Now that we have spent several weeks examining the basic gospel message, I thought a quote from J. I. Packer's classic Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (IVP, England, 1961) was in order. From page 101:

"The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15).

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17).

"God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Gen 1:27).

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God" (Romans 1:1).

Ask a room full of Christians "What is the gospel" and you'll likely be stunned at the variety of responses. This sad truth only speaks to the pandemic of gospel ignorance in evangelical churches today. The word "gospel" itself means "good news" or "blessed message" but one might not know it given the myriad misrepresentations of it in America today.

You've seen them all over your TV, and on every internet news page - those poor, pitiful, oil-soaked pelicans struggling for life in the Gulf waters. If you haven't seen them yet, you must live under a rock. If you do live under a rock, click here:

The 5th grade public school teacher that sat on the couch across from me baffled me with her descriptions of the unruly, chaotic nature of her classroom. She told me of 5th grade boys who routinely call her the "b" word. She spoke to me of her constantly having to ask students not to text or use their hand-held devices during her period of instruction. Worst of all, she relayed to me that when these disciplinary problems are addressed with parents, they often take their kid's side and act as if the teacher is the problem.

"Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies" (Proverbs 31:10).

The Spirit really moved me today as I read Psalm 71, especially verses 17-18: