Monday, June 11, 2012
291 - The Dangerous Gospel of Jesus
Spirituality
Column #291
If one clearly hears the facts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, one’s heart will be changed by it – for better or worse.
That can be a dangerous thing, Chandler notes, because upon hearing the Gospel a person’s soul will either soften or harden toward God’s grace. Softening leads toward heaven and the danger of being rejected by the world; hardening leads toward hell and hell is as dangerous as it gets.
But hell isn’t the point (ok, it’s a point, but not the point). Preaching the truth of Christ is the point, and that’s Chandler’s point. He presents a thorough, biblically buttressed dialectic of how the Bible itself supports the truth of the Gospel if only we will read it entirely and preachers will preach what it says explicitly.
Chandler cites John chapter 6 as an example. Everyone loves the story of Jesus miraculously feeding the 5,000 (verses 1-15). But read on (verses 25-71) and discover that Jesus says He is the bread of life, and that for us to be truly fed God requires us “to believe in the One he has sent.” And Jesus really, really means it. You can’t preach the miraculous receiving if you won’t preach the serious believing. That is called “subtracting” from the Gospels and, sorry; half a loaf won’t get anyone into heaven.
Our hearts and minds must be strong enough to hear the truth of the explicit Gospel (e.g. John 3:16-17; 14:6-7). Chandler is telling us to be sure to hear it all.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) appreciates that while our only true peace is in Christ, His Gospel truth can be horrifying to a hardened heart. Pray boldly to hear.
June 12,
2012
Current in Carmel – Westfield – Noblesville – Fishers – Zionsville
The Dangerous Gospel of Jesus
By Bob
WaltersIf one clearly hears the facts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, one’s heart will be changed by it – for better or worse.
One will love it and want more, hate
it and want it to go away, or develop a conflicting mix of passion, awakening,
curiosity, fear, courage, thankfulness, incredulousness, revulsion, anger,
confusion, and maybe faith … or maybe not.
But there’s one thing guaranteed: ambivalence isn’t an option. Upon hearing the real Gospel we will push toward it, or pull away from it.
So says Dallas preacher Matt Chandler in his recently published The Explicit Gospel, a book I’m very much enjoying. Chandler isn’t rewriting the Gospel message; he’s encouraging Christians to crave, pursue, and know – and for preachers to preach – what the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John actually say and reveal about God, eternity, and our relationship with the divine through the message of Jesus.
Chandler wisely counsels us to de-emphasize what we want the Gospels to say, wish they said, or hear spurious preachers say. Instead we must focus on and exhort the totality of all that the Gospels really describe about our relationship with God.
But there’s one thing guaranteed: ambivalence isn’t an option. Upon hearing the real Gospel we will push toward it, or pull away from it.
So says Dallas preacher Matt Chandler in his recently published The Explicit Gospel, a book I’m very much enjoying. Chandler isn’t rewriting the Gospel message; he’s encouraging Christians to crave, pursue, and know – and for preachers to preach – what the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John actually say and reveal about God, eternity, and our relationship with the divine through the message of Jesus.
Chandler wisely counsels us to de-emphasize what we want the Gospels to say, wish they said, or hear spurious preachers say. Instead we must focus on and exhort the totality of all that the Gospels really describe about our relationship with God.
That can be a dangerous thing, Chandler notes, because upon hearing the Gospel a person’s soul will either soften or harden toward God’s grace. Softening leads toward heaven and the danger of being rejected by the world; hardening leads toward hell and hell is as dangerous as it gets.
But hell isn’t the point (ok, it’s a point, but not the point). Preaching the truth of Christ is the point, and that’s Chandler’s point. He presents a thorough, biblically buttressed dialectic of how the Bible itself supports the truth of the Gospel if only we will read it entirely and preachers will preach what it says explicitly.
Chandler cites John chapter 6 as an example. Everyone loves the story of Jesus miraculously feeding the 5,000 (verses 1-15). But read on (verses 25-71) and discover that Jesus says He is the bread of life, and that for us to be truly fed God requires us “to believe in the One he has sent.” And Jesus really, really means it. You can’t preach the miraculous receiving if you won’t preach the serious believing. That is called “subtracting” from the Gospels and, sorry; half a loaf won’t get anyone into heaven.
Our hearts and minds must be strong enough to hear the truth of the explicit Gospel (e.g. John 3:16-17; 14:6-7). Chandler is telling us to be sure to hear it all.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) appreciates that while our only true peace is in Christ, His Gospel truth can be horrifying to a hardened heart. Pray boldly to hear.
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