How to Present the Whole Gospel in Wales!

 

A friend drew the above picture, while I was teaching on Healing at a conference in Merthyr a few years ago. I love it. Jesus is depicted as praying for two people, a "2 for the Pirce of 1" special! I love it! THIS is part of the Gospel we are called to display. A Gospel that saves the whole person, Spirit, Soul, and Body.

I wish to post an excerpt from my book "Village to Village (V2V)" that speaks about the Biblical precedent for "Proclamation and Demonstration" in presenting the Gospel:

Throughout history many missionaries have been sent into the world with, for want of a better word, a “powerless” Gospel. Maybe the denomination, or organized church they belonged to did not believe that miracles happen today. However, God has still used these faithful servants, and I do not want to take away from their great sacrifice as that would be dishonorable. The Gospel they preached was focused on living among people, and through living out Christian values they hoped to inspire the people around them. Many mission groups went with money to build schools and hospitals to extend the good news through education and caring for the sick. These are all admirable efforts, and I believe they are an important part of the Gospel.

Paul said it like this:

“For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ”

(Romans 15:18-19)

Look at how the New Living Translation renders this verse:

“Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them. They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum”

Can people get saved just by hearing the preaching of the Gospel? Of course! Sometimes that’s all we may get opportunity to do. As mentioned, there are sections of the Church who do not believe that the Holy Spirit moves in the Church today like He did in the New Testament. They preach the Gospel, and people are saved, and they do good works i.e. building schools, hospitals, aid, charity etc.

Luke records the words of Peter at Cornelius’ house:

“God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him”

(Acts 10:38)

That phrase – doing good – means that Jesus did:

·       good deeds, (and) performed kind service (Strong’s)

Peter is clear to note that this was in addition to “healing all who were oppressed by the devil”.

James said:

“One of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?”

(James 2:16)

Paul also echoes this important part of demonstrating the Gospel in this way:

“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith”

(Galatians 6:10)

I love Simmons’ rendering in The Passion Translation:

“Take advantage of every opportunity to be a blessing to others, especially to our brothers and sisters in the family of faith!”

In the same way that Peter noted Jesus’ good works and healing of the oppressed, I believe that these constituted clear demonstrations of supernatural events. I believe that the presence of supernatural events enables us to say that we have fully presented the Gospel. Jesus did everything as One led by His Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. It wasn’t only the miracles that were supernatural events, no, equally Him giving money to the poor, or comforting someone who was mourning, or preaching and teaching - they were all supernatural. They flowed from who He was, the perfect representation of the Father (Hebrews 1:3).

There are many unbelievers in this world who show charity, and the world needs that. However, the difference between when an unbeliever shows charity, and when a believer shows charity, is this issue of being an extension of God’s love to people. We are empowered, and authorized, to display His love. Where a charity, that raises money for cancer research, can accomplish a lot, the believer is empowered to heal cancer in Jesus’ name. With Christ we can do what others can’t.

Look again at what Paul said! He specifically references what Christ accomplished through him and concluded that he had fully presented the Gospel, and it was done by:

“Word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God”

(Romans 15:18b-19a)

Look even at how Paul concludes his thoughts on this:

“As it is written, ‘Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand’”

(Romans 15:21)

What a strange thing to say that those “who have never been told of him will see”, usually when you tell somebody something then they hear what you tell them. I am therefore convinced that we cannot separate Proclamation and Demonstration, for they are two sides of the same coin called the “Gospel”.

I believe that Wales will see, in a greater measure, not just the "Words" of Christ, but equally the "Works" of Christ. We must humble ourselves to change our beliefs in order to model the kind of Christianity that the early Church presented to the world. It was accomplished by,

 "word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God" 

Mwy Argwlydd!