darkness that was within us as a result of the fall, and ultimately saved us from ourselves.
“He rose to new life to usher in a new order — recreation or a ‘restored creation,'” Hughes explains.
Recreation
Now, with Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, God is making all things new. His Kingdom is at hand, and those who know and trust Him are invited to join in with this global restoration. This narrative will, however, come to an end one day. The story of this world will come to a conclusion when Christ returns in triumphant glory, at which time he will “judge the living and the dead.”
As the final book of the Bible, “Revelation,” attests, there will be an ushering in of a “new heaven and a new earth” in which sickness and death are no more.
“In this new order, there will be no death,” Hughes notes. “There will be no grief, no crying and no pain.”
In this restorative Kingdom, we will be “fully alive in perfect relationship with God,” the pastor adds.
So, what does this all mean for the here and now? Well, the Gospel is, in essence, a beautiful invitation to all mankind.
“What God is doing in all of the created order, he wants to do in your life; to bring healing and lead you to the fullness of life you were made for,” Hughes explains.
“The Gospel of Jesus is an invitation: do you want that fullness of life? If you do, it’s a free gift that’s found in a relationship with him.”
Invitation
Pastor Hughes concludes his quick-fire Gospel presentation by inviting anyone who desires to follow Jesus to join him in a simple prayer:
“Lord Jesus, thank you that you made me for fullness of life. I’m sorry for where everything became about me. Thank you for the cross, that you forgive me all of my sin. Thank you that you rose to new life to fill me with resurrection life and to lead me towards fullness. I say yes to your plans. Help me serve you all of my days. Amen.”
Watch the full clip above!