Gospel Day Two

Welcome to Day Two.

At the beginning of the video you watched on Day One, we saw a man being imprisoned by the 'enemy' of God.

If you're new to Christianity, this may seem a strange opening image, especially considering that this is supposed to be God's 'good news'!

However, when you stop and consider all the overwhelming and unexplainable heartache, conflict and suffering we see in the world, this concept doesn't seem quite so strange.

Clearly something evil, and quite powerful, is having a dark and oppressive effect on the human race.

Do you agree?

There is even more evidence of oppression much closer to home.

Although we don't like to admit it, evil is not just in the world, it is in us.

At one time or another, we are all capable of remarkably negative, self centered and destructive thoughts and actions toward others...Even those we care most about!

The Gospel tells us that this rebellious nature is not something you did, but something that exists within our human nature, in other words, within all of us.

It explains why we all struggle, and so often fail, to behave like the person we what to be.

We want to blame other people (our parents, social injustice or the bad things that have happened to us, etc.) for our deep seeded struggles. But aren't the people you are blaming also blaming other people for their problems? Clearly, with everyone blaming everyone else, there must be a greater source of the problem.

When it comes to failing to live up to your potential, there is absolutely nothing special about you. We have all been negatively affected and, to some degree, corrupted. There are no exceptions.

How much does this help you to make sense of the self centeredness, pride, fear, insecurity etc. that you just can't seem to get rid of, no matter how much you try?

Most of us can admit that there's something very wrong in this world, that evil exists and, at times, we are all capable of contributing to it.

This rebellious inclination is what the Bible calls sin.

While 'sin' sounds like a terrible word, Webster simply defines it as: "a state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God."

This estrangement leaves us unable to fully access and receive the love, respect, joy, security and sense of worth that we so desperately need and desire.

How often do you feel that, despite your best efforts, there is something essential still missing in your life?

Estranged from God, we try to fulfill our unmet needs and desires through the approval of other people, the pursuit of pleasure, money, power, security, notoriety, etc.

But here's the problem: other people and our own ambitions are also estranged from God. No matter how much we succeed, we can never achieve the depth of fulfillment we are seeking.

This helps us to understand why the people who have gained the most success, money and fame are not always the most kind, generous or fulfilled people in this world (sometimes, quite the opposite is true).

Does this make sense so far?

Now the first scene in the video begins to make sense. It is because of our inborn sin nature that the enemy of God, the source of the oppressive force, places you into a 'cell' where you find yourself experiencing:

fear rather than love
insecurity rather than confidence
lack rather than abundance
stress and conflict rather than joy and peace
oppression where there should be freedom

How often do you see this 'imprisoning' effect coming against the people you care about?

Ok, that's enough about the source of the oppression for now. In the next Trail, we will see exactly how God responds to the problem of evil and sin...and what a response it is!

Day Three will appear in your Day Plan tomorrow.