The Message we Preach

Mission Impossible

"And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." -Luke 18:24-27

To some Christians, this is easier than sharing the Gospel with someone.

If you start to think that this is an impossible message to preach, to confront men and women with their politically correct, post modern thinking of their sin by absolute Holy Law of God, that's just unthinkable, and it just won't work! Well, that exactly right. It is an impossible message to preach, and it does seem to work against all the wisdom the evangelism gurus today tries to tell us. Don't mention sin, don't mention hell, don't present God as judgmental or authoritative in anyway, just try to win them over by love.

However, pause and ask ourselves, that kind of message removed from the Biblical message of final justice in the hand of a Holy God, what are we saving people from? Boredom and lack of direction in life? Are they saved from not living out their untapped potential? Saved from a mediocre job and unfulfilling relationships? Turn to your Bible again and where did God promised any of the above when we become a Christian? Just the opposite, Christ makes no promise of a better life in this life and in all likelihood it will be a life of rejection, trials and tribulations. Christians down the ages have suffered lost for the sake of following Christ. Jesus Himself asks His would be followers to weight up the cost of discipleship, and He did not mean two hours every week spend in a group Bible study. Christ demands total denial of self and makes no promise of a cushy existence. Jesus did not make it easy for people to believe, just the opposite, His message, the Biblical message of salvation is impossible to believe for the human mind.

So when someone does believe when the Biblical Gospel is preached, God and God alone gets the glory for saving sinners. It's not about the brilliance of the preacher, it's not about the attractiveness of the message and it's definitely not about the intellectual prowess of the listener, it is only the God who saves, through the faithful preaching of the Gospel.

Part 6: Hell is Reasonable Justice

Part 8: The Real Good News