April 19, 2021January 5, 2024

Living the Gospel

by in From The Desk of Pastor Gene
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You’ve likely heard, many times for that matter, that gospel means “good news.” In short, the gospel, or good news, is the message of God’s saving work in Christ. RO 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” 1 COR 15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 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
 
All in all, we are saved, born again, by believing the good news, the gospel. But that is just the beginning. We also live the gospel as followers of Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Some say that they just want to be saved and go to heaven but prefer to live like the world. However, believing the gospel demands we live the gospel. These are inseparable. In fact, if you aren’t living the gospel, maybe you don’t truly know the gospel and if you don’t know the gospel, it’s likely you’re not born again. With that said, living the gospel isn’t a matter of perfection but progression as we are transformed and sanctified by Christ.

Living the gospel is living like we believe the good news and a demonstration of how our lives have been impacted by it. To help us understand how living the gospel is lived out in a Christian’s life, the following is a list of 9 characteristics of living the gospel.
  1. Living by faith GAL 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
 
2 COR 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.
  2. Loving God and our neighbors 1 JN 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
 
MT 22:36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
 
3. Living in righteousness
 
1 PE 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
 
4. Proclaiming the gospel
 
MK 16:15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
 
5. Growing in the grace of Jesus
 
2 PE 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
 
6. Forgiving others
 
Col 3:13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
 
7. Putting on compassionate hearts
 
COL 3:12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience
 
1 JN 3:17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
 
8. Demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit
 
GAL 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
 
9. Serving others
 
1 PE 4:10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace
 
GAL 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
 
I hope this list of characteristics helps you understand the power of God in your life and why you are drawn by the Spirit to live these characteristics. Remember, living the gospel is living like we believe the good news and a demonstration of how our lives have been impacted by it. After all, you are a living testimony of the love and power of Christ.

A Work in Progress,

Pastor Gene