What is the gospel? I know, I know, I should know the answer to this question, right? But when is the last time you really stopped to think about it? Is it simply, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” or is there more to it than that?

We call the first four books of the New Testament “The Gospel According to Matthew,” “The Gospel According to Mark,” etc. I’m finding I have a problem with this, because so often we in the Church limit our understanding of the gospel to just what we find in these four books, when really it is so much more- it’s the whole Book! We fragment and compartmentalize, chop and distort the beauty of the Book to fit our Western ideas and religious traditions.

The gospel is about love, and love is about the good. Yeah, it means “good news” and we all know that, but often we forget that there’s a lot more good news in the Bible than Jesus dying on the cross. For villagers living in poverty in India, the gospel looks like this:

Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement.
Deuteronomy 23:12-13

Now, to you and I, that might not sound so great when we have indoor plumbing, flushing toilets, and no shortage of water. Many of us wouldn’t step near an outhouse even in a time of need. However, I’ve seen slum dwellers lean out of their shanties in broad daylight and drop their excrement on the ground below. Imagine the contamination and disease associated with this and other similar practices employed in poverty stricken areas. This information could be revolutionary! And this, too, is the gospel.

Obviously, this example is not applicable to most of our lives, but it’s real. It’s especially real for the billions of people that aren’t walking in the grace of salvation, many of which are unreached by the Church, but also by much of what we would consider common or practical knowledge. This Book is rich with insight on how to live: before our God, with one another, on social and political levels, in science and hygiene. And it’s all the gospel.

When we take this gospel “to the ends of the earth” let’s be careful not to rip people off by stopping the message at Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. He died for the next life, but we must not forget that it was for this life too. Let’s make sure we provide the same opportunity to walk in the blessing to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter their pedigree.

I’m asking you to take some time and consider what parts of this gospel you may have overlooked or forgotten about lately. And think big. What does it look like at a corporate level, a national level? Debts being forgiven? Prisoners set free? Land rights restored? It may really challenge your political position. It may make you uncomfortable. You may end up with more questions that answers, but don’t give up. Love leads, and we’re on a journey. Let’s enjoy the process together.