The Gospel Corrupted... - Part 2

Just yesterday I stumbled across another Dallas Willard quote (my previous post also featured Willard), which I felt is really so pertinent to the discussion around our journey:

"Why don't Christians look more like Christ? To those bothered by the statistics indicating in the areas of divorce, materialism, sexual promiscuity, racism, and physical abuse, that American Christians behave no differently than the culture around them. The problem, Willard says, is that we do not practice spiritual formation. Churches have not designed their ministries to help people believe and behave differently, because many church leaders have simply gotten the message of Jesus wrong."

What is the gospel we preach? It's easy to intellectually respond to this question and say, "Well the gospel we preach is Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

But perhaps we need to be asking the question, "What are people actually hearing?" When someone spends time with me, what do they go away with? One of the things that really bugged me with much of our conversation surrounding our journey was that I was hearing from myself and others, the "gospel of the new church and the old church crucified!"

I guess this all comes down to what is really in our hearts, for from our hearts flow the issues of life. From the heart the mouth speaks. The journey so far, has most definitely been one of the heart, and the challenge we face is to make sure it remains one of the heart. When we stop walking with Him, our hearts are open to corruption. We become soft targets to legalism and religiosity.

Let us continue.
Let us not stop journeying.
Let us know that Jesus, the One who began a most excellent work in us is faithful, and He will complete it.