With the Easter season fast approaching, many people struggle with how to share the Gospel with friends and family who don't know Jesus. Sometimes it has to do with a lack of confidence in presenting the message clearly; other times there's a fear of being rejected. 

Fortunately, we live in an age where sharing music is just as social an event as talking to one another, and in some ways, can be even more powerful. The NRT staff picked their favorite songs that clearly present the truth of the gospel of Jesus, that you might share them with someone who could benefit from the life-giving message of His death, resurrection, and offer of new life!

Inspired by the over Christian messages of Selah's newest project, Unbreakable (particularly the songs "I Got Saved" and "We Must Not"), check out our list, and then pick up Unbreakable on iTunes!
 
"Death Was Arrested" by North Point InsideOut
This gripped me the moment I heard it. The song, which has already been covered by a number of different artists including big names like Aaron Shust and Laura Story, particularly captures the meat of the Gospel with the moving fourth verse: "Our Savior displayed on a criminal's cross / Darkness rejoiced as though Heaven had lost / But then Jesus arose with our freedom in hand / That's when death was arrested and my life began." Whoa. The hymn-like structure of the song makes it very singable, and this likely candidate for Easter Song of 2017 does a masterful job of connecting the gospel story to our own stories.   
"Because He Lives (Amen)" by Matt Maher 
"Because He Lives" is a powerful proclamation of the Gospel. Led by Maher's passionate invitation to worship, the song plays off the timeless hymn to lay out a beautiful depiction of the life Christ offers us: "I was dead in the grave / I was covered in sin and shame / I heard mercy call my name / He rolled the stone away / Amen, Amen / I'm alive, I'm alive because He lives." Telling the story of how He rescued us from sin and death, this song declares the bold message of Scripture in a poetic way, reiterating the truth that raises us to life: we are alive only because He lives.   
"Hero" by Abandon 
This song declares the Gospel in a somewhat nontraditional manner. It was written in the style of a ballad from the perspective of an onlooker observing the life of Jesus. This was one of the first Christian pop-CCM songs I ever heard, so it holds a special place in my heart. Moreover, the message conveyed in the lyrics is powerful: "He chose to take the cross / Shed tears for the lost, the broken, and the needy / Forgiving those who were and will be." My favorite aspect of this song is the way in which Abandon first portray the life of Christ. In the verses, it almost feels like the song is calling Jesus an outcast, but the chorus clearly shows the opposite; Jesus is the Savior of the world and has risen victorious over the grave for all mankind!  
"Lamb of God" by Vertical Church Band
Vertical Church Band gives us an emotive and poetic description of the beautiful picture of what Jesus did for us. You'll want to join fellow believers in singing these words: "The Lamb of God in my place / Your blood poured out, my sin erased / it was my death You died / I am raised to life, Hallelujah, the Lamb of God." No matter where you are in your walk with Jesus, this song is a salvation message that helps us remember that Jesus truly came to die and rose to set us free. There is nothing we have been given that is more valuable than our salvation. This song moves me to reflect on just how much Jesus endured for His bride, to purchase us from the grave. "Lamb of God" is one of my favorite descriptions that God gives us about Himself, going back to Psalm 23 and thinking about God as our Shepherd, and looking ahead to Revelation knowing that for eternity followers of Jesus will be singing "Worthy is the Lamb" in Heaven. You can make the decision to admit you are a sinner, believe that Jesus is the Son of God and came to die as a sinless Savior on our behalf, and choose to make Him the Lord of your life. What a wonderful, loving and gracious God that we serve. I am so thankful to Jesus for saving me. John 8:36 says, "If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." Amen to that!  
"Death in His Grave" by John Mark McMillan
Death In His Grave" carries a beautiful balance of contemporary poeticism and references to the language of traditional creeds. The result is an exposition of the Gospel that feels simultaneously personal and present yet steeped in tradition. The song is best experienced in stripped back, raw worship settings where the primary power that carries it is corporate voices, declaring, "On Friday a thief, on Sunday a king / Laid down in grief but awoke with the keys / To hell on that day, the first born of the slain / The man Jesus Christ laid death in his grave." The timeless message is beautifully recast in what could be called a modern folk spiritual form, every carefully crafted line bursting with power when sung by a community that believes it. 
 
BONUS: For a non-traditional portrayal of the gospel message, "Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape" by defining metalcore act Underoath is rich with the story of redemption: "Hey unfaithful I will teach you to be stronger / Hey unloving, I will love you / I will love you, I will love you."