“The church today has a heart condition. She has not taken care of herself. As a result, she is sick. Modern religious doctors have written prescriptions to treat her lethargy, joylessness, fruitlessness, and weakening faith. But they are addressing only the symptoms, never getting to the root problem. The heart problem plaguing the modern church cannot be healed with new programs or innovative marketing tactics. The root problem for many local churches is that the gospel no longer fills their hearts. We have been captivated by issues of secondary importance and have slowly drifted from our first love (Rev. 2:4). Many churches have let one particular issue, rather than the whole gospel, characterize the whole of their ministry. These issue-driven churches can be either conservative or liberal and can be found in every denomination. They may get the gospel right on paper but are animated and directed by other principles… To be gospel-centered means that the gospel, and ultimately Jesus Himself, is our greatest hope and boast, our deepest longing and joy, and our most passionate song and message. It means that the gospel is what defines us as Christians, unites us as brothers and sisters, changes us as sinners/saints and sends us as God’s people into the world on mission. When we are gospel-centered, the gospel is exalted above every other good thing in our lives and triumphs over every bad thing set against us.”
– joe thorn
Reading Reflection:
In the 21st Century, there are various opinions on what the church truly needs. However, it’s easy to let secondary issues take the lead. While these secondary matters may be genuine needs, giving them precedence only creates more problems. Only the gospel deserves to be the central heartbeat of Christ’s church. According to God’s word, the gospel is of ‘first importance.’ When the gospel occupies the center, it radiates out in numerous healthy directions. Filled with gratitude for Jesus’s work and captivated by His person, we approach secondary issues with the right posture and from the appropriate vantage point. We all have a part to play in fighting for the centrality of the gospel in the church, but it starts with fighting for a passion over the gospel in own hearts.
