The Gospel and Life

My conversation this morning with my wife revolved around the beauty of the Gospel. In particular, we talked about misconceptions of the Gospel that cause us to miss out on the impact we should experience in our lives. The Good News of Jesus has been overly simplified. In essence, we have said to believe the Gospel means going to Heaven while rejecting the Gospel means going to Hell. I honestly do not believe that is what the Lord or the Apostles were teaching. I believe that the beauty of the Gospel is reflected in how we live life.

I read a blog entry recently where the writer was talking about how Christians need the Gospel. This type of thinking blows the mind of the normative believer. If all the Gospel has anything to do with is our postmortem standing, then I can understand the disconnect. The reality is, however, that the Gospel has WAY MORE to say about how we live life together. How we experience the reality of the Father's love NOW and how we share that love with one another. The Good News produces a quality of life within us. It's time to stop thinking that once we have come to faith in Jesus that we do not need the Gospel. On the contrary, we need it now more than ever.

I do want to clear up something. Does the Gospel give us hope for life after life? Yes! Absolutely! 100%! The Gospel offers us absolute assurance of the Father's heart for us and our relationship with Him. I do not want to take any of that away. My concern is when the Gospel is simply conveyed only in light of eternity. That its greatest affect occurs when we pass from this life to the next. If that were the case, why wouldn't we simply be translated into Heaven? Why not make it easier? Unless...unless the Father has a greater plan. What if...God...believes that the Gospel has a way of impacting what we experience in this life? What if the redemption and reconciliation provided by the Father through the Son has greater implications than just our forgiveness? What can we glean from the Gospel that would have anything to do with the here and now?

SELF-GIVING, OTHER-CENTERED, LOVE
God, not willing that humanity perish, gives of Himself.
He enters into our darkness through the Son. He lays down His life for our well-being, our salvation.
He demonstrates what unconditional love looks like and asks us to live in the same.
He offers us a greater way of life. Of relating to one another.

THE REMOVAL OF VIOLENCE AND THE REALITY OF PEACE
The Kingdoms of this world often establish themselves through violence and domination.
The Kingdom of God (the Kingdom of Heaven) operates quite differently.
The offer of peace from the Godhead demonstrates that we can lay ourselves down for the good of humanity. That this KINGDOM (the King's domain) comes through acts of love and service.
It shows us that we do not need Crusades to establish this Kingdom. That it is, in fact, our lives being lived in unbroken fellowship with the Father that advances this Kingdom throughout the world.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE OTHERS
God's love was for the whole world. This is central to the Gospel.
This was not merely a message for Israel. The Gentiles were included. And what we discover in the writings of Paul is a Gospel that also destroys other lines of separation: male and female, Jew and Greek, circumcised and non-circumcised. It's quite amazing actually. Everything that we could bring up to separate ourselves from one another, the Gospel eliminates. It places all of creation upon an equal playing field. It compels us to live out His love to every tribe, race, and nation. The Gospel knows no boundaries. Neither should we.

FORGIVENESS FREELY GIVEN, FREELY RECEIVED, & FREELY GIVEN AGAIN
One of my favorite statements of Jesus to His disciples is, "Freely you have received, freely give."
What a concept!
We did nothing for it. Therefore, let us stop requiring that others do something as well.
"I forgive you" should be a statement that freely flows from our hearts and mouths.
"Will you forgive me?" should be a question we are willing to ask of others.
If there is anyone on the planet that understands that forgiveness is freely given, it should be us. If there is a group of people in the world that does not give place to hatred, bitterness, and wrath, it should be us. There is no place in the Gospel for unforgiveness. There is no place in the Gospel for an unwillingness to reconcile. This is the heart of the Father for us. It should be the heart of the Father though us.

The reality is that the Gospel not only announces the arrival of the Messiah, it introduces us to His way of life. And it is His quality of life lived out among us, in us, and through us that will change the world. Save the world. What would the world look like if we took this understanding of the Gospel and proclaimed it, demonstrated it, and lived it out on a daily basis? How would the Church be perceived if we began demonstrating unconditional love for one another? What if we walked in unbroken fellowship with our Father and our brothers/sisters? Imagine the impact of this Gospel upon the world.

I think it is time that we connect the dots. That we see the Gospel for what it is: the announcement of the arrival of a new kingdom. A greater way of life. A return to the relationship that humanity had with the Father before the Fall. The removal of all failing systems of the world (political, religious, and social). A call for mankind to take their rightful place as the children of God and to advance His Kingdom in the world. The Gospel is so much bigger than being a ticket to Heaven or an escape from Hell. It is about the Kingdom of Heaven taking root in our hearts, being lived out in our lives, and being built upon the cornerstone of Jesus in the Earth.

Let me say this again: May we be the answer to the Lord's prayer.
"On Earth as it is in Heaven."
May His Kingdom come!