The Gospel is the Only Means of Gospel Wakefulness

My friend and fellow member of the Forge leadership team, Chris, asked in a comment under yesterday's post on exultational preaching, "Can you talk sometime about how a heart arrives in this place? Especially when one is not 'feeling it'?"

The short answer is that gospel-centrality is always the prescription, even when we're not feeling it. The gospel is where the power is. "Feeling it" or not, looking elsewhere is not a viable option. Always go to Christ, because he is strong -- stronger even -- when we are weak.

In the way of a long answer, though, I thought I might share this excerpt from my upcoming book Gospel Wakefulness that speaks to the need for gospel fixation even when astonishment is hard to come by.

Despite the fact that you cannot learn gospel wakefulness, the first step to experiencing it is hearing the gospel. This is how God has designed evangelization to work: he designates the foolishness of preaching as the means of calling people to repentance and to belief in the announcement of the gospel. This is considered “foolish” in content -- because nobody is really expecting a dying God or a resurrected man -- but it is foolish in the medium as well, because the way God resurrects dead hearts is by gospel-bearing speech. That just sounds silly to our religious sensibilities. Nevertheless, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

So despite the fact that you cannot decide, “Oh, hey, okay, I’ll have some gospel wakefulness,” the recipe for it still calls for you to hear the gospel. Even if the quantum leap never comes, you are being saved by the gospel. The gradual dawn of gospel wakefulness is occurring for you as the Spirit brings your sin to mind, pours more grace upon you, and bears more fruit of good character and good works in you. To this end, then, you should read the gospel, listen to the gospel, sing the gospel, write the gospel, share the gospel, and preach the gospel, all the while asking God to administer its power more and more to your life. Situate yourself constantly in the crosshairs of the gospel. You cannot “Behold!” it if you aren’t looking. As my friend Ray Ortlund has been known to say, “Stare at the glory of God until you see it.”

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