What is the Gospel?

At the center of everything we do and teach is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the announcement of the good news about Jesus Christ to the world.  The teaching of morals and proper behavior is fine, but the only way for anyone to participate in the Eternal Life of God is through the teaching of the Gospel.

So what is this Gospel?

The New Testament declares the Gospel in many different ways.  In fact, the entire New Testament is a declaration of the Gospel, the effects of the Gospel upon the world, and the response of the individual to the Gospel.   But, each speaker and author had a different way of expressing the Gospel.  A quick glance through the book of Acts will reveal how Peter, Stephen, Paul, Philip and others, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, varied their presentation of the Gospel according to their audience.  Even Jesus had different ways of expressing Gospel truth.

There are many ways to express the Gospel (four spiritual laws, roman's road, etc), I would encourage you to make the presentation of the gospel "your own".  Let it be in your voice, in the way you speak, and in the way that your audience will understand.

But where do you start?

I have found a good place to start is to write your own Gospel summary based on Scripture.  Here is mine as an example:

The Gospel is: God, the creator of heaven and earth (Gen 1:1) against whom all have sinned (Rom 3:23), was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not counting their sins against them (2 Cor 5:19), but forgiving them through the redemption found in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom 3:24) to be received by faith alone (Rom 3:22), and calls us to participate in His work, through the Holy Spirit, as obedient servants (Rom 12:1-2) under the authority of the Word of God (2 Tim 3:16-17).

That is quite a mouthful!  But, it is a good place to start.  What is your summary?

How about those that are already believers?

The teaching of Gospel truth is relevant to both believers and unbelievers.  Martin Luther said that we must teach the Gospel to ourselves everyday, because we forget it everyday.  The Gospel is what the Spirit uses to change us (and our students) and conform us to the image of Christ.  May we never feel like we or our students have moved beyond the Gospel!

Reflection on Matthew 5:1-12 (The Beatitudes)

The Sermon on the Mount is a revelation of the true righteousness of God.  It is a description of the Kingdom of God, as opposed to the kingdom of this world.  The first twelve verses of the sermon, which we call "the Beatitudes", reveals what the blessing of God looks like as opposed to what blessedness looks like from a worldly standpoint:

To the world's blessing of self-sufficiency unto those who are kings of their own kingdoms; Jesus declares that the blessing of God makes a person "poor in Spirit", aware of their spiritually bankruptcy and therefore fully reliant on God.  It is to them that the real Kingdom belongs.

To the world's blessing of comfort for those who cover their faults with strengths, Jesus declares the blessing and comfort of God to be on "those who mourn" over their own faults, the sin of the world, and the effects of it which resonate through history.

To the world's blessing of the dominate, the masters of the earth, Jesus declares "Blessed are the  meek for they shall inherit the earth".

To the world's blessing of moral superiority, Jesus declares the blessing of God on those who are not fulfilled by their own worldly righteousness and seek a righteousness that comes from God alone.

To the world's blessing of selfishness, Jesus declares "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy"

To the world's blessing of a heart saturated with worldly knowledge achieved through experience, Jesus declares that it is the "pure in heart" who are truly blessed.

To the world's blessing of aggregation and competition, Jesus says that the children of God are peacemakers.

To the world who measures the righteousness of one's actions based on public opinion polls, Jesus says, "blessed are the persecuted".

Jesus declares the Kingdom of God to an upside-down kingdom, where the first is last and the last is first.  G.K. Chesterton said that the Kingdom of God seems upside-down to us because "We are standing on our heads and kicking against the heavens".

When reading these Beatitudes I am always struck by the fact that not only is Jesus describing the true righteousness and blessing found in the Kingdom, he is describing himself, the King of God's Kingdom.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father,

I thank you for Jesus Christ and that even though He was exceedingly rich at Your right hand, yet for  my sake He became poor, that I might inherit the Kingdom (2 Cor 8:9; cff Matt 5:3)

I am so blessed that my elder brother, Christ, mourned over my sin, that I might be comforted (Luke 19:41-44, 2 Cor 1:5; cff Matt 5:4)

I praise You Father, for Your Son did not see equality with God something to be grasped, but was meek and became incarnated, and humbled himself, even unto death, that I may receive an eternal inheritance (Phil 2, 1 Pet 1:3-4; cff Matt 5:5)

I am grateful that your Son hungered in the desert and thirsted on the cross that I may be filled (Matt 4:2, John 19:28, Phil 1:11, cff. Matt 5:6)

Thank you that Christ was merciful, so that I might be shown mercy (1 Peter 1:3, cff Matt 5:7)

You have taken my deceitful heart and have given me Christ's pure heart, that I may see You (Eze 36:26-27; cff Matt 5:8) and you have adopted me as your child through the Prince of Peace. (Isa 9:6, cff Matt 5:9).  And now you have given me the Kingdom, for the sake of your Righteous One, who was persecuted for my sake.

I thank you for all you have done and I ask that you mold me into one worthy of the righteousness that you have imputed to me.

Amen.