How radical is the gospel? Truthfully, the gospel of Jesus doesn’t seem or feel all that radical or earth-shaking in our current culture. Too often, we practice and preach a watered-down message that neither challenges nor convicts. Perhaps we’re misguided in an attempt to be overly kind and spare feelings. Or maybe we’re ashamed of the gospel. Or, could it be that we’ve bought into a watered-down gospel ourselves, and we don’t know any better?
When Paul preached in Thessalonica, many were converted, but others grew angry. They dragged some Christians before the city authorities and said, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
What gospel are we preaching? A gospel that requires little, or one that turns the usual order on its head? A message where Jesus is a comforting buddy or a proclamation that Jesus is Lord and King? Has our world been upturned by King Jesus? And what are we doing to proclaim Jesus to the world?