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The Good Fruit of Spiritual Ministry versus Institutional Ministry

In the modern church system, church planting seems to be viewed as a separate and distinct ministry, done with or without salvation preaching. Today in many evangelical traditions, church planting heavily involves money…buying real estate, establishing a religious corporation with the state, marketing, and doing good deeds for a community. My point is, that this is not what we see in scripture, something spiritual is missing. These modern men are very often attempting to plant something different from what Jesus Christ the apostles planted.

Jesus Christ after his resurrection, explained to his disciples all things in their scriptures (writings of Moses and the prophets) concerning himself. (see Luke 24:27)

Stephen explained to those he was preaching, much of the spiritual explanation of the history of Israel before they stoned him to death. (see Acts 7)

Paul would take several months to preach his gospel which had been given to him in the desert and confirmed with the other apostles, that gospel (referred to in Ephesians, Romans, Corinthians, Colossians) also was as his discipleship, and it was his ministry of church planting.

The early church was reported to have continued in the “apostle teachings.” (Acts 2:42-47)

Jesus commissioned his disciples to go and to teach all nations, baptizing them, and making disciples, all these ministries seem synonymous and are not separate and distinct ministries we can break apart to the neglect of the others. (see Matthew 28:18-20)

All these ministries are referring to the same thing, the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. Making disciples, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and planting churches are synonymous in the New Testament.

They were not intended to be separate ministries. Per the New Testament there is not a separate ministry of the church called “preaching sermons” nor is “listening to sermons.”

If it doesn’t accomplish anything spiritually, it ought not be done in a Christian gathering.

And to do one without the other is not something the Lord is doing. In other words, if a person is gifted to and able to preach the gospel of the kingdom.

Firstly, he will be one who has embraced that gospel in his own private and public life.

Secondly, he will be able to preach and teach that gospel.

Thirdly, he will comprehend all of that gospel and not neglect portions of it for any reason.

Fourthly, the fruit of it will be evident in the formation of groups of Christians who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ (the ecclesia/church), who gather together regularly, and produce the spiritual fruit of the kingdom of heaven.

What I am really trying to get at in this article is that the ecclesia (the church) results from the gospel of the kingdom, not salaries, book sales, social media posts, or endless entertaining Sunday sermons. The things that produce those other things alone are not the gospel referred to in the scriptures, if those things are all we are seeing then it is another gospel entirely we see at work among us.

For more on this, take the time to listen to this audio message from T. Austin Sparks recorded in 1960.

Read more from this site.

Please comment below any thoughts you may have on this topic.

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Not Neglecting The Whole Counsel of God

“The very word or term “Gospel” has come to imply something less than “the whole counsel of God”, and to be applied almost exclusively to the beginnings of the Christian life.”

T. Austin Sparks (1954)

…for teachers and preachers today to share the gospel and salvation, and to make it exclusively about the beginnings of Christianity and heaven, is to neglect much of it. It produces a church obsessed with only the beginnings of Christianity and they struggle to mature and go beyond those beginnings. It also leaves the Christian in the dark about things such as, why God created, Jesus’ role in the present and future universe, the

We should understand ‘gospel’ to mean “the whole counsel of God” and if we have that gospel it should take months to preach and teach it all. Not 3 minutes conclusions at the end of random, entertaining topical sermons. There should be some accountability for those who claim to be ‘preaching the gospel.’

To Paul ‘salvation’ meant all the work that God has done to get us into his kingdom, and that includes all the work he intends for the church to do in the earth, here and now. Not only the future experience of heaven and resurrection.

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For if the message spoken through angels proved to be so firm that every violation or disobedience received its just penalty, 3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first communicated through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him,

Whichever apostle wrote the book of Hebrews, perhaps Barnabas or Paul or maybe Silas. He warns here in Hebrews 2 to watch out for a drifting away from the gospel and neglecting it. So this is something they were already experiencing and concerned about in the first century. We have no right to dumb down the gospel, and to condense it so it will fit into our 45 minute sermon conclusion, is to strip it of much detail. Condensing it and stripping it also robs those who hear it of much insight into Jesus Christ, into our current dispensation. And understanding of the purpose of creation, Christianity itself, and the ministry/ calling of the church. The gospel preached produces the church. A partial or a dumbed down gospel, changes the church that embraces it. It hinders it, it turns it into something the Lord never intended it to be. A mere idle audience of hearers, being told elementary things repeatedly, who are often used as tithers in support of a salary or a building fund.

For more on this read T. Austin Sparks book The Gospel According to Paul

More content on the gospel from this blog. AdamCollier.com

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What is the GOSPEL of THE STATE?

You read that right, THE GOSPEL OF THE STATE. This post is not to be confused with article about “the state of the gospel”. This is about the gospel of the state. The word state meaning a centralized human government.

There is a gospel of the state being proclaimed all over the world. And I would argue it is the most popular and widely embraced gospel message on earth. Whether we live under democracy, monarchy, socialism, or a communism. The gospel of the state is preached within them all.

So what then is exactly the gospel of the state?

The Gospel of The State is the false good news and proclamation that the state, the centralized orginization of human government. Can and should be provider, protector and have the position of loving god or parent over a group of nations, an individual nation, a state, or a city.

Adam Collier

Almost every politician, embraces, teaches and many even proclaim with religious fervor their personal take on this gospel.

This gospel has been with us since the very beginning, in the Bible the story is that Cain killed Abel. He then was driven out and he went out to build a city called Enoch (see Gen 4:17). A city and its government with the intention of replacing God, to replace what Cain had lost in the garden after he had killed his brother Abel. Replace the provision, the protection, and even the very presence of God.

Most peoples of the earth fall for some version of the gospel of the state. Many Christians even, have more excitement, passion, and knowledge about their version of the gospel of the state. Than they have for the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Can Human Government Be Good?

The word gospel simply means “good news”, the idea that human government can be good apart from God is the foundation under this gospel of the state. Human government sets out to provide food, housing, physical protection, justice, entertainment and community. To create human government from scratch we must have a concentration of people in one place cooperating peacefully.

Gospel of the State – the Corruption of Human Government

Don’t get me wrong, human government has its place. The service of officials unto a nation, a community or a state is necessary on some level.

The pooling of money for the common good, to create roads, and systems that are impossible without cooperation. And perhaps even to set up safety protections for citizens that are agreed to. As well as for the provision of justice. However, we take it too far when we view those organizations as capable of doing what they are not capable of. We take it too far when we give individuals and agencies, God-like status and powers over ourselves and others.

Gospels of the state flourishes, grows and is spread most where there is: A concentration of power, money and even teachings about what government could and should be.

The state progressively strives to become the defender of the citizenry who have embraced the message being proclaimed. Politicians become preachers of the gospel of the state in increasing passion and conviction.

I think it’s best to look at the issue of governmental power in the context of a gospel. Because a religious gospel message is is the closest approximation of how state power, political messages and religious like fervor is displayed in nations of people.

Which particular gospel of the state might have you embraced?

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