Gospel in a Minute
Here Luke encapsulates the gospel in four words spoken by the apostles: “Jesus is the Messiah.”
The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. 42 And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.” Acts 5:41-42 (NLT)
Principle: Jesus is the Messiah
Modern consumerists have turned the gospel message from Jesus being the messianic King of Kings into his being our personal savior. This is no small thing. A personal savior has no real impact on the larger world. He only saves individuals from their personal sins, rescuing them from damnation and giving them eternal life. For the individual, this is great news, but not necessarily life changing.
The announcement that Jesus is Messiah and Lord over all creation is a game changer. One cannot believe that and continue to live as before.
An encounter with the risen Lord quite naturally produces the desire to become his servant for life.