Is the Gospel at Christmas and Easter Optional?
One of the things I love to do after Christmas Eve and Easter, is to check out all the celebrations of new sons and daughters added to God’s family through gospel presentations all over the country (and ‘world,’ for that matter). Sadly, what I more often read has got to grieve the heart of God. Here are some examples…
- One well known church had this to say, “Always special to sing, “Silent Night” and light the candles each year at ___________________ Church!” Nothing about why Jesus came. And no presentation of the gospel at all in the message.
- Another church listed John 8:12, which says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” That’s an awesome verse—it really is—but what is a lost and dying world supposed to do with this knowledge? It’s like a secret code for insiders! Number of people saved at several Christmas Eve services…zero. How do I know? They post it every year, unless there is nothing to post.
- Here’s another, “No Community Worship Services today” Each year we give our volunteers the week off after Christmas Eve…” I saw dozens of these, and it’s not a bad idea to give the volunteers time off, but what about the gospel? Did anything of eternal kingdom impact take place?!!
- An even more troublesome post, “Christmas is a special time to sing sacred hymns, light the traditional candles, and enjoy time with family enjoying the warmth of the season.” HUH?!! Is this a church, or an add for Macy’s department store?
- And I can’t even begin to tell you how many “adds” I saw on church banners and so forth asking people to join them to sing carols and usher in the New Year!
Nowhere in the Bible are we told to light candles and help, ‘usher in the New Year.’ These are nice touches on a service if the primary focus is to share the gospel—but, for far too many churches, lighting candles and singing songs has become the end goal and sharing the gospel (The entire reason Christ came to this earth in the first place (and the reason for Christmas)) has become peripheral, if it shows up at all.
On the other hand, we (ALL Christians, but especially ministers of the gospel [i.e. pastors]) are commanded to tell others about the Good News of the Gospel. Acts 1:8 says,
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
It doesn’t say, “you might” be my witnesses. It doesn’t say, “you will have the option of being My witnesses.” It says, you will.
Period.
If we’re not, we’re either not saved or living in disobedience.
This isn’t likely to be popular with Wimpy Christians (i.e. Those who believe that anything that is uncomfortable, unpopular or unconducive to the optimization of our ‘Christian’ Zen or disrupts the overall balance of our spiritual yin and yang—can’t possibly be of God)—but it’s God’s truth nonetheless.
Pastors, listen to what the apostle Paul said regarding these things…
Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God, to save everyone who believes: first the Jew, then the Gentile.”
And then to the Corinthians…
I Cor. 1:18-21 (The Message), “18-21 The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written,
I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head,
I’ll expose so-called experts as crackpots.
So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.”
There’s only one “option” for salvation. Listen to what Peter said,
Acts 4:12, “No one else can save us. There is no other name on earth which can save men.”
But most importantly, it was Jesus whole reason for coming to this earth in the first place!
Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
The evidence goes on and on. Part of why the church exists is to present the gospel to a lost and dying world. Any church that doesn’t…shouldn’t (exist, that is).