The ears of American Christians are not attuned to the sound of the gospel of the New Testament. It is strange to our hearing. Yet, there is a growing dissatisfaction with the message that is being marketed as the Christian gospel. As wounded churchgoers cry out and impotent, crippled men and women grope with broken promises and false hopes, heaven is granting mercy.  There is a fresh sound arising. It is not new at all. It is the old sound of the gospel of the kingdom that shook the world in the first century and has produced transformed lives throughout history. But it seems new to those who have been nourished on a man-centered message of trying to be better men and women.

 
     Even the new appreciation of the apostolic gift to the church is evidence that God is granting an awakening to the drowsy church sick with false hope. The apostle Paul described the apostolic gift as “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1). The apostolic gift is most concerned with fully explaining the mysteries of God—the foundational truths that make Christianity distinctive. The gospel is being rediscovered by a generation mesmerized by its majesty.

     It is helpful to go back and examine the nature of the New Testament gospel. Two major words describe the gospel. The first is “kerygma,” which includes the idea of an announcement so monumental that life will never be the same after the announced event. The other is the word from which we get “evangel,” meaning good news. It, too, is an announcement first. Both suggest a proclamation that, if believed, will demand a response. For instance,

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand…”

Mark 1:14-15a (ESV)

     Anticipating the request for what action this announcement requires, he goes on, “…repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15b)

     Another example is Peter’s proclamation at Pentecost. He announces that what they are seeing is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy centering around the person of Jesus recently crucified by the will of God and the willful ignorance of man. He then says this same Jesus has been raised from the dead and made to be both Lord and Christ. The people hear this proclamation and cry out, “What shall we do?” Then Peter gives the instruction of what is appropriate in response to the announcement.

     What is so important about this old story? The focus was on the proclamation, first, and the instruction regarding how to respond, second. Today the emphasis is on what we should do to get God to respond.

     A snapshot of recent history might help us see this dynamic. In the First Great Awakening in the early 18th century, the focus was on the proclamation of the sovereignty of God, the sinfulness of humanity, and the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. One of the major leaders of this great move of God was Jonathan Edwards. His famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, was more a proclamation of these truths than an exhortation to action. As he spoke of the awesome justice of God and the more awesome mercy of Christ, hell was seen in its proper place. People began to see themselves as worthy of hell and nothing more. They did not wait for an altar call. They cried out much like the people listening to Peter at Pentecost. This was a general model for the Great Awakening. It had a dramatic impact on the nation, and some say it was the single most powerful influence in preparing the nation for its destiny in the world.

     In the later part of the 18th century and early part of the 19th, there was another awakening. Westward migration was taking place. The atmosphere of optimism regarding man’s ability to succeed was strong. The free market was developing and people were measuring their success in terms of growth of wealth and the speed with which it could happen. The tenants of the second awakening easily fit with the mindset of man’s focus on making things happen by following certain formulas and schemes.

     The major leader of the second awakening was Charles Finny. He concluded that a spiritual awakening was not a miracle as much as the consequences of employing certain means. This made place for the emphasis on persuading people to choose Christ -- sometimes even using questionable means to get them to do so. He instituted the inquirer’s bench and public prayers for sinners. People were urged to repent and believe -- often without a clear announcement of what God has done to merit such a response. The focus moved from featuring the announcement to featuring the response. Success was determined by how many made decisions and how many attended the meetings. It is easy to see how this led to the industrialization of the gospel and the church.

     The effect of this emphasis has been monumental in evangelicalism. The great respected leaders of Christianity have been those who gather great crowds and have many first-time decisions. Evangelists have been exalted, while pastors and theologians have often been ignored. Church services have taken the form of revival meetings with emphasis on exuberant singing, persuasive preaching, and the altar call. Many of the elements of corporate worship that defined the church for centuries have been ignored or pushed to the side while trying to attract more seekers to the meetings. Billions of dollars are spent in mass evangelism efforts and television programming. No one wants to criticize anything that helps people come to know Christ, but some are now looking at the efficiency and effectiveness of this approach to following Christ’s command to disciple the nations. We rejoice that an evangelist has spoken to one billion people having one million make a decision for Christ. That is one in one thousand. Statistics show typically 30,000 of the million that responded could be located in any church within three years. All of us who believe in preaching the gospel are thrilled for those who did meet Christ and are living to enjoy his salvation, but the efficiency and efficacy of that approach deserves to be examined.

     Then there is the media phenomenon. Untold billions are spent by various TV ministries, urging people to push the right button to get God to bless them and make their American dream come true. We cringe when some of these TV personalities are held up as spokesmen for the gospel. It is no wonder that the cry for a fresh look at the gospel has arisen. We have implied that his mercy could be bought with enough self-energized faith and that we could somehow merit his grace by our sincerity and diligence.

     So this question begs for an answer. What proclamation is so great that it demands a response? What is it that if believed will change our lives forever? What is the message of the New Testament gospel?

     It includes at least the following:

1.    God has acted in our behalf in sending his Son to model for us what life looks like when people relate to God as Father; to die in our place thereby justifying us before God; rising from the grave to grant victory over death; ascending to the right hand of God to rule his kingdom. The Holy Spirit was then sent to make real for us the same relationship with God the Father that Jesus has.
2.    He has made us his sons; therefore, his representatives on earth. He didn’t take us to heaven when we were justified because he has a mission on earth. Like the original Adam, we are to reflect the glory of God on this physical earth. Like Jesus, the last Adam, we can live free from the shame of sin and display the superior nature of the life of love in the face of a fallen world.
3.    We live between the ascension of Christ and the full restoration of all things. The gospel always has a time element. Jesus said the fullness of time had arrived with him. Now we live on the “post” side of the cross and the “pre” side of the culmination. In this time we live in hope. We have been given the down payment of full restoration by the presence of the Holy Spirit. We also live in prayer, with the Spirit helping us to pray when we don’t know how. Then we live with persecution because the world is still affected by sin, and we get to display his glory in the midst.
4.    Already we can think and feel like Adam did before his fall, and just like Jesus did while on earth. We have inherited the very life of Jesus the Christ. While we move toward the full restoration of all things defaced by sin, we live as heirs of God, unpacking every day more of the treasure found in Christ.

     As one example of the nature of the gospel, let’s look at the letter to the Romans. It is Paul’s explanation of the gospel, as he understands it. It is first an announcement. For the first five chapters there are no commands or instructions. It is all an announcement of what God has done in solving the problem of man’s alienation. In chapter six there are some commands. For the first 10 verses he announces what God has done in sending Jesus to die and how that death avails for us so that in Christ we also die to sin and are raised with Christ. He then gives a command: “Reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to God.” Then he goes on to say that because of this new life we can and must yield the members of our body to God and not to sin, since we are no longer slaves to sin.

     Then there are no more commands in chapters seven through eleven. Chapter twelve does tell us what the appropriate response is to the magnificent mercy displayed in our behalf. We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God and live that way.

     Chapter eight is a masterpiece in announcement. Paul explained in chapter seven how the law exposed the indwelling sin and left us crying for deliverance from the cycle of sin and death. Chapter eight exposes that deliverance. First, there is no condemnation for those in Christ. Then the Spirit has come to replace the cycle of sin and death with life and peace. He also gives us the power to live in the Spirit rather than controlled by the flesh.  We are then told we are heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. We are partners with God on earth and therefore will be privileged to suffer in that role. We are then encouraged by the declaration that regardless of the appearance of being defeated, we are undefeatable.

     God is for us. If that is so, it doesn’t matter who is against us. He is so much for us that he sent his own Son to die for us. Surely this confirms forever that God is not against us. He will go to any length to favor us, and he has unlimited resources.

     God chose us before we chose him. Since he started the process he will complete it. It was his idea that began our relationship, and he has acted through the decisions of mankind to bring history to its predetermined end. He will not be deterred by man’s choices, though he never abolishes the dignity he granted to man as his image on earth. He foreknew his own. He predestined them to be conformed to the image of his Son. He called them to himself and gave them faith to believe. He then justified them and guaranteed their safe arrival at the judgment and eternal security in his love. Regardless of the hostile circumstances they may encounter, they will not fail. The same God who gave them faith in the beginning will always have faith for them to endure.

     No one can indict God’s own. Only God has the right to bring a charge against us, and he is the one who has already declared us justified. Who will condemn us? Jesus alone has the right, but he was condemned in our place so no condemnation remains to be heaped on us. Jesus is also interceding for us now, and there is no accuser who can successfully present a case against us.

     Nothing can separate us from the love of God -- nothing in this world and nothing in the world to come. Nothing man can think of can alter our standing as sons. Nothing in the demonic world can cause a fracture. His love is the most powerful force in the universe, and it is focused on his own. It will change us. We can’t stand in the presence of unconditional love and remain the same. Pressure can move us, but only love will change us. Men may temporarily persuade us beyond our present behavior, but willpower will not change us. So it is no wonder that we are declared “more than conquerors” through him who loved us. The love that was released by God through Jesus at the cross is viral. It cannot be stopped and will not be usurped. It will win every encounter with evil, though appearances may lie.

    What an announcement! Who wouldn’t want to get in on that? What should we do to embrace this?

     Repent and believe! Change your mind about God’s attitude about you. You want to believe. Do it. As you believe, you will find your choices changing and your behavior will follow. You are a partner with God. You can now start acting like it.