God wants to put it all back together…
Be the resurrection!
A great reminder.
“If people only had your life and they were asked, “Has Jesus risen from the dead?” How would they answer?
HT to Jonathan Brink.
The Gospel According to Rob Bell
Published by
Excellent vid from Rob Bell, as ever.
J
Thanks for the comment and the Twitter love!
Excellent vid from Rob Bell, as ever.
J
Thanks for the comment and the Twitter love!
Rob Bell is an apostolic “pastor” who should repent for his sins and turn to the true God and not some false idol he is worshipping. 2 Tim 4:1-5 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Kevin,
Thanks for your comment. Although I’m not sure what all your referring to/about.
To me apostolic means an apostle of Jesus. Perhaps you can clarify what’s wrong with that (or as you suggested — sinning).
Maybe you’re just making a general statement that we’re all sinners needing to repent of our sins?
Also, you quoted a nice verse from Timothy but I’m not sure how or where it relates to this video?
Thanks again for your comments – I look forward to your clarification.
At the end Rob Bell says, “may you come to see that YOU are the good news, you are the gospel.”
This, in addition to his poor history and other erroneous depictions of who God is, form a clear indictment of this rubbish.
Rob Bell needs to repent. He needs to apologize to his church for bring in people like Phyllis Tickle. He needs to get on his knees to acknowledge his sin against the Holy God. He needs to stop leading people through a wide gate, using ideas and feelings that seem right to me, but lead only to destruction.
Rob Bell is telling a false gospel, which is really no gospel at all.
Steve,
Thanks for your comment. That’s an interesting point you bring up.
I can understand how someone could see that as a problem. I’d might be worried too if I only understood “the gospel” or “good news” to only refer to a sacred message that Jesus came to save us and take us to heaven some day. (I don’t want to put words in your mouth though – so perhaps you can expound. You used lower case gospel and good news – so I don’t want to jump to the conclusion that you see it the same as those who typically use Gospel and Good News).
If I stick with that sole definition of good news then I would have problems with LOTS of things. Such as people using the term “the gospel truth” or “the gospel according to Hollywood” or “the gospel according to U2.”
But even if we stick with that limited definition, perhaps we could see Bell’s statement another way. If the gospel or the good news is only about Jesus coming to save the world — then I would hope that we as Followers of Jesus — who believe that Jesus actually comes and lives inside of us — should have some of that gospel inside of us as well.
St. Augustine (I believe) said it best – preach the gospel always, use words if necessary. Apparently he believed there was something to actually living out the gospel. Perhaps he believed people would actually see Christ and his good news in our lives. I can’t think of a better way to live something out – than for you to become what you’re living out.
Spurgeon said that to preach the gospel is…
to state every doctrine contained in God’s Word, and to give every truth its proper prominence.
to exalt Jesus Christ.
to give every class of character his due.
Seems to me that would be something I want to become.
At the end Rob Bell says, “may you come to see that YOU are the good news, you are the gospel.”
This, in addition to his poor history and other erroneous depictions of who God is, form a clear indictment of this rubbish.
Rob Bell needs to repent. He needs to apologize to his church for bring in people like Phyllis Tickle. He needs to get on his knees to acknowledge his sin against the Holy God. He needs to stop leading people through a wide gate, using ideas and feelings that seem right to me, but lead only to destruction.
Rob Bell is telling a false gospel, which is really no gospel at all.
Steve,
Thanks for your comment. That’s an interesting point you bring up.
I can understand how someone could see that as a problem. I’d might be worried too if I only understood “the gospel” or “good news” to only refer to a sacred message that Jesus came to save us and take us to heaven some day. (I don’t want to put words in your mouth though – so perhaps you can expound. You used lower case gospel and good news – so I don’t want to jump to the conclusion that you see it the same as those who typically use Gospel and Good News).
If I stick with that sole definition of good news then I would have problems with LOTS of things. Such as people using the term “the gospel truth” or “the gospel according to Hollywood” or “the gospel according to U2.”
But even if we stick with that limited definition, perhaps we could see Bell’s statement another way. If the gospel or the good news is only about Jesus coming to save the world — then I would hope that we as Followers of Jesus — who believe that Jesus actually comes and lives inside of us — should have some of that gospel inside of us as well.
St. Augustine (I believe) said it best – preach the gospel always, use words if necessary. Apparently he believed there was something to actually living out the gospel. Perhaps he believed people would actually see Christ and his good news in our lives. I can’t think of a better way to live something out – than for you to become what you’re living out.
Spurgeon said that to preach the gospel is…
to state every doctrine contained in God’s Word, and to give every truth its proper prominence.
to exalt Jesus Christ.
to give every class of character his due.
Seems to me that would be something I want to become.
What is troubling about this message, something that is clearly intended to be a presentation of the Gospel, is not so much about what is said as about what is left out.
The core message of the Gospel is salvation, but not primarily salvation from our brokenness, or a broken world, or any other such unpleasantness, although these ultimately are part of the package. It is salvation from the wrath of God.
The wrath of God is curiously absent from anything I’ve heard from Rob Bell.
John,
Thanks for your comment. It sounds like you’re faith is really wrapped around avoiding God’s vengeance and wrath.
To me, that turns heaven and salvation into nothing more than a get out of hell free card.
I really like Brian McLaren’s illustration though. He says that we’ve typically looked at the cross with one or two spotlights shining on it. But we should be looking at the cross from as many different angles and spotlights as possible.
Perhaps that’s why I appreciate Rob Bell’s message here. It ads another spotlight and angle.
Many people would prefer to only preach the wrath and vengeance of God — but others would prefer to preach the love of God and his followers. Both help give us a better understanding of the gospel and the God we follow.
Give me your clearest understanding of the Cross, and what took place there, and why it was necessary.
What is troubling about this message, something that is clearly intended to be a presentation of the Gospel, is not so much about what is said as about what is left out.
The core message of the Gospel is salvation, but not primarily salvation from our brokenness, or a broken world, or any other such unpleasantness, although these ultimately are part of the package. It is salvation from the wrath of God.
The wrath of God is curiously absent from anything I’ve heard from Rob Bell.
John,
Thanks for your comment. It sounds like you’re faith is really wrapped around avoiding God’s vengeance and wrath.
To me, that turns heaven and salvation into nothing more than a get out of hell free card.
I really like Brian McLaren’s illustration though. He says that we’ve typically looked at the cross with one or two spotlights shining on it. But we should be looking at the cross from as many different angles and spotlights as possible.
Perhaps that’s why I appreciate Rob Bell’s message here. It ads another spotlight and angle.
Many people would prefer to only preach the wrath and vengeance of God — but others would prefer to preach the love of God and his followers. Both help give us a better understanding of the gospel and the God we follow.
Rob Bell is an apostolic “pastor” who should repent for his sins and turn to the true God and not some false idol he is worshipping. 2 Tim 4:1-5 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Kevin,
Thanks for your comment. Although I’m not sure what all your referring to/about.
To me apostolic means an apostle of Jesus. Perhaps you can clarify what’s wrong with that (or as you suggested — sinning).
Maybe you’re just making a general statement that we’re all sinners needing to repent of our sins?
Also, you quoted a nice verse from Timothy but I’m not sure how or where it relates to this video?
Thanks again for your comments – I look forward to your clarification.
I appreciate Bell’s passion and his desire to tell people about Jesus. But Bell makes some historical errors, and thus contextual errors. He also misses what the apostles considered the crucial part the good news. (Pun on crucial intended.)
No one called Agustus “dominusâ€. The Christian use of the word Lord (kurios, Greek) originates from the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew scriptures, not from Roman use of the word dominus (Lord). The following is from a college Roman history textbook. (I was a classics major.)
“The first 300 years of the Empire are usually dealt with under the subheading Principate, from the word princeps, one of the emperors’ chief titles up to A.D. 282. The implication of this title was that the emperor, although the acknowledged head of state, was only primus inter patres, first among equals within the Roman nobility, and that he governed in cooperation with them. The period after 282, however, is often called the Dominate, because the emperors were undisguisedly autocratic, the title princeps was completely abandoned, and the title dominus, lord and master, prevailed. (246, Allen M. Ward, A History of the Roman People.)
Where did he get that information about those gods being so popular in Roman religion?
Where did he get the information about Augustus’s death being heralded as evangelion? That’s not true. It may be an anachronism said about him by later historians (the poet Virgil or Plutarch), but it’s not historically true. No one thought much of him even after his adopted step-father, Julius Caesar was murdered by the senators. It was after a period of time that he slowly began to gain prominence.
The heart of the gospel is that Christ died for sins. That’s the message from Genesis 3:15-Revelation.
Check out Romans 5.
“While we were sinners Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)
Christ died for our sins. (1Cor 15:3)
[He] gave himself for our sins. (Gal 1:4)
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. (Eph. 1:7)
Since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near to God. (Heb 10:19-22)
Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, TO BRING YOU TO GOD. (1 Pet 3:18, I added the caps
God…loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 Jn 4:10)
You are worthy…because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God. (Rev 5:9).
Our commitment to Jesus Christ (including our sacrificial love for others) springs from the knowledge of his commitment to us (his sacrificial love for others). His death and resurrection are the good news. It’s actual news. The body of Christ exists because Jesus died for sins, rose from the dead and sent the Holy Spirit.
This is what John means in his letter when he says, “We love because he first loved us.†In his gospel of John makes it clear that Jesus crucifixion for our healing was his glorification. (John 3 and John 17:1)
So discipleship is not the good news, that’s the result of the good news. The good news is what Jesus Christ did on the cross. That’s why Christian represent their religion with that symbol of execution.
“God forbid that I should boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world is crucified to me and I to the world!†(Gal. 6:14)
By his wounds you are healed. (1 Peter near the end.)
Pucket –
Thanks for your input! I don’t have a lot of time to go through each of your points but re-watching the video and reading over what you wrote, a few things stand out.
1st off – I don’t know Roman history so it would be pointless for me to take your argument or Bell’s “argument” on a point by point basis.
Secondly, I don’t believe your interpretation or Bell’s interpretation (or anyone’s interpretation) of Roman History makes a huge difference in the conclusion that Bell comes to.
As I hear his points, Bell is saying there were a lot of people who were following various religions in the days of the early church (not unlike today). Some claimed this, some claimed that and a number of them had similar claims or practices to that of the early church (also not unlike today).
But what did set the earlier Christians apart was that they didn’t believe the world would be changed through political might and military/brute force — as the Roman Empire would have people believe. They saw the world being transformed through the way they lived their lives — through loving others and giving of themselves — through the Way of Jesus.
The Christians lived lives that forced people to answer the question — which way of living do you find more compelling, Caesar’s or Jesus’?
May we each learn to find ways to subvert ways of The Empire and live lives in which we fully give of ourselves and share the love of God that you mention (point out) so well in your comment.
May our lives be lived in such a way that people are forced to answer the question — who will you serve — Caesar/The Empire/The American Dream/The way of the world, or Jesus, the Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords and King of Kings?
In other words, following Ghandi, or Budda, or maybe being just this really neat human being? If you believe that, if you believe ‘the way of Jesus was a life of humility, peace, caring healing, and foregiveness you have lost your way. Jesus said ‘I have come that they who believe in me mightt have the gift of Eternal Life”, and “when I am lifted up (the Cross), I will draw all men to myself”. God made Him (Jesus), Who knew no sin (was sinless) to be sin in our place so that we might be made the righteousness of God through Him. 2 Cor 5:21.