January 2022 Pastor’s Blog

What is the Gospel? Has anyone every asked you that? Have you ever asked that yourself? Are you rolling your eyes right now because clearly the pastor is going to tell us that we need to be sharing the Gospel and that we can do that in one of two ways: either with actions or sometimes words, and you’ve already chosen the former so-why-are-we-bothering-with-all-of-this?

The word gospel certainly gets thrown around a lot, but I think the real question is ‘Are we afraid of the Gospel?’

Being afraid of the Gospel might sound odd, but there is truth to it. How do we explain our general lack of passion when it comes to speaking to others about Jesus? It is scary because the Gospel is what the ‘E’ word is all about. What’s the ‘E’ word? EVANGELISM. As Christians we are supposed to engage in making disciples of all nations and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are called to use the Gospel to evangelize to everybody. Yet it is scary and uncomfortable and we do our best to ignore it.

Why?

Because we fear what we don’t know. What is the Gospel? It’s the good news about Jesus. It is the story of a broken world that we all know shouldn’t be broken. But it is because we have all turned away from the good that God made us and all creation to be. The good news is that Jesus came to provide a way to turn to God and experience a spiritual birth and belong to God’s family. As we grow in the Holy Spirit, we learn about Jesus’ words, ways, and will. We find ourselves blessed so that we might be a blessing to others and share this marvelous spiritual birth and family belonging making the world a better place until Jesus comes again.

We also fear that which is different or irrelevant to us. While the previous paragraph sounds like good news, it needs to be good news for us. We need to have experienced something good about the news of Jesus coming into the world and touching our lives. If the news isn’t good then it isn’t something that we can get excited about sharing, nor should it be. This is where we can work to overcome our fear. How is the good news of Jesus, ‘good news’ for you? In what ways has Jesus changed you? Have you been healed? Have you been given purpose? Do you feel like you are a part of a church family and you are a part of God’s mission to the world? All of this can be resoundingly good news and something that you can share with others.

We fear sales pitches. We are constantly bombarded with marketing every day. Even if we feel that Jesus’ presence in our life is something worth sharing, because of the contractual context of our culture sometimes we feel like offering the most amazing thing to another would somehow cheapen it. Sometimes we might feel threatened that we would be rejected because people immediately assume that we are expecting something from them. In too many corners of the internet, ideas and lifestyles are packaged into self-help seminars and presented as pseudo pyramid schemes. Nothing is given away for free.

Except the Gospel. It is free. It is an invitation to the knowledge that God loves you in a passionate and incredible way. It is a way of life that is lived in radical community, in the light of Jesus and through the power of the Spirit. It is purpose that isn’t about accomplishing so much good in the world that people notice as much as it is living a life of invitation in such a way that the goodness that God has given to us -the Gospel- shines through and people are welcomed in.

If you are like me, you haven’t decided on a new year’s resolution yet. I challenge you to consider the following:
• Crack open that bible and read Romans 10:9-13 and then turn to John 3:16-17. These are simple answers to what the Gospel is.
• Spend a moment reflecting on what the Gospel according to you is. How is Jesus Good News to you?
• Spend another moment thinking about the difference between selling tickets to a show or inviting someone to your home for a party. Which one should be like sharing the Gospel with someone?