The Great Commission Resurgence - Reflection on Axiom #2

II. A Commitment to Gospel-Centeredness. We call upon all Southern Baptists to make the gospel of Jesus Christ central in our lives, our churches, and our convention ministries. (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; 2 Cor. 5:17-21)

The gospel is the good news of all that God has done on behalf of sinners through the perfect life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection of Jesus. As individual Southern Baptists, we must be gospel-centered from first to last. Gospel-centered living will promote a grace-filled salvation from beginning to end by putting on display the beauty of the gospel in every aspect of our lives. It will remind us that we do not obey in order to be accepted, but rather we obey because we are accepted by God in Christ. Gospel-centered living will help ensure that the bloody cross of a crucified King is the offense to non-believers rather than our styles, traditions, legalisms, moralisms, personal preferences, or unhelpful attitudes.
The gospel must also guide and saturate our local churches and convention ministries. Too many of our pulpits have jettisoned the pure proclamation of the gospel, which has resulted in many of our people losing the full meaning and wonder of the gospel. Too often our convention programs and agendas have been crafted without a close tethering to the gospel. If we assume the gospel, we will lose the gospel. If we are to experience a Great Commission Resurgence, we must get the gospel right and proclaim it with clarity and boldness.

All of the above comment on Axiom #2 is worthy to be shouted to all Southern Baptists. Howeve,r the last two statements strike me extra hard.

First, "If we assume the gospel, we will lose the gospel." What a statement! How true is this? I take this to mean that it is not enough to simply say "we are a Gospel-driven church" or that "our church is founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ." No. That is mere assumption. The Gospel must be heard and applied and explained and commented on and sung about and declared and lived out over and over and over and over again. The Gospel is NOT something that one embraces at the beginning of their journey with Christ and then moves on to something more important. NO! It is something that literally transforms a person and grips them totally for the rest of their lives.

Second, "If we are to experience a Great Commission Resurgence, we must get the gospel right and proclaim it with clarity and boldness." YES! YES! YES! Not only can the gospel not just be made an assumption in our churches, but it must be declared rightly in our churches. If we don't get this right, then our witnessing will be futile because we will be winning them to something other than the true Jesus and the true God and the true Gospel. We must be bold in it because of the day and the times in which we live. We are declaring that Jesus is the ONLY way to be right with God. Not Buddha. Not Allah. Not anything or anyone else can get one to God. ONLY JESUS CHRIST. We must be lovingly and compassionately bold in our declaration.

Ask yourself...

• Can I explain the Gospel to a child?



• Can I tell the Gospel in 60 seconds or less?



• Do I know all the components of the Gospel?



• Could I explain the Gospel with these four "prompting words"? "GOD," "MAN," "SIN," "JESUS."



• Do I delight in the Gospel?



• Do I treasure the Gospel?



• Is it constantly something I run to for hope and worship?



• Does my church sing about the Gospel?



• Does my pastor always talk about the Gospel? Does he always explain components of the Gospel?

Thank You God for sending Jesus to take our place by dying on the cross for our sins, having Him be buried for three days, and then raising Him from the dead so that we who put all hope in Him and what He did might live forever with You!