The preaching of the gospel is not optional. It is imperative to building Christ’s church because the church is not built on personalities, programs, popularity, politics, or entertainment. Christ builds His church through the truth of who He is, what He has done, and what He calls people to believe and obey.
What the Gospel Means in Plain Words
The gospel means “good news.” The good news is that God loved us enough to send Jesus Christ into the world. Jesus lived without sin, died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead, and now calls people to repent, believe, and follow Him. The gospel is not just a church slogan. It is the message of salvation, hope, forgiveness, and new life in Christ.
Jesus Warned Us About Deception
In Matthew 24, Jesus told His disciples to “watch out that no one deceives you.” He warned that many false messiahs and false prophets would come and mislead many people. He also said that because wickedness would increase, the love of many would grow cold. But in the middle of those warnings, Jesus said something powerful: “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
The Danger of Misusing the Gospel
When the gospel is misappropriated, it means people take the message of Christ and use it for the wrong purpose. Instead of pointing people to Jesus, they use the gospel to gain influence, build a platform, make money, control people, promote personal opinions, or support their own agenda. That is dangerous because a twisted gospel cannot produce a healthy church.
If the gospel is misrepresented, the future church will suffer. People may come to church but not truly know Christ. They may learn religion but not repentance. They may chase blessings but ignore holiness. They may hear motivational words but never hear the truth about sin, grace, the cross, and resurrection. Over time, the church can become busy but powerless, loud but empty, popular but spiritually weak.
What Faithful Gospel Preaching Builds
Faithful gospel preaching builds people who love Jesus more than the world. It builds believers who can stand firm when trouble comes. It builds a church that can recognize false teaching, resist deception, and keep loving even when the world grows colder. It reminds us that Jesus is not just part of the message—Jesus is the message.
A Call to the Church Today
So many facets help us understand how we arrived at the place we are today. But one truth remains clear: the church must return to the true gospel. We must preach Christ clearly, humbly, and faithfully. We must not water down the message to make it more comfortable, and we must not twist it to make it serve our own desires.
The future health of the church depends on the gospel being preached rightly today. If we want Christ’s church to be strong tomorrow, we must be faithful with Christ’s message now. The gospel is not ours to edit. It is ours to proclaim.
Minister A Francine Green I June 2026