Sunday, March 18, 2012

what is a Gospel centered church?

GOSPEL Centered Church
| Sola Scriptura | Sola Fide |Sola Gratia |
| Solo Christo | Soli Deo Gloria |

1 Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")
2 Sola fide ("by faith alone")
3 Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
4 Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone")
5 Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")

stream of consciousness

I wanted to see what kind of sermon I would preach if I just started rambling with no outline.  I wanted to see what I sounded like unedited...this is what you get for better or worse when I'm turned loose:

When the Church operates around programs and man’s power without dependence first on God’s indwelling and unifying Holy Spirit (who is in fact God), we present a community of do-gooders and people with the willpower to clean their own lives up.  A self-sufficient man powered church is repelling to the broken, the lost, the poor, the needy, and is also repulsive to the power of God who demands we come to Him in humility and repentance.

Man powered churches leave no room for God to dwell.  It isn’t a matter of preference of worship style, it is a counterfeit gospel, it steals the power of the true gospel and ignores the authority of the cross.  Never may it be. NO! 

The Gospel is for the sick, the weak, the failing, the poor, the down and out, those who are grieving, despairing and incapable of fixing things on their own.  We serve the God of the second chance, the third chance, the seventy times seven chances.  Broken people and broken lives get healed here by the power of the cross manifested by the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Our God does not tell us to get our acts together, try harder, will ourselves better, clean ourselves up.  NO!  Our God says give me the down trodden, the broken, the suffering, those who are screwed up by what has been done to them, or what they have done to themselves.  Our God is the redeemer.  Our God is the rescuer.  Our God is the all powerful loving LORD!  Don’t rob Him of His glory because you want to turn the church into a bunch of people following some form of spiritual self-help. 

Do not pretend we have got it all together.  And you better not pretend you are not a sinner.  Do not mock the God who died to free us from all that binds us to the darkness prevalent in our hearts.  Repent.  Get right with God, and He will take care of making you right. 

Don’t bother trying to clean yourself up.  Forget it, that is the way of the fool and the Pharisee.  You need Jesus.  You need a Savior.  You need a Lord for your life, because you aren’t fit for the job.  Don’t pretend otherwise.  The Church is not for the healthy, but for the sick. 

The Church is for the weak, the Church is for the losers, the Church is for the humble in spirit who know they are in trouble.  Preach your false prosperity Gospel somewhere else.  We’ve got trouble here.  We’ve got wounding here.  We’ve got real gut-wrenching needs here.  And we have a God big enough to fill every hole, every need, and mend every broken heart.  If you don’t have a hole for God to fill then you are either a liar or in denial.  Admit your need.  Admit your brokenness.  Admit your desperation and be healed.  He is good, he is willing to receive any and all who come to Him.  He has died and risen with you in mind.  He will not forsake you.  He will not leave you.  He will not abandon you.  He Has not left us alone as orphans.  He has promised Himself to us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  You just need to receive Him.  You need Jesus.  Do it now.  It isn’t a charismatic thing.  It isn’t a Pentecostal thing.  It is a Jesus thing.  He promised He would send the Holy Spirit.  He operated in the power of the Spirit.  He told the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit before they entered into ministry.  If Jesus said it was necessary and good, who are you to tell him otherwise? 

Have I offended you?  Good!  Be offended, but don’t leave here without the Holy Spirit.  Be offended enough to get right with God.  You know what is being challenged?  You know why you are offended?  Because your power struggle with God was just dragged into the light; you’ve been exposed.  You are uncomfortable with allowing the Holy Spirit to call the shots.  You are uncomfortable with the Holy Spirit ruling your heart.  You are uncomfortable with the demands the gospel will put on your life.  Look Christianity is free, but it costs you everything.  Quit kidding yourself, and quit toying with God.  Do it now, get right with Jesus.  Cry out for Him to save you.  Admit your need.  Admit your desperation.  Surrender to Jesus.  It is the best decision you will ever make.  He will afflict you, He will chasten you, He will chafe you, He will drive you, and in doing so, in allowing Him to inconvenience you, you will fall hopelessly and desperately in love with Him.  You will know Him and all your pains will be counted as joy for the intimacy with God it brings.  Let Him invade you.  Let Him master you.  Give in, surrender to His mighty embrace.  Allow Him to love you so you might know what real love is.