- If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself. (Augustine of Hippo -354-430)
- Avoid a sugared gospel as you would shun sugar of lead. Seek that gospel which rips up, and tears, and cuts, and wounds, and hacks, and even kills, for that is the gospel that makes alive again; and when you have found it, give good heed to it. Let it enter into your inmost being. (C.H. Spurgeon)
- The Church has some people whom God does not have, and God has some people whom the Church does not have. (St. Augustine).
- In order to delight and meditate on the law of the Lord, we must understand correctly what Scripture actually says. (Randy Alcorn)
- The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine; and at the right time, and in the right way, is the right fruit found on it. Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus. (Hudson Taylor)
- The signs of the times are shouting from the heavens that our time is short. Yet, the average church is totally oblivious to the fact that we are living on borrowed time. Rather than preaching repentance, the preaching is focused on feel-good themes in response to the desire of people to have their ears tickled. (David R. Reagan)
TEXT: Joshua 6:5 ‘But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.’
Human beings after the fall (Genesis 3) want something that would help build their ego in addition to seeking out what is pleasant or enjoyable. So, unconsciously there is a fight with the fact that Jesus did it all, ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.’ (Ephesians 2:8-9). All one has to do is accept and follow what Jesus who is the way knows. The inclination can manifest in various ways, from pursuing enjoyable activities and relationships to seeking out positive experiences and avoiding negative ones. So, for a Christian to focus on the passages and verses that suit that drive and support the view is a real danger we need to be conscious of. Remember our thinking patterns shape the lane we use while going through life. People’s view of eternity has great influence in how they live. There is a tendency to select what makes sense while ignoring what one does not know where to place in the memory bank. Think of a story that Shana Schutte gave (Focus on Family March 9, 2024). In her words she says ‘a true story of a Romanian prisoner who sued God. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry, but I was certainly struck by its irony. The man believed his imprisonment was proof that God had acted unjustly. After all, since he was baptized as a child, God owed him something, right? He demanded that the Romanian Orthodox Church, which he considered to be God’s earthly representative, compensate him for “God-inflicted damage.”. When I read that the lawsuit was thrown out because God is “not subject to a civil court of law’s jurisdiction‚” there was an ornery part of me that wanted to yell, “Well! ‚”. This is laughable, but how many people feel like God owed them the right to have the things they desire. There is need to examine again how and what we know about the never changing God in an ever-changing world. The concept of atonement, particularly the atoning work of Jesus Christ, is central to Christian faith and theology. It speaks to the idea that Jesus’ death on the cross was a sacrifice that made it possible for humanity to be reconciled with God.
The Gospel in its entirety including denying of self (Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:23, and Galatians 2:20), giving kinsmen a second place (Matthew 10:37), recognition that the values generally accepted such as being accepted and praised could be in contradiction of the kingdom of God. The human desire for peace may not be in alignment with the peace as described by Jesus (Matthew 10:34-36). Loneliness, tribulations, rejection are part of the gospel. Rather than selectively believe what aligns with personal preferences, being a Christian requires obedience. Essentially, Augustine of Hippo in talking of believing what one likes was warning against a superficial understanding of the Gospel where individuals cherry-pick beliefs to suit their own desires, thus misrepresenting the true nature of the Gospel message. I remember hearing Joyce Meyer say that the most difficult person to help is one who is deceived. Deception can occur when we believe something is not true even though it is, or when we believe something is true when it is not. We can easily fall into the enemy’s trap of self-deception. The self always helps itself get whatever it wants. When we have a strong desire for something and our emotions are excited about it, we can easily deceive ourselves by telling ourselves whatever we want to hear. The church can be a dangerous place. You can hear the message and get hardened, instead of it enriching you.’ The church and other Christian organizations can be dangerous because they can serve to normalize what is not the gospel. We tend to make excuses for dysfunctions that are perceived as normal. How does one get to know that he/she has cherry-picked the beliefs that are not embracing the whole gospel?
SOME BELIEFS THAT CAN BE DECEPTIVE
Assumption that Jesus relates to us on the basis of our action– A mindset that has not been renewed by the word of God allows one to confess Christ as lord but all the while unhealthy thought patterns remain. Toxicities of the soul such as result from unforgiveness, revenge, envy, insecurity, among others. A constant feeling of condemnation is likely to arise from the assumption that one has been shelved by God. As a result, one cannot enjoy the benefits of salvation. The feeling of not being deserving, not being good enough becomes a trap that short-circuits the salvation story.
What was received as the gospel – The way the gospel was communicated can intoxicate, anaesthetize one to bear pain. The vow to poverty can make people act in ways that block their minds from seeing any desire to change. Being poor, begging and going to serve those who have becomes a deeply entrenched way of thinking. Selected bible-based beliefs are used to justify greed, subduing of others and calling it a blessing. Scriptures are used to support what one wants done while demonising what one does not have. The real challenge is developing a mind that knows the Living and Almighty God while caged in a kind of brain atrophy. That is what led Mahatma Gandhi to say “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” A community of faith that negates openness and lament soon concludes that the hard issues of justice are improper questions to pose at the throne of God. People believe one goes to God to ask for things and it’s a place of praise.
The need to secure our safety and comfort – At the core of the human need is the need to be assured that tomorrow will be taken care of. The challenge comes when we place our security on what has come into being as a result of human thinking: this tends to blind people. Attention is put in the pension scheme, the strategic plan, insurance cover, government systems, without realising that there is no protection against life’s calamities. When the calamity strikes, that could be a result of interpersonal relationships, betrayal, misunderstandings, incurable diseases, acts of God among others, fear sets in. Anger builds up as we realise our helplessness. The Christians struggle with believing the biblical truths because they do not match up with their perception of reality. That is when you realise that more than one third of the Psalms are laments. Cry to God for help. A culture that does not allow room for lamentations intensifies the need to hide emotions. There is need to encourage one another that loving God with all our heart requires our honest expression of the hard realities of life.
An unattended ego – As mentioned earlier, the mental pictures of the world and life we inculcate in our childhood, shapes how we respond to the world. Since we all have ego, it acts like the interface between our mind and the world around us Larry Crabb’s work, particularly in his book “Understanding People,” explores how ego and self-centeredness can hinder our well-being and relationships. He argues that we often develop core images of ourselves based on early experiences, which can be deeply painful. As babies and young children, we are helpless. Feelings of being unworthy and inadequate tend to lead us to seek control and validation. The fear of not being able to be in control leads us to seek power from the sources we understand. That can put a wedge between us and God while claiming to love him and serve him.
FULL GOSPEL INCLUDES SEEKING A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THAT FREES US TO LOVE OTHERS
Understand the gospel – The Gospel is not a collection of isolated teachings but a unified narrative and message. To truly believe the Gospel means to embrace the entirety of its message, including its challenging and potentially uncomfortable aspects. When individuals selectively believe parts of the Gospel and reject others, they are essentially creating their own version of the Gospel, based on their personal desires and interpretations. This approach undermines the authority of the Gospel and distorts its true message. True faith involves humility and a willingness to submit to the authority of God’s Word, even when it challenges personal beliefs and preferences. When individuals are unwilling to embrace the whole Gospel, it reflects a lack of humility and a reliance on their own understanding, rather than God’s. The Gospel is ultimately about God’s will and plan for humanity and it requires embracing God’s will, even when that challenges personal preferences and desires.
Seek a relationship with the living God – Our most desperate times of emotional brokenness tend to bring to the surface what we really believe about God and ourselves. That is when you realize the difference between Jesus’ disciples and all other religions. The attempt to overcome the restlessness in the people’s hearts. The religions, that can include some that use the name Christian, outline programs that cover doctrine, moral precepts and sacred rites. Knowing God, and His word, ignite the deposit he has put in each one of us. It is when that power of God is released within us that we are able to love one another, forgive ourselves and others and live a life that draws deep insight from God’s divine plan.
With a mind renewed by the word of God, engage with the reality of life – A disciple who is not living according to the worldly standard (Romans 12) has to continually deny self, take up the cross and follow Jesus Christ. That means being honest, lamenting when it is the reality and praising God for His unending mercies. Whether the circumstance we find ourselves in make no sense, we have to accept that God is faithful. Always remember the call is to recount God’s past faithfulness and proclaim His righteous character. Our love for God should be unconditional. We need to affirm God’s goodness, while lamenting and are honest when expressing our pain and frustration.
Jesus’ disciples are those who know they have been purchased through the blood of Christ and they seek to learn to live deeper than the shallowness of their own minds, wills, and emotions. Deeper living means one goes beyond what you want, think, and how you feel and live by the Word of God. Interpreting scripture through a biased lens is to miss the wealth of knowing the Lord who knows all the circumstances. A bias towards preferred interpretations of the word of God can indeed lead to overlooking or diminishing the significance of Christ’s atoning work. Jesus Christ mandated His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, ‘teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you’ (Matthew 28:20). Please note it is everything Jesus taught – that includes that they will have tribulations in this world. It is worth noting that while Christian faith is practiced by many, it is those who are Jesus’ disciples who are most deeply engaged in the teachings and practices of the faith. Discipleship involves actively imitating Jesus’ life and teachings, making them a “living copy” of him. This means going beyond simply believing in Jesus and actively striving to live a life that reflects his values and principles.
The tendency to select bible stories and messages that lean toward our preferred views is particularly concerning because the atonement is a core Christian doctrine. The moment one can choose and act on what gives you pleasure, nullifies that last message of Jesus on the Cross, it is finished. That denial of the atoning work of Christ builds a wall that block one from living the boundaries of God’s love. It also hinders growth into maturity and being the light and salt of the world. A bias towards preferred interpretations can lead to a diminished or even denied understanding of the atoning work of Christ. Those who would knowingly counterfeit scripture are giving evidence of an unbelieving heart and missing the security of the Lord who promises never to leave those whose trust remains on Him. There’s need for honest acceptance that God’s ways are not our ways neither His thoughts our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8) and that there is no necessary contradiction between faith and doubt. Indeed, expressions of doubt, anger, and frustration to God are, in the Psalms, an act of faith and even an act of worship. Paul warned his fellow believers that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22); “tribulations” translates the Greek word for a massive weight used to crush grain into flour. Jesus used the same word when he predicted, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33a). While God’s unchanging character is certainly the only ultimate reality, until the final consummation of the Kingdom of God, there is also the reality of our broken world, which constantly impinges on our lives. Christians, born again, spirit filled, longing for Christ’s return, must determine to love The Lord God more than anything else. Does your communication encourage Christians to believe the whole gospel message and live in light of it?
“Sometimes we have this idea that God’s will is this hidden secret treasure that we’ve just got to find without understanding that according to Rom. 12:1-2 a living sacrifice, living out daily holiness is going to prove the will of God,” (Albert Mohler)