The Gospel

This past Fathers' Day my wife gave me a book called "The Explicit Gospel." (Actually, she gave it to me a few weeks after Fathers' Day, and despite our agreement that we were living in a "no gift zone" this year!)  This book was written by Matt Chandler, who is a pastor here in Dallas at the Village Church.

I am only about half way through the book, but as I opened the first few pages I was blown away.  I was blown away not because of incredible writing, witty turns of phrase or even the message per se, but because it hit on the head something that was already weighing heavy on my heart -- that churches don't spend enough time teaching the simple message of the Gospel.  The premise of the book is that sermons, messages or talks (the nomenclature seems to keep changing) far too often assume knowledge of the Gospel, but do not directly discuss or teach about it anymore.

I not only agree with this premise, but am deeply concerned about the potential consequences for the church.  For starters, I think repetition of the simple message of the Gospel is critical to assure that new believers understand the essence of their new-found faith, and that "old" believers are reminded of their state of being before conversion, the incredible sacrifice made for them by God (and His corresponding love for us), the nature of grace, the full majesty of God and, ultimately, how small we are in the scheme of God's kingdom.

In fact, this concern has sent me on a bit of a journey.  First, it has caused me to explore, rethink and seek to understand the purpose of the church itself.  And, the one conclusion I can say I have reached so far is that we (or at least I) do not spend enough time reflecting on the purpose of church.

As an example, I think we often come to church with a consumer mentality -- its about what God can do for us.  But, church begins to look a great deal differently when we start with the premise that the primary purpose of the church is to bring glory to God -- not to make us feel better or solve our day-to-day problems.  For now, I will leave it to you to ponder the implications of that statement.

Second, although it is really not a significant part of my role at the church, I am exploring, rethinking and trying to understand the purpose of preaching  -- the reasons for a sermon, message or talk.  There are  lot of opinions out there on this subject; some that make more sense than others.

I don't think, by the way, that these questions are reserved for pastors.  I think all of us should contemplate the purpose of the church, the purpose of the sermon, and the purpose of worship from time to time.  I think pondering these questions can help us focus, and ultimately help us get more out of our church experiences.  Contemplating these questions can teach us, or remind us, that the stories in the Bible are not so much about people, but about the the majesty of God.  It is about His creation, His plan and His glory.

Just some random thoughts.

By the way, below is a link to a talk Pastor Chandler gave on this idea of the explicit Gospel.

Blessings.

The Explicit Gospel