The Gospel?

As a Southerner, and a proud one at that, I have often noted a habit among my brethren that is a bit disheartening. What I am referring to is "the gospel of nice." You know what I mean, "Oh, they are such NICE people," or "That church has such a NICE pastor." It goes further as in "Well, I know they don't attend any church, but they are such NICE people." I have even heard, "I know they do not believe in Christ, but would God condemn such NICE people?"

I need not say more. I will say this, as you go to worship the sovereign God of the universe tomorrow, remember that you are worshiping the God who sent His Son to die a bloody and violent death, a death that paid the price for all those whose names were written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and were written there before the foundations of the earth. The Gospel, the REAL Gospel, is not about NICE, it is about redemption accomplished and applied to undeserving sinners. The Gospel is not about what we DO, or even how NICE we are, it is about what has been DONE for us at great price.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Quotes to Provoke

Some things I heard today...

"In God's eyes, the church is Plan A, and there is no Plan B."

Addressing church growth methodologies, James Montgomery Boice said, "Whatever you win people BY, you win them TO."

Further addressing faulty church growth methodologiesLigon Duncan says, "In the name of reaching the unchurched, radical contextualization has succeeded in unchurching the churched."

"The key to ministry 'success' is FAITHFULNESS, not contextualization. We must not baptize cultural norms to the detriment of the Gospel message."

Finally, "Anyone who says 'Preach the Gospel always and sometimes use words' probably does not understand the Gospel. The Gospel is not something we 'do,' it is something done FOR us."

To quote an old friend, "You think about that."