The symphony hall was packed with a sold-out crowd. The anticipation was palpable. The lights dimmed.
You could feel the audience hold its collective breath waiting for the conductor to tap his baton on the podium and alert the impressively stoic orchestra that they were about to perform the magnificent Fifth Symphony of Beethoven.
The immaculately dressed conductor embraced the baton and stood there staring at the score. The seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes into an hour.
It’s a good thing the audience began taking collective breaths because the conductor continued to stare at the score, never to raise his baton.
Unleashed Power Is Powerless
The powerful symphony, penned by one of the greatest composers of all time, remained thousands of black notes on sheet music pages. The power of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony remained unleashed.
Have you ever thought about how the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not unleashed in our lives until it is performed? Paul writes in Romans that the Gospel is the power of God. But that power is never unleashed in our lives if we read and study the Gospel without living it.
Living Out the Gospel
To help us live out the Gospel, we need to condense it into a core message that we can ingrain in our minds, and subsequently in our emotions, so our actions consciously and unconsciously reflect Gospel truth as it applies to our daily lives. What exactly is this core message?
The Gospel's Three Core Principles
The Gospel has three core life principles, all of which center around love.
First, God loves us, and because he is love itself, he loves us without limit, unconditionally. The ultimate demonstration of the depth of his love for us was the sacrifice of his Son on the cross. Jesus went to the cross for us out of pure obedience and love.
The second core life principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is our love for God. His unconditional love for us requires us to love him unconditionally. We must strive to maintain an intimate relationship with him, one that requires unconditional obedience and heart-felt repentance should that relationship be breached in any way.
Third, we should not only love our neighbor as ourselves. We should love others as God loves us and as we love him. Our love of others should be unconditional and sacrificial as God’s love for us. It should be based on service, allowing God’s love for us to manifest itself through the presence of Jesus Christ in us and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Remember, the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not unleashed in our lives until it is performed by us, day in and day out.
Additional reading:
Listen to God's Words
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? (James 2:14)
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17)
Also read: Hebrews 11:8, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 2:7
In the Words of Others
“The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue, but of life. It cannot be grasped by reason and memory only, but it is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses of the heart.” John Calvin
“We become examples of the believers by living the gospel of Jesus Christ in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. As we do so, our lights will shine for others to see.” Thomas S. Monson
“The Gospel is not a mere message of deliverance, but a canon of conduct; it is not a theology to be accepted, but it is ethics to be lived. It is not to be believed only, but it is to be taken into life as a guide.” Alexander MacLaren
Think About It
Describe how you have experienced the love and power of God and his Son, Jesus Christ, in your life.
How have you lived the Gospel up until now? What changes do you think you should make in the future?
Explain in your own words the core message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Write a summary of how you will unleash the power of the Gospel in your life on a small note card. Visit it daily.
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