Gospel Confusion

From time to time, when I see the vast array of false teaching(s) that permeate the world, and even the evangelical church, I experience theological anxiety, a nervousness about where the church, especially the evangelical church is headed. It seems there is a constant challenge to the faith once delivered unto the saints. This is especially troubling when these challenges come from within the so called evangelical movement itself. (I’m not sure that all those who would consider themselves evangelical should be counted so, but that’s a whole other discussion).

The danger of false teaching and theological error of course is not new. From the very first days of the church we have been warned that there would be an onslaught of error and false teaching seeking to creep into the church. Our enemy of course, the Evil One, Satan himself will see to that. This anxiety is relieved only when I realize that this is God’s Church and not mine. Still church leaders and especially Elders are charged with guarding against such false doctrine. To the Ephesian Elders Paul said, "Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ... Therefore be alert," (Acts 20:28-31). Therefore, "Every new generation of Elders must grasp afresh the prophetic message to the Ephesian Elders: Guard the church -wolves are coming!" (Biblical Elders, Alexander Strauch pg 140).

Perhaps this danger is no more apparent than in the danger to the very gospel message itself. If you were to ask 100 professing evangelicals "What is the Gospel?" you would get a whole host of answers. Many of those answers would contain some truth but miss the very core message of the gospel. I have observed this in interviewing baptismal and membership candidates, those presenting themselves as ministerial candidates, those applying for ministry positions and by countless authors, all claiming to be followers of Jesus. My point here is not to judge whether they are true followers of Christ but to highlight the fact that there is vast "gospel confusion." If we in the church are confused about the gospel message, how can we every effectively communicate it to a lost world.

I am not the only one concerned about Gospel Confusion. Many very prominent conservative evangelical leaders share my concern. For example:

The current evangelical understanding of the gospel is lost in a fog of confusion.
(James MacDonald - Sr. Pastor - Harvest Bible Chapel - Chicago)

There is no greater need than to know the true gospel, to recognize the counterfeits, and to set loose a generation of gospel-centred Christians. (Albert Mohler Jr. President- The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

There is no greater challenge in an age of doubt and pragmatism than to make the glorious gospel clear. This is the greatest need for the seasoned Christian and skeptic alike. (Darrin Patrick, Vice Pres. The Acts29 Church Planing Network).

Perhaps the greatest danger in Christianity is making assumptions about what the gospel is without hearing the Bible’s clear and definitive voice. (Rick Holland, Executive Pastor, Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California)

Believe it or not, one of the most controversial subjects on the horizon (its already here but is likely to heat up) in evangelical theological circles is "What is the Gospel?" Getting professing Christians to agree on the gospel message, "the evangel" is not as easy as you might think.

The concern has been so great that we are in danger of leaving "the evangel" behind that many conservative evangelical leaders have banded together in efforts like the "Gospel Coalition"¹and "Together for the Gospel"² as a way to promote the purity of the gospel message.

As one example of the danger to the clarity of the gospel message is a renewed emphasis in some quarters on the Kingdom of God. Of course this is a biblical concept of significant importance but some would say, "Since Jesus preached the arrival of the Kingdom isn’t that enough. Isn’t that the gospel message "That the Kingdom has come." However, shouldn’t the gospel include an explanation of Jesus death and resurrection. Shouldn’t we say something about sin and the need of salvation from God’s wrath against it? And shouldn’t the gospel say something about how people can be part of the Kingdom? Where is the good news if we tell people the Kingdom has come but we don’t tell them how to be part of it? Yes Jesus came to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom, but He also came to provide a way that we could be part of that Kingdom and to allow it to transform our lives and even our culture. He also proclaimed that this Kingdom would be eternal and we could be part of it.

In much of the literature being published today there are many definitions fo the gospel. Many of these definitions contain elements of the gospel truth but many of them actually confuse the gospel message and some of the flat out mislead or are in error. If you’ve read much contemporary explanations of the Gospel or the Kingdom lately, you might recognize some of these definitions.

1. ... Jesus wants to fill your life with new wine ... Enlarge your vision and get rid of those old negative mind-sets that hold you back.

2. Because Christ died for us, those who trust in Him may know that their guilt has been pardoned ... Christ died in my place, that’s the gospel.

3. ... The radical revolutionary empire of God is here, advancing by reconciliation ... Everything is about to change. Believe in me ... Believe the Good News so you can learn to live by it and be part of the revolution.

4. The good news is that God’s face will always be turned towards you regardless of what you have done ...

5. The proclamation that Jesus, the crucified and risen Messiah, is the one, true, and only Lord of the world.

6. Good News! God is becoming King and He’s doing it through Jesus! ... God’s justice, peace etc is going to be renewed. ... Salvation is the result of the gospel, not the centre of the gospel itself.

7. The gospel is the proclamation of Jesus ... arrival of God’s realm of possibility (his "kingdom") ... But also proclamation about Jesus. The good news that in dying and rising, Jesus made the kingdom he proclaimed available to us.8. ... as a Christian.. trying to orient myself around living a particular kind of way, the way that Jesus taught is possible. .... try to live the way of Jesus ... The first Christians announced this way of Jesus as "the good news."

9. ... to live in the reality of God now... Change your life. Live this way.Is the good news simply that Jesus loves me and I need to start thinking more positively and live by His example?

There is some truth in some of these explanations of the gospel – my fear is that in many of the explanations and definitions of the gospel the cross and therefore, the central theme of the Gospel and indeed the entire Bible has been removed from the core and either completely removed or decentralized from the Gospel Message.

So, according to the Bible - What is the Gospel Message? To use Mike Bullmore’s phrase, What is it that is at the Functional Centrality Of The Gospel? What is the message that we are to proclaim? What is the Gospel That We Are To Preach And Take To The World?

Without Gospel Clarity how are we going to see lives and cultures transformed? How are we going to see people truly converted, transformed and swept into the Kingdom of God? I do not believe God has left this unclear. I do not believe it is vague or confusing or overly complicated. I believe strongly that rather than Gospel Confusion God has revealed to us Gospel Clarity. He has clearly shown us how we can be part of His Kingdom both now and for eternity. This clarity was summed up by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 and will be the focus of our next Blog so I encourage you to be on the look out for it. It is of supreme importance that we have Gospel Clarity.
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

In our next blog, we'll look outline "Gospel Clarity."

Longing For God Himself

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about our need to seek after God and how that relates to our prayer life. After thinking about it for many months and letting it sink into my own soul, this past Sunday I started preaching about it in a series called "Power To Change."

It seems to me that we have tried every method and every church growth strategy to grow the church in North America. There was the church growth movement then the seeker sensitive movement and now the missional movement. All of those movements have had their good points and their bad points but it seems to me that the harder we try the weaker the church has become and the more marginalised we are in our society and the harder we have tried to be relevant to our culture the less relevant we have become.

The great prophet of prayer E.M. Bounds once said, "What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men (and women, or course) whom the Holy Ghost can use - men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men - men of prayer." (E.M. Bound 1835-1913).

Listening to fellow pastor/elders and serious followers of Christ I have heard them repeatedly say, "I love Christ, but I am so dry." Surveys by George Barna and others have uncovered that the vast majority of born again Christians confess that they have not experienced intimate contact with God in the past year. It seems that Christ has redeemed us that we might have intimacy with God (John 15) and yet so many of us are not experiencing it. Our souls are dry and in need of fresh spiritual water that refreshes the soul. Could it be that all of our resources and methods and movements have actually hindered the very thing that gives us life and a vibrant Christian experience? Could it be that we need to return once again to the "spring of living water" (John 4:14; 7:38) and cultivate deep intimacy with God that would well up in our hearts and satisfy the deep thirst in our soul?

I have usually had a fairly vibrant spiritual life but I find deep in my soul a compelling yearning for intimacy with Christ. A yearning to go deeper, a yearning to know His surpassing greatness, to bask in His unfailing love, to walk in abiding fellowship with the lover of my soul. The thought of being successful wanes, the deception of greatness insignificant, and my soul longs for God Himself, that "I may know Him and the power of His resurrection"(Philippians 3:10).

It is said of Moses, "The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" (Exodus 33:11a). I will never be a Moses, but I believe that God redeemed me for deep intimacy. That we may speak as a man speaks to his friend.

I was not saved very long when I first experienced such intimacy with Christ as a lonely 12 year old boy in my upper room bedroom in downtown Toronto. It was the beginning of God’s life long plan to transform my life after the image of His Son. It is not that we always live on mountain top experiences, but I do believe that God has redeemed us to experience His manifest presence in our lives that does indeed transform our lives from the inside out.

I have been asking myself "does my heart treasure Christ more than what Christ can do for me?" Is He really my treasure? Having been redeemed, seeking Christ Himself is to be the ‘new normal’ in the life of the believer. After all, it is only Christ who satisfies our souls. He is the living water. Being His follower is not about being religious. It is about living in an intimate love relationship with Him. He made it abundantly clear that this was to be our first priority. When asked what was the greatest commandment He said, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30).

Once Christ is what you seek, nothing else will satisfy. Once you have experienced deep intimacy with Him, nothing else will satisfy you. Intimacy puts the rest of life in a whole new perspective.

Many believers are discouraged with their spiritual experience and with their prayer lives because they do not experience intimacy. As already stated, most claim they have not connected with God in a meaningful way in the past year.

Innately, those who have been born again by the Spirit of God have an unquenchable desire for intimate fellowship with God. We long to know Him in a way that radically transforms our lives from the inside out.  When we don't don't cultivate that, our lives become stale and dry and our Christian experience unsatisfying.

The good news is that as we seek God with all our hearts, He provides for us, through Christ, living water that refreshes our soul. There is a place "near to the heart of God" where we find such refreshment and He has promised us "You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart, (Jeremiah 29:13).   I encourage you fellow follower,  seek God Himself with all your heart.   You will find Him and He will refresh your soul.

(Power To Change Sermons and resourceswill be available at www.parkwaybiblechurch.ca beginning March 15)