Growing Gospel?!

"Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing--as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, . . . ." Colossians 1:5b,6

In this passage, the Gospel is spoken of as "bearing fruit" and"growing." Now this might be confusing if you only think of the Gospel as a set of teachings which one must believe in order to be saved. In the Bible, the Gospel is so much more! Now the Gospel has definite content! There are certain truths which one simply must believe or spend eternity in Hell. For example: One must believe that the One True God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; one must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, born of a virgin, lived a perfect life of obedience to His Father, died on the cross as a substitute for everyone who would ever believe on Him, He rose from the dead and now is seated at the right hand of His Father reigning; One must believe that God accepts only those who turn from their sin and trust wholly on Jesus for their acceptance and not on their actions or performance. But the Gospel is more than a list of teachings. Before we can understand something of what this verse means by the growth of the gospel, we must first explore a little into the nature of the gospel.

The Gospel is of first importance.
I am sure we would all agree that the Gospel is important, but how important would you say it is in the life of the Believer and the Local body? In 1 Corinthians 5:2-4, the Apostle Paul says"By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,. . ." Now, when the Apostle Paul says that he delivered the Gospel as of first importance, he means that the Gospel is both elemental and priority in the Christian life. We enter the Christian community and communion with Christ by believing the Gospel, therefore, it is elemental- you cannot be a Christian without it! Also, once a person professes faith in Christ, great care ought to be given to making sure that that person properly understands the gospel enough to articulate it to themselves and to others.
The Gospel also has priority among the body of truth which the Church is to believe, teach, and guard. That is, the Gospel is more important than any thing else the Church teaches- more important than: Spiritual Gifts, who should be baptized and why, end times, etc. . Because the Gospel has priority, my conviction is that it also should have prominence. How often do we reherse the Gospel for ourselves and our churches? Does the Gospel have first place with us?

The Gospel is a power plant which empowers holiness.
Romans 12:1 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Notice the relationship between the "mercies of God" and the appeal for the whole person presentation to God. Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, uses the declaration of the "mercies of God"(i.e., all that has been told prior to ch. 12 of Romans) as the appeal to holiness.
I can't remember who is was who said that "there are a mulitude of angles at which one may fall, but only one angle at which one may stand." This is also true when it comes to holiness. There are too many programs out there which promise a "foot-up" for sanctification, but end up in legalism and self-righteousness or even licentiousness. Only by keeping the Gospel central as our appeal to holiness can we avoid encouraging self-righteousness. The Gospel tells us to look first at who we really are (transgressors, rebels, hell-deserving, dead in sins, at war against God from birth, etc.) and, then look to Jesus who has perfectly fulfilled the Law on our behalf (earning the righteousness we needed to stand in right relationship to God) and has died in our place(totally satisfying the Father's wrath against our sin) and has risen again proving the truth of all He said was true. When we see (the the grace and help of the Holy Spirit) our true selves and the grace of Jesus Christ which more than answers our guilt, the result is energy to holiness [Psalm 132:19 "I run in the path of your commands. . .(NIV)] without the pull to self-righteousness because the whole basis is the righteousness of Jesus. (For further consideration, I recommend Holiness By Grace by Bryan Chapell and Future Grace by John Piper)
The Gospel also promises the power to do what it calls us to. The Gospel promise is that when the most defiled person in the universe turns from sin to faith in Jesus alone, God has sent His Holy Spirit to indwell and empower that Believer (John 7:38). Therefore, the Believer is not called on to muster up stregnth that is his own, but, instead, is called to work hard knowing Who is really working (Phil. 2:13This is grace-motivated, grace-empowered holiness.

The Gospel is a measuring rod for Christian living.
Listen carefully to this incredible verse from Scripture: "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, . . ." Philippians 1:27 (see also Galatians 2:14 and Ephesians 4:1) The imagery behind the phrase "worthy of the Gospel of Christ" is of a set of scales, old time scales, with the Gospel on one side and our lives on the other. The call is to balance out the scales with the beauty of a holy life.

Therefore, holiness of life is judged by the Gospel and not by successful completion of a certain group's list of do's an don'ts. This is why in Galatians 2:14, Paul says that he confronted Peter publicly regarding actions which were not "in step with the Gospel." Peter's claim to be owned by the Gospel was being contradicted by his actions. Do you know of someone who is really struggling with worldliness? INUNDATE them with the Gospel and beg the Holy Spirit to make it all make life changing sense. This is what Paul does in 1 Corinthians 6:19b and 20. He says "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." Fathers, do you want to see your wife and children walk in holiness? Wash them with the Gospel constantly and show them how the Gospel lays claim on them in every area of life. Wash them with the gospel until it is what they eat and breathe and think and FEEL!

The Gospel is a blossoming flower enriching every aspect of the Christian's life. (v.6)

When we are so gripped with the Gospel of Christ that it is our very heart-beat, we begin to see illustrations and reminders of it every where we look. When we are reminded of the love of God in Christ for us, our hearts will respond with gratefull faith, love, worship, and obedience. This effect redeems even the ordinary things in our lives. Seeing a homeless man on the side of the road reminds us of our condition before Christ saved us (though ours was actually much worse) and we are reminded of how God took initiative to not only meet our needs, but lavish us with lovingkindness and so we are moved to do the same for that homeless man who stinks and may get our car's carpet dirty. Buying groceries will remind us of how God daily and generously meets every need according to the riches of His grace. So, instead of feeling entitled to a steak dinner because I worked so hard for the money, I wonder how I can bless others with this lovingkindness and show the nature and goodness of the Father who is meeting my needs and so many of my wants! A walk in the park becomes a fresh revelation of God's love for you because you see the marvelous colors and intricate design of the flowers and you remember that God loves you so much that he beautified this world for your enjoyment and so you give Him thanks and worship Him for His creativity and love (see Psalm 29). Every area of life is claimed,redeemed, and enriched by the Gospel Reality. This happens progressively and that is why I made the connection with a blossoming flower. The beauty starts small and then increases exponentially! Eventually, the beauty is emanating from the flower so that all who pass by are struck with its effect. May it be, Lord Jesus!

The Gospel preached and demonstrated is the way in which the Kingdom of God advances in the Earth.
In John 18:36, Jesus plainly declared that His "kingdom is not of this world. If [His] kingdom were of this world,[His] servants would have been fighting." The Kingdom of God is not advanced by sword or threats! The Kingdom of God is advanced in the earth as the Gospel message is preached with the annointing of the Holy Spirit and believed and lives are transformed by it. When the Gospel is preached and demonstrated in the power of the Holy Spirit, the reign of Christ is expanded. The gracious influence of the gospel and the gospel-defined community is multiplied. So, as the Gospel is preached to more people and believed by more people, the Gospel is having a "growing" influence.

When God raises up men to preach His message of redeeming love, he also sends out His Holy Spirit to use what is preached to make alive those who are dead in sin (Romans 10:17). When the Spirit makes them alive, they become willing love-slaves to King Jesus and spread His reign throughout their lives. But the Gospel is meant also to be demonstrated according to 1 Corinthians 2:4,5. That is the grace and compassion of Christ should be demonstrated by His messengers through sacrificial service and prayer for healing and deliverance for the afflicted (Isaiah 61:1-3), and in these ways, the Gospel grows! the Kingdom of God grows/advances!

The Growth of the Gospel in individuals and in the World

When we speak of the growth of the Gospel in individuals, we are speaking of the process by which more and more of a person is brought to love-generated submission to the gracious reign of God. As this process progresses in individuals, more and more people are brought into loving submission to King Jesus and when large numbers are brought into this relationship, cities change, whole states change, nations change, even the world changes.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. . ." Romans 1:16

Grow, Gospel, Grow! Grow, Gospel, Grow! Grow, Gospel, Grow!

Our cry, then, is "Grow, Gospel, Grow!" Oh, God, let me see more and more of the wonder of your redeeming grace. Let me not only see it, but be gripped by it! May my life be worthy of the Gospel. May I adorn the gospel of Christ with my life. And not just me! May the city of Senoia, GA see much more of the wonder of your redeeming love and be transformed by it. The whole state of GA, Lord, love to submission to King Jesus!

Our calling, then, is to make our lives "greenhouses" which maximize the growth of the gospel in our own lives and in the lives of others! May it be, Holy Spirit!

Pursuing gospel growth with you,

Daniel