DIAOF A YOUNG MINISTER 3

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

One of the fundamental questions we need to ask ourselves is “what exactly is the Gospel?”

The extent to which one can answer this question will lay to rest the parochial assumptions seen in some quarters.

Assumptions like:

‘Stay with the pure message of the gospel’

·      No enterprise development seminars

·      No nation building summits

·      No skill acquisition programmes

·      No political involvements

·      No single and married seminars

·      No leadership seminar.

·      ‘Just the teaching of the word…pure gospel’

What is the gospel? The pure gospel?

Galatians 3:8 comes to the rescue: ‘And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ”in you all the nations shall be blessed”

This is the pure gospel; preached beforehand by the scripture to Abraham- just one statement… “in you, all the nations shall be blessed”, i.e. the only scriptural mandate of the gospel is to bless all the nations.

To think otherwise is unscriptural.

·      We have to create products and services that bless the nations.

·      The first promise God made to Abraham is “I will make you a great nation”

·      At the core of the gospel is the message of nationhood- a great nation.

So, how do we build a great nation? By meeting every Sunday and Wednesday, teaching the gospel devoid of “the gospel”?

Great nations are not built by teaching new creation realities alone on Sundays and Wednesdays, but by the practicalities of adding value to the society through conscious engagements by minds exposed to the deeper revelation of the gospel.

Father Abraham-as a gospel heir- was a businessman, a warrior, a trainer. He trained 318 folks born in his house, trained in the use of weapons and tactics. On the faith lane, he was knowledgeable in the art of warfare. He formed a strategic alliance with Aner, Eschol and Mamre (these guys are not gospel guys) and yet, Abraham worked with them. He dug wells and had a flourishing cattle business.

So I ask, how is a great nation built if churches and ministers don’t lead the charge in training enterprise developers, nation builders, politicians, skilful workforce, and so on? How do we do this without summits, seminars and workshops? At the core of the gospel is nation building. At the core is the bringing forth of dimensions that bless the nations- not just the churches.

Another example we see is Paul. In his letters, you see enterprise, nation building, skill acquisition principles and paradigms. Ephesians 5:22-33 is a marriage seminar. Paul had an off-site leadership seminar with the leaders of the church at Ephesus at Mellitus (Acts 20:17-38), which is also good for nation building.

·      He spoke at the Areopagus- not a religious gathering, but a place of obsession for novelty.

·      He was a tent maker who had dual citizenship- a Jew and a Roman.

·      He left Titus at Crete to appoint elders in every city- not in every church.

·      He was politically conscious asking us to pray for kings, all those in authority, and political figures- that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life.

Here, we see the impact of politics on everyday life.

Almost all the parables of the LORD are enterprise, skill acquisition and nation development instructions- each one is a seminar on its own.

Like I said, it’s all a function of how you choose to interpret the scripture which is not capable of any private interpretation. If privately, all you do is to teach the word only doctrinally, please stop castigating those who teach both doctrinally and practically- thus, applying the principle of the gospel to explore the full bandwidth of doctrine.

Being a pastor, a nation builder, enterprise developer, community leader, for as long as it blesses all the families of the earth is a yes. I see all of these in the word: gospel compliant!

By the gospel I am thoroughly furnished for every GOOD WORK.

I do not think seminars, summits, workshops as listed above are bad works.  Let those of the “circumcision” leave alone those who have liberty in Christ to extend the frontiers by applying practically the gospel to solve the political, social and economic challenges of our time- thus birthing a move of the Spirit that blesses all the families of the earth.

Leave us alone for we bear on our bodies and events the marks of the Lord Jesus.

Good work is synonymous with good news!

I will end this write up in the words of Martin Luther King Jr: “Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them and the social conditions that cripple them is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial”