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 Have we made the Gospel too complicated? |
roughridercog |
The Lord really placed this on my heart yesterday.
Down through the years I've seen preachers on TV come up with complicated series and gimmicks trying to get a bigger better deal than the other guy in an effort to bring in money and sell their newest books and DVD sets.
At the same time, I've seen it come into our pulpits. We strive to come up with fancier methods, titles, a brand new series designed to compete for the church going crowd, trying desperately to keep them interested and out of the church across town. (Just my observances through the years.)
While doing this, is our Gospel being hidden to them that are lost?
Have we made our message too complicated with our designed sinners prayers, slogans, attention grabbing flash, and bells and whistles?
What do the people we are trying to reach really need to hear?
Please let me share my heart.
If you feel unloved and alone, there is still someone who cares for you.
If you feel forgotten, the Lord still knows your name.
If your life is in shambles, the Lord Himself looks your way and says, "I can still make something good out of that."
If you feel as if you've gone too far, the Lord extends his hand and says, "I can bring you home to Me."
If the enemy has your heart and body in chains, the Lord Himself will break those chains.
If you hurt in secret places and think no one knows, the Lord Himself knows the reason and has a healing for your pain.
If you're afraid of what will happen when you die, the Lord calls to you and says, "Let me show you what I have prepared for those who will receive Me."
If your bullied, make your stand and let Me fight for you.
Sounds simplistic doesn't it.
It's supposed to.
Sorry if I rambled too long. Just sharing my heart over a cup of coffee.
RR
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Doctor of Bovinamodulation |
Acts Mod
Posts: 25306
12/16/19 10:18 am
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Dave Dorsey |
Amen, amen, and a thousand times amen.
One thing I notice about all of the items in your list: in each of your items GOD is the one acting for us when we are not able to do anything for ourselves. That is the gospel! Favor, grace, and salvation -- unmerited, unearned, undeserved, given freely.
I love this post and am so grateful for what you have shared. |
[Insert Acts Pun Here]
Posts: 13654
12/16/19 11:45 am
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Cojak |
| Dave Dorsey wrote: | Amen, amen, and a thousand times amen.
One thing I notice about all of the items in your list: in each of your items GOD is the one acting for us when we are not able to do anything for ourselves. That is the gospel! Favor, grace, and salvation -- unmerited, unearned, undeserved, given freely.
I love this post and am so grateful for what you have shared. |
And a bunch of amens to your amens.
Yes RR right on the money. I don't remember our Lord making it complicated.
AND YES RR some great thoughts, serious ones. I felt your sincerity my friend and love it. 
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http://shipslog-jack.blogspot.com/ |
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Posts: 24277
12/16/19 6:47 pm
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| Re: Have we made the Gospel too complicated? |
Link |
| roughridercog wrote: | The Lord really placed this on my heart yesterday.
Down through the years I've seen preachers on TV come up with complicated series and gimmicks trying to get a bigger better deal than the other guy in an effort to bring in money and sell their newest books and DVD sets.
At the same time, I've seen it come into our pulpits. We strive to come up with fancier methods, titles, a brand new series designed to compete for the church going crowd, trying desperately to keep them interested and out of the church across town. (Just my observances through the years.)
While doing this, is our Gospel being hidden to them that are lost?
Have we made our message too complicated with our designed sinners prayers, slogans, attention grabbing flash, and bells and whistles?
What do the people we are trying to reach really need to hear?
Please let me share my heart.
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I think part of the problem is certain influential preachers will say somethings in their messages-- which may be good things, maybe even effective for evangelism in the context of their message, and other preachers thing they have to preach the same thing.
Some examples would be preaching on the importance of a relationship with God. That is extremely important, and through the Gospel, fallen people are reconciled with God, but hearing about a relationship with God does not save us. Leaving the parts about faith in Christ, His dying for our sins, and rising from the dead, doesn't reconcile us.
I do not see the following in the evangelistic messages of the apostles in Acts:
-- It is a relationship not a religion.
-- 'Personal Savior' (as if using that phrase without explaining 'personal' saves unbelievers are means much to them.)
| Quote: |
If you feel unloved and alone, there is still someone who cares for you.
If you feel forgotten, the Lord still knows your name.
If your life is in shambles, the Lord Himself looks your way and says, "I can still make something good out of that."
If you feel as if you've gone too far, the Lord extends his hand and says, "I can bring you home to Me."
If the enemy has your heart and body in chains, the Lord Himself will break those chains.
If you hurt in secret places and think no one knows, the Lord Himself knows the reason and has a healing for your pain.
If you're afraid of what will happen when you die, the Lord calls to you and says, "Let me show you what I have prepared for those who will receive Me."
If your bullied, make your stand and let Me fight for you. |
I have travelled a lot and gone to different churches it seems like a lot of American evangelical (especially certain streams of Pentecostal and Charismatic) altar calls or 'challenges' (where you can stay in your seat and repeat a prayer) preach the kind of stuff in your list above.
But it seems like the norm is to leave out all or some of the parts that Paul says saves us. If we look at Romans 10:9-10 and focus on '...and believe in His heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.'
I just do not get why some pastors will say the things in your list, and leave out the part about Jesus rising from the dead. I Corinthians 15:1-3 describes the Gospel that saves us, that Christ died and rose the third days. In many cases, preachers leave out not only the resurrection, but also Christ dying for our sins.
I do not have a problem with your list as part of a message that leads people to the cross. But what I see is the kind of stuff in your list there without the cross being preached. If we are reconciled to God by the death of His Son, then we need to preach the gospel part, too, not just the parts that persuade people that they need to be reconciled to God or that they need God's help.
I don't have a problem with the idea of preaching to the sinner that God is the source of comfort for their pain, but that should not be the only focus. They are sinners who have sinned against God, and they need to know that, too. They need to hear about reconciliation to God through the death of His Son, that Christ died for their sins, and that God raised Him from the dead.
I am not saying you are advocating for only preaching those points and not the Gospel. I am just saying I have seen a lot of preachers preach such things without preaching cross, or else not preaching about the resurrection, and asking people to repeat prayers.[/b]
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Acts-perienced Poster
Posts: 11849
12/17/19 10:36 am
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The second time I preached was in Indonesia. I was not confident about my language skills, and I asked for an interpreter. He struggled a bit to get across the right ideas.
I had a conversation with him. He was from another religious background, which we might say believe in absolute monotheism.
He said the reason he became a Christian was because he was talking with some people from a certain ministry that I had heard of on US college campuses. The real point of discussion for him that convinced him was that his religion offered him to promise of forgiveness of sin, and Christ offered that. For me, that was insightful. That's one of the main points that sinners need to hear. They have sinned against God and need to be reconciled with God.
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Acts-perienced Poster
Posts: 11849
12/17/19 10:39 am
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