And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life in His name. [John 20:30-31]
The word gospel simply means good news.
The purpose of the gospels? To give us reason after reason after reason to believe.
Faith is not without reason.
The very existence of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is because God Himself wants you to have a basis for believing the truth.
If you are just now exploring Christianity, are a new believer, or just plain never “got around to it”, read these 4 accounts of the life of Jesus. You will never regret it. You cannot spend your time any better than this. As you read about this man, you will discover that He is anything but normal. You will also find that He makes many claims about Himself. He also compels you to make some decisions. Will you believe His claims? Will you obey His commands? The stakes are high, but the rewards are even higher.
Some say Jesus was a great teacher, but they will credit him with nothing more than that. He was and remains the greatest teacher that ever walked the face of this earth.
Some will go further and say Jesus was a prophet of the Living God. Moses said as much in Deuteronomy 18:15. Even Muslims will credit Jesus as a prophet. Was Jesus a prophet? You better believe it. He even prophesied about me and you (that is if you are a follower of His):
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” [Mark 16:17-18]
Many non-Christians will recognize Jesus as both teacher and prophet, but He claimed more. I have heard foolish men make the erroneous statement that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God or that Jesus never claimed equality with God. The Gospel of John is chock full of these statements. In fact, this is the very reason the Pharisees had him crucified!
If Jesus was not really the Son of God who came to liberate mankind (and He claimed these things), then He is a liar knowingly trying to deceive the people, or he is out of his mind being deceived Himself. If either of these 2 things is true, then He is not a good teacher nor a true prophet, and should be regarded as nothing.
But if Jesus is telling the truth, we had better pay attention!
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. [John 14:6]
As you read through the gospels, see how He fulfilled the Messianic prophecies given hundreds and thousands of years prior to His birth. See the miraculous things that followed Him wherever He went. See how prophecies He made (even regarding His own death) came true. Most importantly, find out the truth of His crucifixion and resurrection. Learn about the men who cowered in fear for their own lives who, after Jesus’ death, went on to boldly and fearlessly proclaim and demonstrate the power of the risen Christ by doing the same kinds of miracles, and even greater ones, than Jesus.
If you are already a believer and follower of Jesus, you also go back and read those 4 accounts. But this time, do something different. Search for more than just who Jesus was, and look for the things He said about you: who you were called to be, and what He called you to do, and what you really are capable of. Look for the awesome promises He made to His followers. Study John 14, 15, 16 and learn about the person of the Holy Spirit. Obey Luke 11:13.
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” [Luke 11:13]
Take notes, this time. And perhaps more importantly, take your time. Fall in love with the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.
Let your gospel reading be followed with a reading of the book of Acts, that you might believe that what Jesus began to do and teach was to be continued by His followers.
The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach [Acts 1:1]
The purpose of the gospels? To introduce you to Jesus–the Messiah who came to save the world (you and me) from sin–and that by believing that God raised Him from the dead, you should have eternal life.
But it doesn’t stop there. Salvation, or laying hold of eternal life, is not the finishing point, but the starting point.
The gospels give us a blue-print for living, because Jesus is not just our Savior, but He is our very example, modeling for us how to live. He instructs and equips us for the abundant life. He teaches us how to overcome our adversary, the devil. He teaches us how to pray, and gives us lessons in faith. He instructs us with the core values of the Kingdom of Heaven: love, mercy and forgiveness.
The purpose of the gospels? Consider them love letters written to you, that you might know that you are not insignificant, you were created in the image of God for grand purposes, and that He sacrificed everything out of love for you. Consider them a marriage proposal from your groom, the creator of all things that ever were and ever shall be.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. [John 3:14-19]
The purpose of the gospels? To lift up Jesus. As you read the gospels, you are allowing Him to be lifted up. Let it be so.