The USA has become a country of unchurched people.
Most know very little about God, or the Bible, or religions.
When you talk about Jesus, people are generally accepting to hear you.
The reason is that most people are neutral.
They have not been churched.
Most have not formed a negative opinion of church or Jesus Christ, from a bad church experience.
Most don’t know about sin, or understand it.
So to approach people with the issue of sin or hell, I think is the wrong.
Not that sharing these things is not significant, for it’s vitally important.
But it should not be initial approach.
If I take a guy who has never been to church, never has been taught about God and the Bible and approach him with the notion that he is a sinner, I say how much good will that do?
There is enough anger and hurt in this world, that if I am going to approach a person with this presentation of Jesus in this light, what difference am I making?
Yes God is majestic, God is fearful and awesome. But God is love. And what is love? Isn’t love a display of joy and happiness and a desire to laugh and have good time?
The apostle Paul describes the gospel of the blessed God. The word for blessed, makarios is happy. To be happy is to be blessed. Or conversely, to be blessed is to be happy.
Paul is saying that he is preaching the gospel of the happy God.
God is a happy God, for He is love.
He who is pure love is eternally happy. God is in a good mood. God enjoys having a good time. He loves to laugh. I think that the gospel, especially in a broken world should foremost be the gospel of the happy God.
Do we have to warn people of the dangers of sin? Of course. Do we have to teach people about the reality of Satan and demons? Of course. Must we share on the end times and the anti-Christ? This is vitally important.
But should these thing be our initial presentation of the God that most don’t know?
I think that there is enough pain to go around. And how effective is it to present so much on sin to people who have little understanding of it?
For me, my presentation of the Holy Spirit, is the all-powerful a loving God, who is genuinely happy, enjoys being with people, and enjoys having a good time with people.
Let’s present foremost the gospel of the happy God.
Jose and Mary Alvarez 