Entrusted with the Gospel

Our days are full of tasks, news, people, even good causes, all calling out for our attention. It’s a lot to process. It’s hard to figure out what matters most. It’s even harder to focus on what matters most. It’s disorienting. We get world news faster than local. Cultural norms come and go with a vote. Leader after leader falls into scandal. Reputations rise and fall on social media as fast as financial markets give and take from our retirement accounts. The universities offer new words and social indictments with every peer-reviewed paper. And all those commercials on television and in magazines—if we’re honest—leave us wanting more.

The thing is, none of this is new. God knew how easily distractions would come, especially to church leaders. Just in the Pastoral Epistles, Paul warned leaders about speculative genealogies, fruitless discussions, silly myths, unsupported accusations, arguments over words, irreverent and empty speech, youthful passions, foolish and ignorant disputes, quarrels, and, worst of all, false teachers and doctrines. It’s almost like he was reading Twitter.

Yet his solution was simple: to remind his readers God had entrusted the gospel to them. Eight times he used this word, as in

• To the Galatians: “I had been entrusted with the gospel.”
• To the Thessalonians: “we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.”
• To Timothy: “guard the deposit entrusted to you.”

We have been entrusted by God, with the gospel, for his people. As in: I trust you to receive, protect, and pass this on. It’s of first importance. Forget everything else, if you must. Focus.  

Every other year, Together for the Gospel gathers to remind us of this first trust. Leave the fray for three days. Let go of the distractions. Shake off the weariness. Sing eternal truths. Hear sound preaching. Remember your call and God’s promises.

We hope you’ll join us.