The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1)

I am writing this devotional today in the midst of brokenness over the pilfering (to steal in small quantities) of the gospel. Let me be clear in regards to the gospel. The gospel is not a thing. The gospel is not an event. The gospel is not a promotion. The gospel is not a work of man. The gospel is not a system. The gospel is not a method. The gospel is a proclamation of the person, Jesus Christ. The apostles proclaimed Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected from the dead and in like fashion the church of the 21st century ought to do the same.

The gospel is to be proclaimed. The gospel does not need a gimmick. The gospel does not need the wisdom of man. The gospel does not any help from people who come up with cutting edge ideas. The gospel does not need additions. The gospel does not need subtractions. The gospel is a person who stands upon his own merit. The responsibility of the church is to rightly proclaim the glory of the person, Jesus Christ, who is the gospel. Men and women, boys and girls, are to respond to Jesus. The proclamation of the gospel is for the glory of God and not the glory of man. To mix the gospel with other things is to detract from the person of Jesus Christ and ultimately to lead men to idolatry and damnation in hell. The apostle’s proclaimed the person of the gospel without gimmick.

Our town of Azle is at best an apathetic religious place of toleration and at worst a place of death to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. The biggest events that our town can get together religiously is a group of body builders who flaunt their muscles in front of little children and immature teenage girls and then in the end tell them to come to the front in order to be saved. Thousands will gather to watch these men bend baseball bats, rip decks of cards, lift large logs, and etc. However, in the end people will be told to raise their hand, stand, wink their eye or some other non-biblical response to be saved.

Thus, thousands will be given an assurance of salvation without being saved and many will be helped on their way to hell while religious people rejoice in the reporting of numbers. We have posters, signs, billboards, paper advertisements, and much talk around the city about muscle men, but there is nothing being reported of a true biblical gospel. Alze needs repentance not religious events. Azle needs holiness not Hollywood. Azle needs men of God not men of flesh. God have mercy on us I pray.

Pastor: J. Randall Easter
Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Briar, Azle, TX.
II Timothy 2:19