Many today claim to teach and proclaim a Christian message and yet the message to them is about realignment of people groups, family morals, social and political current events; the list goes on. It is not that Christianity doesn’t have anything to say about these things, it is just not the Christian message.
The presentation of the gospel of Christ is being compromised by what bible teacher John MacArthur calls “Market driven communicators”. They are impassioned to engage the culture with creative seeker friendly alternative dialogs and presentations. They humor people whose first love is themselves by offering people God on the side but are primarily engaging the culture with a message that appeals to people’s desire for self-identity, purpose, happiness, and self-gratification. What is being passed off as the Christian message is neither the Christian message nor an effective presentation for transforming lives [souls].
I am concerned with the message of Christianity today. Many mistakenly believe the gospel is just for evangelism or for just getting into the Christian faith and then from there you move on to something else that grows and matures you in Christ. The truth is we never out grow our need for the gospel. Paul in his letter to the Christians in Rome wanted to see them that he might preach the gospel to them, that he might impart some spiritual gift to strengthen them. the gospel of Christ is not simply the ABC’s to the Christian life it is the A to Z of the Christian life. The presentation of the gospel is the only hope for the world, it is God’s answer to our every need and because of this, the good news of the kingdom, when spoken, is not only to come in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full assurance (1 Thessalonians 1:5). When we overly trust in worldly devices and appeals, we automatically discard the power of the Holy Spirit. Too many are packaging the gospel as a product to be pitched rather than understanding the gospel itself is the power of God to change people’s hearts and minds. Romans 1:16 the apostle Paul says: “I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes”. It is, by itself the power of God to do a mighty work in the lives of people who believe. For this reason it is critical for Christians to have a rich understanding of the gospel and not be satisfied with only a bare bones or partial understanding of the gospel. The gospel is how the Christian lives and talks. To be indifferent about the language, concepts and articulation of the gospel usually leads to a weak gospel producing nominal or weak Christians.
What made the apostle Paul such an effective communicator of the gospel of the kingdom was not due to evasive language and devices. It was a commitment to the truth. Truth to Paul was something to be declared not eased in on to the hearer. He always delivered that message “as of first importance”(1Cor 15:3). Paul was committed to communicating the truth of the kingdom as effectively, clearly and as accurately as possible. I believe the Christian message can be communicated creatively without being watered down or amended or abrideged as to negate the power of the Holy Spirit. There must be a commitment to learning the truth and a commitment to the power of that truth.
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