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EPISODE NOTES
In this episode of The Transforming the Church Podcast, we’re diving deep into the core of Christianity: love. Join Dr. Derwin L. Gray as he unpacks the profound impact of truth, inspired by Dr. Norman Geisler, that can utterly transform local churches into breeding grounds for everyday missionaries. From living authentically like Jesus to nurturing a solid theological foundation, we’ll explore how these truths can revolutionize not just individual lives, but entire communities. Tune in and be inspired to become a catalyst for transformative change in your community.
Do you desire to see your Christian community transformed into a vibrant, missionary force? I will be sharing the solution to help you achieve this by deepening your understanding of love as the center of Christianity. By implementing these truths, you will witness your community becoming an influential and impactful force for spreading God’s love. This understanding of love will be the catalyst for a renewed passion for sharing the Gospel and making disciples.
In this episode, you will learn how to:
- Discover the transformative power of truth in Christianity and how it shapes our understanding of the world.
- Learn practical ways to embody the teachings of Jesus in your everyday life, making a real impact on those around you.
- Uncover the depth of a robust theological vision and its relevance to your walk of faith in today’s world.
- Explore love as the central force in Christianity, and how it can revolutionize your relationships and community.
- Embrace the value of seeking common ground with humility, fostering unity and understanding in a divided world.
The transformative power of Christianity lies in its profound truths, particularly those shared by Mahatma Gandhi during a discourse with Methodist missionary E. Stanley Jones. These truths, including emulating Jesus’ actions and nature, and practicing forgiveness and love, are transformative. Implementing and embodying these truths in our everyday lives helps us radiate the godly qualities of forgiveness, grace, generosity, and compassion, ultimately spurring a positive change in us and our communities.
SHOW TRANSCRIPTION
00:00:02
You ever have somebody say something to you that leaves a soul tattoo? Just as we have physical tattoos on our skin, oftentimes God will use people to give us a soul tattoo in the depths of our heart. And usually it’s from somebody older and wiser. Well, one of my mentors, probably my primary mentor, Dr. Norman Geisler, I would call him Yoda.
00:00:28
The man wrote over 100 books. Even up into the time that he passed away in his mid 80s, he was still writing books. But what Dr. Geisler told me when I was working on my master’s underneath him was this. It’s a profound truth.
00:00:42
Let this mark your soul too. He said, this all truth belongs to the triune God, even when truth comes from a non-Christian. So truth from a non-Christian is just God’s common grace. And truth is important because truth allows us to see reality. Truth corresponds to reality.
00:01:05
Well, in the 1920s, Methodist missionary to India E. Stanley Jones was having a conversation with his friend Mahatma Gandhi. And as the two were talking, Jones said to Gandhi, I’m very anxious to see Christianity naturalized in India, so that it shall no longer be a foreign thing identified with a foreign people and a foreign government, but a part of the national life of India and contributing to its power to India’s uplift and redemption. So the time frame is in the 1920s, right? So about 100 years ago. And it’s interesting in what Gandhi says, and there’s much that we can learn from this person who didn’t follow Christ.
00:01:52
Oftentimes some of the best critiques come from people who are outside looking in, and if we’re wise, we’ll take time to listen. Gandhi responded with four truths. If you and I implement as ministry leaders and as those who care about Jesus and His desire to reach the world, these four truths, if implemented through the Holy Spirit’s power, will be used to transform local churches into communities of everyday missionaries. So let me pause here. One of the things that you’re going to grab from this podcast is this.
00:02:30
Every single follower of Jesus is a missionary. Please understand this. We have a God who is on mission. God is reconciling the world unto Himself. We’re a disaster, we’re broken, we’re rebellious, we’re hurting, we’re afraid, we’re alone.
00:02:48
We’ve made a mess of things. So what does God do? God sends His Son. Jesus was sent into the world to reconcile the world unto Himself. The Holy Spirit was sent to indwell us to give us character or the fruit of the spirit and the gifts of the spirit so that we can be sent into the world to say, we’ve got really good news.
00:03:09
There’s a loving and good Father who sent His gracious Son to die the death we should have died on the cross to raise again, to give us life, forgiveness and life and righteousness, and also the Holy Spirit’s power in us to make us a family. We’ve got some really, really good news. And every follower of Jesus is a missionary. Wherever your feet are, that’s your mission field. Your school, your job, your gym, whenever, wherever we are on mission, because we serve a God who is the original missionary. So Gandhi said this, and here are these four truths that is important for us to grab ahold of, and they’re going to seem kind of obvious.
00:03:53
And oftentimes we miss things that are in clear sight. But Gandhi said this to Jones. Number one, be more like Jesus. He said it in these words. I would suggest first that all you Christians, missionaries and all, must begin to live more like Jesus.
00:04:13
Gandhi’s words still ring true. If we want the ringing sound to be silent, pastors and missionaries, ministry leaders, and those of us who follow Christ, we must embody this Gospel. But this isn’t something we do in our own power. It comes from the power of the Gospel to begin to reflect Christ more and more and more. So let’s pause here.
00:04:41
The Gospel is more than simply, I get to go to heaven when I die. The reality is God is renewing all things. Not only is there going to be a new heavens, new earth, where there’s no sin, where there’s no brokenness, but human beings are going to become genuine God reflectors. Jesus and his humanity was the prototype of what human beings were to be. That’s what God is forming us into by grace.
00:05:10
Okay? So understand this, that Gandhi is saying, listen, number one, if you want to reach India and for us in 2023, if you want to reach in 2024, if you want to reach people, it’s important that they see something in us, but we cannot make ourself shine light. The light has to be within us and shine through us. So Gandhi’s words ring true. Now, pastors, I’m going to challenge you in this.
00:05:39
Those who disciple other Christians, ministry leaders, I’m going to challenge you in this. An anemic Gospel produces anemic Christians. Anemic pulpits and discipleship strategies have often reduced the magnificence of the Gospel to simply a trip to heaven when we die, our only forgiveness of sins. Those things are true, but they’re not the fullness of it. The Gospel we preach is the churches we get, and the churches we get is the Gospel we preach.
00:06:06
So if we don’t have churches that are set ablaze, lit up with love of Christ, what is it that we are giving them to receive? So let’s take a trip back a couple thousand years, and this is really important. We have an ancient faith that reaches way back. The Gospel is a royal announcement that Jesus of Nazareth is the true Lord of the universe, who won a decisive victory over the powers of sin, death and the powers of darkness. Jesus’ life, His death, His resurrection is victory over that which destroys us.
00:06:46
Jesus’ resounding victory was achieved through His sinless life. Think about it. He lived a sinless life that humanity could not live. His perfectly obedient life is accredited to us. His sacrificial, substitutionary, atoning death on the cross and his death defeating, eternal, life giving resurrection.
