The gospel is waiting. It is waiting not to be spoken, but to be lived. The gospel is waiting to be believed and to be put to use in your life and mine. It’s not just a static message; it’s a living testimony. The gospel needs much more than paper to be printed on; it needs a life it can imprint.
“Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Cor. 4:1-2).
The success of the Gospel in our present age does not depend on how attractively it is packaged, but on how honestly real Christians are living out their lives in the world. It’s not just the Gospel that does it. It’s not just a message. It’s the gospel in you and in me. Nothing needs to be done to the gospel except to be lived.
Nothing needs to be done to the Gospel. Everything’s already been done. But there is much that needs to be done in our lives by the Gospel. And this is the every day walking in faith that even the strongest and longest of Christians must do, too. There is hope to be expressed, sin to be confessed, forgiveness to be embraced, suffering to be endured, glory to be shared, love to be received, and love to be given. It is the presence of all this happening in our lives that we are to commend to someone else.
John Fischer The Catch 
Living the Good News is much more than we may have grown up in, but it really is the pathway to peace. Posturing, pretending, hoping no-one notices our weaknesses bring anxiety. Relaxing into God’s decision to love us anyway brings peace, even in the thunderstorm. Others are drawn as we lift Him up by living the Gospel.
Your writings help bring focus in my life. Thank you.
Wayne Wells
Good insights. Was it C.S. Lewis who said something like “It’s not that Christianity has been tried and found wanting; it’s that Christianity has been found difficult, and not tried” ?
This SO relates to what happened in our church this past Sunday 10/2. Our pastor preached on simplifying the Gospel, and several people accepted Christ at the end of our services! Praise the Lord! You can hear his message at http://www.livingspringscc.org. May I have your permission to submit your blog post for possible publication in our church newsletter?
Of course.
Thanks!
This relates SO well to the message our pastor shared in last Sunday’s message! Our faith and sharing our faith doesn’t have to be complicated. May I have your permission to submit this post for possible publication in our church newsletter? I’m wondering today: Do we make faith-sharing complicated so we can talk ourselves out of doing it because it’s too hard?
Bob Gill that insight came from GK Chesterton. It is very insightful.
Waiting appears to be the crux of the Christ follower’s life. We wait for God in hope, faith, courage, humility, and patience. Without those we do not wait. For some reason it doesn’t occur to us that God is also waiting. Waiting for us to make the choice to be like Jesus. He gives us lots of reminders that are ignored or partially acknowledged and acted on. When I realized that God is holding His arms wide open to me and saying “Come my dear child, I love you”-then I came willingly. He is waiting. Often we are like the toddler bent on exploring the world on his/her own and runs away from the open arms of the parent.
In ecclesiastes it says that there is a time for everything. God has made waiting enjoyable. The early church waited for the Holy Spirit to be poured out as promised. While they waited they prayed. Let us wait and pray the kingdom into existence and move when God appoints the time. I pray that I will be sensitive to these moments of time when God makes His monumental and sometimes behind the scenes moves.