Loving People Enough to Share the Whole Gospel
When presenting the gospel, many have tainted the jury pool by primarily sharing the worldly benefits available to believers in this life. Don’t get me wrong, many of these benefits are accessible to God’s children. We are promised many beautiful things in our present life, and we should not downplay these blessings. But the physical blessings we experience this side of heaven are only a tiny part of the gospel message.
The heart of the gospel message reveals that we are now welcomed into the family of God. “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God” (1 John 3:1). We have been set free from sin and are reconciled to God through Christ.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us … For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Romans 5:8, 10).
The God of the universe is now living on the inside of us as we have become forever united with His Spirit! Jesus has actually given us the glory that was given to Him by the Father.
The glory which You [Father God] have given Me [Jesus] I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me (John 17:22-23).
These are some of the primary aspects of the gospel.
The Experience of the Apostle Paul
The issue with highlighting the potential physical benefits of the gospel instead of focusing on the foundational elements of repentance and grace is that people end up placing their hope in favorable earthly circumstances instead of Christ. But you see, God never promised us perfect circumstances in this life.
If the evidence of a life entirely given to God were a comfortable and prosperous existence, then the apostle Paul would be a miserable failure. Look at 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 to see Paul’s intense troubles while faithfully serving the Lord.
Are they servants of Christ? — I speak as if insane — I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?
Paul was one of the most devoted Christians in the early church, yet we see him surrounded by trouble and hardships on every side. Paul did not run from this suffering but embraced it. He expected to suffer because he understood that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). This caused Paul to even rejoice amid intense trials:
Knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:3-5).
Placing your hope in gaining better physical circumstances is guaranteed to leave you disappointed. There may be seasons of earthly prosperity, but what happens when we experience God’s pruning? For “every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2).
If our hope rests in temporal luxuries and comfort, we will abandon ship when suffering and persecution show up in our life. But God tells us in His word that we were called for the purpose of suffering “since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21).
Why would God call us to something He was also trying to keep us away from in this life? This unbalanced approach to the gospel just doesn’t add up.
Counting the Cost
Jesus knew His disciples would suffer while on the earth. When sharing about the end times, Jesus describes a sobering feature: “they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name” (Matthew 24:9).
But Christ encourages us that even the harshest of treatment cannot steal our peace for He says, “in the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Jesus did not shy away from preaching both the glories and the pains of choosing to follow Him, and neither should we. Christ was clear about the troubles that lay ahead for the disciples and warned them to count the cost of what they would endure before following Him.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace (Luke 14:27-32).
Using relatable examples, Jesus prompted His would-be followers to count the cost of becoming His disciple. This warning is not to deter His chosen ones from coming to Him but is intended to separate the chaff from the wheat (Luke 3:17) and to prepare those who were serious about following Him.
Rather than deceiving the crowds to join Him because of how easy their life would become, He kindly prepared everyone for what it meant to truly be His disciple.
Preaching the Whole Gospel
Unfortunately, many in the 21st-century church have not followed Christ’s example. Out of a need for more people to attend our services and more money to fund our institutions, the difficult aspects of following Christ have largely been left out of the gospel call.
Out of fear that we may scare people away, some choose to hide the more challenging realities of becoming a disciple. This is great for getting selfish people to think they want a relationship with God, but it is a horrible tactic for making disciples of Christ. This approach to the gospel sets people up for failure as they do not fully comprehend what they are getting themselves into.
The most loving and compassionate presentation of the gospel includes the incredible joys and benefits of following Christ, along with describing the difficulties that lie ahead for every new believer.
