The Gospel & The Church
When I first joined our church back in 2005, we had services every day of the week. It was a newly born church and the intensity of God's work was evident through the healings and miracles, but also the preaching.
I remember the season when our pastor used to start every single sermon by talking about the character of God and the genesis story, emphasizing the fact that man was created in the image of God and that man went astray while the Godhead had decided before the foundation of the world to save mankind (Father sending the Son, the Son obeying the Father up to the Cross, the Spirit returning to man after the resurrection and ascension). We had a different version of the same sermon every single day, yet it sounded like a brand new message every time. God was emphasizing on the foundation upon which the church needs to be settled, by having us deeply rooted in our identity.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of being aware of our identity in Christ. There are so many dear brothers and sisters who are not yet fully aware of what God thinks of them, how He views them, how He has reunited them. They still think they are sinners. They think God doesn't really like them that much or that He accuses or condemns them. The Gospel needs to be preached repeatedly with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in order for men to come out of their bondages, into the marvelous light of God, in order for men to come into the realization of who they truly are.
I would also like to add that the preaching of the Gospel is not just one of the several types of preaching. Although there may be many topics that can be discussed from the Bible and life in general, the preaching of the Gospel is a phenomena to be set apart. We can preach the Gospel through telling the story of creation/redemption or in other ways, but it will always remain a God-ordained, Spirit-led, anointed activity which brings human beings into eternity and into the very life of God, through a portal called the Cross. The preaching of the Gospel is a supernatural thing, which seems like foolishness to the wise according to this world's wisdom, but in fact is the very power of God to those who believe.
It is important to note that we can also tell the story of creation/redemption, without preaching the Gospel at all. My point is that telling the story doesn't necessarily imply "preaching the Gospel". The Gospel is good news, a news that heaven proclaims repetitively and without cease. We need to be in tune with what the heavens proclaim, starting with finding our own lives hidden in Christ with God in heaven, and then trusting God to continue the work which he has started, always have and will bring to completion. The Good news starts and ends with rest. The Good news is about what GOD did, How GOD feels. The Good News starts and ends with Jesus. The Good news is that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Let me put it this way:
The Father loves the Son. No one has seen the Father and no one knows of His love for the Son, except for the Son. The entire creation was made by, is held together by and is in the Son. Apart from the Son, there is nothing. The Son was sent by the Father to make the Father known to men. Men rejected the incarnate Son and killed Him. The Son gave Himself into the hands of wicked men, although He could have saved Himself. He did that in order to defeat the very thing that separated men from God. He did that because God loves man. The Son went down to Hades and defeated death itself, because death had no authority over Him. He was raised from the dead on the third day GLORIFIED, raising the entire humanity with Him as He ascended to Heaven, to the right side of the Father. Now there, having presented his body and blood to the Father for the sake of and AS all humanity, He intervenes and keeps on intervening continuously for the sake of all mankind, being himself glorified in Heaven, in God, in the holiest relationship in the Trinity, of the very same being as the Father. In result of this, the Father sent the Holy Spirit to dwell among all men. This is a natural consequence of the Saving work of the Son. We ALL were included in the relationship between Father, Son and Spirit, not because of anything we did, but because of what God did through the incarnate Son for us and AS us. All who hear this message and allow the faith of God, the work of God, the love of God to be awakened in them, they too will find themselves in the very life of God, the life between the Father, Son and Spirit. They will enjoy and proclaim all the blessings of Heaven on earth through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. THAT is what the Bible calls eternal life. THAT is the experience described as "being born again". THAT is GOOD NEWS. Sin has no authority over us. Not a single person should be left deceived or in darkness.
Now having said the above, overcoming the natural difficulties in the application of this work of God in each individual life is what we call ministry, and it should be aimed at helping out people enjoying this union and living out this victory in every area of their lives. It is not intended to make it harder!
In order for the church to minister to the masses, there are so many routes the church can take. It is essential to allow God to lead in the best one, which is centered on Christ, in order to allow all to participate and reach out to the most people possible, in the best ways. The work or ministry of the church is not apart from the Gospel. It is included in the Gospel. This is God's Church, the very body of Christ, in perfect union with God. Humanity is God's. He has claimed it as His. He has paid the price to redeem humanity. No single man, organization or demonic force has a right to claim it as his. That is why the apostle Paul says that we no longer regard anyone from a worldly point of view but only see Christ in people.
As I got more acquainted with the work of God in the Church, I was so intrigued by how the Holy Spirit works through so many different people, building them up together to operate as one body. Because you see, I learnt that there's a difference between being the body and acting like it or living out that identity and calling.
Now one might ask, why would God entrust such a great work to man? The answer again is in the Gospel. God loves man and has elevated man to a level of partnership and union with God in Christ. Our God is a God of equality and not of hierarchy. He has made it possible for us to share in His ministry, in his sufferings, in order for us to share also in His glory.
I remember the season when our pastor used to start every single sermon by talking about the character of God and the genesis story, emphasizing the fact that man was created in the image of God and that man went astray while the Godhead had decided before the foundation of the world to save mankind (Father sending the Son, the Son obeying the Father up to the Cross, the Spirit returning to man after the resurrection and ascension). We had a different version of the same sermon every single day, yet it sounded like a brand new message every time. God was emphasizing on the foundation upon which the church needs to be settled, by having us deeply rooted in our identity.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of being aware of our identity in Christ. There are so many dear brothers and sisters who are not yet fully aware of what God thinks of them, how He views them, how He has reunited them. They still think they are sinners. They think God doesn't really like them that much or that He accuses or condemns them. The Gospel needs to be preached repeatedly with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in order for men to come out of their bondages, into the marvelous light of God, in order for men to come into the realization of who they truly are.
I would also like to add that the preaching of the Gospel is not just one of the several types of preaching. Although there may be many topics that can be discussed from the Bible and life in general, the preaching of the Gospel is a phenomena to be set apart. We can preach the Gospel through telling the story of creation/redemption or in other ways, but it will always remain a God-ordained, Spirit-led, anointed activity which brings human beings into eternity and into the very life of God, through a portal called the Cross. The preaching of the Gospel is a supernatural thing, which seems like foolishness to the wise according to this world's wisdom, but in fact is the very power of God to those who believe.
It is important to note that we can also tell the story of creation/redemption, without preaching the Gospel at all. My point is that telling the story doesn't necessarily imply "preaching the Gospel". The Gospel is good news, a news that heaven proclaims repetitively and without cease. We need to be in tune with what the heavens proclaim, starting with finding our own lives hidden in Christ with God in heaven, and then trusting God to continue the work which he has started, always have and will bring to completion. The Good news starts and ends with rest. The Good news is about what GOD did, How GOD feels. The Good News starts and ends with Jesus. The Good news is that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Let me put it this way:
The Father loves the Son. No one has seen the Father and no one knows of His love for the Son, except for the Son. The entire creation was made by, is held together by and is in the Son. Apart from the Son, there is nothing. The Son was sent by the Father to make the Father known to men. Men rejected the incarnate Son and killed Him. The Son gave Himself into the hands of wicked men, although He could have saved Himself. He did that in order to defeat the very thing that separated men from God. He did that because God loves man. The Son went down to Hades and defeated death itself, because death had no authority over Him. He was raised from the dead on the third day GLORIFIED, raising the entire humanity with Him as He ascended to Heaven, to the right side of the Father. Now there, having presented his body and blood to the Father for the sake of and AS all humanity, He intervenes and keeps on intervening continuously for the sake of all mankind, being himself glorified in Heaven, in God, in the holiest relationship in the Trinity, of the very same being as the Father. In result of this, the Father sent the Holy Spirit to dwell among all men. This is a natural consequence of the Saving work of the Son. We ALL were included in the relationship between Father, Son and Spirit, not because of anything we did, but because of what God did through the incarnate Son for us and AS us. All who hear this message and allow the faith of God, the work of God, the love of God to be awakened in them, they too will find themselves in the very life of God, the life between the Father, Son and Spirit. They will enjoy and proclaim all the blessings of Heaven on earth through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. THAT is what the Bible calls eternal life. THAT is the experience described as "being born again". THAT is GOOD NEWS. Sin has no authority over us. Not a single person should be left deceived or in darkness.
Now having said the above, overcoming the natural difficulties in the application of this work of God in each individual life is what we call ministry, and it should be aimed at helping out people enjoying this union and living out this victory in every area of their lives. It is not intended to make it harder!
In order for the church to minister to the masses, there are so many routes the church can take. It is essential to allow God to lead in the best one, which is centered on Christ, in order to allow all to participate and reach out to the most people possible, in the best ways. The work or ministry of the church is not apart from the Gospel. It is included in the Gospel. This is God's Church, the very body of Christ, in perfect union with God. Humanity is God's. He has claimed it as His. He has paid the price to redeem humanity. No single man, organization or demonic force has a right to claim it as his. That is why the apostle Paul says that we no longer regard anyone from a worldly point of view but only see Christ in people.
As I got more acquainted with the work of God in the Church, I was so intrigued by how the Holy Spirit works through so many different people, building them up together to operate as one body. Because you see, I learnt that there's a difference between being the body and acting like it or living out that identity and calling.
Now one might ask, why would God entrust such a great work to man? The answer again is in the Gospel. God loves man and has elevated man to a level of partnership and union with God in Christ. Our God is a God of equality and not of hierarchy. He has made it possible for us to share in His ministry, in his sufferings, in order for us to share also in His glory.
Unless we allow the Gospel to sink in, we cannot swallow such an incredible truth. It even sounds like outrageous heresy to the religious mind. That is why the apostle Paul says that the preaching of Christ crucified is a stumbling block to the Jews.
The Gospel keeps on amazing us and it is intended to be that way. The very trap is to assume that we have it all figured out OR to assume that we should not attempt to discover or understand it altogether. Both extremes deprive us of living in awe and walking by the faith of God, the very same thing Adam was robbed of, when he was fooled to believe that knowledge of good and evil will make him greater.
Coming back to the part about "living out our calling", this is where all the ugly fighting and division in the church comes in. To assume that the church is doing perfectly well cannot be further from reality, but this too was a part of God's great plan and the Gospel. The good news is that God has faith in us! Otherwise, He wouldn't have become man AND He wouldn't have sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us. A note that I would like to make here is that we need to be reminded that the Holy Spirit is God. He is the third person of the Trinity. He is equal to the Father and the Son. We are not talking about mere power or knowledge, but God Himself in His fullness.
The Gospel keeps on amazing us and it is intended to be that way. The very trap is to assume that we have it all figured out OR to assume that we should not attempt to discover or understand it altogether. Both extremes deprive us of living in awe and walking by the faith of God, the very same thing Adam was robbed of, when he was fooled to believe that knowledge of good and evil will make him greater.
Coming back to the part about "living out our calling", this is where all the ugly fighting and division in the church comes in. To assume that the church is doing perfectly well cannot be further from reality, but this too was a part of God's great plan and the Gospel. The good news is that God has faith in us! Otherwise, He wouldn't have become man AND He wouldn't have sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us. A note that I would like to make here is that we need to be reminded that the Holy Spirit is God. He is the third person of the Trinity. He is equal to the Father and the Son. We are not talking about mere power or knowledge, but God Himself in His fullness.
Now, since God surrendered Himself to us human beings who make a trillion mistakes between the time we inhale and the time we exhale the same breath, what should we conclude? That God changed His mind and no longer values what He did through the Son? No way!!! The very fact that God entrusts us with His work and Himself is evidence of the faith of God which we have received as an act of grace. In other words, the only reason why we can surrender our lives to Him, is because He has surrendered His to us!
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
And as this Gospel is preached, the very same faith of God is manifested in men!
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:13-17)
Therefore it is THIS Gospel that has to be proclaimed throughout the world in order to fill it with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9). It is THIS Gospel that has to be proclaimed to remind the Church of the origin of its faith and its calling.
In an age where humanity struggles with an identity crisis, I find the church sitting on a treasure, a treasure hidden in a field, a Kingdom hidden in hearts of men. The Church has the ability and grace to see it, to call it out from the deep pits of the grave into the life of God: "LAZARUS, come forth"! (John 11:43).
The Gospel is waiting to be proclaimed to the masses, without adding to it, or subtracting from it, in order to preserve its supernatural beauty and power to deliver from darkness, and bring men into God's marvelous light!
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