Is it really good news?

Posted on July 7, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

The word gospel literally means “good news.” In Greek, the word is euanggelion from which we derive our English words, evangelical and evangelism. So, an evangelical church is one that preaches the Gospel or good news of Jesus Christ.

The question that strikes me this morning is, “are we really offering good news?”

I have been in churches that do a good job of teaching people how they should behave. Sometimes the rules of behavior are plainly spoken; sometimes they are unspoken, unwritten rules that people in the fellowship absorb. Often these churches do a great job of teaching the Bible and holding people to the standards that the Bible promotes.

When I read Scripture, I am overwhelmed with how short I come from living up to the standards I find there. I do not love God with my entire being, I am still self absorbed and petulant with God. I do not love my neighbor as myself. Therefore, I fail in what Jesus tells us are the two great commands. If Christianity is simply a set of rules or a system of morality, I am a miserable failure at it. I can’t live up to the standard.

But that is precisely the danger. We can present Christianity to the world as a system of morality, a code of ethics. The church can come off as a religious Dr. Phil which offers advice as to how to overcome the problems in life through moral excellence.

If Christianity is just a moral system, if all the church has to offer is a cleaner lifestyle, then that is not good news. As C. S. Lewis has pointed out, a man cannot live up to his own standards, so his default position is one of frustration and defeat. If we are simply offering a system of morality and standards of behavior, we are only adding to the frustration. If all we have to offer are rules to live by, we are adding to the burden rather than relieving it.

In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul gives a simple statement of how the Gospel is indeed good news. We don’t have to produce righteousness on our own, nor do we have to clean ourselves up before coming to Jesus. Jesus takes care of it all. In Romans 8:1, we are informed that when we do come to Christ and accept his payment on our behalf, we are no longer under condemnation.

We receive forgiveness we don’t deserve and a status that we cannot earn. That is good news, the best news we can offer. Rather than offering behavior modification we an bring people to Jesus who has the ability to change hearts. In Christ, the words of Ezekiel are true:

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

Can we, as the church, leave off our moralizing and poor attempts at behavior modification and return to the good news of Jesus Christ? Can we understand that we are not called to reform the political system but to allow God to reform our hearts?

I find it ironic that the sinners flocked to Jesus when he walked the earth and the “saints” were repulsed and condemned by him because they missed the point of his ministry. Too much of what is labeled Christian in my day is unattractive to non-believers because of perceived condemnation. Maybe it is time to reevaluate what message we are proclaiming to see how closely it matches Jesus’ message.

My guess would be that if we indeed act and speak like Jesus, the “sinners” would begin flocking to the Christ that the world so desperately needs.

Good News Elevator Speech

Posted on January 10, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 6 Comments

In recent years, the business world has coined the phrase “elevator speech.” Sellers are encouraged to be able to explain their product offering to someone in the elevator in the 20 seconds or so it takes to get to their floor.

Most people who have been in the church for a while have been taught that the word gospel literally means good news. The question is, if someone asks you to explain the gospel, do you have a good explanation? Do you have an “elevator speech” prepared to explain the good news of Jesus Christ?

One of the best concise presentations of the Gospel can be found in 1 Corinthians 15:3–8:

³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (ESV)

This certainly does not explain everything, but it is a good starting point and I am committed to memorizing these verses to be ready to give an answer when required.

The Low Whisper

Posted on November 22, 2010 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

1 Kings 19:11–12 (ESV)
¹¹ And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

I have been in thought and discussion about the Church and its relationship with social media such as Twitter and Facebook. This is a branch of the discussion of how the Church should use communication technology in general.

A couple of observations. We have the Gospel, the Good News (the root meaning of the word gospel). News is meant to be communicated. In addition, Jesus has specifically commissioned the Church to make disciples, which has at its core communication.

From this, I conclude that there is no question as to whether we are to communicate. Secondly, there is no question as what we should communicate; we are to communicated the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The only remaining question is to how this should be done. What tools should be used to communicate and make disciples. I suspect that the correct answer is – all of them.

My concern has been, how will the Gospel fare in the midst of the torrent of stuff that comes at the average consumer of media, be it Facebook, Twitter, talk radio or cable news? Marketers, celebrities, sports teams, social media experts and friends all clamor for time and attention. How do we get the Good News heard in the midst of the din? Admittedly, some of the “din” is entertaining and/or compelling.

In praying about this, I was reminded of the phrase “still, small voice” from the story of Elijah following his encounter with the prophets of Baal. I like the ESV translation even better (quoted above) where it renders it “low whisper.”

God is not a bully who badgers people into submission to his will. He is a gentleman who patiently woos the object of his love. He speaks in a gentle and quiet whisper, drawing people to himself.

How do I apply this to 21st Century communication? I conclude that while we should not be boring or insipid in our presentation of the Gospel, we should not be overly concerned about making it trendy or flashy. In other words, the focus should be on the message and conveying that message as authentically and clearly as we can. If we do, I believe that God will use that quiet whisper in a Tweet or status update for His glory, in his time.

We don’t need to shout.

Don’t look to Egypt for help

Posted on April 7, 2010 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

Isaiah 31:1

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the LORD.

Over the years that I have been in and around the organized church in America, I’ve seen many different ideas as to how to make the church grow. Some are gimmicky, some are Biblically sound. Some give the appearance of working, others are miserable failures.

Many of the efforts to grow churches borrow methods from advertizing and marketing to determine what changes will make the church more appealing to her audience. Perhaps this is akin to Israel looking to Egypt for her help.

The only way for real growth to happen in the church is for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be proclaimed so that men and women are brought into a growing relationship with Him. We must be faithful in proclaiming the message, God is the one who provides the growth.

I am not saying that the church should not seek feedback as to how effectively she is communicating the Gospel. I am not saying that modern methods of communication should not be used.

What I am saying is that the methods do not save anyone, God does. When the message of the Gospel is changed, or muted to make religion more palatable, when there is reluctance to talk about sin, Hell, judgment and salvation, then the message has been compromised. When the message is compromised, no good will result, no matter how large the budget or how full the parking lot.

When we go to Egypt for help, we may have larger army but it will not be an effective army for the purpose of storming the Gates of Hell.

Is it really good news?

Good News Elevator Speech

Don’t look to Egypt for help

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