Please watch this short video of a newscast....it will explain so much!
http://bcove.me/yzagorpz
So, as long as I wrap the Gospel in “crap” (his words - not mine) it is still the Gospel? Again, I would encourage you to watch the video first to understand this question. The passage that should run through our mind is:
2 Corinthians 4:1-6:
“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
I have a better idea, why don’t we just make it a policy that everyone that comes to church each and every Sunday, we give them a crisp $50 bill instead of a bulletin? Did you notice the news anchor at the end - he seemed to approve of such creativity? That is reassuring. I do not doubt, and in fact I am forbidden to doubt the motivation of these people. I will choose to believe the best and that their desire is simply to get people in their building to hopefully give them the Gospel message. But, what is it that will make the Gospel appealing to the human soul? Slick marketing? Prizes? Do we have to cover the Gospel in “crap”? Do we have to pull the "bait and switch" and try to trick someone to come to church? I know this is a crazy idea, but how about we tell people the truth? How about we present an unaltered Gospel? How about we build a relationship with our neighbors? Is Christ so unattractive that we need to wrap Him in a Wii or 3D TV? Do I have to give the old “spoon full of sugar” to help the medicine of the Gospel go down? The truth is, the Gospel embarrasses many believers - so many are ashamed of it. May God raise up churches, preachers, and fellow saints who just tell the truth, proclaim the Gospel correctly and not base success on how many we can pull a bait and switch on. He mentioned they had given away cars before, so we must ask at what point does this become sheer manipulation?
