{"id":37682,"date":"2021-09-06T10:08:36","date_gmt":"2021-09-06T15:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=37682"},"modified":"2021-09-06T10:08:36","modified_gmt":"2021-09-06T15:08:36","slug":"bearing-a-different-gospel-beautifully","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bearing-a-different-gospel-beautifully\/","title":{"rendered":"Bearing a Different Gospel Beautifully"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

by Matthew W. Bassford<\/p>\n

The apostle Paul was fond of sarcasm, not because he didn’t love people, but because he did. When Christians he had converted turned aside from Christ, it drove him to distraction, and that distraction often found its expression in heartfelt exasperation.<\/p>\n

One such expression appears in II Corinthians 11:4. In contrast to the stubborn resistance the Corinthians put up to Paul’s teaching, they listened eagerly to the false teachers who followed him. Paul tells them that they bore a different gospel beautifully, implying that the attention they devoted to the workers of deceit was the attention they should have devoted to him.<\/p>\n

Today, there are far too many Christians who bear a different gospel beautifully, and it is entirely understandable that they should do so. In the sense of I Corinthians 2:14, the gospel is unnatural. It does two things in particular that humans don’t like. It demands that we do hard things ourselves, and it keeps us from adopting easy workarounds. When a different gospel diminishes the former and permits the latter, we tend to bear it beautifully.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>To see how this works, let’s pick a simple example: hospitality. The Bible commands us to be hospitable, a sacred tradition that stretches back to the days of Abraham if not earlier. Hebrews 13:2 tells us that we should follow Abraham’s example because he entertained angels without knowing it. This refers, I think, not only to the possibility of supernatural visitors but also to the impact that hospitality can have both on others and on us.<\/p>\n

Hospitality reveals the generosity and kindness of Christ. As we practice hospitality, we become more like Him. It surely is a part of walking in a manner worthy of the gospel!<\/p>\n

However, there’s a problem. Hospitality is hard. It goes against the grain of our culture. Either we invest a lot of time in cleaning up and preparing a nice meal, or we expose our messy fast-food reality. We might even have to invite over a rampaging mob of church kids. Not surprisingly, many modern-day Christians struggle to show hospitality.<\/p>\n

There are two solutions to this problem. Either we do better at hospitality ourselves (still hard), or we outsource hospitality to the church. The latter is much more appealing. Sustaining that fellowship hall at the church building will cost some money, but we have more money than time. We drop a check in the plate, and we never have to open our home to anybody again.<\/p>\n

As elegant as this solution seems, there are issues with it. First, it’s different. First-century Christians were in the hospitality business, but the first-century church wasn’t. Second, the fellowship halls, gyms, and so forth might produce hospitality of a sort, but they don’t produce a congregation of hospitable Christians. Anything that subverts the gospel goal of godliness is hostile to it.<\/p>\n

Walking in the ancient paths is difficult and frustrating. We are inclined to Americanize our faith by departing from it in ways that seem good to the wisdom of our time. Consequently, the words of the agents of change often fall on receptive ears.<\/p>\n

However, we do better to consider the wisdom of the One who laid out those ancient paths in the first place. His ways are not our ways, and He always has reasons for His commandments and His silence, even if those reasons are not apparent to us. Rather than bearing a different gospel, we should strive instead to bear our cross.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Matthew W. Bassford The apostle Paul was fond of sarcasm, not because he didn’t love people, but because he did. When Christians he had converted turned aside from Christ, it drove him to distraction, and that distraction often found its expression in heartfelt exasperation. One such expression appears in II Corinthians 11:4. In contrast…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1365,34,1149],"class_list":["post-37682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-convenience","tag-false-teaching","tag-hospitality"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":68891,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/christians-and-culture\/","url_meta":{"origin":37682,"position":0},"title":"Christians and Culture","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Chadwick Brewer \"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect\" (Romans 12:2). \"Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46865,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-christians-support-a-man-teaching-on-the-internet\/","url_meta":{"origin":37682,"position":1},"title":"Should Christians support a man teaching on the Internet?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We have a brother who is out of work because of a permanent injury and he is asking for monthly contributions to support a website he has created to spread the gospel. \u00a0He feels that because he is committing his time fully to spreading the gospel he can make\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58794,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/preach-and-teach\/","url_meta":{"origin":37682,"position":2},"title":"Preach and Teach","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 7, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by T. Pierce Brown The following statements are made in a bulletin by one who claims to be a part of the body of Christ: \"There is no biblical evidence that anyone ever preached the Gospel to those who had already received it. Preaching is always associated with evangelism in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2534,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-gospel-of-the-circumcision-and-the-uncircumcision\/","url_meta":{"origin":37682,"position":3},"title":"The Gospel of the Circumcision and the Uncircumcision","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Galatians 2:1-10 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I suppose a casual reader could read verse 7 from our text and come away with the idea that two different messages were being taught. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0One being taught to the Gentiles and a different message being taught to the Jews. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Yet the goal of the gospel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14431,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-church-support-a-saint-who-doesnt-believe-as-you-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":37682,"position":4},"title":"Can a church support a saint who doesn’t believe as you do?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 23, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Since you do not believe that the church, out of the church treasury, can help non-saints, do you believe the church can help a saint that does not believe in some of these matters as you do? Answer: The church is restricted to helping members of the church because\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41761,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-do-you-think-about-accepting-donations-for-teaching-on-the-internet\/","url_meta":{"origin":37682,"position":5},"title":"What do you think about accepting donations for teaching on the Internet?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 11, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I'm a student and also preach the gospel when given the opportunity. I read your site often and I trust you to give the truth in a time when I sometimes feel that many congregations are straying from the original New Testament form. That is why I am\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37682\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}