Miscellaneous Thoughts!

It's been a while since I have posted anything on my blog. Since my last post I have been on a 40 Day Sabbatical, a 2 week vacation, and have been "back in the saddle" at the church for about 10 weeks. Needless to say, a lot of water has gone under the bridge! I find myself thinking more and more lately about the state of the Gospel in the church. When I read the Gospels (and preach through Galatians!), it seems there is a definitive difference between what I read and what I see. In the modern church, it seems that we are preoccupied with a gospel that seems to be all about us. A quick look at Christian books and TV only confirms my fear. The "modern" proclamation of the Gospel seems to center on the message that "Jesus died so that you can have a better life. God wants you to be happy, healthy, and, don't forget, wealthy." It seems that, according to some preachers, God exists for me. But, the Bible doesn't say that at all. In fact, it is just the opposite- I exist for God. And more importantly, Jesus did not die so that I can have a better life. He died so that my sin, which separated me from Him and doomed me to the just penalty of my rebellion against Him, hell, could be forgiven. Now, it is true that a relationship with God through Jesus Christ does produce a better life. But, what makes it better is not the stuff that "I get" from God. It's the tremendous peace of knowing that God has forgiven my sin through the finished work of the cross, and encountering Him as we walk through life together, that is the real benefit of my salvation. There is no greater blessing than that!

Unfortunately, it would seem that a lot of proclaimers have bowed to the pressure of political correctness and culture. It seems that many have concluded that "people don't need to be told that they are sinners. They already know that. They need to hear the good news!" Nothing could be further from the truth! Modern America has decided that there is no such thing as sin, because there is no such thing as absolute truth. Without absolutes, everything is negotiable! What follows is a life directed by a "if it feels good, do it" mentality. Clearly, man must be confronted with the fact of sin, before he is even aware that he needs the "Good News".
So, where do we go from here? I believe that we, in the church, need to make sure that we are constantly preaching the Gospel ("... using words when necessary. - St. Francis of Assisi). Our gospel must be Biblically rooted and complete. A piece-meal gospel doesn't result in piece-meal Christians. It results in something far more sinister- people who believe themselves to be "saved" who continue to live unregenerate lives. This leads to a double tragedy. First, the person has a false belief that they are right with God, inoculating them to a true conversion experience. Second, lost people around them stumble at their duplicity and conclude that Jesus really doesn't change lives. To combat this dual tragedy, we must make Biblical fidelity of first importance. We must speak the words of Jesus and back up our words with the love of Jesus. Anything less, and we are guilty of preaching "a different gospel- not that there is another one..." (Galatians 1:6b-7a, ESV). If we are found to be doing so, the words of Paul are very clear, and jarring: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:8, ESV)