So how was 2020 for you? For some of us it was ghastly. Restricted, isolated, and out of routine. For others, life was less interrupted and actually allowed for some time to rest and reflect. As we all come to the end of 2020 and look to the New Year, the next couple of weeks gives all of us a chance to rest and reflect. As we have applied ourselves to learning, equipping, and thinking about how God is fitting us into His purposes to take the gospel to the lost, we mustn’t forget that the gospel is for Christians too. For you and me, now!... read more
If your Pastor announced that he was going to start a 10-week series on “The Gospel”, how would you react? Does it sound a bit like “Christianity 101”, something that you’ve moved on from? Or would your reaction be, “I can’t afford to miss one of those sermons”?
Why is it important for us to always be hearing the gospel? Paul tells us in Romans 1:16, “It’s the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes … “. We know it is the power of God to save those outside the Kingdom who are perishing, but literally Paul says that it is the power of God to everyone who keeps on believing. That’s right, believing is in the present tense, an ongoing activity of believing not just at the moment of conversion, but throughout the whole of our life, the gospel saves us. Paul makes this clear in 1 Cor 15.1, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand and by which you are being saved…”.
I am weak, frail and I am inconsistent. Like you, I have times of suffering and affliction, I am sometimes discouraged and lose my joy. I get entangled in the temptations of this world causing me to lack in my love for Christ. I need to “keep on” believing and the gospel is the power of God giving me all I need to transform my heart, mind and will. Everything I need is in the message of the gospel. Nothing else in Scripture, except Jesus Christ himself, is described as the “power of God”. The gospel is the ultimate working of the power of Almighty God. Think about all the incredible acts of God recorded in the Bible. Creation, the parting of the Red Sea, the plagues in Egypt, the flood, the conquests of Canaan, none of these are ever described as the “power of God”, but the gospel is. How powerful then must the gospel be to be merit such a title?
So, as we rest and reflect over the next couple of weeks, let’s “gospel” our Christian friends and each other regularly. We need it. To us who are being saved it is the power of God. We need to hear the gospel and believe it every day.
Have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. Keep your eyes on WhatsApp and your inbox for information about our Summer Workshop and Webinar coming up in 2021.
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