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If you asked five random Christians “What is the gospel?” you might get five different answers. Many believers are simply confused as to the content of the gospel. That’s why we’re thankful for the new book Always Good News: Why the Message of Jesus Is Good News Every Day by Pastor Scott Lothery. In the short book, Scott walks through a biblical framework for describing the gospel that every Christian should be aware of. (That’s why we have Scott teaching on the gospel as part of Open the Bible for Leaders.)
What follows is a Q&A with Pastor Scott about his new book and the gospel message.
1. Always Good News captures teaching on the gospel you’ve been developing for years. What’s the backstory for the book?
In the early 2000’s, I set out to do some doctoral work focused on how the gospel nourishes the virtue of Jesus in Christians. As I began to make those connections in my research, I casually mentioned to my professor that there seemed to be a lack of clarity in the church surrounding what the gospel itself is. He responded by telling me that I had to first focus on defining the gospel before I could move onto demonstrating how it makes us more like Jesus. What I thought was a preliminary part of my project turned out to be my major focus and yielded Always Good News. I still aspire to write that second book though. My working title for it is The Gospel Nourished Life: How the Message of Jesus Cultivates the Virtue of God.
2. As you studied the gospel so intently, did anything surprise you?
During my research, I discovered that the only occurrence of the word “love” in the entire book of Acts is the word “beloved” in Acts 15:25, used by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem as an adjective to describe their affection for Barnabas and Paul. That was very surprising! The words “loved,” “loves,” “loving,” “lover,” and “lovely” are all absent from the book. Basically, there’s no “love” in Acts. Why was that so surprising to me? Well, Acts is the historical record of the evangelistic activity of the apostles. It is the God-inspired account of the gospel going forward to the entire Roman Empire. It is the only New Testament narrative that describes the content and nature of the Spirit-filled, gospel-preaching ministry of men like Peter, Paul, and Philip, men after whom the church patterns our gospel preaching. As such, it contains direct quotes from their lips as well as summary descriptions of their sermons to non-Christians. It seems quite strange, then, doesn’t it, especially for those of us who have long understood the gospel to begin with “God loves you” that the word “love” is not found anywhere in the book of Acts. Nowhere does Luke record, “And Paul said to the crowd gathered in the town square, ‘God loves you,’ because he wanted them to understand the gospel.” Nowhere is it written, “Peter told the Samarians how much God loved them in Jesus Christ.” They are never recorded as reciting John 3:16.
So, I had to wrestle with the question…how can it be that the biblical book about the preaching of the gospel in the world does not include the word “love” when the whole world seems to understand the gospel as “God so loved the world…”? I reflect on that question in the last chapter of Always Good News and I think I present a good conclusion.
3. If you’re on an elevator, and someone asks you “What is the gospel?” How would you answer in under two minutes?
I can do it in under 20 seconds. 🙂 The gospel is the good news about Jesus of Nazareth. That He is the Lord of all, who is putting the world right regarding sin, the only one who can do that, and He is saving sinners by grace through faith.
4. How/Why do you recommend someone use the Lord-Sin-Savior-Faith framework to share their testimony?
I was taught that your Christian testimony should be formatted in three sections: Who were you before you became a Christian? How did you become a Christian? What is your life like now that you are a Christian? I don’t think that is a bad way to do it, but sometimes it lends itself to focusing on how God has improved your life through Christianity. Clearly, the Apostle Paul might suggest that the circumstances of his life got worse after becoming a Christian.
I prefer a Christian testimony that is focused on testifying about Jesus. It doesn’t have to be a four-question formula that aligns with Lord-Sin-Savior-Faith, just make sure you cover those topics so that your testimony focuses on the gospel. For example, how did you conclude that Jesus of Nazareth is the one true Lord of the world? What sins did Jesus convict you of? When did you put your faith in Him as the only one who can save you from sin and its consequences?
5. The church doesn’t seem to talk much today about the return of Christ, at least in comparison with the New Testament authors. Why is this? And why should Christ’s return be a greater focus?
Perhaps some segments don’t talk about the return of Christ as much because they’re focused on how to improve life here on earth now. I think other segments of the church talk a great deal about the return of Christ but do so with a focus on what is going to happen prior to His return.
I’d prefer that our focus would be on what His return accomplishes – completing the work of putting the world right regarding sin. That is vitally important. Everyone needs hope regarding their sin, the sin of others, and the pervasive effect of sin on our world. Jesus’ return is that hope. I am on the edge of my seat in life waiting for it to happen. Yes, I know by faith that I am forgiven, but I can’t wait for the day when my faith is sight, the day that He looks me in the eye and tells me I am forgiven. Scott Lothery is pardoned! Incredible!!
Likewise, I am eager to have my soul healed from the hurt of being sinned against in this world. Yes, I feel His healing work in my heart now for all the ways I have been wronged, but I long for the day that I am completely whole again with no pain in my soul. I want my inner scars to disappear. Similar, I was delivered from the spiral of drug addiction in 1992, but I still struggle with self-control in other areas of my life. I yearn for the day when I only want the virtue of Christ, and I always think, desire and act in alignment with His virtue, never again being burdened by the power of sin.
Lastly, I want a new body equipped to explore the incomprehensible new universe; a body that is complete, invulnerable, spiritual, holy, and immortal. I long for that transformation for myself and the people I love so much.
6. What is common feedback you’ve heard about this teaching from believers? From pastors? Any common themes of “We’ve never heard this before?”
I have received feedback from unchurched people, Christians, and pastors. In general, people have described it as a compelling and encouraging book. When they are done with it, they often think of other people who they want to share it with. The bit about the word “love” not being a headline is something people haven’t heard before, but I think there are several other more prominent themes that people find encouraging. Some say it helped them refocus on Jesus as the main topic of the good news. Others comment that they have been refreshed by the book’s focus on how each aspect of the news about Jesus is good, and how that good news applies to their life every day. Still others appreciated the motivation the book provides to live out their faith more fully and share their faith more frequently.
Get your copy of Always Good News by Scott Lothery this month for a gift of any amount.
Kevin Halloran
Product Manager, Open the Bible for Leaders
Kevin serves as Product Manager for Open the Bible for Leaders. Kevin loves spending time with his wife, Jazlynn, and young daughters. In his free time, you can find him reading, writing (in English and Spanish), and serving at his church. Kevin is the author of When Prayer is a Struggle: A Practical Guide for Overcoming Obstacles in Prayer (P&R) and the free companion course Pray the Bible. Follow Kevin on Facebook and Twitter.
