gospel

Confidence in the Gospel

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Confidence in the Gospel

Is it possible to locate“content” that can change your life? As I listen to students in our  community I hear their hope tinged with cynicism. Perhaps rightfully so. The degree is not enough.

The Apostle Paul had great confidence in the Gospel of Jesus. He trusted the content of the Gospel as the “word of truth” capable of transforming lives and generating love.

Check out what he said in Colossians 1:3-7

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

The Gospel informs and the Spirit transforms.

The Gospel travels on the tracks of relationships.

The Gospel invites us into new relationships with Jesus and His people.

The Gospel transforms as we hear and understand the grace of God.

The Gospel must be animated in the lives of Jesus’ disciples.

You and Your City

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On our 10,000 KM journey from Vancouver and back we went through a lot of cities: Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Odessa, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco.

From the road its difficult to appreciate them. To know them and enjoy them one has to exit and stay a while. It helps too to meet someone in the city and find out what they enjoy. The longer one stays with the “real city people” the more possible it becomes to get into the “flow” of that city.

During our holiday I read through the book of Acts. Its possible to map the movement of the Gospel via people as they left from Jerusalem and went to cities all around the Mediterranean.  When they “landed” in those cities people like Luke and Paul got into the flow of commerce and accepted cultural dialogue. It seems that they kept a positive posture toward the city and its inhabitants. Here’s what it was like when they landed in Philippi (Acts 16:11-13):

11We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. 12From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.

13On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. 14One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. 15She was baptized along with other members of her household, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.

What’s your posture toward the city or the community you live in?

Love it? Hate it? Avoid it? Live it?

Here’s a recent tongue-in-cheek- commentary on what its like to get into the flow of Vancouver.

Avoid the God App

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It’s tempting to treat God like an app.

Just download God and go to the app when you need Him.

One app among many.  Problems?  Just ask God what to do so you can be blessed.

The Gospel is different.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, 

to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—

this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1

When we treat God like an app we move directly to morality and abandon grace.

“What does God want me to do?”

Do “x” so God will give you “y.”

Avoid the God App, it will corrupt genuine Gospel faith.

The Gospel gives us a relationship, not an app of convenience.

“…in view of God’s mercy…”

Connecting faith to real life starts with a view of the cross.

Jesus took our place that we might enjoy His place with the Father.

Sin would take its toll from us — killing us slowly with guilt, shame, and fear.

But mercifully He took our guilt that we might have a share in His innocence,

our shame that we might have a share in His honour,

our fear that we might have a share in His peace.

Now through Jesus we are connected to One from whom and through whom

and for whom all things are!  (Romans 11:36)

What an awesome God we have!

The inconvenient but joyful way to live as one loved by Jesus is

is to make His mercy our starting place.

Before its too late.

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Before.

Before there was stuff, there was God.

Before there was a sunrise, there was the community of Father, Son and Spirit.

Before there was life there was God’s glory.

Before we spoke God spoke.  (See Genesis 1:1-5)

Before.

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  John 1:1-5

Before it was too late…

14the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14

This makes me want to see Jesus before I…

speak.

take up a cause.

despair in the darkness.

create momentary loves.

Quick, Come Lord Jesus,

Before…

The Disciple-Maker’s Desire

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Scripture:  2 Peter 1:12-15

12Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

Observations:

Therefore:  Connects Peter’s intention to continually remind the church of these qualities (See verses 5-8) with the Gospel-inspired drive to grow as Jesus’ people (See verses 10-11).

Peter emphasizes his intention to stir them up, to remind them, and to make it possible for them to recall what they have been taught.

Application:

The work of the Gospel is to make disciples to Jesus.  This requires building relationships and creating the environments that make real-time, real-life teaching, exhortation, correction, and encouragement possible.  I love the drive and passion that Peter shows here.  He is so concerned for the well-being of these followers of Jesus.  Even as he is approaching the end of his days, he is internally motivated to do whatever it takes for them to thrive.  However, the “whatever it takes” is bounded by what Peter believes will make the difference:  their capacity to recall the Gospel.  From the cross, to the forgiveness of sin, to the vision of Jesus’ character and life in them, Peter is determined for this to remain beyond the days of His life.

And so it is for all who hear the disciple-making call of Jesus, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”  We love and pour a part of their lives into another not so they will remember us, but so that they will remember Jesus.  In this way their life, like Peter’s will become a living memorial to Jesus Christ and His Gospel for another generation.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, light up the disciple-maker’s heart in me for others to know and grow in Jesus.  AMEN.