We, as humans- especially believers, it seems- want to see justice. We want to see people get what’s coming to them. I believe that is the very reason that Christians today preach the gospel they preach. Let me tell you, more than half the time, the gospel I hear preached is NOT good news. It is based out of that very desire I mentioned. It is based out of liking that we’re on the in, and the ‘others’, the sinners are on the outside of God’s love. This is not the gospel that Jesus preached, or commanded His followers to preach.
In Luke 4, we see the story of when Jesus went to Nazareth and declared His mission to His ‘home church’. He stood up and read from Isaiah 61. Here’s what He said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then He rolled up the scroll and stepped down. Seems pretty straight forward. I know as a believer you have probably read this passage many times and felt very encouraged by it. You may go to Isaiah and read it there, and feel even more encouraged. But there’s a problem with that. We get all excited about Isaiah, and we include the line of verse 2: ‘and the day of the vengeance of our God...’ It makes us feel righteous and like we are on the ‘right’ side. ‘See! The day of vengeance is coming, and I’m gonna be okay because I know Jesus!’ The problem is that Jesus didn’t include it in his declaration. He stopped at the year of the Lord’s favor. Why?
First of all, let’s remind ourselves that Jesus only spoke what He heard the Father saying- so the Father didn’t say it was part of Jesus’ mission. Did you know that in the Old Testament, the ‘day of the Lord’ is called ‘great and terrible’ or in other translations ‘great and dreadful’? In the New Testament, in the book of Acts, Peter calls it the ‘great and GLORIOUS day of the Lord’! Hm. What changed?
The covenant changed. Our mandate as believers has changed. When we go out proclaiming the good news, it should be that we are in the time of God’s FAVOR- we should be binding up the brokenhearted, freeing the captives, and comforting those who mourn, but we should not be telling people that there is a day of judgment to be feared, because Jesus didn’t. His message is LOVE, MERCY, and GRACE. Under the old covenant, it was a dreadful day that was coming, because who could overcome sin by the law? Who could stand in God’s presence on that day while a slave to Sin? Jesus came and set us free from Sin, so now the day is great and glorious! Something to look forward to!
And being free from sin is only part of the good news, not the whole deal. We focus way to much on trying to convince ‘sinners’ that they sin, so that we can save them from hell. Better news is what Jesus went around preaching: the Kingdom of God is at hand! Or another way to say it, the Kingdom of God has come to earth! It is now among us, full of power and peace, just waiting for us to tap into it by His Spirit! If your message is not full of love, and hope, and peace, and mercy, and grace... is it really good news? And you may feel like pointing out people’s sin is good news, but remember the opening paragraph of this blog. Is it because it makes you feel better about yourself to know you are in, and they are out? Don’t get offended. I’m just wondering what our motives are when we preach a gospel full of judgment and vengeance.
A couple of final thoughts. The New Testament is full of Love. We are commanded to love. The law is summed up into two commandments: Love God, love people. (Mark 12:30-31) Paul said that he could be the greatest prophet, most charismatic believer- the one who would be manifesting and falling down under the power of God- but if he didn’t have love it was useless and fruitless. (see 1 Corinthians 13) The gospel you preach may be as true as it can be, but if you are preaching it out of a motivation other than love, please stop. People can tell when you are not motivated by love. I suggest you read through the New Testament starting at Acts, and read the gospel that was preached. It was rarely about pointing out people’s sins, but all about Jesus and how awesome He is!
A few years ago, I noticed that there was a strong mindset in the church of ‘us vs. them’. The saved vs. the lost; the believers vs. the unbelievers; the righteous vs. the sinner. It really bothered me. I don’t believe it is healthy, and I don’t believe it is how God views the world. So I asked Him how he sees ‘us and them’. He said: “Mine.” Our message to people first and foremost should be that God loves them with an everlasting love. He is for them, not against them. He is waiting with open arms to bind their broken heart, release them from the things that hold them captive, and to comfort them in their grief. This is not a ‘rose-colored glasses gospel’ that many Christians have attacked as causing believers to become disillusioned once times get tough in their walk. Jesus said we will face many trials, but to take heart, because He has overcome them all. It is truly good news that God’s love is unconditional and for everyone. It is helping people wake up to the fact that they belong to Jesus and He is truly their friend. I hope this is coming across the way it burns in my heart, because the really effective gospel will be the one that represents the Way, the Truth, and the Life. None can come to the Father except through Jesus, but this is not an ‘us vs. them’, ‘in or out’ statement. It’s that we all need the Kingdom to bust into our lives, and He has made that possible through Christ.
:)
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