Many people can easily recite what the gospel is but find it more difficult to describe how the gospel is lived out by them. I remember a small group discussion that ensued regarding the gospel. One person in the discussion said “What is the point of talking about the gospel, we already know what it is.” To be sure, the depth and breadth of the gospel has yet to be exhaustively plumbed by human beings (Rom. 11:33).
I want to start this short series on what a Gospel-Governed life is by looking at five ways in which Christianity, Christ and Culture collide.
1. Young, restless & reforming. For many young people today, the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ has become a secondary supplement to their daily Christian walk. Often, our life is not saturated with perpetual self-denial and sacrificial service to others. The good news that we almost forgot has become something that has happened to us at one point in time but not something that is continuously happening in the mean time.
2. Attuned to the culture and out of tune with the Christ. We are keenly aware of the latest tinsel-town twosome. We can simultaneously post a superficial status update to multiple social-networks about what to us seems as if our eternal destiny has been decided. We can quote from memory our favorite coffee concoction at the place that demands we take comfort in making it our daily ritual. We call ourselves gospel-centered, missional and absolutely love contextualizing, everything. However, we appear startled when asked to recite by memory a verse from Scripture.
3. What whets our appetite. Why does the notion of going to see the latest frivolous flick prompt more passion than sitting around with a few people discussing the doctrine of propitiation and contemplating on the extreme importance of expiation? The pleasurable proclamation concerning the life, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord has become a topic that does little to titillate the hearts of the young and restless, always reforming, tech-savvy trend-troopers.
4. Continuously connected but virtually removed. We are always connected and consumed with flickering pixels on devices that purport to make our life easier and more efficient but in the end, inevitably do the polar opposite.
5. An Appropriate Appeal. The gospel is not just the most important message in history; it is the only essential message in all of history. If we are not living a gospel-governed, Christ-centered, God-glorifying life, then we are not living a life at all. Jesus constantly called his disciples to live out a gospel-governed life. He explained this to the masses and to the rugged and rogue group which he intentionally selected to start the most massive movement in all of human history.
Question: What does a gospel-governed life look like for you personally?
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Thank you for reading my first post. My hope and prayer is that together, we will learn to live and lead with purpose. I typically post two to four times a week. To make sure you don’t miss my newest posts, you can subscribe via RSS or EMAIL.
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