October 16th, 2025
by Stacy Long
by Stacy Long
Rediscovering the True Gospel: A Call to Discipleship
In the midst of a spiritual reformation, revival, and renewal, it's time to take a hard look at the gospel we've been preaching and living. Are we truly following the teachings of Jesus, or have we watered down His message to fit our modern sensibilities?
The body of Christ is in a state of flux. Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants are re-examining their theological positions, causing us to grow up and see each other as brothers and sisters in faith. This shift is prompting us to question long-held beliefs and explore the roots of our faith.
One area that deserves particular attention is our understanding of atonement. The popular Protestant view, known as penal substitutionary atonement, suggests that Jesus died as a substitute to bear God's wrath for our sins. However, this theory, which gained prominence during the Reformation, differs significantly from what the early church believed for 1,500 years.
To truly grasp the meaning of Christ's sacrifice, we must delve into the Old Testament sacrificial system. Surprisingly, there is no such thing as a substitutionary sacrifice for sin in the Old Testament. This revelation challenges our interpretation of New Testament scriptures and calls us to re-evaluate our understanding of the gospel.
The gospel we often hear preached in Western churches goes something like this: "You're a sinner. God loves you. Jesus died on the cross for your sins. If you believe in Him, you can go to heaven when you die." While each statement may be true in isolation, this presentation falls short of the rich, transformative message Jesus and His apostles proclaimed.
This simplified version of the gospel requires only belief in a set of facts, making discipleship and spiritual growth optional add-ons for "super Christians." Is it any wonder that research shows only about 10% of self-proclaimed Christians are actually living as disciples of Jesus?
Jesus warned us, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). This statement challenges the notion that mere belief is enough for salvation.
The gospel Jesus preached was far more comprehensive and demanding. In Mark 1:15, He proclaimed, "The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news." This message speaks of a king who requires submission, a kingdom with a culture, and a call to transformation.
Jesus' gospel was about the in-breaking of God's kingdom, a God-saturated society of peace, justice, and love. It was an invitation to enter this kingdom and experience a new kind of life by putting complete trust and confidence in Jesus. This gospel naturally leads to apprenticeship, as we need training to access this extraordinary new society and enter the inner life of God.
The call to discipleship is not about earning salvation through works. As the saying goes, "Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning." Jesus expected His followers to put His teachings into practice. In the Sermon on the Mount, He concluded by saying, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand" (Matthew 7:26).
Our misunderstanding of salvation has led to a consumer Christianity, where we focus on receiving Jesus' merit rather than following His way. We've become more concerned with avoiding works-righteousness than with avoiding sin itself. This approach fails to produce the kind of disciples Jesus intended to create.
To rectify this, we must embrace spiritual formation and disciplines. The early church called it "the way" – a lifestyle that, when faithfully followed, would transform believers to look more and more like Jesus. This transformation doesn't happen by accident; it requires effort and intentionality.
Correcting our understanding of the gospel requires us to fix the foundation of our theology. Jesus' incarnation, death, and resurrection didn't occur in a vacuum but were part of a larger story rooted in Old Testament understanding. By studying the sacrificial system in books like Leviticus, we can gain deeper insights into the rich meaning behind New Testament concepts.
As we journey towards a more authentic expression of faith, we must ask ourselves: Does the gospel we believe and share naturally lead to apprenticeship under Jesus? Does it call us to be conformed to His image? If not, perhaps it's time to rediscover the full, transformative power of the good news Jesus proclaimed.
The kingdom of God is still at hand, inviting us to enter a new way of living. It challenges us to move beyond passive belief to active participation in God's redemptive work. This gospel doesn't just promise a ticket to heaven; it offers the opportunity to experience heaven on earth as we allow God's love and power to permeate every aspect of our lives.
As we embrace this fuller understanding of the gospel, we open ourselves to a life of purpose, power, and profound transformation. We become not just believers, but true disciples – apprentices of Jesus, learning to live and love as He did. This is the adventure of faith we were always meant to embark upon, a journey that leads us deeper into the heart of God and empowers us to be agents of His kingdom in a world desperately in need of hope and redemption.
Let us, therefore, commit ourselves anew to the way of Jesus. Let us study His teachings, practice His presence, and allow His Spirit to shape us from the inside out. As we do, we'll discover that the gospel is far more than a set of beliefs to affirm – it's a revolutionary way of life that has the power to change us and, through us, to change the world.
(This blog post was created from Stacy Long's original sermon using pulpit.ai)
In the midst of a spiritual reformation, revival, and renewal, it's time to take a hard look at the gospel we've been preaching and living. Are we truly following the teachings of Jesus, or have we watered down His message to fit our modern sensibilities?
The body of Christ is in a state of flux. Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants are re-examining their theological positions, causing us to grow up and see each other as brothers and sisters in faith. This shift is prompting us to question long-held beliefs and explore the roots of our faith.
One area that deserves particular attention is our understanding of atonement. The popular Protestant view, known as penal substitutionary atonement, suggests that Jesus died as a substitute to bear God's wrath for our sins. However, this theory, which gained prominence during the Reformation, differs significantly from what the early church believed for 1,500 years.
To truly grasp the meaning of Christ's sacrifice, we must delve into the Old Testament sacrificial system. Surprisingly, there is no such thing as a substitutionary sacrifice for sin in the Old Testament. This revelation challenges our interpretation of New Testament scriptures and calls us to re-evaluate our understanding of the gospel.
The gospel we often hear preached in Western churches goes something like this: "You're a sinner. God loves you. Jesus died on the cross for your sins. If you believe in Him, you can go to heaven when you die." While each statement may be true in isolation, this presentation falls short of the rich, transformative message Jesus and His apostles proclaimed.
This simplified version of the gospel requires only belief in a set of facts, making discipleship and spiritual growth optional add-ons for "super Christians." Is it any wonder that research shows only about 10% of self-proclaimed Christians are actually living as disciples of Jesus?
Jesus warned us, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). This statement challenges the notion that mere belief is enough for salvation.
The gospel Jesus preached was far more comprehensive and demanding. In Mark 1:15, He proclaimed, "The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news." This message speaks of a king who requires submission, a kingdom with a culture, and a call to transformation.
Jesus' gospel was about the in-breaking of God's kingdom, a God-saturated society of peace, justice, and love. It was an invitation to enter this kingdom and experience a new kind of life by putting complete trust and confidence in Jesus. This gospel naturally leads to apprenticeship, as we need training to access this extraordinary new society and enter the inner life of God.
The call to discipleship is not about earning salvation through works. As the saying goes, "Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning." Jesus expected His followers to put His teachings into practice. In the Sermon on the Mount, He concluded by saying, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand" (Matthew 7:26).
Our misunderstanding of salvation has led to a consumer Christianity, where we focus on receiving Jesus' merit rather than following His way. We've become more concerned with avoiding works-righteousness than with avoiding sin itself. This approach fails to produce the kind of disciples Jesus intended to create.
To rectify this, we must embrace spiritual formation and disciplines. The early church called it "the way" – a lifestyle that, when faithfully followed, would transform believers to look more and more like Jesus. This transformation doesn't happen by accident; it requires effort and intentionality.
Correcting our understanding of the gospel requires us to fix the foundation of our theology. Jesus' incarnation, death, and resurrection didn't occur in a vacuum but were part of a larger story rooted in Old Testament understanding. By studying the sacrificial system in books like Leviticus, we can gain deeper insights into the rich meaning behind New Testament concepts.
As we journey towards a more authentic expression of faith, we must ask ourselves: Does the gospel we believe and share naturally lead to apprenticeship under Jesus? Does it call us to be conformed to His image? If not, perhaps it's time to rediscover the full, transformative power of the good news Jesus proclaimed.
The kingdom of God is still at hand, inviting us to enter a new way of living. It challenges us to move beyond passive belief to active participation in God's redemptive work. This gospel doesn't just promise a ticket to heaven; it offers the opportunity to experience heaven on earth as we allow God's love and power to permeate every aspect of our lives.
As we embrace this fuller understanding of the gospel, we open ourselves to a life of purpose, power, and profound transformation. We become not just believers, but true disciples – apprentices of Jesus, learning to live and love as He did. This is the adventure of faith we were always meant to embark upon, a journey that leads us deeper into the heart of God and empowers us to be agents of His kingdom in a world desperately in need of hope and redemption.
Let us, therefore, commit ourselves anew to the way of Jesus. Let us study His teachings, practice His presence, and allow His Spirit to shape us from the inside out. As we do, we'll discover that the gospel is far more than a set of beliefs to affirm – it's a revolutionary way of life that has the power to change us and, through us, to change the world.
(This blog post was created from Stacy Long's original sermon using pulpit.ai)
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