Tag: Good News

The Good News: Incarnation

The least possible evidence that someone has believed the Gospel of Jesus is that they center their lives upon trying to get people to show up to something in order to hear a verbal presentation of this Gospel.

The least possible evidence that someone has believed the Gospel [which literally means “good news”] of Jesus is that they center their lives upon trying to get people to show up to something in order to hear a verbal presentation of this Gospel.

Acknowledging that reality is important when phrases like “just preach the Gospel” are being thrown around as “solutions” to injustices that exist.

It’s fascinating when you begin to explore what this “good news” actually is, why it matters, and what it actually means to believe in it.

To do that, you have to consider and start with the entire narrative of Scripture.

The God we read about in the Bible is the one who created us by sending His very breath into us. This God is the one who became human in order to enter into humanity to live with us. This God is the one who sent His Spirit to now live within each of us. And this God is the one who will not “bring us up into heaven” but instead has been bringing heaven to earth this whole time and eventually will redeem or recreate earth and heaven fully.

This is the God of incarnation. And that’s good news!

Why?

Because incarnation is not just some fancy theological word. It is essential to the nature of who God is, and it means that God is always “getting to us.”

Most Christians will tell you that the Scripture teaches that we can’t get to God. And whether that is true or not is almost beside the point. Because the nature of God never allows for that instance to exist. Just because of who He is, He is always “getting to us.”

This God of incarnation is the God of every day life. Of showing up when and where we are. Of managing to meet us in our mess and not expecting us to clean up our mess to get to Him – or more correct, clean it up before He can get to us.

The truth is this: too much of this history of the Church has miscommunicated this reality.

Not necessarily through words. But certainly through actions.

The Church has most consistently taught with its actions that we do not actually believe complete incarnation to be the trajectory of the Scriptures and the very nature of God.

Instead, it has been communicated through actions that the center of the Christian life is a weekly gathering, for a specified period of time, in a facility that is owned or rented, that we should be trying to get everyone to show up to. And that this is (incompletely) called “church.”

Which communicates that this is a necessary and important outcome of the Gospel.

But is it?

This isn’t actually a question about whether or not gathering should happen. It will happen as a natural outcome of being made in the image of God, and of being “the church.”

It is a question about what the place of gathering is: What is its actual role? How much of our focus does it deserve (especially since it seemed to get so little of the God of the Bible’s attention while He was here on earth)? How much impetus should we place on it (when it seems to be described as a small part of the overall lifestyle of the Church in Acts done in mostly normal, everyday sorts of ways)?

There will be those who get upset at this attempt to take incarnation to its full implications. To “work it out” beyond the least possible evidence of it, to a mature understanding of its inworking and outworking in our lives.

Many of those who may become upset will be religious professionals or dedicated “church goers” (as “church” is being defined above).

But there is very little doubt what someone believes to be most important in their life if you just follow their actions, or their money, or their time. No matter what their lips say. Jesus taught us this.

And if you follow those things in the functioning of almost every single “church” I know of, they will tell you that gathering people is the single most important thing “the church” does. It’s honestly not even close. Somewhere between 75-90% of almost every church’s actions, money, and time spent is on gathering people.

Facilities are built around it. Staff are hired around it. Programs are run around it. And schedules are created around it. Whether it is getting people to show up or what happens once they do, by the actions of all involved (myself included for much of my “ministry life”) we have communicated what we believe is most central to “the Church” and thus to “the Gospel.”

Now here me loud and clear: gathering is important.

But we rightfully should ask what its importance is and are we rightfully placing it in the correct spot in importance level.

And we should rightfully acknowledge that gathering is the least possible evidence of our internalizing of the presence of God (incarnation being essential to who He is) into our lives.

Actively treating gathering as the most central aspect of the life of the Christian ultimately runs contrary to what we read in the Scriptures. The Gospel of incarnation, as displayed perfectly by Jesus (God incarnate), does not centralize gathering people.

And that must start to be said loud and clear if we are to reclaim the Gospel fully again – the literal good news of God for the entire world.

We must lament the reality that we have believed the Gospel only in part. Only in its most basic, elementary form. And thus we have placed gathering as the most important part of our Christian lives.

And so I join together with all those willing to acknowledge this, and look to Jesus once more as our guide to imaging God in this world. In doing so, may we fully reflect to the world “God with us” this Advent.

Gospel Basics: Seeing the Goodness of the Good News

Purchase here: Kindle Edition or Paperback

No Running from Romans 1

Romans 1:16-17 has been the catalyst for a radical transformation in my understanding of what God desires in us as his people. Paul writes these words after a brief introduction:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

These two clauses have done more to ruin my tendency to sugarcoat what it means to be a pastor and a Christian than any other verses I can imagine.

The message and retelling of what Jesus did and what he secured for all who believe is so incomprehensible, the longer I think about it, the more my brain hurts and my heart yearns to see him. The Gospel is something that will never grow old, tired or weak. What happens is that our sensitivity to its message wains because we do not fully see its depth.

The Power of God For Salvation

This phrase, “the power of God for salvation,” can be difficult to understand on the surface. But, what stands out is that whatever it means there is an undeniable and unbreakable link between the Gospel and salvation. These two realities are so closely link by this text that if the Gospel is not proclaimed, then there is no salvation. And, if no salvation occurs, then the Gospel was not preached. The power, the dynamic active component necessary for salvation is the Gospel proclaimed. Why is this the case? I have no answer other than to say that is the way that God designed it.

If we take Peter’s declaration in Acts 4:12 that “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,” then we have to draw a straight logical line from the Gospel to Salvation. When the Gospel is clearly and intentionally presented, and the work of regeneration is done by the Holy Spirit, then salvation is the necessary byproduct. If this is not the necessary effect, then the power that Paul talks about is not present.

I think you can begin to see the problem. IF we, the modern church, are proclaiming the Gospel, then why are there not more people “getting saved” in our churches? We have one of at least two choices. Either, we are not preaching the Gospel. Or, the Gospel has no power? But, we know that the second of these options is not reasonable. Therefore, we are left with the first. There is something wrong in our Gospel presentation. The conviction that the Gospel should elicit has somehow been tamed, softened, dulled.

The Righteousness of God Is Revealed

Clause number two is just as potent as the first. This clause is interesting because it makes an unusual assertion. What makes this assertion unusual is that it ties God’s righteousness to the Gospel itself. Paul said that “in it” the “righteousness of God is revealed.” Wow! That means that every time the Gospel is accurately, faithfully and completely proclaimed God’s righteous acts toward sinners are on full display for all to see. If anything qualifies as a theological mouthful, this is it. The danger inherent in this claim is that the opposite is also true. When the Gospel is NOT accurately, faithfully and completely proclaimed God’s righteousness may be missed at best, and diminished beyond recognition at worst.

What I realized, as the weight of these verses landed on my heart, is that I do not want to be the reason that someone else does not hear the Gospel accurately. If you have not discovered that the Gospel can be unpopular at certain times among certain people, you will. It can be difficult to preach, teach, proclaim and tell the Gospel without shrinking back. However, I realized that I was unwilling to fail at being a faithful steward of God’s News to a fallen world. I do not want to be the one who would deny sinners the opportunity of encountering the righteous God and creator of the world. That is too high a cost for being liked by my peers.

My Hope For Gospel Basics

This book is my attempt at deciphering the fullness of the Gospel’s message. It is not an exhaustive treatment of the Gospel. I do not think that such an approach would be wise. I just wanted to remind myself and any who read it, of the Gospel’s beauty and simplicity.

It is not written with a lot of technical language, but there are important biblical concepts and theological ideas discussed. It should not take to long in reading. My hope and prayer for Gospel Basics is that it might serve as a reminder of what we have received in and because of Jesus.

The Epistle of Joy and A Theology of Suffering

In the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians there is an interesting dichotomy developing. Paul gave thanks for what God was doing in his life and in the life of the believers in Philippi. He then turns his attention to what is happening to him. And what is that? He is in prison because of his preaching of the Gospel. He is doing exactly what God wants him to do and he gets thrown in jail.

There is no easy road to evangelism. It is paved with the rough stones of adversity. There is no beautiful scenery. There is only the destruction of sin and the carnage of willful disobedience. Jesus never promised that the task of communicating the message of salvation was going to be easy. Whenever we grumble that it isn’t we have not paid attention to what Jesus taught us on the matter.

There are several passages in the first chapter that truly reveal this paradox of faith. How can Paul write such encouragement when he is shackled to a wall or guard all day long? How can he rejoice because of his situation? I just doesn’t make sense. What are we missing that Paul seems to have understood?

Here are a few samples of what I mean.

7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel… 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

These three verses are Paul’s introduction to what he believed about his current state. He did not see being in jail and suffering as a concern. He was actually pleased at the effect that it was having on those around him. The entire guard had heard the Gospel, and many of the believers outside had been stirred to action as well. It really does challenge our modern, American sensibilities to think that going to jail for our faith is a good thing. But, Paul doesn’t stop there. He goes and says the following.

15  Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Paul knew that there are some people preaching the Gospel for the wrong reasons. They were out there for profit, for acclaim or, as Paul writes, to make it more difficult on Paul! Can you image that. You are sitting in prison and someone dislikes you so much that they are intentionally trying to make things worse. And yet, Paul looks past all of that and says that the reason is irrelevant to him because the truth is being proclaimed. Now, those preaching for the wrong reason will be held accountable, but God is so good that he will even use these wrong motives to accomplish his ultimate purpose.

But again, this is not the end of what Paul said. He continues.

19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 

Really?! It is hard for you to decide whether you want to stay on earth or go to heaven? I sometimes wonder why we don’t talk like this? And then I realize that many of us are not willing to go where Paul went. Paul knew and understood something that many in the Western church have not learned to even acknowledge. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I believe that Paul’s commitment to the proclamation and spread of the Gospel had a lot to do with it. The power of evangelism to motivate and refocus the believer is largely lost in our day.

Here is Paul’s final salvo in the chapter 1.

29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Paul really does lay out for us his theology here on the subject of suffering and the Gospel. There is a mysterious way in which our faith in Jesus will lead to some form of suffering. If we are not making any effort to spread the Gospel to those whom God sends along our journey, we will find no resistance. The intentional advancement of the Good News of Jesus is what causes friction between what we believe as followers of Jesus and what the world is leaning towards. We are not merely interested in propagating a religion. We want to produce fruit because of a relationship with Jesus the Savior.

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