What's this Gospel?

My question this morning is a simple one. Do you get "it?"

"It" is a hard to grasp topic. "It is the Gospel."

One can disagree and say that the Gospel is easy. Some would say it is Jesus' story, yet Jesus sent the 12 out to "preach the Gospel" before the crucifixion. Some would say it is the crucifixion and the subsequent resurrection and even ask why you would ever think this is difficult in the first place.

"I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready." The Apostle Paul from his letter to the church in Corinth.

Does that describe your walk with God? Still, after 16 years, it does mine at times. There are times when I simply don't get it, don't want to get it, can't get it. As Luke wrote about the disciples once, "...it was hidden from their eyes."

So, what's the Gospel? What's the good news? What are you teaching, preaching, reading, praying about?

As a lark, I looked up what is said on the Internet. This comes from the Alleulia Church of God in Cleveland, Tenn. It of course is the "true Gospel."

"Churches claim to preach the true gospel. But, most of them do not even know what the true gospel is. We think that the true gospel is that we go to heaven because of the death of Jesus on the cross. The true gospel is considered the good news. We think that Jesus Christ died in our place so that we do not have to die an eternal death. So it is good news, which is gospel. But, the Bible says that Jesus Christ has preached the gospel. Then, the true gospel must come from the messages he has preached. Jesus Christ never preached his death on the cross as the gospel even though he mentioned the fact privately to his disciples that he will die on the cross and he will be raised in three days. Jesus Christ preached his gospel and that is the true gospel. "Matt 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee … preaching the gospel of the kingdom…" His gospel must be about the kingdom of God. "

Whew. That's the true gospel, the Website claims.

But, on the Website www.truegospelofjesuschris.org it seems you can read, "The "Good News" of the Bible proclaims that the Cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ has benefited all people, not just some. The Scriptures teach that the reason God sent His Son into this world was to live a sinless life, die on the Cross and be raised from the dead so that you can have new life in Christ Jesus."

So, the Gospel is about the sinless life, death on a cross and the subsequent resurrection but not about his teaching? Glad we have that understanding.

This I know: Jesus taught much about what the kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven was about. Certainly that is good news, hence the Gospel. Part of that teaching is that those who long to live in that kingdom will be rejected and perhaps even killed. One special man, Jesus of Nazareth, would die as part of that rejection but he would return in three days. Jesus taught that himself to his disciples. That was especially good news, one would think.

Now, did Jesus teach all the aspects of the Gospel that a reasoned theologian named Paul would? Not exactly. He left some of that to us. That's good news, too.

So, are you ready for the "Gospel?" The meat as opposed to the milk? Do you actually know what you're teaching, preaching, reading, thinking?

Maybe you should look it up so you can official say you have got "it."