Preaching the Gospel

Wesley Preaching to the poor

"Love the Lord your God

with all your heart

and with all your soul

and with all your mind."

(From Matthew 22:34-40)

After a worship service in a church of another denomination, I was chatting with the pastor. The conversation included pastor's talk about church life.

Then, casually, the pastor said, "In my experience, I don't know any Methodist pastors who preach the Gospel."

He meant, "I don't know any Methodist pastors who preach the Gospel-according to my definition of preaching the gospel."

At that moment that Holy Spirit filled me with peace and self-control as I refrained from any snarky comment about his denomination or my preaching. 

So, you may ask, "What does "preaching the Gospel" mean to me?

First, I consider Jesus' Great Commandment to be core of my thoughts. Notice, its about actions, not about words.

These actions are about relief for the suffering of another human being such as feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, caring for the sick.

Second, I consider baptism as responding to God's call to carry out these actions. Jesus' baptism is a model for this. After his baptism, he was empowered by the Holy Spirit to love God and neighbor, no matter what the cost. 

Third, I consider acts of justice as "preaching the Gospel". Micah and Amos, for example, were both clear about this.

Finally, I consider living a Christian lifestyle through prayer, worship, Bible study, and Holy Communion as God's gifts to strengthen and sustain us.