Contending for the Gospel

When I was with Dr. J. I. Packer in June he encouraged us to "guard the gospel – keep it in tack, never mind the dissensions. Don’t allow the gospel to be changed, and don’t be distracted from it.  Avoid the irreverent and what is falsely called knowledge."  

His comments came to me in a time when I have been struggling with mega church winds and the popularity of their crowds. My service is to be that of a humble gospel preacher centered on Jesus Christ.  There are winds blowing around us that shout success is in numbers.  They say, "how can you argue with the sheer fact that so many attend" such and such a church?  They say there is so much more than the gospel.  But the Scriptures remind us that anything but the gospel is to be rejected. “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:6–8, ESV)  

American religion has been distracted from the main thing: Jesus Christ and his gospel.  That is why Dr. Packer led us in a study of 1 Timothy which ends with the important encouragement: “O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.” (1 Timothy 6:20–21, ESV) It is a great temptation to spend time attacking those who have lost sight of the gospel.  There are many out there spending too much time attacking those who are preaching self-help spirituality, success and personal blessing.  But Paul urges Timothy to keep his head and remain focused upon the gospel.  God saves sinners, that is the heart of the matter.  The call to preach the gospel and only the gospel, means I must refuse to get caught up in the spectacular and novel, for the sake of serving people with the gospel.  It means I work with fellow pastors who represent the gospel as we bring the gospel to our world; and avoid the babble and shinning appeal of popularity in favor of solid formation in Jesus Christ.  God, help me to seek your face and not the success or popularity of contemporary religion.