Has the Gospel totally lost its message?

We read a great deal these days about this gospel and that gospel. We read about crusades and events where not a few well meaning ministers encourage good folk receive the Gospel and invite Jesus Christ into their hearts as Saviour and Lord. The only problem is – what gospel message have they been listening to?

The Gospel today has been watered down so much that it seems to have virtually lost its true message, which some deemed hard, even offensive, and so they substituted an easier one.

Yet the Biblical Gospel message contains things like Godly sorrow; repentance; turning from your sin; taking up and carrying the Cross of Jesus. Today’s gospel messages seem to concentrate on all have sinned; Jesus; Son of God; Saviour; eternal life; turn to Jesus and pray this prayer and you will be saved – you may hear John 3:16 mentioned.

Where is repentance? Where is Godly sorrow? Where is turning from our sin? Where is carrying the cross? Has the Gospel totally lost its message?

It is a horrible question, I know, but it seems that many are being “saved” but is it a trustworthy salvation?? Have they based their decision on the whole message or just the more palatable part of it? Indeed, does the message they have heard mean a thing if not preached fully? Can there be salvation without repentance and a turning away from past sins?

I do not even pretend to know the answers to such questions. If somebody tells me they are saved, that’s good enough for me to start with. Along with others, I can discern ‘by their fruit’ if what they have is real or false.

Yet even this is not really the point is it? What we really need is for the Church to start, or really to resume, preaching a godly and entirely Biblical Gospel once again.

One of the hallmarks of the Welsh and Azusa Street revivals and of the Hebridean Revival, was the evidence of penitents being convicted of sin where they stood, in home, church, street, or pub, and crying out to God for mercy !!

Now let me ask you – when was the last time you saw anything like that?

Yet today we see the gospel preached so many times with no mention of repentance, nor of taking up our cross and following Jesus. It was Ravenhill himself who taught that “preachers are heralded and prophets are hounded." So where are all the ‘heralded’ preachers – of the Gospel? We rarely even hear the phrase “turning away from your sin”, or similar, spoken at all. All we hear the unsaved being told is to “give your life to Jesus and ask Him into your heart today. Pray this short prayer with me and then collect this booklet that will help you as you begin your Christian journey.”

There is nothing wrong with this message except that which it doesn’t say. Then, to crown our own shortcomings, (sin by any other name), we hear the new converts given all sorts of nonsense instead of steady and reliable Biblical teaching.

We have to admit it, the Gospel is now rarely preached in all its fullness. Rather a second rate substitute has been devised that is false because of omissions, but is so much less offensive to preach and therefore easier for the listener to swallow. “Luke warm preaching is the diet of the pews - it is easy listening Christianity. The preacher can preach no depth because they too are shallow.” – GT

Watch this clip for more on this topic from people who have preached the gospel for many years – certainly for far longer than me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVUnAvOpoPw&feature=player_embedded