There is an interesting conversation going on right now in a lot of churches. Many people, and specifically people in leadership are asking, “How do we balance gospel proclamation and gospel demonstration?”
Gospel proclamation is proclaiming the gospel clearly. People hear the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ and have the opportunity to respond by grace and through faith.
Gospel demonstration is serving others in the name of Christ, showing his love when we act upon what we say we believe about Christ. Christians must be salt and light in a world that deeply needs that salt and light. I’ve preferred calling that “living out the implications of the gospel,” but it is ultimately a demonstration of that gospel transformation.
People have debated, “What is the mission of the church?” Is the church to speak truth, or show truth? I didn’t know we had to choose. And in fact, we don’t. Balancing these two important aspects of the mission is often more difficult than it appears, which has led to debates. As humans, we tend to lean in certain directions in life and ministry. The same happens in this discussion.
But we don’t always balance well, so some people end up doing more of one than the other.
At the same time, debate can be helpful as we figure out how to effectively show the love of Jesus as we continually share the love of Jesus. Read More
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