Surely you know...

surely you know what 'The Gospel' is?  How about defining it in a sentence?

I came across a blog the other day where someone had posted a lot of different definitions of 'The Gospel'.  He was worried that if Christians couldn't agree what the Gospel was then they couldn't accurately convey it's message to the world.  I thought I would have a stab at it.  Here goes:

Gospel = Good News. The 'Good News' were proclaiming is simple: Jesus is Lord. Let that be heard from the rooftops, from the churches, from the underground venues, from the halls of academia and let it resound throughout the pubs of this great land. 'Jesus is Lord'. There are as many reasons why this is good news as there are stars in the sky, grains of sand on the seashore and people whom God has loved. There are as many reasons as there are thoughts in the mind of God.

Jesus is Lord. Let me give you one reason why this is THE gospel...

The the second law of thermodynamics is subject to the reign of Christ and ultimately superseded by the promise that all things are brought together in him. The increase of Entropy will be overwhelmed by the increase of Shalom. Why? Because Jesus is Lord

Everyone you ask will explain why Jesus is Lord is good news in a different way.  Why?  Because he is the sufficient Lord.  Let that draw us to worship not worry.  Let that cause us to join together in praise not bickering.  Let that inspire your worship as you work, warm your hearts as you love and refuel your hope today.  Jesus is Lord.

The irony of Christmas

Waking up at 5am and feeling the unmistakable weight of a stocking loaded down with presents by your toes.  Jumping out of bed and running into your parents room to empty the stocking and rip the paper off - silly string, chocolate oranges, party poppers, a DVD, a book, a water pistol to chase your brother around the house with.  Realising that your allowed to eat as much chocolate as you want BEFORE breakfast!

Getting downstairs to find a roast gammon for breakfast, eggs, fresh home-made bread and your favourite juice on the table already.  Spotting the huge pile of presents under the tree and knowing it'll take you all afternoon to open them, build them and learn how to use them.

Physics-shattering miracles?

One of my favorite questions sent in after my talk on the 25th Nov @1830service was this:

Aristotle talked about a prime mover who kicked things off and left it.  I guess miracles are a sign there is an interventionist God.  But how many truly physics-shattering miracles have we seen?

I've seen a man blinded (probably by cataracts) healed by God while one of my friends was praying for them.  I've prayed with a woman incapacitated by advanced malaria serving her family with food less than 24 hours after being prayed for.  I've seen a friend walk out of his wheelchair and a huge bruise disappear on a different friend. I've heard accurate words of knowledge and seen countless people impacted physiologically and emotionally by the power of the Holy Spirit while being prayed for.

But these are all as nothing...

Can everything be explained without God?

I've been answering a number of questions that were sent in via text or tweet after my talk @1830service on the 25th Nov.  One of the toughest questions that was sent through that night was this:

'Outside the Bible, how can we find concrete evidence to help our friends who are looking for tangible evidence of God?  Everything I day as an example my friend explains it with science.  Even miracles, she doesn't believe in them.  Help!'

Faith with evidence?

Another question that got sent in on Sunday evening was this:

Does a sign which shows the existence of God as a certainty take away the point of faith? - faith being a belief in something you can't prove.

I think this is a great question - it gets at something really central in the Christian life.  We all talk about something called the 'Christian faith'  what is that thing?  Is it like the belief in the existence of Santa - unprovable, false but ultimately quite useful for a small child?  Is it like belief in the existence of gravity - provable, true and ultimately obvious and whether you believe it or not it makes no difference? Or is it something else entirely?

Can Jesus save ET?

There are always one or two questions that make you chuckle when you ask people to fire away. This is one of my favorite ones from Sunday night:

Would God create another planet, in another solar system with the right living conditions to support human life or is it just ours?

But other religions work too!

There were a couple of questions on Sunday night about other religions and this is one of them:

'What about people of other religions who believe that they have been changed in the same way that we, as Christians, feel that we have been changed?'

So I've met a number of Muslims who have had their life changed for the better as a result of following Islam. I've met Jews who have had a deeper sense of morality and care for the world because of their faith. I've met Mormons who have received a sense of purpose and value as a result of their new-found Mormon faith.