The Power of the Gospel

This week the evening sermon looked at Romans 1:8-17. At the end of that passage, Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for salvation. As I prepared to preach that passage I was forced to contemplate whether I too could say the same thing as Paul. Am I unashamed of the Gospel because I am convinced that it alone is the means God uses to transform human beings? Do I believe that the Gospel alone is sufficient by the power of God to do the work of God in building his church?

There is tremendous pressure in today's evangelical subculture to find new measures to guarantee success. Music, small groups, alternative services, etc., are all touted as the means of success. We are told that if we follow this or that program more people will trust Christ and our churches will grow. Unfortunately, many of these programs become a substitute for the Gospel. If I am reading Paul correctly, the success of any program lies only in its ability to faithfully proclaim and adhere to the Gospel. If the focus is anything but the Gospel, we have missed God's saving power.

As a pastor I am becoming more and more convinced that my job is not to grow the church or build the kingdom. God does those things. My job is not to draw a crowd or build up self-esteem. Those are false goals. My job is not to help people find their purpose in life or to improve their relationship skills. Those are false gospels. My job is to faithfully and unapologetically preach the Gospel of Christ. God has promised that when His Gospel is preached, His Spirit will take the Word of God - the Gospel - and produce faith in those who hear. That's something we need to believe in!