The Mission of a Christian

There once was a rich man.  He wanted to know what he should do to be saved.  What should he do?  Make a decision to except Christ?  Pray the sinner’s prayer? 

Jesus answered that man.  Read Matthew 19:16-22:

16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. ~ John 5:39, 40

This young man was confronted with the reality of sin, exposed to his self-righteousness and his love for money, but was still not willing to give it up for eternal life!   See, Jesus knew his heart, and struck right at the root – his sin.  THAT is how the true Gospel is presented.   Because without the knowledge of sin, the sinner will obviously not understand why he is in need of a Savior.

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. ~ Romans 3:20

I wonder if the young man would of responded differently if Jesus presented the common gospel we hear from the world today?   The kind of gospel that is watered-down, consumer-friendly, the gospel that is all about long lasting peace and happiness, and making everyone comfortable and feeling good about themselves.  Oh, I’m sure that man would have instantly run to Jesus, anxious to experience all of what “that gospel” so seemingly claims!  Anyone would!  Which is precisely why it is so dangerous! 

THAT is the man-centered gospel.  The gospel that is tweaked and cut to fit OUR lifestyle, OUR wants, and OUR needs.  It’s all about us.  How terrible.  And the only thing we’ll get out of preaching this gospel, is a handful of back-sliding Christians, breezing through those wide, comfortable gates still hanging on to all their baggage, sinful desires and self needs, and thinking they are on their way to Heaven, but are not.  It’s horrible! 

No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. ~ 1 John 3:6

In Matthew 7:13 Jesus explains to his followers about two roads: the wide and the narrow.  The easy, wide road is the one that leads to destruction, and the difficult, narrow road leads to Life.  He makes it very clear that those who want to follow Him are going to have a difficult road ahead, and that it won’t be easy.  Why is this part dismissed in the modern gospel today?  Because people don’t want to scare off a “potential” convert.   They think that if they even one bit mention tribulation, sin, or anything that would possibly make the sinner feel uncomfortable, it would just turn them away for good.  Well, then, if they did hear it and turn away, just like the young synagogue leader did, then it is obvious that they aren’t really interested in being a Christian after all.  No one can force it on them.  It is God who does the saving.  We only have the responsibility of sharing the Gospel, the whole Gospel, and nothing but the Gospel that comes from the Word of God.  The rest is up to God.

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.~ Galatians 5:24

“Mankind wants glory.  We want health.  We want wealth.  We want happiness.  We want all our felt needs met, all our little human itches scratched.  We want a painless life.  We want the crown without the cross.  We want the gain without the pain.  We want the words of Christian salvation to be easy.”  – John MacArthur

Now, what about alter calls, or the “sinner’s prayer”?  Are these methods wrong for sharing the Gospel?   How do we know if they are giving false assurance or preaching the wrong Gospel?  See “How to Botch an Alter Call”.   And if someone wants to pray, asking Jesus into their heart, first make sure that they do acknowledge that they are a sinner in need of a Savior.  (See The Good Person Test)  Then tell them they should start reading their Bible, but please don’t give them the false assurance that they are now indeed saved.  Remember, it is God who saves and changes the heart, not us.

No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. ~ John 6:44

The TRUE Gospel is the gospel that loves and seeks the souls which are lost, bringing the sin into the light, gathering those who are not afraid of taking up their cross and following HIM, those who aren’t going to back down when life gets tough, who understand that the Christian life isn’t all about “experiencing a fulfilling life of forever -lasting happiness, joy and peace”.  Yes, we will have these things, but we will also endure trials and tribulations.

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. ~ 2 Timothy 3:12

If we avoid telling people the truth about their sinful condition, and that they need to repent and trust in Jesus, all because it’s too uncomfortable, seems harsh, or is too straight forward – than what gospel will we preach??  Just think…”watering down” the Gospel, let’s say, so it will just be a bit easier for us to share it and a bit more appealing to the listener, is doing nothing but endangering the souls of who we give it to, and giving those people the false assurance that realistically and truthfully will just lead them straight to Hell!  What a scary thought!

To love people is not to withhold the Gospel which brings conviction and repentance.  Jesus showed love, but in that love He gave correction and brought conviction.  Why can’t we do the same?

…because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. ~ 1 Thessalonians 1:5

For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.  I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. ~ Galatians 2:19-21

Filed under: Sharing the Gospel, The Way of the Master, Theology Tagged: | "watered down" gospel, Alter Call, back-sliders, Christ, Christians, comfortable, convert, conviction, correction, decision, eternal life, false Gospel, gates, glory, God, good, Good Person Test, Gospel, happiness, Heaven, hell, Jesus, John MacArthur, joy, knowledge of sin, lifestyle, mankind, money, needs, pastor, peace, possessions, road, saved, self-righteousness, Sharing the Gospel, sin, sinful desires, sinner's prayer, Ten Commandments, The Rich Man, trials, tribulations, true Gospel, wants, world