The Gospel Alone Deserves Top Billing

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. ~1 Corinthians 1:17

It’s not for our becoming culturally relevant that our Lord Jesus suffered and died.

It is reported that some one sent to know whether Luther thought it was permissible to use warm water in baptism. Luther is said to have replied, "Tell the blockhead that water, warm or cold, is water."

Methodology isn't the gospel. Methods come and go, while the gospel alone deserves top billing. I've been preaching and writing (although its been light years since I stood in a pulpit) for over two decades now and I have seen every latest and greatest tactic under the sun, each employed in the name of being relevant of course.

The clear and present danger we young communicators of the gospel message face isn’t that we lack relevance in our approach. If anything, the pitfall we must guard against is getting hung up on being too relevant—there is such a thing. It's called putting the cart before the horse, bowing to the golden calf known as pragmatism instead of throwing ourselves at the foot of the cross and preaching from there. It’s an over-emphasis on being cool at the expense of being biblically sound and faithful. In other words; being relevant at any cost seems to have replaced doing our darndest to somehow be true to the gospel message.

We have been charged with a mandate to unwrap and present the riches found within the pages of scripture—not to spearhead a campaign to canonize the latest fad book. Our high calling isn’t to memorize the most up-to-date book on modish terminology—or even stay on top of the latest trends. God’s as impartial about whether we dress grunge, preppy, or indie style—as he is about our favorite baseball team winning the World Series this year (sorry Cubs fans). Heaven forbid our jeans aren't from Buckle. Billy Graham never got sidetracked by things less than primary such as methods and style (there are those who may disagree), and he reached a few people with the good news.

Now, in no way am I suggesting that we shouldn’t attempt to be aware of the culture about us or that we need to try and be a geek (too late for me)—I would argue that being relevant is both wise and of tremendous value. However, there are grandpas and grandmas who are about as happening as a Kool-Aid stand in Jonestown, but these gray panthers end up reaching the lost with the unconditional love of God while us hip whipper snappers are too busy scrambling around trying to put the gospel in just the right package.

Is it our holy must as gospel preachers (or is that concept too old-school nowadays?) to serve as conduits through which the truth is conveyed—or are we merely aiming to pass along just another neatly put together sermon-in-a box? Do we live and die as communicators of a scandalous gospel or do we settle for something much less?

I say as long as our methods don't take away from the gospel than as far as I am concerned they'd fall into the permissible file, but as soon as our methods compromise the gospel we are spinning our wheels and defiling our calling. A pragmatic approach that finds its justification in results may fill an auditorium, but it’s sure to compromise the gospel message. How we share isn’t paramount—it’s what we share that counts. Poison can look tasty. Ask Eve. Having a polished message means nothing when the offense of the cross has been craftily and conveniently taken out.

J.I. Packer noted some years ago now:

Our business is to present the Christian faith clothed in modern terms, not to propagate modern thought clothed in Christian terms. Confusion here is fatal.

I wonder sometimes if all we are is just one more voice presenting modern thought clothed in modern terms. If it wasn't for the steeple on the top of our building or the word "church" we use you wouldn't know the difference (many of us have removed the crosses that used to hang in our hallways and sanctuaries, oops, I mean auditoriums).

In closing, for all I care you can serve the gospel message with vanilla ice cream and put Hershey's chocolate syrup on top of it, go ahead, just don’t alter the message.

It's the message that matters.