As I look around, I can’t help but feel uneasy with the state of Christianity in America. So many Christians don’t seem to be walking in the fullness of God’s purposes and promises. They have believed the gospel message and know they are going to heaven… but that’s about it. Sure, there are the standard Christian habits tacked on: read your bible, pray, go to church, etc. But beyond that, many haven’t gone much further in their faith because they haven’t been taught the fullness of the gospel message and how God intended it to transform their lives.
Is Status Quo Enough For You?
It makes me wonder if many Christians today are ok with the status quo or if they’re going through the motions of their Christian life, doing what they’ve been taught, while secretly wondering if there is more to this faith than what they’ve been taught. Maybe they’re simply afraid to ask because they assume everyone else around them is ok with the way things are and they don’t want to look foolish? I met a woman a couple of years ago and this was her story. She was longing for more, but few if any, around her shared her desire. She assumed this must be all there is and was on the verge of walking away from her faith when God intervened in His grace.
I’ve come to realize that for many believers today, this is their reality. They long for more from a faith that promised to quench their thirst1. Yet they’ve been led to believe that what they are currently experiencing in church and their personal walk is all there is to the gospel and the Christian faith.
Why Christians Aren’t Experiencing The Fullness Of The Gospel?
If it is true that many Christians are not experiencing the fullness of the gospel, one must ask: why? Why aren’t we seeing it in those around us? Why aren’t many experiencing more of it themselves, even while quietly longing for more?
Proverbs says2 people perish for a lack of knowledge. Therein is the problem. Many are unaware of the fullness of God’s grace and the goodness of the gospel.
If people don’t understand the fullness of the gospel they surrendered to, how can they experience it? They can’t!
People must be taught it and comprehend it before they can actively walk in it. Most Christians have probably been taught a gospel that says if they place their faith in Jesus, they are now saved from the penalty of sin and are going to heaven instead of hell.
This type of gospel presentation has created two problems.
- It has led many to treat the gospel like it is just a ticket for getting to heaven.
- It has tragically led many Christians to turn to the world to solve the earthly problems they face today.
To be clear, salvation from the penalty of sin and spending eternity in heaven is GREAT news!
But if heaven is what we are saved for, and the gospel is only good news in eternity, then why are we still here today? Why wouldn’t God hurry up and take us there to be with Him?3
Because, while the gospel IS good news for eternity, it is also good news for TODAY! While it solves the problem of sin’s penalty, it also solves the problem of sin’s POWER over your life here and now!
The Problem With The Modern Christian Experience
Sadly, many are rarely taught the implications of the gospel for life today. Instead, they are taught a lot of do’s and don’ts, and to hold on for heaven to come quickly. As a result, we have drifted far from what God intended to be the normal Christian life. While leaders may mean well, the problem with boiling down the Christian life to a checklist of “dos and don’ts” is that:
- It puts too much emphasis on behavior modification,
- It ignores the power of God to transform lives from the heart, and
- It loses sight of the beauty of abiding in Christ as the norm for Christian living.
While I am in danger of overgeneralizing, please understand the point I’m trying to make in this short post: There is more to the gospel than “one day”. While that day will be glorious, and I long for it, much of the gospel’s power was intended to be experienced in daily life!
There IS More To The Gospel, And It Is Awesome!
So what is the “more” of the gospel that’s for today? How did God intend for it to impact and transform our daily lives?
In addition to eternity in heaven, the gospel also teaches truths that impact your life today such as:
- Who God is and what He is really like,
- You are under a new, better covenant, that completely changes how God interacts with you compared to those living in the Old Covenant
- Who you are in Christ and how your new identity changes your life from the inside out,
- That God has a good purpose for your life and what it is,
- God wants you to know Him deeply and to have a close daily walk with Him,
- Jesus came to give you abundant life, filled with joy and peace, today,
- Jesus has already won the victory over sin and Satan and intends for you to walk in His victory daily,
- You have been chosen and called to participate with God in accomplishing His 3 purposes on the earth,
- The Kingdom of God isn’t only a place, it’s a way of living each day that changes everything when it is established in your heart!
The gospel is good news about all this and so much more!
The question you must consider is: Are you experiencing all of these things in your Christian walk? If you are, then praise God! If you aren’t, then what are you going to do about it?
The Tekoa Project was created to help people step into the “more” God intends for them. Don’t be satisfied with the status quo. God intended your Christian life to be so much more than just for eternity.
If you are hungry for more then I invite you to join us at The Tekoa Project and get ready to take your faith further by joining our newsletter using the form below! One of the first ways we will help you is through blog posts like this and our upcoming podcasts. By joining our newsletter, you will be notified when new content is posted and when the podcasts launch later this month.
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Footnotes:
- John 7:37 (ESV): On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ↩
- Proverbs 29:18 (ESV): Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. This teaches us that where there is no divine revelation of God’s word and will, the people will live according to their own ways. In other words, if you don’t know what God desires for you, how can you live it? ↩
- When viewed this way, something about this “good news” doesn’t fully add up. It seems to boil down to “Give up the fun in life now and you can go to heaven later”. Tragically, this the mindset many have about the gospel because it’s the basis of what they have been taught. While we must teach people to turn away from sin, we must also teach them the joys of righteous living for today! ↩
