My Gospel has a Hole in It

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Thursday, October 10, 2013    Dick White

“Then the King will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you fed me.  I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink.  I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.  I was naked, and you gave me clothing.  I was sick, and you cared for me.  I was in prison, and you visited me.’”

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord when did we ever see you hungry and feed you?  Or thirsty and give you something to drink?  Or a stranger and show you hospitality?  Or naked and give you clothing?  When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’”  

“And the king will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me.’”                                    Matthew 25:23-40  

 

In chapter 5 and throughout his entire book, Richard Stearns talks about two gospels:  the whole gospel and the one with the hole in it.  The latter he calls a fire insurance policy.  “I do a deal with God, buy the insurance policy, put it in my drawer, and then I can go back to the party.”  

Back in 1956 (yes, I’m that old) I was in a confirmation class at the Pennside Presbyterian Church.  We were given a “Catechism for Young Children” to memorize.  It contained 145 questions and answers fundamental to our faith.  I would say it did not contain the whole gospel.  There was no mention at all of the Kingdom of God.  Yet it appears 125 times in the New Testament.  Jesus said in Luke 4:43, “I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”  

After graduating from high school and beyond my parents’ control, I adhered to no gospel, with or without a hole.  Then after we had our first son, we felt a need for “fire insurance.”  My wife and I prayed the sinner’s prayer and got our ticket to heaven.  We were set.  We attended church regularly and belonged to home fellowship groups.  By most standards, we were “model Christians.”  

But like many Christians, my wife and I grew up with a diminished view of the gospel.  Anything outside of the weekly hour in worship was entirely optional.  We sponsor a Compassion International child and a Tamani orphan.  But that’s just writing two checks a month.  Do I cry for what makes Jesus cry?  

This book is having a significant impact on me.  Stearns says, “I will never find my deepest purpose in life until I find my place in God’s Kingdom.”  

Am I available and willing to be used?  Am I willing to pay the price that comes with following Jesus because changing the world and following Jesus isn’t easy?  

If I am to believe the whole gospel, it will make demands on my lifestyle and my behavior.  Decisions about how I spend my money and my time, how I relate to others, how I demonstrate God’s love, how I tell the story of the Good News to others – all will be changed.  

I can’t wait to see how the Holy Spirit works this out in my life.  Right now, I’m still “unfinished.”

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