Make All Things New

Yesterday, during the morning prayer in church, my friend Anthony prayed through Romans 1:16-17. He prayed something that greatly encouraged me, something that goes well with the class we are taking together through LAMPhilly. He said something like (paraphrasing): “The gospel is something we need not be ashamed of preaching to others because it is the power of God but we don’t have to be ashamed to preach it to ourselves either!” What a great point! So often we think of that passage as merely an encouragement to preach the gospel to all people (and it is!). All people must include ourselves as well! God isn’t just looking for people who will share His gospel message with the world, He is looking for changed people, people who have been and are being transformed by the gospel, to share the gospel with the world. So yes, we should not be ashamed to preach the gospel (to others or ourselves) for it is the power of God onto salvation.

Anthony’s prayer sent me back to looking at Romans 1 this morning. I was thinking of how Paul states, “For” I am not ashamed of the gospel. He is not ashamed “for why?” Indeed, he is not ashamed of the the gospel because (”for”) it is the power of God. Additionally, in verse 15, he states that he is “eager to preach the gospel”. He is eager to preach because he is unashamed, and he is unashamed because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. So what am I getting at here? I don’t just have to be “unashamed” of preaching the gospel to myself but I should be “eager” to do so as well! Why? Because it has been revealed to me (you, us) that the gospel is the power of God to change us more into Christ and bring us to God.

Preaching the gospel to ourselves and others should not only come without fear but without the feeling of duty either. God has shown us great grace in opening our eyes to see the glory of His gospel. He shows us fresh grace each day as we are able to joyfully rehearse the gospel to ourselves and others. May it never be that we would be ashamed of this great grace shown through the gospel. And equally, may it never be that we would lose our enthusiam for preaching this fresh grace to all!

Note: a great book for understanding how to “preach the gospel to yourself” is right here. I highly recommend it!

This morning I was preaching the gospel to myself (again) and I had this picture in my head of a teeter-totter with the gospel as the fulcrum. The gospel is the balance between my pride and despair (and many other things). Here is what I was thinking.

I am so sinful that I would tend toward despair because it would seem no forgiveness is possible. Yet the gospel shows me that my sinfulness has been overcome by the cross of Christ. His righteousness has been given to me through faith and brings me to God. Far greater than my sinfulness is His grace.

And when I think things are going well for me, I would tend towards thinking that I am so good that I have earned myself favor with a perfect and holy God. The gospel shows me that even on my best days, I am not good enough for my sin is so grievous, so vile that the Son had to be slaughtered to atone for it. That even on my “most righteous” days, my works are filthy rags before the holy Lord.

The gospel gives me balance. Keeping me from tipping into despair and holding me from falling into pride. The solid rock of the gospel, of Christ crucified is the balance point between my attempts to justify myself through my righteousness and my desire to give up because of my sinfulness. In the gospel balance, I am reminded that I am more sinful that I can imagine yet simultaneously more forgiven than I could dare believe.

Made some changes to the layout of the blog and would be grateful for any feedback. Thanks!

Many Christians wrongly think that the gospel is simply what gets you saved; it for new believers. The truth is, the gospel is not just for new Christians but it is for all Christians. The gospel is not only for salvation but also for sanctification. In his book, The Gospel Primer, Milton Vincent gives practical, gospel-centered ways in growing in love and knowledge of God through His great gospel. As Vincent says, “This book is offered as a handy guide to help Christians experience the gospel more fully by preaching it to themselves each day.” (p, 5) This is of extreme importance to the Christian for in the gospel, God has provided all we need for life and godliness. So preaching the gospel to ourselves is a source of life and means for growth in godliness. In short, our becoming more like Christ (our sanctification) happens from being transformed through beholding the gospel. Preaching it to ourselves daily is an excellent way to behold the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ and be transformed! Vincent says, “I have found that when I am absorbed in the gospel, everything else I am supposed to be toward God and others seems to flow out of me naturally and passionately.” (p. 6)

The book is divided in to three sections. The first section contains thirty-one reasons to rehearse the gospel daily. Each reason is brief and bible-saturated making it excellent for devotions. The second and third sections of the book are what Vincent refers to as A Gospel Narrative” in both prose and poetic forms.

Vincent does an excellent job of laying out many glorious truths about the gospel throughout this short book. Each page is filled with scripture references that makes the content of this book virtually inexhaustible. From explaining what the gospel is to showing how the gospel is applied, Vincent gives the believer a feast of weighty truths about their standing in Christ. Here are examples of some of my favorite “Reasons To Rehearse the Gospel”.

On page 14, Vincent lays out my daily need for the gospel because it is so foolish (1 Cor. 1) and scandalous (1 Cor. 1:23) that I must fight daily to believe it. There is so much in this world, so much in my daily life that works to distract me from the truth and convince me of the foolishness of the gospel, that I am in desperate need to “preach the gospel” to myself on a daily, if not hourly basis.

The transforming power of the gospel is briefly explained on pages 16-17. Vincent states that the glory of God is “the most powerful agent of transformation available to mankind.” (p. 16) This glory is so powerful that all one need do is gaze upon it to be transformed. The Apostle Paul states, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” (2 Cor. 3:18, ESV) Therefore, by beholding the glory of God, I will be transformed into what God desires for me to be? Vincent asks, “But where do I find God’s glory to behold?” (p. 17) The answer is not only in Creation but according to the Bible (outside of heaven) the glory of God is most clearly seen in the gospel. (2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Tim. 1:11). So as I dwell on the gospel daily, it is the primary means through which God transforms me more into the image of His Son.

While there are many more excellent reasons given to rehearse the gospel, the final one I will mention is “Obedience Borne of Love” from pages 28 and 29. Vincent rightly states, “The Bible teaches that genuine love in my heart for God is generated by an awareness of His love for me, and no where is the love of God more clearly revealed than in the gospel.” So through preaching the gospel to myself daily, I may begin to experience God’s love for me and He would generate in me, strong affections for Him.

This is a great book that I highly recommend reading and rehearsing regularly, for your joy and God’s glory.

Tim Keller – Preaching the Gospel from Newfrontiers on Vimeo.

Tim Keller – The City from Newfrontiers on Vimeo.

Tim Keller – Cultural Transformation from Newfrontiers on Vimeo.

If you like Keller, be sure to read his book “The Prodigal God”… awesome!

I have been quite busy finishing up my final project for “Call & Assessment” course through LAMPhilly (checkout the new web site my buddy ant and I put together for them) so blogging has been too light. Due to time constraints, I thought I would provide you with my reviews of the books I read for this class in a simple way: visually.

“Dig it!”	“Doan yike it!