MAKING THE SHIFT

There has been a long history of teaching and preaching concerning what I call the Gospel of Salvation. This is basically only telling the listeners “how to get saved” or “how to be born again.” Of course everyone needs to make this decision as best they know how with the information they are given.

The concern is that usually not much is presented beyond this message especially concerning spiritual formation… becoming a disciple. So every week (or meeting) the salvation message is presented to those who have already accepted salvation.

Richard Beck mentions this as a frustration with his prison ministry, “Basically, my biggest struggle is the same struggle most churches have with spiritual formation, how to shift the focus away from justification to sanctification. By and large, prison ministry is focused on revival and evangelism. It struggles to do anything with spiritual formation.”

Unless the Gospel of the Kingdom is presented we all stay as Salvationists only.

“The Law and the [writings of the] Prophets were proclaimed until John; since then the gospel of the Kingdom of God has been and continues to be preached, and everyone tries forcefully to go into it.” Jesus