Gospel Meetings

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This summer I was asked to preach a Gospel Meeting in Tennessee. The sermon notes of that sermon series are posted on the GST Blog.

Upon further inquiry, the elders clarified that they desired a good-ole-fashion revival. I soon realized that the primary audience also included folks from area congregations who attended various meetings throughout the summer.

My memories of Gospel Meetings are limited. Thirty-five years or more have past since I last attended one. I remember sitting in the amen corner with my grandfather as Bro. Neal Penny preached for 2.5 hours on the book of Hebrews. I took notes. I took 14 pages of notes. He began with Hebrews 1:1 and concluded his running commentary with 13:25. When he was done, I knew the preaching in Tennessee was different than where I grew up.

It would have been easy to adapt their request for a Gospel Meeting to something more familiar. I toyed with the idea of a seminar on Philippians or Colossians. I considered relevant themes to contemporary contexts. But instead, I chose to address their expectations as the primary hearers of the sermons: A Gospel Meeting.

I began brainstorming. The following list emerged:

  • The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor 15)
  • The Four Gospels
  • Gospel preacher
  • Gospel light
  • The Gospel Advocate
  • Gospel music
  • The gospel truth
  • Gospel choir
  • Gospel sermon
  • The Gospel Chariot
  • The Gospel Story
  • One of my colleagues uses the following definition: “What God does on your behalf that you cannot do for yourself that brings about a hopeful and redemptive future.”

I decided to begin in Isa 40 where the word “gospel” is used for the first time in the canon. God’s gospel was proclaimed to an oppressed people in exile announcing a new and significant era was coming. The theological point of God’s Gospel is God’s Story. Isaiah calls the people of God to hear the message, “Behold your God!” Isaiah calls the people to see God anew. It dawned on me that Peter and Paul also preached God’s Gospel in the sermons found in Acts. In their sermons, God is the primary actor. God is the subject. God’s story shapes their proclamation. From that beginning, the idea of God’s Gospel proclaimed emerged as the theme for my meeting. The topics were:

SUNDAY 10 AM: What is the Gospel of God?
Isaiah 40:1-11
SUNDAY 11 AM: The Gospel of God Proclaimed
Acts 2:14-47
SUNDAY 6 PM: The Gospel of God Enacted
Isa 56:1-12; Acts 10:23b-43
MONDAY 7 PM: The Gospel of God for the People of God
Acts 13:13-52
TUESDAY 7 PM: The Gospel of God for the World of God
Acts 17:16-34

My grandfather is no longer sitting in that amen corner. The new building does not even have an amen corner. But I was delighted to be asked to preach from the pulpit that nurtured his faith. If you will indulge me, over the next several weeks I will post my notes for these five sermons. Whether successful or not, the sermons received one response. An area preacher asked me to come to his congregation and preach another Gospel Meeting.

Blessings, Tim

Again, the notes from the series are posted at http://blogs.acu.edu/acugst/