Gospel Vision, Part 3

The gospel is literally “God’s story.” It’s the wonderful news that God has come  to redeem sinful people enslaved to sin through His Son Jesus Christ. The purpose for the church is found in the gospel, the demand that this gospel is to be preached to the entire world and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). The gospel demands a person live a life of absolute self-denial (Mark 8:35). The word “gospel” is found five times in the gospel of Matthew, eight times in the gospel of Mark, four times in the gospel of Luke, and amazing not at all in the gospel of John. It’s also found six times in the book of Acts and sixty times in the writings of Paul. The gospel is power, the gospel converts souls, the gospel cannot be stopped, the gospel must be proclaimed boldly and simply because it’s the only message that saves.

However, beyond the purpose of salvation, the gospel has tremendous social implications. It shapes our attitude towards creation, sin, and the end of the world. It changes our worldview from temporal to eternal. The gospel propels us to be on mission for God. The gospel compels us to love people that are otherwise unlovable. The gospel compels us to care for widows and the poor. The gospel requires us to serve others and consider others more important than ourselves. The gospel causes us to endure suffering for the name of Jesus. Ultimately, the gospel convicts a person to develop gospel centered ethics. This is just some of what the gospel is about.

Finally, the gospel must be presented with a wholeness that clearly details the implications of the death, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ. The gospel tells a story of suffering beginning with Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane that would lead to his crucifixion on Calvary. Nevertheless, the history of the gospel is littered with men, women, and children who have suffered, are suffering, and will suffer for their risen Savior. The reward is an incorruptible crown that will last for eternity.

So with the words of Jesus let me exhort you “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14, 15). The kingdom of God is upon us, why not receive Jesus’ and have your sins forgiven.