E☧ansion: A study through Acts
Cross Collective
GOSPEL. FAMILY. MISSION.
In many ways and at many times this message can be polluted or diluted, which makes it a False Gospel!
What do I mean by polluted?
I am speaking to our proclivity (tendency to do something regularly) to add things to the gospel such as our good works, our own effort or merits, which tend to lead to feelings of entitlement or behavioral superiority (when we unwittingly compare ourselves to others whom we deem moral failures).
What do I mean by diluted?
I am referring to the occasions where we revise the Good News and cheapen the affects of grace by rendering it one of many ways to go about living this life (pluralism), meanwhile swimming in denial by dumbing down the message that outlines our [continually] desperate need for a savior, and leaving out parts that are too demanding and costly on us as "independent individuals" in a society that values [false] freedom as virtue.
Which Gospel message have you received, and are now carrying, conveying, and expressing to others?
Email: crosscollective.sd@gmail.com
Location: San Diego, CA, United States
Home Church Gathering: Mira Mesa
Studying Acts 8:32-40
Monday, Feb 22, 2016, 07:00 PM
10653 Caminito Chueco, San Diego, CA, United States
Home Church Gathering: College Area
Studying Acts 8:32-40
Friday, Feb 26, 2016, 06:00 PM
3065 Estelle Street, San Diego, CA, United States
The Gospel brought to foreign lands and foreign people!
*The chart below is a great way to think about the true Gospel
- Gospel as a Story is the overarching narrative of Scripture
- Gospel as an Announcement is the message of the person and work of Jesus Christ
- Sinless life - Jesus' perfect righteousness and keeping of the Law
- Substitutionary death - Jesus as the atonement for all sin
- Resurrection - Jesus' victory over death (the result of sin)
- Ascension - Jesus has all authority and is the judge of all things
- Gospel in Community is the church as the manifestation of God’s Kingdom
9 False Gospels prevalent in the church today!
Therapeutic Gospel: Sin robs us of our sense of fullness. Christ’s death proves our worth as humans and gives us power to reach our potential. The church helps us find happiness.
Formalist Gospel: Sin is failing to keep church rules and regulations. Christ’s death gives me an agenda, so I can begin to follow the predescribed forms of Christianity.
Moralist Gospel: Our big problem is sins (plural) and not sin (nature). The purpose for Christ’s death is to give us a second chance and make us better people. Redemption comes through the exercise of willpower with God’s help.
Judgmentless Gospel: God’s forgiveness does not need to come through the sacrifice of His Son. Judgment is more about God’s goodness, not the need for human rebellion to be punished. Evangelism is not urgent.
Social-Club Gospel: Salvation is all about finding fellowship and friendship at church. The gospel is reduced to Christian relationships that help us enjoy life.
Activist Gospel: The kingdom is advanced through our efforts to build a just society. The gospel’s power is demonstrated through cultural transformation, and the church is united around political causes and social projects.
Churchless Gospel: The focus of salvation is primarily on the individual, in a way that makes the community of faith peripheral to God’s purposes. The church is viewed as an option to personal spirituality, or even an obstacle to Christlikeness.
Mystic Gospel: Salvation comes through an emotional experience with God. The church is there to help me feel close to God by helping me along in my pursuit of mystical union.
Quietist Gospel: Salvation is about spiritual things, not secular matters. Christianity is only about individual life change and is not concerned with society and politics.
*From "Counterfeit Gospels" by Trevin Wax