Which Gospel are you preaching?
Gospel -- (noun) 1. Teaching or revelation of Christ. 2. A thing that is absolutely true. 3. The first of four books in the New Testament of the Bible. 4. "Good News".
When I was growing up in church, I knew that the word "gospel" was reserved to teachings about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God and savior of the world. The church I grew up in taught that Jesus saved us from Hell, which I understood to be a literal place you went to when you died if you hadn't prayed the salvation prayer while you were still alive. But, my understanding of being saved from Hell has gained a more nuanced meaning now that I'm an adult.
I grew up understanding that it was good news to know and believe who Jesus was and is -- but not just for the afterlife. It is good news all the days of your life, because life without faith in Jesus is full of bad news: addiction, unfaithfulness, dishonesty, love of self, quarreling, disappointment, pain, dysfunctional relationships, emptiness, hopelessness...literal Hell right here on Earth. Life without Jesus is a life without hope. Jesus means for us to live life abundantly....not an abundance of money or stuff or happy experiences, but a life of abundant freedom, love, acceptance and intimacy with him, meaningful connections with others, peace, and joy.
With that in mind, it's as though followers of Jesus -- those who have already learned and accepted the good news -- have found the Elixir of Life or the cure for death. It's an amazing thing we have when we are no longer enslaved to selfish interests or imprisoned by the emptiness of this world. And we should be shouting it from the rooftops and telling everyone we meet about this good news!
Unfortunately, even those of us who have chosen a life with Jesus have gotten comfortable, distracted, and forgetful of what an amazing gift we have received. We are comfortable in our homes with running water and electricity and plenty of food in the pantry or a job which generally provides the ability to pay for the things we are lacking. We are distracted by our televisions, gym memberships, cell phones and social media networks, our relationships, the things we can spend money on, and the wide variety of foods we can stuff into our mouths. All of this comfort and distraction (basically self-fulfillment) leads us to forget our savior except on Sundays or the days when something isn't going our way.
Too many of us, I'm afraid, have given up the good news of Jesus and are now preaching the gospel of some other thing entirely. Looking at my newsfeed on Facebook or the comments on Twitter tells me that many are preaching the gospel of a certain politician/political group, or gun rights, or Confederate flags/statues, or....you get the idea. The loudest cries of defense online seem to be for things deeply removed from the life's work of Jesus and the things he taught his disciples (and, through their writings, the things he continues to teach us).
What gospel are you preaching to others? What good news drives your life and the things your mouth speaks, your hands work at, and your dollars support? Is it a good news of life transformation and salvation from Hell on earth? Or are you preaching a false gospel that actually leads to more death -- death of joy, death of peace, death of love, death of freedom?
When I was growing up in church, I knew that the word "gospel" was reserved to teachings about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God and savior of the world. The church I grew up in taught that Jesus saved us from Hell, which I understood to be a literal place you went to when you died if you hadn't prayed the salvation prayer while you were still alive. But, my understanding of being saved from Hell has gained a more nuanced meaning now that I'm an adult.
I grew up understanding that it was good news to know and believe who Jesus was and is -- but not just for the afterlife. It is good news all the days of your life, because life without faith in Jesus is full of bad news: addiction, unfaithfulness, dishonesty, love of self, quarreling, disappointment, pain, dysfunctional relationships, emptiness, hopelessness...literal Hell right here on Earth. Life without Jesus is a life without hope. Jesus means for us to live life abundantly....not an abundance of money or stuff or happy experiences, but a life of abundant freedom, love, acceptance and intimacy with him, meaningful connections with others, peace, and joy.
With that in mind, it's as though followers of Jesus -- those who have already learned and accepted the good news -- have found the Elixir of Life or the cure for death. It's an amazing thing we have when we are no longer enslaved to selfish interests or imprisoned by the emptiness of this world. And we should be shouting it from the rooftops and telling everyone we meet about this good news!
Unfortunately, even those of us who have chosen a life with Jesus have gotten comfortable, distracted, and forgetful of what an amazing gift we have received. We are comfortable in our homes with running water and electricity and plenty of food in the pantry or a job which generally provides the ability to pay for the things we are lacking. We are distracted by our televisions, gym memberships, cell phones and social media networks, our relationships, the things we can spend money on, and the wide variety of foods we can stuff into our mouths. All of this comfort and distraction (basically self-fulfillment) leads us to forget our savior except on Sundays or the days when something isn't going our way.
Too many of us, I'm afraid, have given up the good news of Jesus and are now preaching the gospel of some other thing entirely. Looking at my newsfeed on Facebook or the comments on Twitter tells me that many are preaching the gospel of a certain politician/political group, or gun rights, or Confederate flags/statues, or....you get the idea. The loudest cries of defense online seem to be for things deeply removed from the life's work of Jesus and the things he taught his disciples (and, through their writings, the things he continues to teach us).
What gospel are you preaching to others? What good news drives your life and the things your mouth speaks, your hands work at, and your dollars support? Is it a good news of life transformation and salvation from Hell on earth? Or are you preaching a false gospel that actually leads to more death -- death of joy, death of peace, death of love, death of freedom?
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