Preaching the Gospel

There are some who fear preaching the fullness of what the Gospel of Jesus is because they tell themselves that people won’t understand it, or that they will see how radical it truly is and turn away. People need the fullness of what Jesus is about – Some may not like it, but all need it.

Instead, be a Christian who fears preaching anything less than the fullness of the Gospel because you look around and see how badly the world needs this transformative Gospel. Why would you want anything less for people we are called to love?

Let’s be clear about what this Gospel is because frankly, there are parts of Christianity that feel like an alternative religion with a different Jesus than I am familiar with and follow.

The Gospel of Jesus that I am talking about offers grace and mercy. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve and mercy is not getting what you do deserve.

The Gospel of Jesus is about freeing people from bondage over them, empowering people who have been silenced and forgotten and pushed away.

The Gospel of Jesus is about Jesus taking the action needed for salvation for all people. We can’t do it. We can’t start it. It’s the beautiful exchange in which we benefit from Christ’s work.

The Gospel of Jesus is about welcoming the strangers among us because we were once strangers to God and God welcomed us into God’s family.

The Gospel of Jesus is about seeing the image of God in all people.

The Gospel of Jesus is about loving our enemies because we were once enemies of God due to sin. But God wipes away the sin (brokenness of relationship with God and others) and makes us new.

The Gospel of Jesus is about setting aside all things that claim primary allegiance and voice in our lives – money, partisanship, politicians, work, etc. Instead, we proclaim Christ as king, listening to him and following him.

The Gospel of Jesus transforms us – not leaving us the same as before to continue to follow the ways of the world.

The Gospel of Jesus leads right straight through death to resurrection. We die to self so that we can be made new.