ORDINARYmoments
IN In early March, I attended the Family Discipleship Conference held by SCAC, and it revolutionised my view of the gospel. The speaker Rev Moses challenged us on the first night of the rally, he asked: Who is the gospel for?
Rev Moses explained the importance of the gospel. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” (1 Cor. 15:3) The gospel is of first importance. This “first importance” can also be translated as “most important”. In his letter, the Apostle Paul taught that the gospel is the most important, and Paul also repeatedly wrote of the great power of the gospel in the lives of believers. For example, in the book of 1 Corinthians, even though the believers already knew the gospel, Paul still preached the gospel to them (1 Cor. 15:1). In Romans 1:15, Paul said, “That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.” This refers not only to unbelievers, but to believers also. In other letters, such as Ephesians 1-3, Colossians 1-2, Romans 1-11, and Philippians 1-2, the opening chapters are all clarifying the gospel, only the later chapters are about applying the gospel in daily life.
Preaching the gospel to ourselves every day is to re-read these passages and allow the gospel to work in our lives. Only then can we change from the inside out. Many times, we only focus on the outward actions — what to do or what not to do — and we forget about the content and the power of the gospel. The gospel is not just a ticket to heaven, it is a gift of God; “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)
Now, I would read a short passage of these scriptures about the gospel and preach the gospel to myself. I understand more the width and the length and the height and the depth of the gospel that God has prepared for me. I am freshly aware of myself who is full of sin and completely helpless. I am totally amazed at the love of Jesus Christ for a sinner like me, “the just for the unjust” (1 Peter 3:18). The Father’s plan of salvation has begun from creation, and he has never given up on us.
The gospel is the power of God, and that is no exaggeration. I need to remember the gospel, meditate on it constantly in my mind, and say to myself, “Winnie, Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day. The gospel is the power of God. You must remember; you must live out the gospel.”
So, who is the gospel for? Answer: The gospel is not only for unbelievers, but even more so for believers.