Click here to read his complete (short) article. WARNING: Disturbing pictures!! Sad pictures! Even I, one who can get queazy very easily, could not turn away. My heart is saddened for them because they believe a false gospel - an agospel.

I woke up this morning with the thought, "Do I believe the Gospel only in my peripheral mind or do I believe the Gospel with all of my "heart, soul, mind, and strength"? As I read White's article, I also began thinking, "Just as these people torture themselves with knives and blades, what do I do to torture myself?"

When I realize I do not witness enough, do I torture myself with, "I need to pass out 50 tracts this week to make up for my lack of sharing the Gospel." When I realize I may be watching too much TV, do I torture myself with, "I will cut out all TV this week and force myself to think, read, study, and discuss only spiritual issues for a week." When I realize I do not read my Bible enough, do I torture myself with, "I will read 2 extra chapters during my next personal worship time to make up for my lack of effort." When I realize I am not demonstrating grace to others like I should, do I torture myself with, "I will go downtown to the mission every day for two weeks." When I realize I may not be ministering to others like I should, do I torture myself with, "I will invite 6 people over to the house this Sunday and spend $50 on the meal to make up for my lack of ministering to others." When I notice I may not be giving enough in my tithe, do I torture myself with, "I will give an extra $100 on top of my normal tithe for the next 3 weeks to make up for my lack of giving." When I realize I am not fellowshipping with people like I should at church, do I torture myself with, "I am going to talk to 20 people this Sunday before I even think about going home after the service." When I am confronted with my selfishness and the realization I don't spend enough time with my family, do I torture myself with, "I will not do anything I want to do and will only focus on my family's desires - at least for a week to make up for my selfishness."

No matter which way you look at it, all of these examples are a form of torture. Whether I torture myself with giving extra money in my tithe to make up my lack of giving or spending more time with other believers to make up my lack of demonstrating grace to others or slicing my head with a knife, I am trying to appease God by appeasing my conscience with a false sense of condemnation. All of these things are our effort to compensate our lack. This is living an agospel - a gospel of no good news.

White continues,

... Christianity has no place for such behavior for a simple reason: our blood cannot bring about the forgiveness of sins, since we ourselves are sinners! Only the sinless Son of God could give Himself, which He did, voluntarily, once. ...

This is the Gospel of Good News!! Why do we torture ourselves and live out an agospel when The Gospel has already appeased the wrath of God in full? Do we really believe the Gospel? Are we doers of the Gospel and not hearers only?

But being doers of the Gospel is not a forced action. We can not make up for our lack of anything; otherwise we try to add to an already finished work in Christ. We essentially tell Christ that His finished work is not good enough. Being doers of the Gospel is a reaction to what Christ has done for us and in our place - a reaction of worship.

So how do we become doers of the Gospel?

We must prepare. How? By beginning to READ Scripture - at the very least. Take it one step further - MEDITATE (think) on Scripture. Even go another step further - MEMORIZE Scripture. Scripture says of itself, "the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Scripture also says, "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." So how do we prepare? At the very least we must "store up God's Words in our hearts - in our very being." The Spirit will then use those stored up words as a two-edged sword, piercing you to the division of soul and spirit, and of your joints and marrow, even discerning the thoughts and intentions of your heart." "[God's] divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence," The power is in His Gospel. Overcoming temptation and sin does not happen automatically where we have a *Paul moment and everything turns out OK. It does take work, but God has given us the tools/ability to overcome our sin through the knowledge of Him in His Word. And once we have been preparing by storing up Scripture in our hearts and minds, the Spirit can pierce those truths into our minds prompting us to act upon that which He has reminded us from His Word.

We become doers of the Gospel when we truly know the Gospel. We become doers of the Gospel when we understand how Christ's finished work "pierc[es] you to the division of soul and spirit, and of your joints and marrow, even discerning the thoughts and intentions of your heart." We become doers of the Gospel when we worship Christ in all of life without trying to add to what Christ has already finished.

We will then stop tortuing ourselves with feelings of guilt, doing penance for our lack, and slicing ourselves. We will then rest on the finished work of Christ and His Gospel. How sweet it is to know nothing I do is good enough however, I can rest upon Christ's finished work. So when we are doing our doing, do it as worship for what Christ has already done.

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To read more about what I am discussing please check out the following series of articles by Mark Lauterbach on his blog GospelDrivenLife - Christian Ministry by Charles Bridges, Preaching Christ, part 2, Preaching Christ, Part 3, Preaching Christ. Part 4, and Preaching Christ, part 5 as well as the series of articles by Dan - The Functional Centrality of the Gospel (Part One), The Functional Centrality of the Gospel (Part Two), The Functional Centrality of the Gospel (Part Three), and The Functional Centrality of the Gospel (Part Four).

*I am referring to Paul's encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).