Tethered to the Gospel?

Tethered = a cord that anchors something movable to a reference point.

What is it you live and die for? What is it that makes you who you are? What separates you from the youthful naive young person you once were (other than age)? What is the heart of who you are? What is the one thing that tethers you to solid ground when the waves get HUGE?

For many they would first say, their family (what happens if they move away, or get seriously ill, or even pass away). Others may say their occupations or college degrees (sometime in the future you will retire or become incapable to continue). Some may even say their group of friends or location. But, to those of us who claim to be a Christian there must be something more profound, something so life-changing it separates us from a reformed Mormon, Buddhist or Atheist. It is the one thing that marks us as different to the world. It is the one thing that, when putting together a self time line there is that moment in time when your life changed...You were going in one direction and then did a 180 in a completely different direction. Your heart's affections changed from that of self-serving to self-sacrificing, from one of selfish ambitions to that of holiness and spiritual growth.

The one thing I am talking about is The Gospel. The good news of Jesus' sacrificial atonement upon the cross for your sins (your rebellion to a Holy God..your willful disobedience to a God that had written His law upon your heart). There became a moment in time that you did not first see Jesus dying for you but because of you. Many people now days have tried to lessen the blow of our sin in order to not offend anyone. But the problem with that is if you lower the sin you lower the sin payment. Those with much sin, have a big savior. Those with little sins or just sinful "accidents", "mistakes", or "boo-boo's" have a tiny savior and do not esteem the cross. So there is a great harm done to both the sinner and the integrity of the gospel.

So my question is...What tethers you? What is your rock? Where do you find true fellowship? What do you see as man's greatest need? Is it that of the gospel or is it that of worldly comforts? It is a sad state of the church when they set aside the main message and replace it with that of social issues like missions without the gospel, feeding the hungry without the gospel, and clothing the poor without the gospel. If what tethers you in this life is feeling good about yourself by just helping others without telling them they are sick with sin and need to be cleansed then what did you do? You made them more comfortable to go to hell. They have full bellies to go to hell with, they are warm and clothed for their trip to hell, and they have drinking water to taste before they go to hell.

What am I saying? Those things are bad? Not if they are things done to back up the message we are already sharing, preaching and proclaiming. But when those things are done to substitute the gospel, we must admit that we love ourselves more than those we serve. Because rather than risk me being labeled weird or them being offended, we would rather have them walk off with a fresh drink of water and nobody feels awkward....but, there is a problem, they are dying, they are slipping into eternity day by day.

I am sure the day the Doctor had to sit me down in a small side room by myself to tell me that my little beautiful baby was diagnosed with a heart defect that would cause many open heart surgeries felt awkward for him. But love and duty compelled him to tell me. I would have never allowed him to operate on her and work on her heart if there really wasn't problem? Why would I accept a possible cure if I did not know she was sick? He loved me enough to tell me the problem and by God's grace and mercy there have been 2 open heart surgeries that were very effective. Who will take the cure (The Cross) unless the Dr (Christians) explains to people that they are sick first? How is it considered loving to ignore the problem in order to not offend anyone?

So how does this happen?

Well there are two things that come to mind...

A. Either they don't really believe in hell (although Christ taught twice as much on hell then on heaven) or they just simply disregard that doctrine all together.

B. They are unconverted and in a mind-set of self-righteousness. They think that people are all generally good and therefore not going to face any judgment, that God won't send these overall good people to hell. The problem with this thinking is that their bar for goodness is themselves..."As long as those people are "as good as me", they really don't have anything to worry about."
But, let's now try that same mind-set in prison (and I have)...

"Mr. Money Extortioner, are you a bad guy? Even though you stole over $20,000 dollars from a nursing home?" Answer, "Well, I think I am a pretty good guy, I am not like the women abuser next door!"

"Mr. Woman Abuser, are you a good person?" Even though you beat your wife of 15 years up so bad that she had to go to the hospital and is now on life support?" Answer, "Well, I think I am a good guy overall. At least I am not like the child abuser next door!"

And, then on and on it goes...The murder is not like the mass murder, etc, etc, etc. We all think we are good when the standard is our self. But, what if that standard is higher and when it's broken it is against a perfect Holy God? Should He lower His bar simply because we cannot meet it? Should He turn a blind eye to justice?

Is lying or looking with lust really that bad? Well, it is if the judge says it is. And, we cannot be let go simply because we hope God will grade on a curve. There is one way of escape and that is repentance from sin (turning from sin) and trusting in Christ fully to save you. The moment you do that you will get a new heart with new desires and God will make you born again.

The book of Galatians starts out with a powerful negative statement unlike any other that Paul had written. No open compliment to that church or "Your faith is well known" kind of thing but vs 6, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon away from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ."

There are times when being nice or being in unity are just simply wrong. There are times when your good works are not pleasing to God and that is when those works are replacing the message of the gospel. The death, burial and resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ and remission of sins by repentance and faith.

Be tethered to the gospel of Christ not the gospel of the world which unites around everything but Christ. Let unity be with love to God and to His gospel and work together to take that message further and deeper into unreached people then ever before.

Galatians 6:14, "But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."