Secret Church

Soak in the Gospel to Spread the Gospel 
Why would thousands of people spend 6+ hours on a Friday night soaking in a pastor's talk about the Gospel? Because of a compassionate, burning desire to share that Gospel with the lost. 

 Secret Church #18, with David Platt, was hosted in Nashville, Tennessee. I was able to attend a simulcast of it at Grace Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan with a friend and the others who attended. It went late into the night with powerful truths about the Gospel in relation to cults and counterfeit Gospels as well as special prayer times for Malaysia.

 A few points that stood out to me:

  • Our goal is not to win an argument with contempt (or persuasion). Our goal is to care for a friend with compassion (and the power of Christ).
  • The essence of sin: Man substitutes himself for God. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be. 
  • The essence of salvation: God substitutes Himself for man. God sacrifices Himself for man and puts Himself where only man deserves to be. 
  • Anyone who reduces the bad news will ultimately end up reducing the good news.
  • When you add anything to this Gospel, you lose everything in this Gospel!
  • The BEAUTY of the Gospel: God forgives our sins, declares us not guilty, and clothes us in holiness so that He sees the righteousness of Christ in us. No effort or work on our part can add anything to this.

The fellowship was sweet, all gathered to soak up the truths of God's word with the desire to grow personally and hopefully pass those truths on to others. I cherished the times of prayer for our brothers and sisters in Malaysia and for the thousands who have yet to hear the powerful truths of the Gospel. 

 Personal applications: 
Does my life look like I believe the true Gospel or one of the counterfeit gospels? 
How can I compassionately spread God's Good News to those who do not know it or understand it?

 Anyone interested in watching the simulcast can do so at this link until May 31: http://secretchurch.radical.net/secret-church/simulcast

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