In his book, Preaching and Preachers (Zondervan, 1971), D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones makes the statement “the moment you consider man’s real need, and also the nature of salvation announced and proclaimed in the Scriptures, you are driven to the conclusion that the primary task of the Church is to preach and to proclaim this, to show man’s real need, and to show the only remedy, the only cure.” In my own words, the primary mission of the church is to demonstrate from God’s word the sinful nature of man and to proclaim its only remedy, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, the church today seems to wrapped in self-help and social justice to fulfill its primary mission. Is it wrong to help people, to ensure that they have food, feel good, and are treated justly? Absolutely, this is wrong, when these things occur apart from the Gospel of Christ, or worse, in place of it. When Churches do this, they are treating symptoms of an illnes (a fatal illness) rather than treating the illness itself. Think of it this way. Is it wrong for an oncologist to prescribe pain medications for a patient dying of treatable cancer? Yes, if that is the only course of treatment. Otherwise, he is resigning the paitent to death, by making him comfortable.
People all around our churches are dying from sin (spiritually and physically. While the latter is temporary the former is eternal. Our churches are simply standing by and making them comfortable as they watch them die. Instead, they need to be proclaiming the truth of the Word of God, which describes man as a rebel both by birth and by choice. They must demonstrate the fatal nature of this condition, and offer the remedy.
Jesus came to reconcile man back to a perfect relationship with God the Father. He lived a sinless life, and died an unwarranted death, taking the punishment, bearing the wrath of God on man’s behalf. He died and three days later was raised from the dead, victorious over death and the grave, providing a means of perfect reconciliation. Do you know you are a sinner? Do you know that you can be saved through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection and surrender to His lordship over your life? Christian, are you sharing the Gospel? Have you forgotten you are mearly a sinner saved by grace, and nothing more? HAve you fallen at the foot of the cross today and sought His will?
