The End of Separation 

from Carlos Mestayer

Separation is an ugly word. Moving away from home is hard when the house is a safe, loving place. Ending a friendship or losing a loved one is painful. Before Jesus left his disciples, he said, “I have to leave because I need to prepare a place for you in heaven; I want you all to be where I am” (John 17:24, my paraphrase).

Jesus offered his life on the cross, paying the debt, fixing the mess for the acts that led to our separation. By his death and resurrection, Christ built the one bridge that could connect us to God. Salvation is the end of separation.

God finds separation disgusting; he prefers enjoying time with his beloved ones. I must admit this place he is preparing for me sounds great, a place where he and I will never have to say goodbye.

143 words

Carlos Mestayer is my friend from Costa Rica. We met ten years ago when I was on a mission trip; Carlos was our host and spiritual guide. Since then, he has spent time in both Omaha NE and San Jose, CR. He is now planning to relocate to California to serve on the pastoral staff with a Lutheran Church.

Carlos’s OMG sets the stage with examples of our human losses. Jesus expressed his and the Father’s desire to be with us, separated no more. He laid down his life to reconcile us forever.

I’m a bit shocked by the line, “God finds separation disgusting.” The word “disgusting” makes me think of the smell of rotting food. Food that was meant to be healthful and tasty has become harmful and repugnant—a vivid metaphor of a sin-severed relationship from God.

If you would like to submit your OMG, please email me at stevenltodd@gmail.com. -st

 

 

 

 

The Great Proclamation of the Gospel

from Dr. Timothy Tennent

…Christianity is a global proclamation of specific, historic acts that have transpired, demonstrating God’s power, grace, and love. We are not merely spreading religious ideas that inspire the human race. Christianity is not a pragmatic opiate to help us cope with life. We are proclaiming historical events upon which the entire history of the world is determined. They do, indeed, have a transformative effect on how we live, but the great proclamation of the gospel is about who God is and what he has done. Buddha is in the grave. Mohammad is in the grave. Confucius is in the grave. Jesus is the risen Lord.

105 words

Timothy Tennent has been president of Asbury Theological Seminary for the last 15 years. After this semester he’ll step down as president and serve as professor for the seminary.

I read the above quote in his book, Foundations of the Christian Faith: A Resource for Catechesis and Disciple-Making, a collection of shorter works also published separately (p. 63 Kindle edition). This comes from the section on Resurrection in “This We Believe: Meditations on the Apostles’ Creed.”

In this OMG Christianity is not another religion. It’s “the great proclamation of the gospel.” I appreciate that he makes the distinction between “spreading religious ideas” and “proclaiming historical events.” Without these events, there is no gospel. “He is risen!”

Starting today I will take a break from this blog to seek God about its future. It has turned out to be more challenging than expected to get OMG contributions for the long term. Friends and family have encouraged me to consider making it an audio or video podcast. I’m not sure if I’m ready for that added production commitment. We’ll see. Either way I have to decide whether to expand the scope of the content.

Thanks for reading. -st

The Gospel of God

We affirm that the gospel entrusted to the church is, in the first instance, God’s gospel (Mark 1:14; Rom. 1:1). God is its author, and he reveals it to us in and by his Word. Its authority and truth rest on him alone.

We deny that the truth or authority of the gospel derives from any human insight or invention (Gal. 1:1–11). We also deny that the truth or authority of the gospel rests on the authority of any particular church or human institution.

78 words, excluding scripture references

This OMG is the first of 18 affirmations and denials in the document, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration” which came out in the late 90s. The document has been critiqued by some for being too Calvinist and too narrow to include other evangelicals, such as Wesleyans and Pentecostals.

However, today I’m featuring article one of that document, not as a summary of the entire gospel, but as an introduction to it. The gospel did not come from us. It’s not the product of deluded disciples trying to recover from the death of their leader. It’s not a power play by religious radicals or clerics wanting to control others. As the statement says, “God is its author.”

Next post: Tuesday, February 14, “The Great Proclamation of the Gospel” from Dr. Timothy Tennent

-st

The Only Lasting, All-Satisfying Source of Joy

from John Piper

Forgiveness of sins and justification are good news because they remove obstacles to the only lasting, all-satisfying source of joy: Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is not merely the means of our rescue from damnation; he is the goal of our salvation.

If he is not satisfying to be with, there is no salvation. He is not merely the rope that pulls us from the threatening waves; he is the solid beach under our feet, and the air in our lungs, and the beat of our heart, and the warm sun on our skin, and the song in our ears, and the arms of our beloved.

105 words

This OMG is a quote from John Piper’s article, “What Is the Christian Gospel?” Piper is a pastor and author, as well as chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. He’s a self-described Calvinist in his approach to scripture and theology, while I am not. Yet there is much we agree on.

What I love about this quote is the idea that the gospel is good news because Jesus is someone you’d want to be with. He’s the fulfillment of our deepest longings. He’s “the only lasting, all-satisfying source of joy.” Like all his followers, I long to see his face.

Unfortunately, some would refuse that joy if it meant repenting and surrendering to Jesus. Maybe that’s the reason for hell. It’s a place for those who, ironically, would be miserable in heaven, the place of true joy.

Next post: Tuesday, February 6, 2024, “The Gospel of God”

-st

 

Earliest Gospel Creed

 ¹ …I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 

^3-7 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles….

112 words, 1 Corinthians 15, NIV

This OMG in verses 3-7 (starting with “that Christ died for…”) is the earliest creedal expression we have of the gospel. In verse 1 Paul introduces it as the gospel he gave to the Corinthians on his first visit there, which was about two decades after Jesus’s crucifixion in 30 AD.

In verse 3 Paul says this gospel did not originate with him. He received it and then passed it on to the Corinthians. From whom did Paul receive this OMG and when?

Paul’s conversion while on the road to Damascus was probably in 33 AD. In Galatians 1:18-19, he says his first trip as a Christian to Jerusalem happened three years later and that he met Peter and James (the brother of Jesus) then, the only two whose names appear in this early gospel. So, Paul “received” it from them on his visit to Jerusalem in 35 or 36 AD.

But this OMG goes back a bit further yet. N.T. Wright says, “This is the kind of foundation-story with which a community is not at liberty to tamper. It was probably formulated within the first two or three years after Easter itself, since it was already in formulaic form when Paul ‘received’ it” (The Resurrection of the Son of God, 2003, p. 319, emphasis mine). 

That makes this OMG the earliest gospel creed!

Starting today, posts will come once a week rather than twice.

Next post: Tuesday, January 30, 2024, “The Only Lasting, All-Satisfying Source of Joy” from John Piper

-st

 

The Four “R”s of the Gospel

from Matt Smethurst

The Ruler: “Human beings were custom-designed to find meaning and fulfillment and life in our Creator above all else….”

The Revolt: “…our first parents, Adam and Eve, turned their backs on God and chose to call the shots themselves, fracturing his creation and plunging his image-bearers into an ocean of sin…. The tentacles of sin have deformed our hearts and disordered our loves.”

The Rescue: “On the cross, God treated Christ as if he had lived a believer’s sinful life so he could treat us as if we’d lived Christ’s spotless life.” “God’s redeemed people will inherit a remade world, unmarred by the scourge of sin.”

Your Response: “First, we turn from sin.” “Second, we trust Jesus Christ.” “We also treasure Jesus.”

122 words

I found Matt Smethurst’s article, “The Gospel Explained” on the Gospel Coalition website and took the liberty of quoting snippets from it. I hope you’ll read the entirety. I wanted to share his four-Rs. Gospel tellers and gospel hearers often benefit from a simple, alliterative outline.

You and I could easily remember these four words: Ruler, Revolt, Rescue, Response. Then we could fill in the rest. Smethurst describes his four “R”s with an economy of words. I’m partial to his phrasing in “The tentacles of sin have deformed our hearts and disordered our loves.” Until we believe that, we’re not ready to “turn from sin.”

Instead of diving into theories on the atonement, Smethurst simply says how “God treated Christ” so “he could treat us….” In an OMG you can’t explain everything, but I wish he had mentioned the this-life transformation of those who turn from sin and then trust and treasure Jesus. Still, I commend Smethurst’s OMG as a clear, concise, compelling expression of the gospel.

Next post: Tuesday, January 23, 2024, “The Only Lasting, All-Satisfying Source of Joy” from John Piper

Got a thought? Leave a comment.

-st

 

 

 

 

God Is Not Your Problem Solver

from Eugene Peterson

The message of the Gospel is that God invades us with new life, and that life changes what we presently are. He is not a means by which we solve problems. He is not a means to avoid problems. He creates new life. He is not a problem solver but a person creator.

53 words

Eugene Peterson is a pastor and author, best known for his paraphrase of the Bible, The Message. This quote comes from his book, Every Step an Arrival, which I found quoted by Philip Yancey.

Sometimes to hear the gospel correctly, we must also hear what it is not. The gospel is about who God is and what God has done. We reduce God when we treat him like a superhero that we call on to fix our problems. Or when we subconsciously make a deal with God, that if we do things for him, he will prevent problems for us.

Either way, we demote the Creator and King of the universe to a repair technician who makes house calls. But the gospel is about God promoting us. God “invades us with new life” and we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I hope Peterson’s final sentence stays with you all week. “He is not a problem solver but a person creator.” Let that sink in.

Next post: Friday, January 19, 2024, “The Four ‘R’s of the Gospel” from Matt Smethurst

Have a thought about today's OMG? Please share it below.

-st

Failed Sinners Following Jesus

from J.D. Walt

This is the gospel of Jesus Christ: pardon from the penalty of sin, freedom from the power of sin, deliverance from the grip of death, and awakening to the supernatural empowerment of the Holy Spirit to live powerfully for the good of others and the glory of God.

Jesus asks only that we acknowledge our broken selves as failed sinners, trust him as our Savior, and follow him as our Lord.

Following Jesus does not mean an easy life; however, it does lead to a life of power and purpose, joy in the face of suffering, and profound, even world-changing, love for God and people.

105 words

J.D. Walt calls himself the “sower-in-chief” at Seedbed, which he founded in 2012 as the publishing arm of Asbury Theological Seminary. As an author, Walt’s most popular book is The Awakened Life, “an invitation to the people of God to band together and sow for a great awakening.” This OMG is taken from his January 7, 2024 devotional, forwarded to me by my friend Dave Uhrich. I met J.D. Walt briefly at a New Room Conference.

There’s so much to appreciate in Walt’s OMG. In three sentences, I count at least a dozen power-packed phrases, each one written with careful precision.

The title I’ve given to it merges two quotes within the OMG but is sorely inadequate. The good news is that we become more than “failed sinners” when we follow Jesus. We are pardoned, freed, delivered, awakened and empowered.

The gospel says I can “live powerfully for the good of others and the glory of God” out of a “profound, even world-changing, love for God and people.” Sign me up!

Your comments are always welcome.

Next post: January 16, 2024 “God Is So Much More Than Your Problem Solver” from Eugene Peterson

-st

The Promised, Powerful Gospel

from Paul, the Apostle

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 

Romans 1:1-4, 16 NIV

100 words

Paul begins his letter by introducing himself to the Roman believers, but his primary objective is to introduce the gospel. In the NIV Paul uses the word “gospel” 12 times in this letter. Half of them (and the occurrences with most meaning, generally) are found in chapter 1.

First, we see that it is “the gospel of God.” This means it is the gospel from God, because “he promised it beforehand.” It’s also the gospel about God, that is, what he has done “regarding his Son.”

Second, Paul links his proclamation about Jesus with Israel’s prophets of the past and “the Holy Scriptures.” The New Testament gospel stands on the foundation of Old Testament promises.

Third, it’s the story of David’s descendant, “Jesus Christ our Lord.” We should understand “Son of God” here as a royal title (as in Psalm 2:7), so that Jesus’s death and resurrection become like the coronation of his kingship.

Paul uses the word “power” in verses 4 and 16. God’s power raised Jesus from the dead, and it is God’s power “that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” Both are tied to the gospel. Jesus’s death and resurrection are central to the gospel message, and whenever that gospel is proclaimed, it is powerful. It carries with it the power to awaken the hearer and save those who believe it.

No wonder Paul announces boldly, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.”  

What are your thoughts? Please leave them below.

Next post: Friday, January 12, 2024, “Failed Sinners Following Jesus” from J.D. Walt

-st

The Light Gives Life

from Marea Campagna

In the beginning, the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was over the surface of the deep. God said, "Let there be light." Light conquered the darkness. The light shone on the darkness, the darkness did not comprehend it. The glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. Jesus is the light of the world.

Born sinful at birth, our darkness turns to light when we invite Jesus into our hearts, his blood sacrifice taking the place of our sins. He lights our lamps. When we believe in the light, we become children of the light.

100 words

Up until today I’ve been limiting my OMG contributors to pastors, professors, authors, and scripture passages. Then my friend Marea Campagna, a lay person in her church, surprised me with her 100-word summary. I said I’d gladly use it.

The first paragraph of Marea’s OMG is packed with scripture quotes about light and darkness: Genesis 1, John 1 and 8, Revelation 21. In the second paragraph Marea summarizes how we fit into that story of God’s light invading the darkness.

It’s good news for sinners that “our darkness turns to light” through faith in Jesus whose death remedied our sins. 

It’s good news that when Jesus is invited in, “he lights our lamps,” dispelling our darkness.

It’s good news that we can be brought into God’s family and “become children of light.” 

This phrase, "children of light," is used by both Jesus and Paul.

Jesus: “Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light” (John 12:36 NIV).

Paul: “You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5 NIV).

Paul: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8 NIV).

I’d love to get your comment, even to let me know who’s reading today.

Next post: Tuesday, January 9, “The Promised, Powerful Gospel” from Paul the Apostle

-st

 

Reign of the True King

from Tim Mackie and the Bible Project video “Euangelion/Gospel”

When he went around announcing the euangelion of God’s kingdom, Jesus claimed that God was restoring his reign over his people Israel and over all nations. And he was the one bringing it all about. 

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As Jesus was being executed by his enemies . . . . He displayed true royal authority by forgiving his tormentors. Jesus was the one in charge that day, giving his life for the sins of others.

Then a few days later everything changed. Jesus rose from the dead as the true king whose love is stronger than death. He appeared to hundreds of his followers and told them to spread the euangelion that all authority on heaven and earth now belongs to him. 

119 words

Happy New Year!

I’ve learned a lot from the videos at BibleProject.com—from Tim Mackie and his team. The videos are simple, concise, well-researched, and insightful. Euangelion is the Greek word for gospel or good news. Watching the entire four-minute video about it would be well worth your time.

While Jesus does forgive his tormentors, the emphasis in this OMG is not on atonement. It’s about a new kingdom. God’s reign is being restored through Jesus. He is “the true king,” and “all authority in heaven and earth now belongs to him.”

Easter Sunday 2015 my message proclaimed this big announcement: “Jesus now reigns as this world’s rightful king, and he’s bringing it to life through power of love.” The congregation’s enthusiastic reception to this message surprised me. This was good news to their ears.

I believe the announcement of the reign of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, is central to the gospel. Atonement and forgiveness fit inside it, rather than the other way around.

Love to get your comments. Please share this blog with others. Thanks.

Next post: Friday, January 5, 2024, “The Light Gives Life” from Marea Campagna

-st