The “Gospel” has become a subjective term. Kidnapped by interpretive geniuses that turn its message into a commercial commodity....
The “Gospel” has become a subjective
term. Kidnapped by interpretive geniuses that turn its message into a
commercial commodity. It is a common marketing tool to start with bestselling
features for a product, in this case the gospel, to entice consumers to
purchase goods or services. It seems the hook of grace and promise of
prosperity draw in potential believers who eventually morph into “followers for
the loaves.”
The bread crumbs have been dropped.
Of course, the trail left seems legitimate, especially when we incorporate a
few minuscule stops for Jesus along the way. It’s not that
we shouldn’t focus on His grace or being prosperous. However, be
warned, this gospel buy-in technique may be effective to bring in members but
does not make disciples.
What are You Selling?
Gospel in line with the intent of
Christ is devoid of selling points for commercial advantage. It is not
comprised of complex pretentious ideologies that vie for our
attention. According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the
word “gospel” derives from the Greek word ”euaggelion” meaning to
bring, declare, spread or announce good tidings of salvation through Christ.
In Ephesians 4:20-25, the Apostle Paul encourages us
with these instructions for communicating the gospel message:
1. Preserve
the pureness and clarity of the message.
2. Keep
your communication free from extraneous information.
3. Do
not misrepresent the intent.
4. Avoid
promoting personal agenda.
No Purchase Necessary.
Jesus’ only agenda was to do the
will of the Father. He came from His Father, our Father, to give us the best
quality of life. Isaiah 61 encapsulates how Jesus
spread the good news with seven kingdom objectives as focal points:
1. To
publicly share the good news with those of impoverished spirits.
2. To
provide assistance and support for those that have been discouraged by life.
3. To
declare freedom for the hostages of habits, addictions, and mind-shackles.
4. To
use the key of knowledge to unlock prison doors for the oppressed.
5. To
let all know that now is the acceptable time to receive salvation.
6. To
comfort the grief-stricken with compassion, care, and concern.
7. To
build up those destroyed by life choices and circumstances. To give them hope
in place of despair and celebration in exchange for criticism. To tell
them they have been moved from their past to a new life in Christ.
No buy-in required, just a give-in
to His will for a more abundant life.
The Best News Ever: Salvation Freely
Given.
For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. John 3:16
Salvation never requires a best
buy-in feature. “All things Gospel” focus on Christ’s life on earth, His death,
burial, resurrection, and ascension to the Father. The good news is
that Christ ransomed us from the eternal grip of the enemy. A
faith commitment to Christ our Savior delivers us from the
condemnation of a sin-driven life. Conviction opens our hearts to receive the
correction of God and frees us from repeating the mistakes of our past. We are
renewed and gifted with the Holy Spirit for victorious living. Reunited with
Him, we will live in His eternal presence forever.
Although the hooks of grace,
prosperity, and more may vie for prime position in the “gospel race,” Christ is
at the starting line. He is the author and finisher of our faith.
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