Five Markers of a Trustworthy Gospel Message

You know, people who are in it for themselves don't keep going when the costs start to rise. They shift. They soften what they're saying. They look for ways to make it more palatable and more comfortable and more easy, but Paul didn't do that. He left Philippi bruised and beaten and publicly humiliated. And instead of keeping a low profile, what did he do? He immediately went to Thessalonica and did it again. Why? Because he was convinced that the message was worth it. He knew it was true. [00:33:49] (37 seconds)  #TruthWorthTheCost

We live in a world where more views often means more money and more followers brings more influence. That creates a real pressure to say what keeps people watching and what grows the platform and keeps an audience engaged and people in office. The gospel frees you from needing anything from people. You're not trying to take something from others because if you are in Jesus, you already have everything you need. It frees you to speak honestly, to serve sacrificially, and to give rather than to take. A trustworthy voice doesn't need anything from you. [00:46:33] (44 seconds)  #FreeFromApproval

If this happened in your place of work or wherever you serve or the place that you find meaning and purpose and all that, you would look for a new job. Paul was beaten with rods, had his clothes torn off of him, attacked by a crowd, thrown into solitary confinement in stocks. They understood the cost. It's just that even though the cost of continuing to share the gospel message was high, the gospel that they were taking from town to town, it didn't scare them away from the mission that God had for their lives. [00:33:13] (35 seconds)  #MissionOverPersecution

This is where things start to get a little uncomfortable for us because in every generation, there are voices that use truth, influence, and sometimes even scripture to gain something for themselves. It might be money. It might be a platform. It might be an office. It might be recognition. It might be power or control, and it's not always obvious. Because sometimes it sounds right. Sometimes it looks polished. Sometimes it even helps people for a little while. But underneath it, there is often some kind of transaction taking place. [00:45:39] (38 seconds)  #NotForSaleFaith

He was free from self. I don't know how much more free from self you can get when you do nothing wrong, but willfully go to a cross anyway. And, man, I don't know what you call love, but that's it. That that's the marker of a trustworthy message is found in Jesus. And so if you're wanting to be transformed to see these things evident in your own life, it's not a go out and try to manifest this on your own. It's to look to Jesus again and again and again and allow the holy spirit to transform you from the inside out so that we're more like him. [00:52:40] (39 seconds)  #TransformedByJesus

You know, before coming to Christ, before you're a Christian, before you confess Jesus as Lord, approval of others and acceptance by others feels like everything. It feels like the only thing. But in the gospel, once you have confessed Christ and you are a child of God, you have everything you need in him. You are already accepted. You are already known. You are already approved in Christ. And that means when you have that on lock, you are free to be faithful without fear of anyone else. [00:43:33] (37 seconds)  #AcceptedInChrist

But then the other way to potentially apply this is this, am I this kind of person? Because if you were a follower of Christ, if you'd call yourself a Christian, then by the gospel, we are to be transformed into people who are trustworthy messengers, who are unafraid of cost. We're not worried about what it's gonna cost us when it comes to being anchored in truth. We recognize we answer to God first and foremost. We're free from self. I'm not trying to make everything about me. I'm full of love. Like, is is have I been transformed by the gospel to the extent that this is a marker in my life? [00:51:24] (43 seconds)  #MarkedByTheGospel

Then he goes even further, and he says, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives. What a difference. Plenty of people are willing to share information. Plenty of people are willing to offer opinions. Haven't you noticed? Plenty of people are even willing to speak truth. Far fewer are willing to give their lives. A trustworthy message comes from someone who genuinely loves the people they're speaking to. Not just somebody who wants agreement, but someone who sees real value in the people in front of them. [00:48:54] (40 seconds)  #GaveTheirLives