My wife and I recently received a 2-disc program called, The American Gospel, through a ministry we love and trust! I highly recommend it and found it online as well at americangospel.com. I have included a trailer below as well.
A pastor friend of mine, Pastor Andy, recently wrote,
“What seems to be happening today is a culture that brings the world into the church. What I mean by that is that we develop a set of thinking that is more worldly and bring those habits and thoughts into the local churches, instead of standing firm in the culture of faith that we are called to in Christ Jesus. That brings with it political arguments, social arguments, and individual thinking arguments, instead of all being focused on the truth that Jesus lays out before us in Scripture. Listen to this part of Scripture: “The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29 As ONE in Christ we have found that culture of faith that enables us to stand up to anything the world throws at us, and not change, not lose that faith that keeps us unified and one in Christ. But in many cases we have adopted the culture of the world, where self-centered thinking, prejudices, and factions have erupted within the body of believers. Instead of being united on the tenants of faith in Christ, we are united only to those who think like us, and we develop objections to those who don’t think like us. Can’t we all see that this is a ploy of Satan to get those within the body to divide?”
This “bringing today’s culture into the church” has watered down the gospel and, particularly in America, made way for what’s been called the “prosperity gospel” or “the word of faith movement” which is being used to promote this materialistic, name-it-claim-it idea; making the Lord Jesus into basically a genie you call on when you need something!
We must get away from the idea that being a Christian is Jesus plus (+) … something else! Jesus plus anything is less than Jesus alone! Jesus IS the gospel! Pastor Alistair Begg (Parkside Church and Truth For Life) states:
“Jesus is Himself the gospel, the good news…
in the old testament He is predicted, in the gospels
He is revealed, in the acts He is preached, in the epistles
He is explained, and in the book of Revelation
He’s expected.”
We have to get back to Jesus first and only! Luke 10:27 states, “He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” We have to keep this in order … God first and everything else after!
Barnabas Man 