If the gospel is the best option for the transformation of churches in today’s increasingly church-hostile culture, then what is the gospel? This simple question has been answered in complex ways.1 But for many today, the gospel can be summarized in one word: “heaven.” One of the most common perspectives in the U.S. is that gospel is the message of how Jesus came to get us off the earth and into heaven.2 In addition, the gospel is a message about the way we respond to this promise of heaven. For example, at the first congregation for which I preached full-time, a seasoned critic of mine finally had enough. I had been preaching through Luke’s Gospel for over a year. One day this critic said to me, “I have not heard a gospel sermon since 1956 in Pampa, TX.” When I pressed him to explain, it became clear what he meant. A gospel sermon was one which called listeners to hear, believe, confess, repent and be baptized–so they could go to heaven. For many, “gospel” is synonymous with “heaven.” It’s a message about how Jesus’ death and resurrection secured eternal bliss and a call to respond in faith and repentance.
In truth, there’s far more to the gospel. If we look for one word to summarize the gospel, the word is not “heaven.” The word is “king.”
Though the U.S. has no official king, we are nonetheless invested in the concept. It shows up in the most mundane of places, even on television game shows. Consider “Family Feud.” It is a long-running television game show. During the contest the host will ask two contestants a question. The question has to do with a brief survey the producers took regarding a particular topic. In one recent episode the survey asked 100 people this question: “When someone mentions ‘the King,’ to whom might he or she be referring?” Here are the results:
- The Burger King (2 people)
- Martin Luther King, Jr. (3)
- God/Jesus (7)
- and the top answer by a huge majority–Elvis Presley (81 people).
It’s not a scientific survey. But it is interesting–especially for those of us who live in Memphis, TN–the home of Elvis Presley. Even years after his death, many still think of Elvis as “the King.” He’s crowned even more than God/Jesus.
And though silly, the survey raises a serious issue. In fact, it raises the one issue that lies at the heart of the Bible. At its core, the Bible has one primary concern: Who is The King? Kings (and royals in general) capture our attention. We attend movies about kings, such as “The Lion King,” “The King’s Speech,” and “The Lord of the Rings.” More than six million tuned in for the 2014 premier of HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” Many of us watched at least part of royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. And many in the Mid-South had a bit of fun when Prince William and Prince Harry recently visited Memphis (in fact, a former member of my congregation made the cake for the royal event). We love kings, queens and royals. And this, ultimately, is also the love-interest of Scripture. At the heart of the Bible is a story of a King. The Bible has one primary concern: Who is The King?
The Bible answers this question in this way: There is one true God who reigns as the one true King. Throughout Scripture, God is described as the King of all the earth (e.g., 2 Kgs 19:15; Pss 29:10; 47:2; 93:1, 2; 96:10; 97:1–9; 99:1–4; 145:11–13; Is 6:5; Jer 46:18).
This is especially true in the Psalms. The Psalmist declares, “the LORD sits enthroned as king forever” (Ps. 29:10 ESV) and “For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth” (Ps. 47:2 ESV). Again and again the psalmist shouts “The LORD reigns” (Ps. 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1).
The prophet Isaiah speaks of the time he saw the Lord “sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Is. 6:1 ESV).
There is one true God who reigns as the one true King.
The Bible states that there is one place where the dreams and wishes of this King become a reality. A place where his reign, his kingdom, is firmly and fully established and expressed. That place is heaven. There are no rivals to God’s throne in heaven. There are no powers threatening his authority there. Because of this, heaven is the one place where no girls are ever kidnapped. No children ever get cancer. No families ever break up. No murders or muggings take place. No wars are declared. No layoffs occur. No backs are stabbed. There is no sorrow. No suffering. No pain. No poverty. Why? Because the rule, the kingdom, of the one true King is fully and firmly established and expressed in heaven.
I think of my great Grandmother’s farm kitchen. Gertie ruled in her kitchen (actually, she co-reigned with her twin sister Vertie). It was her domain. And even if the world outside was falling apart, Gertie’s kitchen remained a place of love, hospitality, warmth and the best fried chicken, eggs, bacon and other delictables you could imagine. The crackle of her wood-burning stove. The glow of the sun shining through the bank of windows by the sink. The creak of the wood floor as Gertie walked. The smell of freshly sliced tomatoes. It was heavenly. The kitchen was one place where Gertie’s benevolent rule was fully and firmly established and expressed.
But the Bible says that the one true King desired to create another place where his rule could extend. The one true King desired to expand his kingdom to earth. He wanted to take all the good that was happening in heaven and expand it to a new place called “earth.” It was always the King’s desire that earth would become a place where his reign was also firmly and fully established and expressed.
We might think of the way a music group who is successful in the United States decides to go on a world tour, hoping to bless others with their music. The group tries to expand their influence into other places.
Or consider the way a U.S. embassy is a “slice of America” in a foreign land–planted there not simply as a resource for Americans abroad but also as way of allowing what is good about American culture to bless those in foreign lands.
We could think of how a restaurant like Cracker Barrel expands from its start in the South to locations across the country–bringing a taste of the South to those not in the South. Interestingly, Dan Evins, founder of Cracker Barrel, based the restaurant on the country store he frequented as he grew up in Lebanon, TN. He wanted everyone to be able to experience the simple and comfortable life he found at that childhood country store. He wanted everyone to experience things “like big jars of candy and homemade jellies, pot-bellied stoves, folks who let you take your time…simple, honest country food, and a store where you could buy someone a gift that was actually worth having.”3 Thus, Evins took all that was good about that childhood experience, and began expanding it to places outside of Lebanon. And now there are more than 600 Cracker Barrel restaurants in 42 states.
In a similar way, the one true King desired to take the blessing found in heaven and expand it to earth.
(to be continued)
1. (see http://trevinwax.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Gospel-Definitions1.pdf)
2. (John Ortberg, “The Kingdom of God,” Pepperdine Bible Lectures, 2014)
3. (http://www.crackerbarrel.com/about-us/heritage-and-history/)
