What is the
gospel? Is it simply an evacuation plan, how to enter Heaven and avoid Hell?
Where should we get our understanding of the gospel from, only the New
Testament? What if insight could be gained if we stepped right back to the very
beginning?
Genesis 1:1-2 says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
Now I
deliberately pause here before the announcement of light and the rest of
creation. What do we have here? We have raw material and raw energy waiting to
be formed and shaped and used for something good. This is where the Bible
starts, with creativity, not tragedy. With possibility!
This is
where the Bible begins, with possibility, with hope, a place where heaven and
earth are in harmony and creativity is waiting to burst forth.
I believe
that many followers of Christ have lost hope and become disheartened because
they have never been presented with the wide angle view of the gospel and all
they were left with was an evacuation plan gospel that had nothing to say about
life here, now, today. It is my understanding that people tell stories they are
captivated by, moved by, inspired by. When something gets under your skin it
naturally spills out of you. I believe it’s time to wake up and see that we are
standing on holy ground, that each moment counts, that people need you to be
your true self.
The gospel
is good news and we need to recapture that. I think we need to probe deep into
our hearts and ask the tough questions and get to the bottom of why the gospel
doesn’t bring us joy. I believe many have no joy from the gospel because they
are afraid of the God behind it all. They are trying so hard to get everything
lined up that there is no time for joy, or they just stuff it down and get on
with their lives like everyone else.
Many think
of sharing the gospel as telling someone that if they aren’t right with Jesus
they will die and go to hell, I say the gospel is far more than that, the
gospel is good news, so at its core it is about connection and communication.
Our whole life should be gospel, every kind word matters, every thoughtful act
counts, it’s all gospel. It's about taking the plunge into a new world
Jesus invites us into, it’s about trusting that He is good, it’s about coming
to life, and coming to terms with our life in every aspect owning our story and
knowing that our story is woven into His story and can help others if we are
open.