Does the Gospel need to be preached in the church!

We in England are surrounded by groups that provide food for food banks, street pastors who do not preach the gospel.

How many souls that are lost in the pulpit preaching another gospel destined to Hell!

Galatians 1King James Version (KJV)

1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:

3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,

4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,

16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.

20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.

21 Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;

22 And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:

23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.

24 And they glorified God in me.

I think there may be some biblical evidence that the gospel is not meant to be preached to a church, which I take to mean as a gathering of *true* believers. Acts 2:46 et seq. Rather, the gospel is meant for non believers.

Really, I have asked many christians on the street do you know what the Gospel is and they have not given me a straight answer.

Look at Christian Literature or what is being promoted in Churches to me as there are so many other gospels such as a Social Gospel.

I guess I should have said that ideally the gospel would not have to be preached in church. It's a sure way to stunt the spiritual growth of believers if every Sunday is another presentation of the gospel. When will they ever get any meat?

Church on Sunday morning is generally not a hangout for unbelievers. If it is your opinion that churches are full of unbelievers who think they are believers, I am not sure a gospel presentation will help them.

If they don't know the gospel they are not believers. If they know the gospel but refuse to submit another presentation will not do any good.

Dominic:
The gospel to the unbeliever is confined to that part of the gospel that deals with our sin, reconciliation, redemption, Christ's sacrifice, dead works, repentance from dead works, repentance from sin, judgment upon us because what we have done has exposed us to wrath and punishment. This first part where law and gospel are intermixed to provide a coherent understanding of human nature, its failure to love and obey God and how our disobedience has exposed us to wrath and punishment, the good news is that Christ has come to take away our sins, reconcile us to God and indwell us whereby we are no Children of God.
This first part is directed toward the unregenerate man, the hypocrite, the sinner in all his forms.

The second part of the gospel is that part where as new creation in Christ we are reconciled, made Children of God, redeemed, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, taught to seek out God's gifting and know our callings, endeavor to be obedient to Jesus commands and live out our lives in faith because Christ now lives in us and the life we know live we live by faith, we live by Holy Spirit empowering, by Holy Spirit revelation of the scriptures and by daily fellowship with the Father and the Son.
This last part is preached time and again, allowing the scriptures to enlarge upon what it means to walk in the light, walk in love, seek after God's gifts, add to our faith virtue, knowledge, brotherly kindness, love etc that our lives might be fruitful in the knowledge of the Lord.

Preaching to the saved the reconciling work of God is necessary to make sure the believer is grounded in the finished and perfect work of Christ so that he does not fall into the devil's temptations to return to dead works, or seek justification by good deeds and sanctification, intermixing the Spirit's work in us to make us Christ-like with what Jesus did to reconcile us to God and make us Children of God by faith.
The Spirit of God must lead the Pastor to deal with the congregation knowing where their hearts are at. Paul Washer has become well known for preaching reconciliation to "so-called" believers who were not saved or didn't understand the salvic work of Christ seeking to justify themselves by adherence to Church traditions which catered to outward appearances and the resultant bad judgment that leads to.

Yes, absolutely the Church needs to hear the gospel, but once the mature believers are reconciled and are walking in faith and the light of the truth, bringing sermons exhorting them to be reconciled and saved is a waste of time and completely missing the voice of the Spirit which would have them learn as reconciled children of God instead of being assumed dead in sins and trespasses without God and without a covenant of Grace provided for them.

Brother Dom,

I’ve wondered about this and when I went to the scriptures, I found Jesus saying "go into the world”...
And yet Paul clearly and repeatedly presented the gospel to the churches, so it seems necessary even tho ideally it wouldn’t be.

Bro Dominic,..

Re:
"Really, I have asked many christians on the street do you know what the Gospel is and they have not given me a straight answer."

What do we say that it is, and what is it ?

Jesus says, the gospel,is:
'The gospel of the kingdom,..many ,many times in the Word,...and Paul said, that he, preached 'the gospel of God', ...or of 'Jesus' gospel'......but what does that mean ?

------------------🙏
elizabeth

If I am seeing what Marvin is saying rightfully,.....
Sounds like 'the gospel of the kingdom'...

What do you think?

🙏------------
elizabeth

I'm not sure why any believer would think the gospel goes away once the believer has now become a child of God and an heir of salvation?
If the gospel by your definition is confined merely to our sin, reconciliation and forgiveness for sins and acceptance with God, that might be why some would think we "move beyond it".
We do not move beyond it, we look at the gospel from the perspective of being a child of God... now reconciled, now forgiven, now indwelt, now recipients of new covenant promises.
So when Paul talks about living by faith...its because we are recipients of faith and grace...now to be verbs in our lives not just nouns. When Paul speaks of prayer, praise, edification, coveting gifts and using the better way of love toward others all of this is gospel goodness, where Christ has provided empowerment for action, promises for our foundation to believe, assurance for our continued work in the face of set backs, failures, sins. What happens when we face calamity? Do we preach law to ourselves or gospel provision and accessibility to a grace-throne? What happens when we sin? We preach Christ our advocate and mediator. What happens when we know not how to pray, we count on the Spirit of God to speak through us...all by God's good design knowing we are best when we are most dependent upon him. All of this is gospel, its the gospel to us who are reconciled so we learn to live reconciled, the gospel to us who are righteous by faith whereby we slay any thoughts about righteousness by our works, or prayers or deeds. The gospel is with us in every step in every decision in every seeking of his will and in stark contrast to those who's lives are founded upon their own goodness, merit or works.
When we are found attractive ( in a spiritual sense) is it because of the law we have kept or the joyfulness grace and kindness through Jesus Christ that has transformed our minds?

There is no such thing as a Christianity lived without a full dependence upon the gospel, not only to reconcile when we were alienated from God, but now as Christians to direct us, encourage us, strengthen us, counsel us, and point us every moment to the living Lord Jesus who lives out his life again through us.