I have read a few books over the past few years that urge readers to preach the gospel to themselves daily, that stress that Christians need to affirm or reaffirm the gospel message every day of their lives. That the gospel isn't something you grow out of or beyond. That the gospel is for the entire Christian journey.
In Note to Self, for example, we read:
Preaching to ourselves is the personal act of applying the law and the gospel to our own lives with the aim of experiencing the transforming grace of God leading to ongoing faith, repentance, and greater godliness. (Joe Thorn, Note to Self, 24)and
To preach to yourself is to challenge yourself, push yourself, and point yourself to the truth. It is not so much uncovering new truth as much as it is reminding yourself of the truth you tend to forget. (Joe Thorn, Note To Self, 32)And from Don't Call It A Comeback:
Once God rescues sinners, his plan isn't to steer them beyond the gospel but to move them more deeply into it. After all, the only antidote to sin is the gospel--and since Christians remain sinners even after they're converted, the gospel must be the medicine a Christian takes every day. Since we never leave off sinning, we can never leave the gospel. (Tullian Tchividjian, "Worship It's A Big Deal", 221)And from Jesus + Nothing = Everything:
By daily preaching this gospel to ourselves, we can more readily see and confront all the idols in our lives--including those we may not be quite as aware of. We will be able to recognize that every temptation to sin is a temptation to not believe the gospel... when we succumb to temptation, we are failing to believe in that moment that everything we need, in Christ we already have. (Tullian Tchividjian, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, 96)Every sermon Spurgeon preached included the good news of the gospel. No matter the text--the verses he was preaching on--Spurgeon always connected his message with the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Why Spurgeon? Because Spurgeon was devoted completely to Christ, to the good news, to the Bible. By reading Spurgeon, I learn, grow, and am challenged. His sermons are passionate appeals to believers and unbelievers.
Christ must be in every sermon and He must be top and bottom of all the theology that is preached. ~ Charles Spurgeon
I always feel that I have not done my duty as a preacher of the gospel if I go out of this pulpit without having clearly set before sinners the way of salvation. ~ Charles Spurgeon
I take my text and make a beeline for the cross. ~ Charles Spurgeon© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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