Woke Church by Eric Mason

Author:Eric Mason
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 2018-03-13T16:00:00+00:00

The Gospel

I know that there has been much prophetic preaching without the gospel. But we need an explicit gospel in the prophetic preaching movement for this hour. When I say the gospel, I mean communicating the content and nature of the gospel. In the words of the apostle Paul: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3–4 ESV). We must have gospel elements in the message, either in whole or in part.

The preached message must address the reality of sin, on an individual level as well as on a systemic level. This is an unpopular notion in a culture where everything is relative and there are no absolutes. But God’s Word teaches us—and we know by experience—that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). That message is more important now than ever before.

And then there is the truth of the gospel. We’ve already discussed that, but it bears repeating. God, in His matchless grace, took on human flesh to live among sinful men and to die a substitutionary death to pay for all of our sins. Christ died to satisfy the righteous demands of God. And He rose from the dead, providing access to the Father for everyone who would believe in His name. That’s the gospel. The cross is the sign that hangs over the head and is planted in the heart of the prophetic preacher. In order to preach with power and stand under the weight of the world’s brokenness, we must stand on the stained grounds of the cross. That is why Paul could say, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2 ESV). Paul prioritized Jesus’ sacrificial death when communicating to the Corinthians. And it was under the shadow of the cross that he challenged their party spirit, worldliness, and immorality.

In preaching the cross, one must communicate not only what the gospel is, but also what the gospel does. If we say what it is but don’t proclaim what it does, then we communicate God’s power abstractly. Communicating in prophetic preaching demands saying what the gospel does. In 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 Paul gives the content of the gospel, but in Romans 1:16 he gives the nature of the gospel: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.” The gospel is the power of God to make changes in people. We must be filled with faith for this as we preach. It isn’t just a shouting message; it is a transformational one. There is power in the Word! Without power, what is preaching? You can speak on justice and race with rhetorical excellence, but if the gospel isn’t presented, heart change won’t happen.

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