>Funny how the gospel can become so ‘elementary’ to us. For most of my Christian walk, I thought that the gospel was the propositional truths that made up Christianity (and it certainly is). I therefore assumed that the gospel was to be memorized, put into a script, and then shared with non-believers. After all, the gospel was for non-believers to come to know Jesus. Over the last 5+ years, God has been renovating my heart and relationship with him as I’ve come to understand that the gospel is for me today as much as it is for the one who’s never heard. There are still so many places in my heart that do not believe the gospel. There are so many habits and actions that operate out of functional denial of the gospel. As it is true for my own life, so I find it true of my own church. There are still so many places in our church that do not function as an expression of the gospel, but rather out of something else.
I taught a class at CF in which we talked about a true response to the gospel, and how we must by all means continue to fight to believe and hold onto the gospel. That said, there are subtle substitutes that can creep in and replace our dependency on the gospel. Here are a few.
If the gospel were to jump off the pages of our doctrinal statements and into the core of our community: its practices, its values, its rule of engagement – and into our lives, what would that church look like?
Let’s pray to that end:
- Remember how you came to know God through hearing the gospel. Take some time to thank God for that work.
- The gospel is good news for the world. Pray that the gospel will continue to reach those who have yet to hear and believe.
- Pray that the younger generation of our church would hear and respond to the gospel.
- Pray that the church would be united by a common passion for the gospel – that every area of our church’s life and ministry would be influenced by the gospel of grace.
- Pray that God would stir up a hunger to grow in the knowledge of the gospel.
- Pray that the forgiveness we have received through Christ would cause us to forgive others and broken relationships might be restored.
>I love this post. I am encouraged and convicted. Thanks, bro!