Preach the riches of Christ
2 Cor 3:18-4:6 --- "beholding the glory of the Lord they are being transformed". My simple principle is that seeing Jesus, my people are transformed. So put up Jesus before your people. In all his glory. In as many aspects as you can.
Where is that glory seen most clearly? 2 Cor 4:4 says the devil is trying to stop people from seeing the gospel so that they don't change. So ministry must be centred on the glory of Christ and the gospel.
The gospel in 6: (needs every piece to be the true gospel!)
- The gospel is planned -> according to the Scriptures, pre-planned
- The gospel is in history, it happened -> take that away, no gospel
- He accomplished something at that moment when he died. -> before it ever affected you.
- The free offer of the gospel. By grace, for faith alone, not works.
- Applied to you. Take that away, you're going to hell, there's no gospel! Justified, reconciled, Many people stop at those 5. But why would you want to be forgiven? (There are wrong answers to that question!)
- 1 Peter 3:18. --> "to bring you to God". Just to have God himself. Not just to avoid hell. But to treasure Christ himself. To have that relationship, not just to feel better about oneself.
It would be perverse for a person to want their spouse to forgive them for a harsh word said, but only wanting to assuage their conscience and not caring about fixing the relationship.
Don't cut the gospel short of that final point.
When I sin against someone, I wreck the relationship with someone. Why would I want forgiveness with that person? To restore the relationship!!! Not just so I don't have a guilty conscience, but so that we are restored in our relationship with God.