"Selfie" was Oxford Dictionary's word of the year for 2014. It was the word that took the world by storm in magazines, news, or social media. The ABC network even carried a sitcom called "Selfie" for a short amount of time that must of bombed because the ads have disappeared. Every year it seems like a word makes it into everyone's conversation. When I was in elementary school the word was "bad." Everything was "too bad" which meant that it was really good. I know, most words that become a fad often don't make sense.
What if the buzzword of 2015 was the word "gospel"? What if the word making it into every conversation, being talked about on Facebook or posted on every Pinterest board was the word "gospel?"
I had a friend say, "Young pastors today want to attach gospel to everything." Almost like it was a negative thing. He said that we talk about gospel in every conversation. We talk about "gospel-centered churches." Gospel-centered parenting. Gospel-centered leadership. Gospel-centered dog training. Okay, we haven't made it that far. But, I do get his point.
The question I would is "Can you ever talk about the gospel too much?" Can any conversation have too much of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in it? If you ask me, there can not be overkill when it comes to being forgiven, being justified, being united to Christ, or being set free in Christ. I need to hear everyday that I have been set free from the penalty of sin, I am being set free from the power of sin and that one day I will be set free from the very presence of sin forever.
And the truth is that every neighbor, relative, coworker, mom at the park, waitress, and our fellow church members need to hear it. They need to have the gospel ringing in the ears, marinating in their minds, and filling up their hearts everyday because this is the only true and sustaining hope for us.
As Ray Ortlund has said, "You will never meet a person that is too forgiven." That means we don't have to worry about anybody drowning in grace. Or being too overwhelmed by Christ's love. Or having to much freedom in the gospel. So go ahead and talk about the gospel.
In fact, I would say the scripture calls for us to make the name of Jesus or the gospel, the buzzword of our day. Listen to the apostles. . .
"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures," (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 ESV)
"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
(1 Corinthians 2:2 ESV)
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)
It's the Bible itself that tells us as believers to make the gospel our buzzword. To make the name of Jesus reverberate in our lives through our conversations. Because the good news is that the gospel will never be bad news in any conversation. So let's start it off in our churches. Let's make the gospel permeate every conversation. Let's talk about it with neighbors. Let's have the gospel be all the buzz in our city.