Jan 6, 2021
By Carl Greene, Executive Director
What is gospel saturation? On an individual basis, gospel saturation refers to God causing us to receive Jesus Christ—to soak in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. The key to including saturation in this phrase is the idea that we soak in Jesus to the point of being unable to contain the gospel within ourselves—we cannot help but drip His goodness on others. We cannot help but engage in public witness of our faith.
Immersion
In many ways, gospel saturation begins with immersion in Him. The gospel soaks in through personal commitment and public profession of our faith. God enables a soaking in of Jesus Christ that causes a change in our identity and the beginning of a new life. But the story continues.
Equipping for Dripping
Gospel saturation is also dripping. We continue growing in our faith, even during daunting life challenges. We experience God’s presence with us, we catch clearer glimpses of Who He truly is. We increasingly recognize His voice and the joy of walking with Him. But this is not just for ourselves, we are simultaneously equipped to be ready to share our faith with others. This is not an unnatural act—it is simply a part of living. We are so saturated, so filled with Jesus, that we cannot help but drip on others through gospel living and public faith witness.
SDB Gospel Saturation
Gospel saturation is not simply about individuals though. We are called as a General Conference to be immersed in the gospel and drip the gospel. Everything that we say and do is bathed by gospel Word and deed. Every ministry, every endeavor, every
initiative, every expenditure is gospel saturated. We do not simply create a slice of “evangelism” ministry that is conducted by a handful of people. We are committed
together to live out the gospel in winsome ways through Word and deed that highlights the Good News of Jesus.
Our Commitment
As a Conference, we are committed to ensuring that we are both soaking in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and also dripping His goodness on those around us. We are not looking to create one more evangelism program. We are called to a culture of saturation— in which we are increasingly looking and sounding like Jesus Christ—publicly living like Jesus Christ and speaking the truths of Jesus Christ.
We are committed to equipping disciples of Jesus Christ to intentionally share their faith through the “dripping” that happens with Jesus as our Lord and Savior. While saturation is a natural part of our discipleship process, we need to be honest—distractions in life happen. We need to be exceptionally vigilant to soak in and drip the gospel in very intentional ways. The Conference is committed to partnering with churches and individuals to ensure that the gospel continues to saturate all that we do and say as individuals and churches. This is an exciting call that God has invited us into—to share Jesus, the One Whom we love so deeply, with the people around us.
For more information about gospel initiatives and resources, contact Director Nick Kersten at nkersten@seventhdaybaptist.org.
1 For more information about gospel saturation from the perspective of a primary advocate, see: Vanderstelt, Jeff. 2015. Saturate: Being Disciples of Jesus in the Everyday Stuff of Life. Wheaton, IL: Crossway.
