Though some churches are growing, we live in a day of declining church attendance. And beyond the pragmatistic solutions that we have to offer and conference about, we also must connect the dots to the reality that people are turning to other things for good news (substance, pleasure, people, false religions, etc.) and YEP, they’re saying to our Gospel, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” Now, there are eternal consequences to this. Devastating. Eternal. Consequences. Why and how MUST be priorities for Christians and churches concerned about the Gospel, the Great Commission, the glory of God, the lives and souls of people.

In our Lenten study called The Explicit Gospel, our church is currently focusing on What is the Gospel? How do we make it part of everyday life?How do we share it in relevant ways to our friends? How do we allow the Gospel to influence how we do church? prepare for the future? etc.

There are good reasons to point to for the answer to the question, “Why are people turning to other things for Good News?” Why do p

1. It’s Spiritual. The Bible actually says that many people will not get it. Some people will never have time for that! That’s why Jesus often concluded truth statements with the phrase, “He who has ears to hear let him hear” (Matthew 11:15, Mark 4:9, Luke 8:8) knowing that some would not be able to comprehend the spiritual truth and respond to it. In the Parable of the Sower found in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8, Jesus predicted that only one in four people that hear the word will respond with fruitfulness. The spiritual obstacles of Satan, suffering, and stuff can get in the way of us understanding and responding to the Gospel. See also 2 Corinthians 4:4.eople not have time for the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Here’s a few:

2. Compelling Counterfeits. Counterfeit Gospels scatter the landscape and many of them are compelling. A counterfeit gospel is anything that adds to or takes away from the Gospel or from Jesus’ work of defeating sin at the cross and death at the tomb. It’s + or – Jesus. Anything that we count on for hope, peace, salvation, security, significance outside of Jesus is a counterfeit. These can be substance, pleasure, possessions, people, or almost anything our heart goes after. It can also be something good. A compelling counterfeit can be found in church every Sunday with people who are trusting Jesus AND their religious activity to bring them salvation. The true Gospel is Jesus + or – nothing.

3. Failure to Communicate. We can’t blame ourselves for the Spiritual realities and counterfeits around us, but God put communication of the Gospel right on our to do list (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Romans 10:14-17). The Apostle Paul asks the obvious and challenging questions in Romans 10:14-15, “how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?” God’s plan for getting the Gospel to those around us is US. It’s our job to communicate it every way we can. We must be committed to telling, churches must be committed to sending. And we must be committed to living out the Gospel everyday. This includes applying the Gospel to our own lives as well. Our actions MUST line up with our message. Someone quipped about Christians, “Your actions speak so loudly that I can’t hear what you’re saying.” And “If it weren’t for Christians, there’d be more of us.” How are we communicating the Gospel must be a constant question?

Next, we’ll look at answers to the question, What is the Gospel? and What does it have to do with my everyday life?

Join Bridge Church on Sunday’s at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum in Madisonville as we continue this series and together seek to live out the Gospel In Christ, On Mission, 4 Others.