On Missions: Communicating the Gospel

Mission is not just about employing the right strategies or sending the right number of missionaries. It is about communicating the true Gospel. We can employ the best strategies in the world or have as many missionaries in the field but if we are not communicating the truth, then our task becomes pointless.

We live in an age where the Gospel is treated as a small thing. One of the greatest sins of our generation is Gospel reductionism. As Paul Washer said, “We reduce the Good News into a 5-minute speech about getting to heaven. We never mention the reality of sin or the terrifying condemnation that comes with it. Then we wonder why our converts don’t have a zeal for God when we haven’t preached the fullness of the Gospel.”

There is no greater thing than the Gospel. Salvation is not about making a transaction with God by repeating a prayer and getting a ticket to heaven. It is about repenting and giving your entire being to Christ upon hearing that He was punished for our crimes.

It is impossible to come to Christ without being broken over sin. Nor is it possible to be saved without an understanding of our total depravity. It is true that we are saved by faith alone but genuine faith brings about repentance. In other words, salvation is not about repeating a prayer but desperately crying out to God in faith and with an understanding of His Son’s work on Calvary.

Modern preachers rarely talk about repentance and commitment to Christ for fear of criticism. Modern Christianity has been more about "getting what you want" than "giving up everything". The Bible is clear about the message of salvation. It is an offense to man but a soothing aroma once fully embraced. It reveals our eternal disease that results to perpetual judgment. But it also proclaims God’s saving grace through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. If we reduce the Gospel into some sort of “Jesus loves you and He wants you to be in heaven, would you like to repeat a prayer and live with Him forever?” kind of speech, we would get false conversions. I have said this many times: an unbeliever’s willingness to repeat a prayer or get to heaven means nothing if they haven’t thrown themselves on the foot of the cross in repentance.

It is only through the darkness of man that the love of God can be truly understood. If we do not explain the reality of sin and hell, have we not deprived men of their sight and made them worse? Ever wonder why prostitutes and convicts, upon hearing the Gospel, gain an overwhelming passion for God? It’s because they were broken over their sin and they readily repented. So upon hearing the message of Jesus’ propitiation, they put their faith in Christ and their hearts exploded with joy and they cannot help but fall flat on their faces in awe.

I have been preaching the Gospel for five years in outreach programs. My life has been marred with criticism and persecution. I glory in all these things for I am not ashamed of the Gospel. I could have preached a half-cooked Gospel that would be agreeable to men. I could have made them laugh instead of weep over their sin and cry out to God. But if I do so, have I not perverted the Gospel and insulted Jesus? Mission is about unveiling the truth to the people regardless of their preferences. We can employ strategies to improve our approach as long as we do not water down the message. If revival is to be witnessed, then the fullness of the Gospel must be preached.