This is an excellent piece from Jared Wilson, at The Gospel-Driven Church blog. I’ve adapted it a little at the end for UK readers.
For our gospel to be Jesus’ gospel, it must move. It must be embodied. Faith without works is dead, of course.
But works outside the context of the proclamation of the gospel isn’t the gospel at all.
The danger within the new church movements, even as we seek to be the gospel in healing, comforting, clothing, and feeding, is that we practically confuse our good works for the gospel of Christ’s good work. As I’ve argued elsewhere, my neighbor being loved by me may be the gospel, but me loving my neighbor is not.
If we divorce the sharp edge of the gospel — the scandalous message of sin and grace — from our missional efforts (or whatever you want to call them) we are not glorifying God at all. We are glorifying our own compassion.
We’ve got keep the proclamational gospel. Got to.
And why wouldn’t we? Why not shout from the rooftops, even as we’re repairing them for the poor, the wonderful incarnation and exaltation of Jesus Christ for the redemption of the fallen? Why do we think our doing good deeds is good enough news by itself?
Handing out a warm coat apart from the humility that the gospel of grace demands of us is just handing out filthy rags.
One of my favorite bloggers, Bob Spencer, reflects on this truth this week.
And yesterday, Mark Driscoll’s Text & Context message “Putting Preachers in their Place” really ministered to me (even as it bludgeoned me).
Remember, the gospel is news. It is news to be lived out, but if we’re not articulating it and proclaiming it to give God the glory, what’s the difference between the Church and [say, ‘Children in Need’]?
[Children in Need] and their celebrity cohorts are doing good. But they’re not doing the good news.
Already Not Yet 