Sometimes it seems people mean it to be a very narrow and concrete set of ideas.  Other times, it is as if the word is used to refer to “everything truly Christian.”  Is the entire Bible “the gospel?” Is each discrete section of the Bible “the gospel?”  What exactly is “the gospel?”

My suspicion is that many an eye has glazed over while listening to the preacher proclaim an ill-defined gospel.

Working through the myriad appearances of the term in the New Testament, some interesting things become apparent.  In the majority of the cases, the term is not defined at all.

On one level, this makes me feel relieved when I think of my own definitional failures.  And yet, I doubt the New Testament writers chose not to define the term with every use so they could keep it a mystery (Eph. 3:6 notwithstanding).

That the gospel is so commonly spoken of and not usually defined indicates that it was a fabulously common term and that the New Testament church would have been expected to have known what it meant.  The early church leaders must have explained it well to them.

And, given the New Testament data, it appears they did so in three principle ways.  Briefly, they are as follows:.

• In the Synoptics, the gospel is characterized as the “coming of the kingdom.”

• In Paul’s writings, the gospel is defined in two ways.  Either it is the life and message of Jesus Christ with particular emphasis on the death and resurrection (i.e. 1 Cor. 15:1-8) or simply, “the grace” of Christ or of God (Gal. 1:6, Col. 1:6).

• There is a possible fourth definition in Acts 10:36 where Luke speaks of the preaching of the “gospel of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all).”

The three primary uses of the term overlap, interrelate and mutually reinforce one another.  In fact, I’m struck not by the diversity, number and breadth of definitions but by their clarity and limitedness.  In other words, the gospel is not “everything” (although its implications may affect “everything”).

In our use of the term in the church, we would do well to reflect the biblical usage.  As such, we ought to be careful not overly to broaden the definition of the gospel and make it to mean “everything Christian,” as we might be tempted to do.  The impulse behind such usage is good: the intention is outwardly to acknowledge the centrality of the gospel in all things Christian.  The end result, however, can be a diminishing of the most important aspects of the gospel (kingdom, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and grace).

If everything is the gospel, I may be satisfied that I have proclaimed it when in fact I may merely have told a nice Bible story or talked about an aspect of the Christian faith.

Perhaps a good way forward would be to say that the gospel is (somewhat) narrow in its meaning (stick to the three definitions) while at the same time boldly insist that the implications of the gospel reach to transform all things.

And there will come a time, you’ll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

I have grown weary in failure and frustrated at a lack of consistency in my ability to love my neighbors. Clear is the command of Jesus that we are to Love God and Love others; the beauty is in the simplicity of these words but only once a human attempts to live this out does he or she discover the monumental task at hand. I constantly fail my friends and family and vice versa. My good intentions to serve go awry when there is a hint of pride, self-service and arrogance. My idea of sacrificing for a brother or sister is tainted by an expectation to get something in return. A friend lent me a great book that explained this better than I could. The following is an excerpt from Henri J.M. Nouwen’s In the name of Jesus (p. 38).

[There is an] unconditional love [that] the evangelist John calls God’s first love. “Let us love,” he says, “because God loved us first” (I John 4:19). The love that often leaves us doubtful, frustrated, angry, and resentful is the second love, that is to say, the affirmation, affection, sympathy, encouragement, and support we receive from out parents, teachers, spouses, and friends. We all know how limited, broken, and very fragile that love is. Behind the many expressions of this second love there is always the chance of rejection, withdrawal, punishment, blackmail, violence, and even hatred. … These are all the shadow side of the second love and reveal the darkness that never completely leaves the human heart.

Nouwen goes on and provides hope to all who have experienced the aforementioned (p. 40)

The radical good news is that the second love is only a broken reflection of the first love and that the first love is offered to us by a God in whom there are no shadows.

My nature, human nature in general, is often reactionary. I am driven to do things because someone did something first for me. The reason we love God is because He first loved us. His love is perfect and without shadows, as Nouwen put it; it was not spurred on by anything we did; it came from His nature and His nature is love (I John 4:8). We can never match this love because His was first, and ours was a reaction. As I mentioned before, my discouragement with my incomplete love exists but it is overwhelmed by hope! Finally the lyrics of this song become relevant. “There will come a time, you’ll see, with no more tears and love will not break your heart but dismiss your fears.” There is a day in which this second love, the human love, will become like the first love. A day when we are face to face with Jesus and he gives that sweet first love which was always there, yet the love we return is just as sweet. We must live in constant awareness of our task to love God and our neighbors and not give up because we can never fully do so. Be encouraged by the knowledge that when we get over our hill as the song says, over our life here on earth, He waits for us to love and be loved perfectly.

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes have trouble wrapping my head around “Good Friday.”  Not in what God wrought, but more in the name.  It seems a paradox when we consider the trial and passion of our Lord, to think of it as good. It is in fact a time of mourning and sorrow.  It is a time to consider how human sin caused this death.  But it is also a time for us to remember God’s great love for us that He should submit and be obedient unto death for us.  It is in that way a “Good Friday” for us as we take this time to be reminded of this great love for us and to commemorate the wonder of it all.

For centuries the Church has commemorated this day in a multitude of ways.  Through history it has been a time of fasting and abstinence, a laying aside of ourselves to consider how Jesus laid aside himself for us.  St.  Augustine wrote this about Good Friday:  “For us he was unto thee both the victor and the victim, and therefore the victor, because he was the victim for us he was unto thee both Priest and the sacrifice, and therefore the Priest, because he was the sacrifice… I meditate upon the price of my redemption”  (Confessions X, xliii).However you choose to lay yourself aside this day, take the time to remember Him and what He has done.  Below is an outline for Good Friday devotions.Good Friday Devotional Outline (Printable Version)Morning

1. Ask God to help you lay aside yourself and to give this day to Him. Let His Spirit lead and open your heart to Him.
2. Read Psalm 22 and Psalm 54
3. Consider how God brought this about for you and the entire world
4. As the Lord speaks to you, take time to journal and or draw something that God has shared with you.
5. As God opens your heart let Him lead you to prayer.  Pray for what He places utmost upon your heart.

Noon

1. Ask God to draw you to and into His word, ask Him to speak to you by His Spirit and His word.
2. Read Lamentations 3:1-9, 3:19-33 and I Peter 1: 10-20
3. Consider how it is that God brought you to himself and continues to work in your life
4. What stands out for you? Ask God about those things.
5. Pray for those who are in need of Jesus.

Evening

1. Read John 13:36-38 and Matthew 27:45-50
2. Ask God to bring to mind all that He has put on your heart this day.
3. Pray

Note on Fasting:If you feel led to fast, we recommend a fast from solid foods beginning when you wake up and ending after the prayer meeting on Friday night.  In place of breakfast and lunch, read scripture and pray (using the above devotional).  If you do choose to fast, make sure to drink lots of liquids.  Keep your head up, don’t complain (Matthew 6:16-18), replace each hunger pang with a prayer and pay attention to Christ’s movement throughout the day.We’ll be gathering for prayer and a meal on Good Friday at Solano Church in Albany.

I have been thinking about good deeds. I find myself drawn to the aspects of the Gospel that emphasize our need to love our neighbors, serve the poor, care for the sick and be active in our faith. I am aware of my sinful nature shining through in these well-intended actions – there is always a sliver of selfishness in selfless deeds; always a moment of reluctance in generosity – but that is not what hit me the other day. I was recently convicted of my motivation for doing such loving acts. Often, Jesus is not the driving force. There should be no other motivation than Jesus. The rest of the world does good for goodness’ sake and I look no different if my love of Jesus is not my motivation for loving my neighbors.

In Mark 14, we read of a woman (believed to be Mary) anointing Jesus’ feet with very expensive oil. Like the disciples, I would have been indignant at such waste. Notice, their reaction was not to save the oil, nor use the money for drinks at the local watering hole, nor a new set of wheels for their wagon; no, their reaction was selfless! They said that the money could have been given to the poor. “Amen!” would have been my reaction. It was not Jesus’. “You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But I will not be here with you much longer” (Mark 14:6-7; New Living Translation). He commended Mary’s act of devotion to himself.As Oswald Chambers put it in My Utmost for His Highest, “Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did – not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him.”

Do we pour out ourselves, loving our neighbors because of a deep love for God and His creation? I don’t always. Yet this is the only way because as we give more of ourselves, we are filled with more of Him. “If you believe in me…rivers of living water will flow out from within…” (John 7:38). I encourage you, be reckless in your love of Jesus. At times it will look like service to the poor and needy and others it will be anointing our Lord’s feet. But, as Chambers reminds us, always, we are to “break ‘the flask’ of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him.”

In July of 1994 I decided that the best way he could spend the rest of my one, short life was to help others find and follow Jesus. I’ve been striving to do that ever since (sometimes even succesfully!). In addition to taking care of my family and being “Pastor” to many, OPISO is a further expression of that goal. I’ve has chosen to develop OPISO in community because I believe following Jesus can only be done well with the help of others. If something here has nudged you a little further along the path, drop us a note and tell us how.

Solano Community Church