The message of the Gospel!

Have you ever considered what the message of the Gospel actually is?  I think the missionary Jackie Pullinger said it best  “…The principle of the Gospel is this, the gospel always gives life to the receiver, and death to the giver.  If the gospel brought death to Jesus Christ, why do we think that in preaching the Gospel it would be any less for us?”

1 Corinthians 1:17-20 (KNOX)

¹⁷ Christ did not send me to baptize; he sent me to preach the gospel; not with an orator’s cleverness, for so the cross of Christ might be robbed of its force. ¹⁸ To those who court their own ruin, the message of the cross is but folly; to us, who are on the way to salvation, it is the evidence of God’s power. ¹⁹ So we read in scripture, I will confound the wisdom of wise men, disappoint the calculations of the prudent. ²⁰ What has become of the wise men, the scribes, the philosophers of this age we live in? Must we not say that God has turned our worldly wisdom to folly?

It truly pleases God to use imperfect people to communicate the profound truth of His wisdom, the precious treasure of the kingdom.  He uses men and women who are willing to listen and be utilized in various capacities.  I have found it true again and again that God passionately desires to express His love through people who have very little theological training or experience, just a heart that loves God. They have nothing to give back to God other than their obedient undivided affection.  Honestly, that is why we are called little lambs.  If God’s wisdom concerning the gospel were to somehow come from our own brilliance or intellect, there would be no need for Jesus.

Colossians 1:21-29 (NIRV)

²¹ At one time you were separated from God. You were enemies in your minds because of your evil ways. ²² But because Christ died, God has brought you back to himself. Christ’s death has made you holy in God’s sight. So now you don’t have any flaw. You are free from blame.

²³ But you must keep your faith steady and firm. Don’t move away from the hope that the good news holds out to you. It is the good news that you heard. It has been preached to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, now serve the good news.

²⁴ I am happy because of what was suffered for you. And in my body I fill up my share in Christ’s sufferings. I do it for his body, which is the church. ²⁵ I serve the church. God appointed me to bring all of his word to you.

²⁶ That word contains the mystery that has been hidden for many ages. But now it has been made known to God’s people. ²⁷ God has chosen to make known to them the glorious riches of that mystery. He has made it known among those who aren’t Jews. And here is what it is. Christ is in you. He is your hope of glory.

²⁸ We preach about him. With all the wisdom we have, we warn and teach everyone. When we bring them to God, we want them to be perfect as people who belong to Christ.

²⁹ That’s what I’m working for. I work hard with all of Christ’s strength. His strength works powerfully in me.

The underlying message of the gospel is to come and die.  Now, we may not be called to a physical death for our faith, but we are absolutely called to die to self, our human nature which wars against the voice of God.  Jesus desires to be on the throne of our lives, that also means He wants to be in control of every aspect of our daily life. That is why we call Him Lord. This surrendered life is not like becoming a robot or an automaton, where our lives have no individual desire or perspective, no, it is quite the opposite. When you have tasted or experienced the heavenly gift of Christ where He infill’s you with His person (known as the Holy Spirit) you are filled with an indescribable love which transcends our human experience.  Our individual desires and perspectives begin to change and become tailored to a much greater purpose, that purpose is how we can communicate this indescribable love through our daily experience in our family life, community and workplace.  It is not based on what we do out of our own individual effort, but based on what the person of Christ living within us is expressing through us and our obedience to His urging.  

Galatians 2:16-20 (NIRV)

¹⁶ We know that no one is made right with God by obeying the law. It is by believing in Jesus Christ. So we too have put our faith in Christ Jesus. That is so we can be made right with God by believing in Christ, not by obeying the law. No one can be made right with God by obeying the law.

¹⁷ We are trying to be made right with God through Christ. But it is clear that we are sinners. So does that mean that Christ causes us to sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸ Suppose I build again what I had destroyed. Then I prove that I break the Law.

¹⁹ Because of the law, I died as far as the law is concerned. I died so that I might live for God. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ. I don’t live any longer. Christ lives in me. My faith in the Son of God helps me to live my life in my body. He loved me. He gave himself for me.

The gospel message is powerful and able to save to the uttermost, provided that we do not allow it's truth to be compromised.  What truth am I speaking of?   Christ in you!  Christ living in you!  The apostle Paul knew this as evidenced in the above scripture, and so did many in the early church.  It was this truth that turned the world upside down, and the reason the enemy was, and still is so adamant about causing the church’s destruction.

Acts 17:1-7 (ASV)

¹  Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:

² and Paul, as his custom was, went in unto them, and for three sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

³ opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom, said he, I proclaim unto you, is the Christ.

⁴ And some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

⁵ But the Jews, being moved with jealousy, took unto them certain vile fellows of the rabble, and gathering a crowd, set the city on an uproar; and assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them forth to the people.

⁶ And when they found them not, they dragged Jason and certain brethren before the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;

⁷ whom Jason hath received: and these all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

The message of the gospel is foolishness to those who are enmeshed into the world’s system and it’s practices.  The gospel runs counter to the wisdom of our culture and establishment.  But, it is the gospel which brings life, love and joy to the receiver.  Our part as the giver is to die to our own desires so that Christ may become fully formed in our lives. 

My former pastor John Wimber once said this regarding the Christian life: “…We give, to get, so that we can give again.  This is the cycle of the Christian life, we give of our time, energy and money, so that God may replenish us that we may give even more.”  He was speaking of spending our lives for Christ and expending our talent, gifting and resources so that Christ may win the battles in us and through us, and that His Kingdom may expand.

Now, what is our payoff if it seems that we give all of our lives?  What do we get out of it?  We get more of Christ!  More love, more joy, more peace.  That isn’t to appease us, it is to empower us to become victors.  The bible states that God’s children will not lose.  We have been called Victors and Overcomers.  We have been given the high calling to overcome the world and all of it’s trappings, that Christ may reign in our lives. To borrow a phrase "We then become little lambs with the faces of Lions".

1 John 5:1-5 (NIRV)

¹ Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born again because of what God has done. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children as well.

² How do we know that we love God’s children? We know it when we love God and obey his commands. ³ Here is what it means to love God. It means that we obey his commands. And his commands are not hard to obey. ⁴ That’s because everyone who is a child of God has won the battle over the world. Our faith has won the battle for us.

⁵ Who is it that has won the battle over the world? Only the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Click The Red & White arrow↓below to listen to the song

BLESSED ASSURANCE

Words by Frances J. Crosby,  1873

Music by: Phoebe P. Knapp

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

                                         Refrain:
                                            This is my story, this is my song,
                                            Praising my Savior all the day long;
                                            This is my story, this is my song,
                                            Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

    The music above is copyrighted by the respective artists, and is demonstrated here for educational purposes only.