Notes Session 7 – #elephantroom

Love the Gospel vs. Share the Gospel
Greg Laurie and Mark Driscoll

Why does it seem that those who revel most in the Gospel are least effective in seeing people saved and baptized? What are the elements that cannot be left out of the Gospel without distorting it? What is the meaning of “free offer of the Gospel” in preaching and is it biblically modeled or mandated? Why give an invitation when the biblical mode of confessing faith is baptism? Does preaching Christ in every sermon require a full explanation of the way of salvation?

• MacDonald acknowledging again that this is a room full of brothers who are taking caricature-ish stands to get to the point
• Churches who are gospel-loving are sometimes so protective they aren’t sharing it. Those who are committed to sharing the gospel sometimes let it get watered down.
• Laurie: Sometimes we divide the gospel when the gospel should not be divided. We either over-complicate it or we dilute it. “It’s so simple!” We can preach the gospel and leave out secondary issues that over-complicate the issue. Ultimately it’s about becoming a mature disciple of Jesus but it starts with the gospel. When’s the last time you shared Jesus as a Christian, rather than preached the gospel as a pastor? It needs to be proclaimed but not every message needs to be evangelistic.
• Driscoll: Protecting of the gospel is playing itself out in a new concern with birth not necessarily new birth. Lots of talk of family, marriage, parenting but not lots of conversions and new life.
• MacDonald: Adoration of the gospel is leading to idolatry of the gospel not sharing of the gospel.
• Driscoll: We are gun collectors, not soldiers. “Shoot someone!”
• MacDonald: If every person in your church led as many people to Christ as you do, what would that look like?
• Laurie: Some of my harshest critics are hyper-reformed. “We kind of shoot over each other and never talk to each other.”
• Okay.. this isn’t really a debate of any kind. Everyone is just having fun with this one :)
• Driscoll: There’s not a bad way to get saved!
• Furtick: We give invitations at every service. We give instructions every week on how people receive Christ. Sometime more public, sometime more instructive. Don’t be the one to separate out the wheat and the tares – let God do that. Be obedient, give the call, let God sort it out when it’s all done. I make sure I’m sowing the right seed, the Lord can do what He wants.
• MacDonald: If you love the gospel and have experienced it personally, that is going to show up in compassion. In the same way, if you love the gospel most you will spend your life getting that message out. John 4:35 – “..the fields are ripe already for harvest.”
• Laurie: “Lord, save the elect and elect some more.” Clearly scripture teaches predestination and election. How can I not believe that? But how do I know who these people are? It’s not my job to reconcile that. My job is to proclaim the gospel accurately, clearly and then leave the results to God.

Great affirmation of the importance of the gospel and the centrality of preaching to the conversion experience. Love it.