As Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes..." (Rom. 1:16). Our faith does not rest in the wisdom of man nor of the energy of the flesh, but in God's power; [we] "... were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13, ESV). I am appalled at the present-day presentations of the gospel message of giving a heaven without a hell, a salvation without repentance, an abundant life without lordship, and a joy without sin. If a minister's outreach is fading or not as effectual, possibly it is because there is no passion for the gospel--the power is there unto salvation and also as the message never gets old to believers, it gives power in preaching to deliver the goods.
There is the flip side to every coin. They only preach half the gospel who preach only the good news of Christ without telling the bad news first (get them lost first!): they are lost in sin and headed toward hell and eternal damnation apart from Christ. We are depraved and cannot save ourselves or get our act together; we need a work of grace or unmerited favor on our behalf. There are some preachers who refuse to "go there" when it comes to the "killjoy" word of "sin." They preach what can be termed "gospel light" (a truly dumbed-down version of the evangel). Why raise eyebrows and make the donors feel uncomfortable and uneasy they say? We don't want to be "people-pleasers" or "crowd-gatherers," but gospel preachers. Don't "domesticate" the gospel, but preach it in all its power and authority!
When we preach the simple gospel message it has power and we must just leave the results to God--it is a win-win situation. The gospel doesn't just inspire or motivate, it radically alters our life from top to bottom and does an overhaul on our system to make us new creatures in Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). God's Word "will not come back void" according to Isaiah 55:11. (No one has our story and can tell it like we can; we are all one in Christ and individually members of His body, each for a particular function.) Proclaim the gospel, don't debate it! Let the world know you are a satisfied customer and a happy camper! "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so" (Psalm 107:2).
We are saved by grace: Christ paid the debt He didn't owe for a people who couldn't pay their debts they did owe. Some people stress that grace is sufficient, and indeed it is--but it is also necessary! No one can say that they are good enough to get saved or can prepare themselves for it; it is work of grace all the way from beginning to end. We wouldn't have come to Christ apart from grace and we are saved by the grace of God--it's all grace from beginning to end (the Father has to draw them or woo them per John 6:44,65). Apart from His sovereign grace (cf. Rom. 5:21): and "...grace reigns through righteousness," none of us would've believed! We are no more qualified nor wiser, but can only say as we see another sinner lost in sin: "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
Grace is necessary because we cannot merit God's mercy nor can we demand it--it would be justice and not mercy then. We have no claims on God--He didn't have to save anyone! We don't deserve it, we cannot earn it, and we can never repay it! They say in theological terms that grace is the sine qua non of salvation or that it is the thing without which we cannot have. It is necessary and sufficient. This is important because Romanists will admit grace is necessary, but that you have to had merit to it or that it isn't sufficient. They add works to faith, and merit to grace; thus confusing the work of salvation on our behalf.
Jesus is in the business of changing lives from the inside out and the gospel has the power and authority to do it. Shakespeare may inspire but the gospel transforms! (As Paul said: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection" in Phil. 3:10.) He's still in the resurrection business! All religion says, "Do." Christianity says, "Done." Religion has good works as an "in order to." Christianity has them as a "therefore." Viva la difference between a "have to" and a "want to." Religion is a do-it-yourself proposition, but Christianity is a done deal or fait accompli. Christ said on the cross: "Teltelestai" or "It is finished." Religion is man reaching out to find and gain the approbation of God, while in Christianity God reached down to find man; we didn't find God--He found us!
The one concept that distinguishes Christianity is the idea of grace or unmerited and undeserved favor (that we aren't saved by our works or good deeds being weighed against our bad ones). Because of this only Christianity gives us the assurance of salvation (if salvation depends on works you can never know for sure how much is enough) and that no other religion can offer in the here and now assurance to live the Christian life--sure the radical Muslim believes that, if he dies in a Holy War or Jihad, he will go to paradise; however, he doesn't live his whole life in that hope--you won't find a Muslim who is sure he will go there beyond a doubt.
When we add to the work of Christ, it is as asinine as putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa and thinking you improved it, or have the gall to think you can improve the Sistine Chapel art by Michelangelo! It insults God to the max! What if you invited someone over to dinner and afterward they said, "What do I owe you?" Wouldn't you be offended? God wants us to accept His grace salvation by faith and just be thankful and live our lives accordingly.
We don't want to be accused of watering down, domesticating, dumbing down, or toning down the gospel by our sensibilities by making it too easy to get saved: what is known as easy-believism, libertinism, or Antinomianism. Whereas, one doesn't have to be an obedient Christian to have faith--faith and obedience are eternally equated and linked (Rom. 1:5; 16:26; Acts 6:7). "They were obedient to the faith." There is a cost to discipleship--Christ tended to discourage half-hearted seekers and not encourage them. We must take up our cross and go where ever He leads and bloom where he plants us. We don't have to be so apologetic about the gospel because it has intrinsic value to change hearts and lives and open eyes. Would you defend a caged lion? Well, the gospel can take care of itself too!
The power of preaching is in the presentation of the gospel message and in the cross of Christ, as Paul proclaimed in 1 Cor. 2:2: "I strive to know nothing but Christ, and Christ crucified." The devil doesn't like to hear about the passion and Via Dolorosa of Christ and how he shed His blood on our behalf. The devil will do everything in his bag of tricks to keep this from transpiring.
I'm not saying that the only job of the preacher is to preach the gospel, but that he comes to the realization that God honors only the power of the gospel message to change lives. Believers never get tired of hearing the gospel message in a different light or text. If no one's heart was stirred in an eternal manner during a sermon and it was just "interesting" or "thought-provoking," and not utterly challenging and even offensive or upsetting, the preacher has missed the mark and preached in vain. Christ was not merely interesting; He upset the applecart; He was divisive, invading the turf of the Pharisees, challenging, and even offensive to some--no one was unaffected or remained neutral after an encounter--their true colors showed. But note well: It should be Christ and the gospel that should offend and not us as just obnoxious Christians--He is the Rock of Offence and Stone of Stumbling. Soli Deo Gloria!
There is the flip side to every coin. They only preach half the gospel who preach only the good news of Christ without telling the bad news first (get them lost first!): they are lost in sin and headed toward hell and eternal damnation apart from Christ. We are depraved and cannot save ourselves or get our act together; we need a work of grace or unmerited favor on our behalf. There are some preachers who refuse to "go there" when it comes to the "killjoy" word of "sin." They preach what can be termed "gospel light" (a truly dumbed-down version of the evangel). Why raise eyebrows and make the donors feel uncomfortable and uneasy they say? We don't want to be "people-pleasers" or "crowd-gatherers," but gospel preachers. Don't "domesticate" the gospel, but preach it in all its power and authority!
When we preach the simple gospel message it has power and we must just leave the results to God--it is a win-win situation. The gospel doesn't just inspire or motivate, it radically alters our life from top to bottom and does an overhaul on our system to make us new creatures in Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). God's Word "will not come back void" according to Isaiah 55:11. (No one has our story and can tell it like we can; we are all one in Christ and individually members of His body, each for a particular function.) Proclaim the gospel, don't debate it! Let the world know you are a satisfied customer and a happy camper! "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so" (Psalm 107:2).
We are saved by grace: Christ paid the debt He didn't owe for a people who couldn't pay their debts they did owe. Some people stress that grace is sufficient, and indeed it is--but it is also necessary! No one can say that they are good enough to get saved or can prepare themselves for it; it is work of grace all the way from beginning to end. We wouldn't have come to Christ apart from grace and we are saved by the grace of God--it's all grace from beginning to end (the Father has to draw them or woo them per John 6:44,65). Apart from His sovereign grace (cf. Rom. 5:21): and "...grace reigns through righteousness," none of us would've believed! We are no more qualified nor wiser, but can only say as we see another sinner lost in sin: "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
Grace is necessary because we cannot merit God's mercy nor can we demand it--it would be justice and not mercy then. We have no claims on God--He didn't have to save anyone! We don't deserve it, we cannot earn it, and we can never repay it! They say in theological terms that grace is the sine qua non of salvation or that it is the thing without which we cannot have. It is necessary and sufficient. This is important because Romanists will admit grace is necessary, but that you have to had merit to it or that it isn't sufficient. They add works to faith, and merit to grace; thus confusing the work of salvation on our behalf.
Jesus is in the business of changing lives from the inside out and the gospel has the power and authority to do it. Shakespeare may inspire but the gospel transforms! (As Paul said: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection" in Phil. 3:10.) He's still in the resurrection business! All religion says, "Do." Christianity says, "Done." Religion has good works as an "in order to." Christianity has them as a "therefore." Viva la difference between a "have to" and a "want to." Religion is a do-it-yourself proposition, but Christianity is a done deal or fait accompli. Christ said on the cross: "Teltelestai" or "It is finished." Religion is man reaching out to find and gain the approbation of God, while in Christianity God reached down to find man; we didn't find God--He found us!
The one concept that distinguishes Christianity is the idea of grace or unmerited and undeserved favor (that we aren't saved by our works or good deeds being weighed against our bad ones). Because of this only Christianity gives us the assurance of salvation (if salvation depends on works you can never know for sure how much is enough) and that no other religion can offer in the here and now assurance to live the Christian life--sure the radical Muslim believes that, if he dies in a Holy War or Jihad, he will go to paradise; however, he doesn't live his whole life in that hope--you won't find a Muslim who is sure he will go there beyond a doubt.
When we add to the work of Christ, it is as asinine as putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa and thinking you improved it, or have the gall to think you can improve the Sistine Chapel art by Michelangelo! It insults God to the max! What if you invited someone over to dinner and afterward they said, "What do I owe you?" Wouldn't you be offended? God wants us to accept His grace salvation by faith and just be thankful and live our lives accordingly.
We don't want to be accused of watering down, domesticating, dumbing down, or toning down the gospel by our sensibilities by making it too easy to get saved: what is known as easy-believism, libertinism, or Antinomianism. Whereas, one doesn't have to be an obedient Christian to have faith--faith and obedience are eternally equated and linked (Rom. 1:5; 16:26; Acts 6:7). "They were obedient to the faith." There is a cost to discipleship--Christ tended to discourage half-hearted seekers and not encourage them. We must take up our cross and go where ever He leads and bloom where he plants us. We don't have to be so apologetic about the gospel because it has intrinsic value to change hearts and lives and open eyes. Would you defend a caged lion? Well, the gospel can take care of itself too!
The power of preaching is in the presentation of the gospel message and in the cross of Christ, as Paul proclaimed in 1 Cor. 2:2: "I strive to know nothing but Christ, and Christ crucified." The devil doesn't like to hear about the passion and Via Dolorosa of Christ and how he shed His blood on our behalf. The devil will do everything in his bag of tricks to keep this from transpiring.
I'm not saying that the only job of the preacher is to preach the gospel, but that he comes to the realization that God honors only the power of the gospel message to change lives. Believers never get tired of hearing the gospel message in a different light or text. If no one's heart was stirred in an eternal manner during a sermon and it was just "interesting" or "thought-provoking," and not utterly challenging and even offensive or upsetting, the preacher has missed the mark and preached in vain. Christ was not merely interesting; He upset the applecart; He was divisive, invading the turf of the Pharisees, challenging, and even offensive to some--no one was unaffected or remained neutral after an encounter--their true colors showed. But note well: It should be Christ and the gospel that should offend and not us as just obnoxious Christians--He is the Rock of Offence and Stone of Stumbling. Soli Deo Gloria!
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