If you missed part one of this series, ‘What is The Gospel Really About’, follow this link.
Why do you and I need the Gospel? There is a short answer to this question, but the explanation takes a little longer.
The short answer is: You need to know the Gospel to understand, ‘What on earth are you doing?’
The explanation goes like this: If you were approached by a wizened little old bespectacled professor who asked you to help him with an experiment to travel back in time and for which he was willing to pay a large sum of money, would you? You’re curious but afraid, but the sum of money is too tempting, and you accept. You step into a time-machine and away you go. A couple of minutes later you land in a field and the door opens. You climb out. As you gaze around the field you spot some men on horseback who look like they are part of a group hunting foxes. They stare at you bewildered. You greet them and the first question you ask is, ‘Where am I?’ The men look at one another quizzically. One asks. ‘What are you doing here?’
I will hold this rather exciting story for another time and for now continue to look at another aspect of the explanation.
Your first question to the strange men is, ‘Where am I?’ Their first question is, ‘What are you doing here?’ So, let us deal with these two important questions in terms of your life on Earth. In answering the first question you would say to me, ‘On Earth, of course.’ And you would be correct. But I’m wanting to know where you see yourself in terms of your life. At this point you might go on to describe your marital, parental, age, and employment state. I ask you how long you would like to live; you scratch you head (and if you were twenty odd years) you would probably answer fifty. If you were older and reasonably fit, you would add a few years and say seventy.
Now I ask the prickly question. And when you die what then? If you were an atheist you might say, ‘I get stuck in a coffin, buried and that’s it.’ At this point I say no more.
Christians say, ‘The Bible tells me that when I die, I will go to be with Jesus, and He is in heaven.’
I respond, ‘Where is heaven exactly?’
‘The Bible says…’
‘I know what it says, but can you give me some co-ordinates to Heaven?’
‘Don’t be witty, you know I can’t.’
It is a fact that if you ask, ‘Where am I?’ Surely you must either have missed your direction or had no direction at all. If you are asked, ‘What are you doing?’ You either know or you don’t. Do you agree? Excellent, let’s continue.
There are many souls in this world who are either Atheist or Agnostic. I calculated about 36% of the global population.[1] These souls would doubtlessly be able to answer the questions ‘Where am I? What are you doing here? What happens when you die? But their answer would be very different from the Christian understanding. Why? Because Christians have the Gospel. And after reading the first article in this series you know what the Gospel is about. Do you?
Where are you? As a believer you are in Christ living in the Kingdom of God on Earth for a very short span of time.
“It was the Law itself that killed me and freed me from its power, so I could live for God. I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.”[2]
What are you doing here? As a believer you are living your life as Jesus did, according to His Gospel teachings.
“God is wonderful and glorious. I pray that His Spirit will make you become strong followers and that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in his love. I want you to know all about Christ’s love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is.”[3]
Dearest friend, I can teach you because God’s Spirit in me is my only teacher, but I cannot, nor can anyone else, bring you to ‘know’ God – only God can do that. Why is it important to know God?
“And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came, saying, Lord, lord, open up for us. But he answered, Truly I say to you, I do not know you.”[4]
Neither you or I will hear those words – will we?
Love and Blessings
Peter-James
[1] Most Atheist Countries 2023 (worldpopulationreview.com) [2] Galatians 2 CEV (biblehub.com) [3] Ephesians 3 CEV (biblehub.com) [4] Matthew 25:1 Context: “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. (biblehub.com)