WE'VE LOST THE GOSPEL - Andrew Strom
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
-by Andrew Strom.
There is no tragedy in the world worse than this - the church
losing the gospel. We could have a hundred terrorist attacks, or
earthquakes, or hurricanes, and it would still not outweigh the
tragedy of this one thing - WE HAVE LOST THE GOSPEL.
Nothing can compare to this disaster - nothing.
For when you lose the gospel, you lose salvation. People are
actually no longer becoming saved. (Remember, Paul said that
the gospel is the "POWER OF GOD unto salvation"). And when
people are no longer truly becoming saved, you also lose the
church. For no true gospel = no true church.
People will tell me that I am being too "drastic". Well, I want to
say to you that I am not being drastic enough. In fact, if I were to
shout through 1000 megaphones directly into your ears, it would
not be possible for me to overemphasize just how disastrous and
awful and horrific it is that our backslidden Western church today
has - to all intents and purposes - lost its gospel. And in doing so
it has lost its very reason for being.
We tell everybody that all they need to do is say a little rote
prayer accepting Jesus as their "personal savior". Tell me, where
is such a thing in Scripture? Does such a thing even come close
to existing? Can you recall even ONE person doing such a thing
to become a Christian in the Bible? Did any of the Apostles in Acts
ever say to someone, "Just repeat this little prayer after me"? Or
"Quietly slip up your hand - no need for anyone to see"? Can you
remember ANYONE in Scripture doing anything like that?
No, you can't. That is because nobody ever did. It is all a modern
fabrication - a complete invention. -This is no salvation at all. We
act like people can safely forget about CONVICTION of sin and
DEEP REPENTANCE and WATER-BAPTISM and getting FILLED
with the Holy Spirit. -Just "optional extras", eh? But look at 'Acts'
and tell me - was there ever such a thing as real Christianity with-
out these things? And what about getting a CLEAN CONSCIENCE
(-washed in the blood) and KEEPING IT CLEAN? Are we ever told
how to walk in THAT today?? -To actually "walk" in the washing of
the blood of Jesus? To be clean, to be utterly "Clean", to be
EVERY WHIT CLEAN?? (-The most important thing in the world).
Where is this in our gospel? Where is the transformed life? Where
is the "FREEDOM" from sin?
We have lost it all. Our people very rarely repent. They often go
for years without baptism (-meaning, according to Romans 6, that
their "old man" is not yet dead - and so they simply cannot live
a new life in Christ). Read Romans 6 sometime and ask yourself
this question- "If I have not been baptized, then is my old life
"buried" with Christ or not? Is my 'old man' dead or not?" -This is
why the apostles always baptized people STRAIGHT AWAY.
And then we often fail to get people 'FILLED' with the Spirit straight
away too - let alone "walking" in the Spirit. Tell me, how are we
supposed to have 'HOLINESS' if we have not even been filled with
the "HOLY" Spirit? Why do you think that the apostles always
made sure that people became Spirit-filled STRAIGHT AWAY??
Most of us do not even have "Day One" Christianity as it was in the
Bible. We have lost the gospel and we don't even know it. We have
invented a gospel of 'convenience', a gospel without the cross, a
gospel without holiness or the power to live a Christian life. -A
gospel that shows no-one how to get a CLEAN CONSCIENCE
or how to WALK IN IT. I want to say to you that such a gospel is
NO GOSPEL AT ALL. And we should be ashamed of ourselves
for preaching such a travesty.
No wonder today's church is lukewarm! The gospel is the building
block upon which everything else is built. Without it we have
nothing - literally nothing. It affects all that we do and all that we
are. To lose it is simply the worst disaster imaginable. So how on
earth can we get it back?
Well, we have spoken about "Revival" many times on this List. But
what a lot of people don't realize is that the 'RETURN OF THE
GOSPEL' was often the key that brought about the Great
Awakenings - the GOSPEL being restored and preached in power.
The longest-lasting Revivals always involved the "RETURN OF
THE GOSPEL". That is precisely what was happening with the
preaching of Wesley, Finney, Whitefield, etc. And it has to happen
again today!
So "Revival" to me is far more than just a fleeting visitation. It is
to be the long-lasting restoration of the true gospel - and thus the
true church also. If we want true Christianity restored today, we
must first see THE GOSPEL restored. It is the most important
key to it all. O God, send such a Revival! BRING BACK THE
GOSPEL and those who will PREACH IT! O God, we cry out to
you in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Send feedback to- prophetic@revivalschool.com
God bless you all.
Andrew Strom.