The Simple Gospel

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What Is The Gospel?

“It’s not the gospel of salvation, it’s the gospel of the kingdom.” That’s what someone said recently in a conversation. The thought arrested me and I have been pondering the meaning and impact of this statement since.

The Gospel of Salvation

In context, my friend was reacting to the idea of helping the homeless without the agenda of evangelism. I couldn’t agree more that this is the heart of God. People should never be treated like projects or statistics but should be valued regardless of their potential conversion. For too long, the western Christian culture has reduced evangelism to a formula such as the following:

1. Our unworthiness or wretched moral failure.
2. The undeserved kindness of Jesus.
3. The transfer of accountability through the negotiation of a repeated prayer.
4. The admonition to live in accordance with a set of moral guidelines based largely upon the Mosaic Covenant.

I know I’ve oversimplified the process but if you look at the bare bones of most evangelism programs, you will find these to be key steps in leading someone to conversion. Unfortunately we, as the church, usually take this process, call it salvation, and make it the ultimate goal in regards to those outside the church. We must get people saved becomes our battle cry. What we mean is we must get people to pray the prayer. I was saved through such an evangelism program and I became masterful in using that program to get others saved. If I wore a belt, it would’ve had notches on it. Numbers took precedence over relationship.

The “gospel of the salvation” is not that. It is not a one time encounter, the right words repeated in prayer, or a religion of morality. It’s not building a bigger church or daily adding to your numbers to prove your success. It’s not feigning interest in someone as you calculate how you can share your “testimony” to convince them of their need for Jesus. I know from experience this reduces value for others while it becomes a measure of your own value. In essence, it simply becomes a different form of performance to establish your own worth in God’s eyes.

The Gospel of The Kingdom

So it must be the “gospel of the kingdom,” right? WRONG! Not if by that you mean that you are presenting God’s kingdom when you act loving, treat people with dignity, and withhold judgement of their choices. These qualities do not require Jesus nor do they essentially draw people to him. (Can you say Bill Gates, Ghandi or the Dalai Lama?) Perhaps you mean that you exhibit the kingdom through healing, prophetic encounters, or various miracles. Even though such things are not possible without Jesus, they are not necessarily representative of him either. That whole “people as statistics” raises its ugly head once again. We can be such doofs!

Kingdom + Salvation = The Gospel of Jesus Christ

I guess if I have to pin my faith down (and I do because this article becomes pointless if I don’t) I would have to say that it’s not the gospel of salvation nor of the kingdom but it’s the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Through Jesus, people encountered the kingdom. They were healed and received miracles. They were loved and treated with dignity. Lepers were touched, food was multiplied, women were honored and the religious were corrected. The kingdom was at hand!

Through Jesus people were saved. Let’s face it, Jesus died for a reason and it wasn’t because of the political climate of the day.

He died to remove the barrier that kept us from living in God’s ongoing presence. He died to extend an invitation to us for restoration to relationship. And he was raised to life proving this gospel is for now not the hereafter.

This is where evangelism comes in. In the second chapter of Acts, people cry out to Peter, “what must we do to be saved?” His instruction “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” Pretty clear that a response to God was involved. I think we must exhibit the gospel of the kingdom but also profess the gospel of salvation. One without the other is not the gospel of Jesus.

Swing Wide

In Psalm 24, we are likened to “ancient doorways.” We (those of us who have been reconciled to our Heavenly Father), are designated passages to and from heaven. God should come through us to touch the world and we should be entry points for those we encounter to find their way to Jesus. He, then, becomes the way to the Father.

I know there are some deep thinkers that will take issue with what I’ve expressed. Oh well, you can’t please everybody. I’m just a simple girl that’s in love with two men in heaven. One is named Jesus and the other is Bert. It’s my heart’s desire for the world to meet them both – one now (Jesus) and one in heaven (Bert).

On another note, my son says my articles are too long! The next one will be nice and short. I hope.

Prayer Matters

Today I’m praying for victims of violence to be healed. I’m praying they experience the freedom of forgiving. Forgiving their perpetrator, forgiving God, forgiving themselves – whatever is needed. I’m praying they experience justice and restoration.

Thanks for reading my article. What are you praying for today? Leave a comment so I can partner with you in prayer or just let me know what you think of this article.

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