words from Peter Youngren

In our recent magazine, Celebrate 2006, I made the statement, “Some suggest that America has become gospel hardened. I don’t think so, America must hear the gospel.”

I’ve been criticized for saying that. Do you believe America has heard the gospel? My point, if you read the whole article, was that people have heard a message preached of what they must do for God in order to please God. The gospel is the message that God is already pleased by what Jesus has done. By preaching what we must do, we create and foster an image of a “displeased God for whom we must perform in order that his displeasure will turn into pleasure”. Only a sufficient amount of prayer, giving, fasting, sacrifices, will get God to move. I contend that is contrary to gospel thinking. Now don’t misunderstand me, God wants us to pray, fast, sacrifice, give and work for Him but that comes after we have discovered the good news. Then the grace of what God has done for us becomes the empowering to get the job done.

The wayward stressful religion, where people have a bad conscience thinking, “I don’t love enough, I don’t have enough faith, I don’t witness enough, the situation is horrible in our country, we’re not good enough. This discredits the grace of Jesus Christ instead”.All the love, faith, righteousness, and power that I need is in me already in Christ.

Holy Spirit, open my eyes to more fully see the riches of what Christ has already done for me. What power, what excitement, in that joy we go forward and get the job done.

Blessings, Peter Youngren

O.K. Everyone, whatcha think bout this?