Becoming the Fifth Gospel in Our Communities

Oct 04, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When God Risks the Gospel on Ordinary People

The Gospel’s spread hinges not on perfection but ordinary people daring to carry it. Jesus entrusted His disciples—fishermen, tax collectors, doubters—with the mission to be witnesses "to the ends of the earth." This same risky trust applies today: God chooses flawed humans to reflect His love through everyday actions, conversations, and choices. Our lives become His primary method of reaching those who’ll never open a Bible. The weight of this calling is matched by the Spirit’s power working through us. [59:00]

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
(Acts 1:8, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel most aware of God’s "risk" in entrusting you with His message? How might your ordinary routines become intentional opportunities to reflect His extraordinary love?

Day 2: Your Life as the Fifth Gospel

Most people will never read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John—but they’ll read you. Rodney Smith’s father became the first "gospel" he encountered through radical life change. Our actions—forgiveness offered, dignity given, humility practiced—write a living epistle others can’t ignore. Every choice to love like Jesus makes His story tangible to those skeptical of sermons but hungry for authenticity. [01:09:37]

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
(Matthew 5:16, ESV)

Reflection: What chapter of the "fifth gospel" are you writing today? Which of your habits might need editing to better align with Jesus’ narrative?

Day 3: Beyond the Huddle: Churches That Breathe Out

Healthy churches inhale God’s presence and exhale His mission. Jesus’ call to witness starts locally—our "Jerusalem" of workplaces, gyms, and grocery stores. While nurturing believers matters, stagnation comes when we prioritize comfort over compassion. The Spirit fuels us not for holy huddles but to engage the "crowd" and "community" with radical generosity, listening, and presence. [01:04:21]

"Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled."
(Luke 14:23, ESV)

Reflection: When have you prioritized church activities over being Christ’s ambassador elsewhere? What "highways" in your life need fresh intentionality this week?

Day 4: Free Festivals and Unforced Kindness

A man nearly left the park, assuming the church event required payment—until he learned it was free. Such moments mirror God’s grace: undeserved, unexpected, disarming. Practical generosity—free clothes, prayed-for coworkers, warm welcomes—disrupts cynicism. These acts aren’t gimmicks but glimpses of a Kingdom where love overflows without transactional strings. [01:06:14]

"You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God."
(2 Corinthians 9:11, ESV)

Reflection: When has someone’s generosity made you curious about God? How could you weaponize kindness in a relationship that feels stuck?

Day 5: Witnesses, Not Salespeople

The Spirit empowers us to testify—not argue—about Jesus. Witnesses simply share what they’ve experienced: healing, hope, transformation. Like the disciples, we’re called to lean into our stories of encountering Christ, not perfect theological pitches. Our role isn’t to close deals but to plant seeds through consistent love that asks, "Want to see what I’ve found?" [01:00:24]

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death."
(Revelation 12:11, ESV)

Reflection: What part of your story feels most alive to share right now? Who needs to hear less about religion and more about your relationship?

Sermon Summary

Kingdom partnership calls the church to support its witness by looking outward, not just inward. God has given the church a shared commitment to worship, unity, service, discipleship, and now outreach, all by grace and for his glory. The way people first meet Jesus may be through family, work, university, Alpha, an invitation, or even a random reason for walking through the door, but it so often involves someone. God has somehow risked the good news getting to Colchester and to the ends of the earth on his people.

Acts 1:8 grounds that calling in the promise of the Spirit. Jesus tells the disciples to wait for power, not so they can stay in the upper room, but so they can become witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The Spirit equips the church to go out and make a difference where God has placed them. Colchester becomes the church’s Jerusalem.

The contrast between an inward-looking church and an outward-looking church matters. Investment in the core, the committed, and the congregation is important, but that investment must equip people to reach the crowd and the community. The crowd and the community need to know that God is for them, not against them, that he is generous, merciful, healing, and full of compassion. Alpha, the Free Family Fun Festival, Precious Bundles, prayer in workplaces, street preaching, invitations, welcome, social media, and simple acts of generosity all become witnesses to Jesus.

The fifth gospel presses the point closer. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John may never be read by many people, but Christians are being read all the time. Rodney Smith first encountered the gospel through the transformed life of his father, and that living witness led him to Christ. A life filled with the Spirit can show Jesus through love, forgiveness, integrity, generosity, compassion, humility, justice, peace, and dignity for every person made in God’s image.

The Holy Spirit calls people to fresh commitment where love for the church or passion for God’s calling has grown tired. Christ sends his people into families, workplaces, sectors, and communities as his hands, mouth, and feet, so that his kingdom comes and his will is done.

Key Takeaways

1. God risks the good news on people
God could make himself known in countless ways, yet he chooses to work through ordinary people. This does not make witness a performance or a burden to carry alone. The Spirit gives power so that God’s love, grace, and mercy can be seen through real lives in real places. [59:00]
2. The Spirit sends people outwards
Jesus does not give the Spirit merely to strengthen private faith or sustain activity inside the building. The power of the Spirit moves people beyond the upper room and into Jerusalem. An outward-facing life is not an optional extra to discipleship but part of what Spirit-filled witness looks like. [1:00:55]
3. Church investment must serve the community
The core, committed, and congregation matter deeply, because healthy people can serve others well. Yet inward investment becomes unhealthy when it has no outward purpose. Growth comes as the church equips people to love the crowd and community with the mercy of God. [1:04:21]
4. Lives can become the fifth gospel
Many people will not begin by opening a Bible, but they will notice forgiveness, integrity, humility, and compassion. A transformed life does not replace the written Gospels, but it can make their claims believable and attractive. Private life matching public life gives a clear witness to Jesus. [1:11:21]
5. Every small act can point to Christ
A leaflet, a prayer, a warm welcome, a free event, or a patient conversation may seem small. God can use such moments to answer a question, soften a heart, or bring someone closer to Jesus. Faithfulness matters because no act of love offered in Christ’s name is wasted. [1:07:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[53:59] - Kingdom Partnership and Outreach
[56:00] - How People First Meet Jesus
[59:00] - God Risks the Good News on Us
[1:00:04] - Witnesses in Jerusalem and Beyond
[1:02:05] - Community, Crowd, Congregation, Committed, Core
[1:04:21] - Investing Inwardly for Outward Mission
[1:05:11] - Everyday Ways the Church Witnesses
[1:08:35] - More Than Church Activities
[1:09:01] - The Fifth Gospel
[1:11:34] - What a Life Like Jesus Looks Like
[1:14:24] - A Fresh Commitment to God’s Calling
[1:17:33] - Prayer for Spirit-Filled Witness

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” [01:00:36]

Observation questions

In Acts 1:8, what does Jesus promise the disciples before he tells them where they will be his witnesses? [01:00:36]
What places are named in the widening mission Jesus gives to his disciples, and what local place is identified as the church’s “Jerusalem”? [01:01:50]
What are the five groups in the circles of commitment, and which two groups are described as people with needs who may have little or occasional connection with church? [01:02:15]
What everyday examples are given of ways people can help the community and crowd encounter something of Jesus? [01:05:51]

Interpretation questions

Why does Jesus tell the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit’s power before becoming witnesses? What does this suggest about the difference between trying to witness through human effort and witnessing in the Spirit’s power? [01:01:01]
Why is investment in the core, committed, and congregation valuable, yet incomplete if it does not lead to loving and serving the community and crowd? [01:04:21]
What does it mean for a Christian’s life to be a “fifth gospel”? In what ways can a transformed life make the message of Jesus believable to someone who has not read the Bible? [01:11:16]
Why might generosity, welcome, prayer, and patient service be genuine witness to Jesus, even when they do not lead immediately to a conversation about faith? [01:07:39]

Application questions

Who are the people in your own “Jerusalem”—your family, neighbours, workplace, school, or community—who may need to know that God is for them, not against them? What is one realistic way you could show them God’s love this week? [01:04:53]
Think about how you first encountered Jesus or church. Who played a part in that journey, and how could remembering their impact encourage you to play a small part in someone else’s journey? [01:58:42]
Is there a simple invitation you could make—to Alpha, a church event, a meal, a coffee, or a conversation? What might make you hesitant, and how could the group pray for courage and wisdom? [01:05:23]
Which part of your everyday life is most likely to be “read” by others at the moment: your work, home, friendships, online presence, or response to pressure? What might it look like for your private life and public life to show the same integrity? [01:12:27]
Is there a relationship in which forgiveness, humility, peace-making, or refusing revenge would show Jesus clearly? What would be a gracious next step, even if the situation is not quickly resolved? [01:11:50]
Where has your love for the church or passion for God’s calling grown tired? What fresh commitment, however small, might you ask the Holy Spirit to help you make? [01:14:51]

Sermon Clips

41s

#ForgiveLikeJesus

“Maybe we can extend that to our enemies as we refuse to respond in hostility or hatred or revenge. Maybe we can reflect and be that fifth gospel as we choose to to forgive freely, demonstrating the forgiveness that God has given to us. Maybe we can witness something from Jesus and be the fifth gospel as we serve without seeking recognition. Maybe we can be the fifth gospel as we welcome the outsiders, those that are often overlooked or different from us or on the margins.”

44s

#FaithInAction

“he's calling them out because it wasn't meant for us to become... To come to church and to be equipped to stay here. We were we were we were called and to be filled with the spirit to equip us so we can take the good news out, that we can see God moving out. Of course, it's important that we invest in the inwards. Of course, it's important that we do that. But the spirit of Jesus is giving to the disciples. The power that was given to them was not for them to stay in the upper room, but for them to move out and to make a difference in the places where God has placed them to be.”

38s

#ShareTheGoodNews

“That somehow, for the good news of of God's love, this this God who is full of love and grace and compassion, this God who's able to do miracles like we prayed for, This God who's full of mercy and compassion. This God who's not counting our sins against us. This God who is for us, not against us. The good news of the gospel, the God who heals and restores, the God who binds the brokenhearted, the God who heals the brokenhearted, the God who does great and wonderful things, the good news of Jesus. God has risks that that good news is gonna be shared through you and I.”

48s

#BeyondChurchWalls

“if all my witnessing of Jesus was focused on those activities in the church or things that are connected to church, I think I'm missing the point a bit. If if all I'm doing and witnessing Jesus was getting involved in church activities, then maybe I'm I'm limiting the opportunities I have to move people from the from the communities into into the church. Because most people most people won't have read the four gospels. But I know that as we're filled with the spirit of Jesus, that there is the potential for our lives to be the fifth gospel.”

38s

#LoveInAction

“Because I know that there'll be people in our families, people in our neighbors, people in our workplaces, people in our communities who may never read the gospels, but our life has an opportunity to be the fifth gospel for them. And maybe we can demonstrate something of the gospel of Jesus. Maybe we can demonstrate something of the of the love of Christ. Maybe we can do that as we as we practice loving well.”

38s

#KeepSharingFaith

“So I encourage you, keep it out because the leaflets that you gave out could be the leaflet that brought someone to Christ. Because the prayer that you prayed could be the prayer that touches someone's heart and and moves them from the community into the congregation. Because you... The alpha and the and the settings that you gave them to ask their questions could be the questions they had answered that helps them to have a relationship with Jesus. So I encourage you to keep it going.”

37s

#OutwardChurch

“Because when churches focus inwardly, they decline. When churches invest inwardly with an outward looking focus, they grow. And so we wanna be a church that's investing and equipping people to love and equipping to celebrate people, not just so that we can be an inward looking church, but so that we can be an outward looking church, so we can make a difference in our cultures, so we can speak to the crowds, so we can speak to the communities, so we can understand they need because they need to know the love of God.”

21s

#GodLovesYou

“The people in the crowd and the community, they need to know the mercy of God. They need to know there is a God who is for them, who loves them, who meets them wherever they are. They need to know that message, and God has risked it on us to carry that message to the community and to the crowd.”

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