Rick Warren’s book of the same title has drawn a lot of press and attention. Many claim that it is doing the church a great service. Here is Warren’s gospel presentation in the form of the sinner’s prayer:
Dear God, I want to know your purpose for my life. I don’t want to base the rest of my life on wrong things, I want to take the first step in preparing for eternity by getting to know you. Jesus Christ, I don’t understand how but as much as I know how I want to open up my life to you. Make yourself really to me. And use this series [40 Days of Purpose] in my life to help me know what you made me for.
Now if you’ve just prayed that prayer for the very first time I want to congratulate you. You’ve just become a part of the family of God.
Just before Jesus ascended he had the following conversation with his apostles:
Acts 1:4-6
4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
Matthew 16:21
From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.
I find this text to be one of the most shocking verses in the Gospels. Like most I had thought that the gospel was that Jesus died for my sins, raised back to life, and that if I believed and confessed him as Lord I was saved. However, this statement in Matthew totally stands that thought process on its head. It is not until chapter sixteen that Jesus BEGAN to tell his disciples about his death and resurrection! This means that for twelve chapters in Matthew while Jesus was preaching the gospel, he never talked about his death and resurrection! The unavoidable conclusion is that the original gospel that Jesus preached did not include the information about his death and resurrection. So what was Jesus preaching and what did he send out the twelve to preach?
What does the word “gospel” mean? In modern times there are several definitions that come to mind: a catchy gospel song, the four Gospels–Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, his word is gospel truth, and so on. However, none of these definitions adequately expresses the ancient usage of the word “gospel” as it is found in Scripture. First we will look at the word “gospel” from the Hebrew Scriptures then investigate how this word was understood in the Roman Empire (i.e. the audience of the NT), and then we will focus on how Jesus and his followers used the word.
The Gospel as used in the Hebrew Scriptures
Holman Bible Dictionary
I found another goldmine of information on this topic, so I get to resurrect it again. In Sylvia Keesmaat’s chapter, “In the Face of the Empire: Paul’s Use of Scripture in the Shorter Epistles” found in Hearing the Old Testament in the New Testament, she gives a large treatment on this very topic. In her opening
In an empire celebrated for the bringing of a gospel (euangelion) of salvation through the Pax Romana, Paul proclaims another gospel, the gospel of God(1 Thess 2.2, 8, 9) and his Messiah (Phil 1.27, 1 Thess 3.2), a gospel that is growing and bearing fruit in the whole world (Col 1.6) and proclaimed to every creature under heaven (Col 1.23). This is a gospel with geographical scope equal to Caesar’s. It is a gospel that proclaims a different Saviour, the Messiah (Eph 5.23), to whom all things will be subjected (Phil 3.21), and through whom peace is brought to those both far and near, indeed to all of creation (Eph 2.14-17, 6.15, Col 1.20, 2Thess 3.16).
The phrase “Word of God” is understood by most Christians to mean “the Bible.” Yet, the Bible, to my knowledge, never calls itself “the Word of God.” Instead, the terms, “it is written,” “Scripture,” and “the law and prophets” are used. Nevertheless, the Scriptures certainly do contain much of what God has said (i.e. God’s words). Also, the “word of God” is used many times (especially in OT) as a message from God (i.e. prophetic word for a king or nation). The Psalmist sees “the word” as a synonym for a law, statute, command, or precept of God. This usage of “word of God” as “God’s command” is present in the NT as well (Mark 7.13; John 10.35). Even so, as I have looked at the various places that “the word” is used in the NT I have become increasingly aware of its meaning as the gospel of the kingdom.
A community church in Minnesota has decided to renovate and redesign their men’s bathroom hoping to “reach out to people who wouldn’t normally be reached.” Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to see what this church is doing in more detail.
Paul said the following in I Corinthians 9:22
“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.”
I have heard this verse used in a variety of ways over the years to back up why people did different things in relationship to non-Christians. It would be great to talk about this in this context to all gather some more insight on this subject.
These two videos illustrate two different perspectives on evangelism today. I think in many ways it sums up much of what people are saying here. Please watch the first video and then the response below:
“Bullhorn Guy” - Rob Bell (12mins)
Bullhorn Response - “Christian Malpractice” - Way of the Master (10mins)
- What do you think of these thoughts?
- Which one is Biblical, if either, and why or why not?
- Is there another alternative?
I am very familiar with pride. It is something that I have struggled with all of my life. I used to believe that because I made a one time confession that I could do whatever I wanted and God would have to give me eternal life. I used to think that I really knew how to live my life, that I was well qualified to be the Lord of my life. When the consequences of my sins started piling up, I was so prideful that I thought I could “deal” with them and somehow outsmart the law “whatever a man sows he also reaps.” As time continued, no one urged me to repent in light of the coming wrath of God and because of my stubbornness and unrepentant heart I continued storing up wrath for myself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to what he has done (Rom 2.5). It was when I my legs grew tired of treading in my own cess pool of vile actions that I hit the bottom. I came to the sudden realization that I was evil and even by the world’s standards I deserved punishment. That is when I looked up. I cried out “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18.13). God miraculously delivered me from my immediate situation and cleansed my dark, hypocritical heart to such a degree that I had a new life. As time has progressed, I have come to understand more and more that if I call Jesus my Lord then I must do what he says (Luke 6.46). Otherwise said, if he is Lord of me then I am not Lord of me. I came across these verses in James which was the inspiration for the title.
When we say that Christ was crucified - we say that the King of Israel, the one who will rule the world was crucified. When he comes back he is coming with a sword to judge the earth. He didn’t die while you were his citizen, but rather his enemy. Rather than meeting you on the field of battle, he sacrificed himself for you - so that you could be one of his citizens. This is the tenor of the death of Jesus Christ when the Kingdom of God has it’s proper place as the center of the Gospel message.