The goal of Jesus’ first coming on earth was not to set up His kingdom of Peace, but to bring in the gospel, which would lead to strife and division. We should question our integrity concerning how we give the Word of God. Now this does not mean we give the gospel with an attitude. It means we give it and let God sort out the details. Psalm 19:7 tells us the law of the Lord is perfect for converting the soul. As much as I would like to I can’t get better than God’s perfection.
This post was originally written as Castrating the Gospel, It is re-added to the weekly devotional as simply “Giving the Gospel as it was Intended”. The highlighted point of this devotional is not so much how we give the gospel today but rather how much we have departed from the way the gospel has through history been given. And why this new gospel is ineffective at converting the hearts of men. It postulated that if we return to the original way the gospel was given, we would recognize the same success as our church fathers, but we would also assume the same persecution as they. The question we as people of the book is our commitment to God greater than our fear of man? Is fear so overpowering that we began to castrate the gospel of Jesus Chris?.
What do I mean when I say castrate? I'm not talking about making it unable to produce children, though metaphorically that could very well be the outcome. What I'm talking about when I say castrate is to deprive it of the strength that God intended it to have. The Scripture teaches that the gospel is “the power of God onto salvation” Romans 1:16
When I say castrate the Gospel I mean to render impotent, literally, or metaphorically, or psychologically by means of threatening a person’s masculinity or femininity. When we say to castrate the Gospel we mean to deprive it of its strength, it’s power, it efficacy.
1. Psychology . to render impotent, literally or metaphorically, by psychological means, especially by threatening a person's masculinity or femininity.
2. to deprive of strength, power, or efficacy; to weaken:”
If there is one thing that makes impotent the gospel of Jesus Christ is the modern day Christian's desire to give it in what he thinks is God’s love. “Jesus Loves you and so do I” is a poor representation of the gospel, especially when compared to how it was taught in the days of the Church of Acts. This modern-day gospel is given with the intent of making the lost feel good, but the original intent of the gospel was to bring the truth of the person Jesus Christ and make known the need for salvation which comes only though Him.
The devil delights in the “Jesus Loves you and so do I” gospel that we give today because its full of everything but the truth. Like a 21st century harem guard (eunuch) we castrate the gospel, robbing it of all its power, and we make it ineffective because we desire not to see the division it was created to cause. Adopting a world view of "why can’t we all just get alone,?" we seek after earthly peace with man, yet remain an enemy of God.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Matthew 10:34-36
The point I am trying to make clear, is that watering down the Gospel, predigesting it and making it more palatable to the hearer will not ensure an understanding of this problem of accepting of the Gospel, nor will it prepare their hearts tor ears to receive it, that is God’s job, our job is to simple give it.
The point I am trying to make clear, is that watering down the Gospel, predigesting it and making it more palatable to the hearer will not ensure an understanding of this problem of accepting of the Gospel, nor will it prepare their hearts tor ears to receive it, that is God’s job, our job is to simple give it.
We should be questioning our faith, “do we really believe what the bible says,” if we are trying to muster up a new way to reach the lost without conflict. God does not need our help with the gospel, and it was not created by mistake; it doesn't have to be fixed, because its not broken; It doesn't have to be updated, because it has never run out of style; and it doesn't have to be modernized, because the wages of sin are still death.
Those of us that think we have a new and better way to give the gospel, are completely wrong. Stuck in our egocentric stupor we act as though we have something that can be added to God. I bet most of us when we witness, we tell our families and friends that we are soul winning, completely forgetting that only God can save. ( pause)
It is the correct working of the gospel to cause one brother to convert and another brother to hate the gospel. This is because the gospel, when it is presented in its correct format uncovers the corruption of the heart of those hearing it, and there are only three things a person can do when this sin is uncovered and naked before him.
1. He can accept the gospel and seek truth;
2. Deny the gospel and get angry
3. Have no response at all (which is the worst of all possibilities)
This is hard to get this through to people, yet it is absolutely seen in the Bible. If men/women are not getting converted to Christ when you give the gospel, then they should be getting angry about Christ when you give the gospel. This is the correct order of things and the purpose for Jesus teaching the gospel the way he did. Listen to our savior understating of his responsibilities;
For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law Matthew 10:35
The Gospel of Jesus Christ causes trouble, yet we advertise it as if it were a super elixir from a traveling circus that would fix whatever ills you. The gospel when given correctly, and biblically is both enlightening to the hearer and dangerous to the giver and will cause division even between two brothers, expect that!
But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, Acts 14:4-7
Honest people, I did not make this up. As we go through the New Testament we see this scenario play itself out over and over again. Here are just a few examples of the acts against the disciple because of the Gospel.
- James the son of Zebedee older brother of John was killed by Herod Agrippa because of the gospel (Acts 12: 1-2)
- Paul was Stoned almost to death (Acts 14:4-7)
- Stoned again in Lystra and left for dead (Acts 14:19-20 )
- Paul’s clothes are ripped off him and he is beaten with many stripes and put in prison in Philippi (Acts 16:16-24)
- Jews attack Jason’s house, drag everyone from the house (Acts 17:5-9)
- There were riots in Ephesus (Act 19:29-41)
- Riot in the Temple in Jerusalem (Act 21-26-36)
- The Jews plot to kill Paul (Acts 23:11-22)
- Paul was shipwrecked in ( Acts 27-28:10 )
The number one reason that the gospel is so poorly given is the fear of man, what he would say about us, or what he would do to us. But Jesus tells us that what man has done to Him we should expect the same to be done to us. (John 13:16, John 15:20) So then as we give the gospel, we give expecting to be persecuted.
Don’t be fooled, if we are really sold out for Jesus Christ there will come a time when men will want to hurt us, but we can’t fear man greater then God (Matthew 10:28, Luke 12:3-5) Avoiding conflict was not the way of those before us, they did not run away from conflict by trying to water down the gospel they ran toward conflict by giving the gospel in its purest form. We don’t read about Andrew, or Barnabas or Bartholomew, telling the Jews “Jesus can fix your finances, your perversion, addiction, or your marriage”. And neither should we.
Nowhere in the entire Bible does one apostle tell someone “Jesus Loves You and so do I” not James the brother of John, nor James the brother of Jesus, not Thaddeus neither Jude, Luke, Mark, or Matthews not one of them and they gave their life for the gospel.
Fear never crossed the mind of Matthias, Paul, Peter, Phillip, or Thomas. All publicly beaten and killed for the purity of the gospel. Scripture tells of these men for our benefit, so that we might know the truth about the gospel and sound expectations of men.
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” Matthew 10:26-28
Your brother in Christ
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