Gospel – Page 2 – John Markum

The Power of the Gospel

Posted on May 13, 2011 by johnmarkum

We often say at our church, “No one cares how much we know until they know how much we care.” We have to live what we believe if we are ever going to see the Gospel reach the hearts of the people around us. Seriously, think about it… If we claim to be free, forgiven, made new, and to be given life and the power and presence of God, why do we so often act no different than we would outside of Christ?

There is nothing that gets me more frustrated that religious hypocrisy. People who are suppose to know better but don’t live a changed life are as lost in their religion as the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. And this problem exists in nearly every church, and is indiscriminate of your church model, values, denomination, or style of worship. The reason? Because people are still people and deal with the same sin issues. And to be perfectly honest, I hate it the most, when I see it in myself. I still battle with the same selfish tendencies as all of the people in my church… and your church.

But we are suppose to be different. We are suppose to have a new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

If we want to see the Gospel change the lives of the people around us, it must first change our lives. Just because you believed in Him does not mean you are living for Him. And just because you go to church does not mean you are discipled. Some of the most godly people I know are baby Christ-followers with a passion for Jesus that humbles me. Already, they consistently make difficult choices that show a stark distinction between who they were and who they are now in Christ. Conversely, some of the most un-discipled people I have known (myself included at times) are those who could explain the significance of the hyper-static union of Christ in regards to dispensational versus covenant theology. They can quote entire chapters of God’s word from memory, but they won’t speak life into the people around them. None of that information we know matters at all, if we do not live it. The power of the Gospel is such that it is not satisfied to save us from the penalty our sin one day when we stand before God, but to save us from the power of our sin today. Right here, right now. And the evidence of it working is in how we love others, and how we obey.

The power of the Gospel is in obedience not knowledge.

I’m blogging later this week on “signs that you don’t get it.” Keep an open heart. I’m guilty of several of these. Chances are, you can relate.

Blessings,

John

“Love Wins” Controversy

Posted on March 10, 2011 by johnmarkum

“I can’t believe in a God that would send someone to a place like Hell.”

“What kind of loving God would send people to Hell?”

“Who gets to decide who gets into Heaven and who has to go to Hell?”

Rob Bell addresses these common questions in his upcoming book, Love Wins, which has already stirred massive controversy by his implications that no one will go to Hell. Below is the video trailer that he himself has released, which is largely responsible for the widespread controversy. I’ll attempt to address the questions he raises as concisely as possible…

“Gandhi’s in Hell? He is?!? And someone knows this for sure?” My Answer: I don’t know. And no human could possibly know for sure.
“Will only a few select people make it to Heaven?” My Answer: As far as the Bible is concerned, yes. Matthew 7:13,14
“And will billions, and billions of people burn forever in Hell?” My Answer: I have no idea how many it will be, but yes, many, many people will go to a real place called Hell. Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:15
“And if that is the case, how do you become one of the few?” My Answer: Turn away from your man-made attempts at pleasing God and pleasing yourself, and give your life to God by placing your faith in Jesus, who lived a sinless life, died as a substitution for humanity, and rose again on the third day proving to be God. John 3:16-19, Romans 3:23-28, Romans 10:9-13
“And then there is the question behind the question. Like: What is God like?” My Answer: This a great question. A loaded question, but a great one. I’ll answer this in a separate blog post this week.
“So what gets subtly caught and taught is that Jesus rescues you from God.” My Answer: Jesus is God. Jesus dying for humanity is God taking upon Himself His own righteous judgment for man’s rebellion. His holiness demands that wickedness be eliminated. His love demands that mankind be pardoned. The cross is the greatest evidence of God’s holiness and love.
“How can that God ever be good?” My Answer: Bell is defining “good” based on getting what we want (Heaven) without the consequences (Hell). The real question would be, “How could a pure, perfect and holy God allow wicked humanity into His heaven?” But to answer the question, God is good in every sense by virtue of His willingness to die for sinful man, allowing us the opportunity to experience both His love and holiness. Romans 5:6-11, 1 John 4:7-12

I sense that we are no where near done talking about this, and that I a likely to hear from many of you in emails and through the comments. I welcome your interaction, but let’s keep it civil, please. More posts WILL follow about these issues…

Blessings,

John

Challenge #3: Share Christ

Posted on February 21, 2011 by johnmarkum

Edgewood Challenge #3: Share Christ: Lead one person to the Lord.

This is one that I am particularly excited about! This task may seem daunting to many of my readers so I want to give you 3 levels of evangelism and ask each of you to graduate through all 3 levels as you have opportunities to do so.

1) Pray

Anyone can pray. Make a short list of people that are already in your sphere of influence that are far from God and need to experience new life in Christ. Pray for them daily by name. Ask God to soften their heart and to give you the opportunity to take the next step with them.

2) Pursue

This requires you to open your mouth and say something to them. It only has to be as awkward as you want to make it. We offer invite cards to many of our services (including The Awakening on Saturday nights, and Elevate on Sunday mornings for teens). Use an invite card and simply say something like, “It would really mean a lot to me if you came to this with me this week. I hope you’ll at least consider it.” Maybe they will come. Maybe they’ll be impacted by the Gospel. Maybe they’ll give their life to Christ right then and there. Don’t underestimate the power of a sincere invitation. The “Pursue” level can be summed up in 2 words “Invest” in your relationships, and “Invite” them to a worship experience.

3) Pursuade

Given the opportunity, you should always be willing to “give an answer for the hope that is within you.” You don’t have to know a ton of Scripture, though knowing a few verses can definitely help. Bottom line though is share your faith-changing experience of when you came to Christ, and give them an opportunity to do the same. Edgewood is working on some classes in the near future to help you do that and feel less awkward about it. In the meantime, just tell them how you gave your life to Christ.

I believe that as our church becomes faithful in sharing Christ, that we will soon begin to hear countless stories of life change. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessings,

John