Jeff Jackson Live

A few days ago I wrote an article entitled “Where is God in the midst of my sin?” I made a point about the Gospel being the driving force for our sanctification and I wanted to elaborate some on this topic.  Being a pastor of a local church I hear some things that make me wonder some time.  I have heard people complaining that their church always talks about the Gospel (live, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ) and fail to give the meat of the scriptures.  Early on I didn’t understand why this didn’t sit well with me until I started to understand the entirety of the Gospel.  You see the Gospel is not for sinner alone but also for the saved.  We systematically think that someone who is not redeemed needs the Gospel and those who are need Theology.  While this is true, we must also include the Gospel in our Theology.  In fact the Gospel is the root for all Theology and its the driving force behind developing christian to be more like Jesus Christ.  The more we understand the Gospel the more we begin to understand the gravity of our sin.  This draws us closer to God and drives us deeper into the study of our God which results in becoming more like our Savior. In fact, its our destiny to become more like Jesus Christ.  Look what Romans 8: 29 says:

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Without the Gospel we have no foundation for our Theology and we can’t grow into the image of Christ.  So realize the Gospel is the meat of the scriptures and fosters our growth as believers.

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Maybe not a question you are asking your small group or your pastor but definitely one  you are asking in your heart.  Let me explain.  When we sin and our lives are filled with guilt and shame we naturally detach from community and fellowship with God.  We don’t want to face accountability and fear our sin might be exposed by the light. Mostly I feel people detach from community and hide from God because they don’t have a correct view of the Gospel.  Most Christians understand the Gospel to be for the lost and fail to realize it is just as much for the redeemed.  We believe in the saving power of the cross to redeem sinful souls but we fail to see the sanctifying power of the Gospel for the believer.

The Gospel is what removed all the guilt and shame that kept us from the father yet we find ourselves living a condemned life through a redeemed soul.  STOP, this is sin and we must begin to embrace the Gospel and allow the work of the cross to sanctify and form us into the image of Jesus Christ.  It’s not easy but understanding the depth of the Gospel and power to set us free from our bondage and allow us to live in the freedom of the cross.  Next time you find yourself checking out draw near to the Gospel for its ability to save and remove your shame is incomprehensible and will move us closer to God.

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I recently read this week that pastors should quit using the word Gospel unless they define it. We talk the talk but are we living the Gospel out on a daily basis. I want to make sure everyone at Journey Church knows what the Gospel is all about. So here we go! I believe the more we learn about the Gospel the more we realize how messed up we are and in need of the Gospel. The Gospel, or the good news, is the story about how Jesus Christ came and lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death for OUR sins and rose to life so SIN could be conquered indefinitely. Our sin is so bad that Jesus had to come and die for us.

Like I said before the deeper we understand the Gospel the deeper we understand our sin and we also know how bad we are and how much Jesus loves us unconditionally showing us by dying for our sin and taking our place on the cross. That’s the Gospel.

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What are you thoughts about the social Gospel?  This might sound like a question that needs no answer but I am suprised to see all the different churches that are so quick to meet the physical needs of people and ignore their spiritual needs.

Now, I am not saying that we, as a church, do not need to meet the physical needs of people.  I am the first one in line to volunteer at an outreach event.  However, we seem to neglect the fact that we need to share truth while meeting the phyiscal needs of people.

I read one time that it is truthfully said that you cannot tell someone about the bread of life when they are hungry for physical bread. Similarly, it is true that those who daily face real needs do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. A sensitivity to an individual’s physical need can often provide an opportunity to address the person’s spiritual need.  What do you think?  Leave a comment.

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