The Lost Gospel

When the US Marines advertise for recruits, they don't apologize for the mission. Their television commercials are full of grit and dust, explosions, warriors and weapons. They climax with the image of an alert man of war- highly disciplined, precisely uniformed, at ease with a gleaming sword. Then you see their slogan: "The few. The proud. The Marines."

The USMC is just looking for a few good men. And year after year, they attract young people who can be trained and equipped according to that vision. When bad comes to worse, they are prepared to be the point of the spear.

Then there's the American Church! My buddy Charles recently commented with a wry smile, "If we advertised that Christianity is about sacrifice, suffering and dying on a cross, nobody would want to do it!" So churches advertise with images of happy, wholesome young families and with words like acceptance and community. And when happy, young families show up at the highly publicized Community Church, they are greeted with a message that encourages them, "never settle for less than the best!" Some stay, while others wander away thinking, "I missed the US Open on HDTV for this?"

When I titled this blog the Lost Gospel, I wasn't thinking of the so-called gospel of Judas or Mary Magdalene. Those documents are not lost; they are rejected. They were set aside by the Church many centuries ago as too recent, incompatible with holy Scripture, and lacking in substance.

No, what's truly been lost in our own generation are key elements of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that don't mesh with the spirit of the age or appeal to affluent consumers. Unlike the the US Marines, US Christians have not signed up for warfare, spiritual or otherwise. Apparently, we're mostly here to be motivated for Success, to meet some other chill individuals with whom we can drink a latte, and to check off the box for "faith" in our to do list for achieving a balanced life. The happy people crammed into our mega church theater seats match the stock photo faces in our advertising- attractive and very successful. So it seems we got exactly what we were looking for: cute consumers who enjoy crowds! But is that really what the Heavenly Father was looking for? The Bible begs to differ.

The Book of Ecclesiastes assures us that every human being ultimately grows weary of this seasonal, short-term world and homesick for an Eternity that has been coded into our hearts. The First Epistle of John reminds us that we must not fall in love with the Culture, because it crowds out the love of God in our hearts, and it won't last anyhow. The Gospel of Matthew urges us to deny ourselves, pick up a cross and follow Jesus. Then there's the New York Times which makes it clear that sophisticated Americans are much more interested in chic relationships than religious authority.

I've just gotta say, something tells me that churches who live by the New York Times will die with the New York Times. But visionary churches that dare to preach the Gospel boldly will continue to find there are always men and women who hunger for something bigger and more timeless than themselves. Granted, the broad interstate turnpike to New York City will always be vastly more crowded than the road to life. But we were never called to draw a crowd. We have been commissioned to be The Army of Light: The few. The powerful. The bold.

Selah.

Visit our sermon page for the new series, The Lost Gospel.
Learn more about Pastor's new book at www.TreasureintheSand.org.