What is the Gospel?

If you are looking for a deep theological discourse, then this isn't the post for it. I might do this another time. Instead, I want to give an insight on the Gospel as it pertains to me. This is how the Gospel has changed me, is continuing to change me, and will change me more in the future.

I used to lie. Why lie? Because, it made me feel like I was worth something. A friend and I used to always tell lies to each other, as teenagers. We'd say "Oh, I was with so and so girl, and did such and such thing". Now, I know we both lied, and I am sure we knew that we both were lying. So why did we continue this terrible thing? Because, it was a competition to see who the best was. We just tried to see who was better liar.

The Gospel saved me from this.

I used to have an issue with lust, and looking at pornography. But hey, guess what? The Gospel saved me from this.

I used to live in the confines of a demonic world system, but, yeah, you guess it, the Gospel saved me.

The Gospel not only saved me, but it healed me. It is healing me with my battle of self worth/depression. This is a battle that is being won!!! The Gospel healed me from the need to always be right. It healed me of the desire to be approved by everyone.

It redeemed me from the bondage of self. I lived very much for self. I wanted to help people, to get glory and fame. I want to go into politics to be known by people. I wanted to make all this money to live nice. But I was redeemed from self living. And I was transformed into one who cares immensely for the suffering and weak, and less about my own achievements.

It has taught me to live, to love, to laugh, to learn. It has given me freedom from fear. It has soared my soul high, and now I sing psalms of salvation from heavenly places.

I have learned who I am, as a creation in Christ. I have learned who he wants me to be, and how to get there. I have learned, more importantly, who He was, he is, and will always be. I have gained intimate knowledge of a Father who bruised his beloved son, the pinnacle of humanity, that we, the depraved and diseased, may be counted righteous in His eyes.

I don't think people fully grasp what this means. I don't think we fully understand the notion that we are seated in Christ, who is seated at the right hand of the Father. I don't think we know what it means to be called Royalty, by God. I don't think we quite get the physical punishment Christ suffered. And by the Glory of God, if we are in Christ, we will NEVER have to know what it feels like to be fully away from God's mercy and under His wrath.

If we did, I then I know there'd be more emphasis on Gospel, and less on everything else.

Suddenly, politics wouldn't matter. Nor would sports. Or movies. or games. or Do's and Don'ts. We would not be content with simply telling people they need Jesus to save them. Save them from what? Most people look at us and see us using Christ as a crutch. We haven't shown the how inadequate everything is compared to this Gospel of Jesus. We, instead have reduced it down to a meaningless formulaic prayer. There is no suffering, or discomfort, or giving up. There is a nice little prayer, a warm feeling, and life that resembles the former, only instead sleeping in on Sunday, the person is now wasting an hour of their life in a pew.

Where is the Gospel in this? Where is the real, life changing Gospel? Where are those people who go out and not only preach the spiritual need, but fulfill the physical needs? Where are the Churches who stop playing pulpit politics, and are instead welcoming in all those who most need the touch of God?

The Gospel saves us. And if it saves us, then it transforms. And if transforming, then it is giving urgent motivation. And if there an urgent motivation going on in our hearts, then why aren't we acting upon it?

The Gospel saves, but how will people know it, if those who have it, keep it hidden?

My earnest prayer is that every brother and sister in Christ falls to their face, and cries out to Abba, our Father in Heaven, and asks to know the cost of the Cross. I pray we will be filled with the urgency of knowing millions of people are starving, homeless, abused, living a life away from the grace of God, and are dying without knowing Christ.

So what is the Gospel? For me, it has been everything. It has changed me from who I was, to who God called me to be. It saved me, redeemed me, healed me, and has given me the urgency to spread this same love to everyone.

The Gospel is fundamentally more important than my next breath. It is more important than any achievement, any thought, affiliation, or desire.

The Gospel tells of the love and mercy of a Father, who looks upon his children who have rejected him and have loved many other false fathers, and feels pity for them. He desires them so much, that He would spare the best, brightest, most wonderful, in place of us. This is more than just a story, my friends. This is God, stepping down into his own creation. Unlike other gods, he didn't do it to have fun, or to fulfill manlike carnal desires. He, the True God, stepped down to be punished for our sins, so we could be with Him.

So the Gospel is really a love story of Creator and creation. Father and children. God and man.

It is of a God who desires us more than anything else, and pursues us all the days of our lives.

That, is the Gospel.

Gratitude

Hebrews 12:28,29

Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

As I have grown and matured in the American society, I have seen how increasingly difficult it has become for the majority of people to be grateful. I have seen the transformation from me excitedly opening Christmas presents and loving everything I got, to seeing my little brothers grumble and complain when they get less than everything they see on TV. They literally are not grateful for what they got, and instead, let their lust for more ruins their experience.

And how can we blame them?

We live in a society in which greed is espoused as a virtue, and is spoon feed to children from the earliest ages. Of course it is NOT limited to just children. I have seen people who have more than plenty in their life, yet are very miserable because they don't have more. I, too, have fallen in this trap. I see a man with a better job than mine, a house, a nice car, a beautiful wife, and so on, and I grow very discontent with my own life. I am sure we've all been there at some point.

Yet, this is quite different than what we SHOULD do. As a believer I am fully aware that all my blessings are from God above. Everything I have is a *gift* to me. And many times, these gifts are simply just for me, but they are also meant to bless others as well. For instance, I am gifted with a car, but I can also bless others by giving them a ride some place. So what does it say to God when I say "I don't want THIS gift, I want that gift over there. It is so much better than what you have given me!" ? I think it show God that I am not deserving of either gift. If I cannot appreciate what God has given me now, why would He think that giving me a newer gift would suddenly change me?

We should be certain that we most certainly have wonderful gifts from God above. The greatest of these is grace. Grace is the gift that can never be taken away, only rejected by us. Grace allows us to be in right standing with God. And with right standing we are given all the treasures of Heaven! We are co-heirs with Christ, after all; a royal people! So, we ought to be a people who are on our knees praising God for this great gift, for none of us are deserving of anything, lest it be death. And if we deserve nothing, and are given the treasures of heaven, why do we grumble about not having the next fad? Why do we act as ungrateful children on Christmas morning?

My prayers for you, brothers and sisters, as well as myself, is that we will never cease to praise God for his great gifts in our lives, whether it is the gift of redemption, the gift of a junker car, the gift of a hand me down, or whatever it may be.