What's Wrong With The Gospel? Section One: The Missing Parts

Last Days Ministries ^ | 1982 | Keith Green

[the-ironically-named-proverbs2]

half way through and I'm out of time. I'll read the rest later. From what I've read I'll say- this is something Christians today need to hear!!!

BUMP

[the-ironically-named-proverbs2]

You know when an article like this gets so few responses you're onto something. Just check out the "religious" threads that get the most activity and see just how important they really are.

2 Tim 2:23-26
23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Titus 3:9
9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. (KJV)

[Maximilian]

This is really excellent. I am a traditional Catholic, but I found nearly all of his points very well taken. Many of them can be applied to the Catholic Church as much as to any Protestant denomination.

Based on your quick description of his life, however, it sounds like Green was good at criticizing the problems with Christianity, but never found a church himself.

[streetpreacher]

No, that's not correct. I'm sorry if I gave that impression. As I understand, Keith attended a church in the Dallas area. Regardless, Last Days Ministries was a missionary training center as well as Discipleship School affiliated with the national missions agency, Youth With A Mission. As such, you might say, they were having "church" services daily. In other words, Keith wasn't just talking the talk; he was walking the walk, taking the gospel to the poorest and most unreached nations for Christ.

[streetpreacher]

Here is a song by Keith (written by his wife Melody) that really demonstrates his burden for the salvation of the lost and the maturity of the church:

JESUS COMMANDS US TO GO LYRICS

CHORUS

Jesus commands us to go,

but we go the other way.

So He carries the burden alone,

While His children are busy at play,

Feeling so called to stay.

END CHORUS

Oh, how God grieves and believes that the world can`t be saved,

Unless the ones He`s appointed obeys,

His command and His stand for the world,

That He loved more than life.

Oh He died, and He cries out tonight.

CHORUS

Jesus commands us to go,

It should be the exception if we stay.

It`s no wonder we`re moving so slow,

When His church refuses to obey,

Feeling so called to stay.

END CHORUS

Oh how God calls, as He stalls the great judgment of fire,

So He can gain, His Greatest desire.

Cause He knows that the souls of the lost,

They can only be reached, through us,

We`re His hands and His feet.

CHORUS

Jesus commands us to go,

It should be the exception if we stay.

It`s no wonder we`re moving so slow,

When God`s children refuse to obey,

Feeling so called to stay.

END CHORUS

Unfortunately, I didn't know how to post this in order to separate each stanza (correct term?) without leaving a blank line between each line using the paragraph command, so I typed in CHORUS and END CHORUS to try to separate each verse of the song.

[streetpreacher]

And this is one of Keith's more powerful songs:

ASLEEP IN THE LIGHT LYRICS

VERSE 1

Do you see, do you see

All the people sinking down

Don`t you care, don`t you care

Are you gonna let them drown

VERSE 2

How can you be so numb

Not to care if they come

You close your eyes

And pretend the job`s done

VERSE 3

"Oh bless me Lord, bless me Lord"

You know it`s all I ever hear

No one aches, no one hurts

No one even sheds one tear

VERSE 4

But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds

And He cares for your needs

And you just lay back

And keep soaking it in,

Oh, can`t you see it`s such a sin?

VERSE 5

Cause He brings people to your door,

And you turn them away

As you smile and say,

"God bless you, be at peace"

And all heaven just weeps

Cause Jesus came to your door

You`ve left him out on the streets

VERSE 6

Open up, open up

And give yourself away

You see the need, you hear the cries

So how can you delay

VERSE 7

God`s calling and you`re the one

But like Jonah you run

He`s told you to speak

But you keep holding it in,

Oh can`t you see it`s such a sin?

VERSE 8

The world is sleeping in the dark

That the church just can`t fight

Cause it`s asleep in the light

How can you be so dead

When you`ve been so well fed

Jesus rose from the grave

And you, you can`t even get out of bed

VERSE

Oh, Jesus rose from the dead

Come on, get out of your bed

VERSE 9

How can you be so numb

Not to care if they come

You close your eyes

And pretend the job`s done

You close your eyes

And pretend the job`s done

Don`t close your eyes

Don`t pretend the jobs done

FINAL VERSE

Come away, come away, come away with Me my love,

Come away, from this mess, come away with Me, my love.

END OF SONG

Same as above post, only this time I used all of these silly VERSES... yuck!

[streetpreacher]

BTW, my last reply was not meant to denounce those who have left the "church" (so-called). I was just pointing out that this was not so in Keith's case. I myself, have been out for a number of years. This is not by choice. Sometimes the surrounding environment of spiritual deception leaves little choice for true followers of Christ. This may not be the case for some, but it is increasingly becoming the norm.

Many true, genuine believers who love God with all of their heart choose to stay in places of deception or death, as did my wife and I for a number of years, because they falsely believe that it is a sin to be "out of church" or because they think they can be a positive influence. I don't seek to judge the condition of anyone based on church attendance, or lack thereof.

After all, the church is who we are, not where or how we meet.

[DouglasKC]

It was interesting but I was disappointed in that it never mentioned the gospel that Jesus seemed to be preaching: The coming kingdom of God:

Mat 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Mat 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Mar 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel

Luk 4:43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.

Luk 9:2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

Act 28:30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
Act 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

It's incredible how often the "kingdom" and the "kingdom of God" is preached and taught in the bible. Yet these words are missing from the article.

[Sci Fi Guy]

Thanks, Keith's ministry has had a powerful influence on my life and my desire to serve God.

I didn't know that Last Days had a website. This is fantastic.

I bought a book of their tracks/articles several years ago. And I've thought about throwing it away due to it's condition, but I i didn't want to lose that articles. So here's my solution.

[ponyespresso]

Repentance as Necessary for Forgiveness. It has always amazed me how the Church could have evolved to such a state as it is in now, with such clear, direct teaching from the Lord Jesus as to what is necessary to be right with God. Please read the first five verses of the 13th chapter of Luke. Here, Jesus is told the news about some Galileans who were executed by the Romans. He then says, "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Using another example, He then repeats the same exact sentence.

I am coming to these a little late, but well, well worth it. Man I forgot how good Keith Green was. I really got to know about him through his music and writings when I was in Youth With A Mission, serving out of Holmstead Manor in England, a YWAM base Keith himself supported financially and spiritually. He left a good legacy and taught me a lot about walking with Christ in an honest, compassionate and unpretentious way.

I posted the above section because I about hit the floor when I read it. I am currently discussing (read: arguing) with my current church about the word "repentance". They won't use it. They simply refuse to say "repent" or "repentance" during a preach, or even before an alter call. I keep talking to the preachers, asking them why they don't use this word and I get, "Well, Jesus didn't use it all the time" and "We prefer to say 'turn around' instead of a overly religious term like 'repent'".

I have been really praying and racking my conscience trying to find out if actually I have got it wrong and you don't really need heavy, overly religious terms like "repentance" in a preach...but after reading this I am going to go back to them and shout it from the rooftops.

I figure someone has to, lol!

pony

[streetpreacher]

I am very sorry for the late, late reply. I had a lot going on in my life at that time that required me to be away from discussion boards and the like. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I was tremendously blessed to hear how God used this article to speak to you in this situation. Besides Keith, I have really been getting into Leonard Ravenhill again lately. Here is a great resource if you want to download actual audio and video sermons from Leonard, Keith and others: http://www.sermonindex.net

Please let me know how things went with your church on this subject. It's nice to find likeminded believers to fellowship with.

[streetpreacher]

If you think that Last Days site is cool, check this out:
http://www.sermonindex.net
(audio/video sermon downloads from Keith, Ravenhill, Wilkerson, others)

The Lord Keep You - streetpreacher