fixing the gospel

This post was a response I wrote concerning THIS post. But, since it took me hours to write, and it was to a post back in March, I figured I would repost it in my own blog as well.

Fixing the Gospel eh...

Well, it's not working cause it is just as you said "our gospel". We are only giving the world we encounter a piece, rather than the whole. All we are doing is praying for them to be drawn in, and when the few stragglers end up wandering into our churches, we preach to them. No wonder they don't hang around, I wouldn't. Just as we are hungry for God...so is the world, and we are the link for them, and we aren't giving God to them. We go to Him and ask Him for more, but the world comes to us looking for Him, cause they haven't met Him yet...and we preach to them?!? Come on church! Wake up! They are starving for something of worth, and we preach to them?!? Seriously.

Words don't feed the need. You forget what people say, but you never forget how someone made you feel. The world needs to feel God. They are looking for an experience with Him, an encounter. That's why they come in, and then they walk out saying "I've tried that, and it's not for me". If I didn't know God, I would walk away too, feeling emptier than when I walked in. We (the church) are telling people they need Jesus, but we are keeping Him to ourselves. Because why...? Fear. We're too scared. "Perfect love casts out fear". Why don't we try acting out of love, instead of fear? An athiest once asked my brother if he believed what he preached, my brother obviously answered yes, and then he told my brother "If I believed that Jesus is who you say He is, I would crawl on my hands and knees over continents of broken glass just to tell one more person". I want to scream at the church (and yes, I am a part of her) "WAKE UP! OPEN YOUR EYES!". The world around us is dying, we have the cure, and we are too afraid?!?! Get over it!

The whole Gospel is what they need. Look around, the world is dying without it. What is the "whole Gospel" then...? “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons and raise the dead”. That's what God told us to do. But no, we chose to "preach" instead, 'cause it's easier. What if Jesus chose the "easier" gospel? Think about that.
He was not a wimp, He set out to save humanity, and then, He passed it on to us.

"Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can't believe that, believe what you see—these works. The person who trusts me will not only do what I'm doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I've been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I'll do it. That's how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I'll do." ~John 14:11-14

"If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you(“heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons, raise the dead”). I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!" ~John 14:15-17

What are we doing with It?
It's time to stand up.

According to dictionary.com a "Christian" is
"a person who exemplifies in his or her life the teachings of Christ""following the teachings or manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus Christ"
"One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus"
...And still...
"One who lives according to the teachings of Jesus"

Come on church, this is from "dictionary.com". Don't we know this yet? The world knows who we are, it's time for us to learn it.
It's time to start actually being "Christians". It's time to give the world what they're asking for, what they need. Jesus.

Tough luck if it's hard, you're the one who signed up. Jesus never forced you. All He did was love you, and with that, you've either fallen in love with Him, or you haven't.
Being a Christian isn't "easy", but seriously, if you are out for the easy road, don't claim to be a "Christian". It's people like that that turn away the hungry. They are the reason the world is still lost. After an encounter with a "christian" like that, they are left with a bitter taste in their mouth, and all Jesus wants to do is feed them milk and honey, but He can't get close enough 'cause when they see what they think is Jesus, they run..."they've already tried that".

Look.
When someone gets healed, delivered, set free, or raised from the dead, you don't have to convince them of anything, they KNOW God is real, and they'll tell everyone they know. They then turn into evangelists and pull everyone around them to God, cause they've experienced Him. No preaching required. When someone genuinely experiences God, there is no one that can convince them He isn't real. They know, cause He just healed them! Does that not have the sound of revival to it?

We need to stop "preaching" to people, and we need to let them experience Him. Stop being so apathetic and get over your fears. We were COMMANDED to “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons and raise the dead”! So start doing it! The world is dying, and we know what to do about it.
Give them Substance, and there's no "convincing" needed. Our "job" is then made easy.

We can't save anyone, but the Jesus in us can. Get full of Him, and He'll do our job for us (thru us).
"The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that's who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him." ~John 14:21

C'mon church, lets turn this world upside down with the Gospel!