The gospel has been rocking my world lately. Along with God's sovereignty and Him seeking His glory in all things, this has been the foundation of my life. The gospel changes everything. It doesn't just change my standing with God. It changes the way I live my life. It changes the way I view sin. It changes the way I talk about myself. It changes everything. Literally everything.
Since I have learned so much about the beauty and ramifications about the gospel in the past year, I'd like to just offer up the resources I've had to you all. I'm sure there are plenty more that I'm forgetting, so please post some as comments if you think of any.
A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent
I just finished this book last week. It's short (about 70 pages) and just packed full. The opening is 31 reasons to preach the gospel to yourself every day. I will probably be reviewing those pages for however long God keeps me alive. Read this book.
How the Gospel Changes Us by Timothy Keller
This is not a book. It's really not even a sermon. It's more like a seminar that Keller did. Either Dayton Merrell or Matt Childers introduced me to this a couple years ago. Anyway, this was the beginning of gospel-centrality for me. If I could put two resources in your hands and be left at that, this and the Primer would be those two. Listen to it. It's only like an hour long.
*Along with that is this little paper "The Centrality of the Gospel"
The Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney
This was a great book (another little one). Mahaney gives very practical ways to remind yourself of the gospel every day.
God is the Gospel by John Piper
I didn't even read this book. All I read was the introduction, but it has impacted my life in a way that I will probably never fully understand. I read the introduction to this book sitting in Barnes & Noble at the mall waiting on a friend. This was in the middle of my topsy-turby summer after my freshman year of college. Hearing that Piper talk about God as my final and ultimate reward answered questions that I had been wrestling with for months and months. Since I read that, everything has been colored by God as the all-satisfying reward of Christianity. [I plan to read the actual book as soon as my dad finishes.
What Is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert
In this book, Greg Gilbert showed me the simplicity of the gospel message and that in that simplicity, it's power is not lost. He also made some distinctions for me that I needed to hear.
The rest of these are great sermons that I have run into in the past year. They have shaped my view of the gospel and its effect on my life.
"Giving Thought to Gospel 'Math': Why Jesus + Nothing = Everything" by Tullian Tchividjian
"Intro to Galatians" by Mark Driscoll
"Getting Out (Exodus 14)" by Tim Keller
"Preaching the Gospel to the De-Churched" by Matt Chandler
There are obviously many other things I could have put on here that I just can't think of right now. I hope these help us never forget the gospel.
