Ashamed of the gospel

The title of one of my favorite books is "Ashamed of the Gospel" by John MacArthur. In the book, Dr. MacArthur challenges the church about the danger of watering down and therefore changing the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the late 19th century there was a big problem going on within the "evangelical" churches of England; it was called the "Downgrade Controversy". There were many within the church who had seriously watered down the gospel in order to make it more palatable to the masses. Charles Spurgeon (and a few others) stood up against this heresy and took a lot of heat for it. I believe that we (as the church) are at a similar crossroads where we need to decide on what side of the issue we will stand. It was the Lord Jesus Christ himself who said in Mark 1:15 "The time has been completed, and the kingdom of God is at hand; therefore repent and believe in the gospel." Alright, you might say, but what is the gospel? The Apostle Paul was quick to point out to the Galatians in 1:6-8 of his epistle to them that there is only one gospel, and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. And this gospel is explained in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians in chapter 15, verses 1-5. Christ came to earth, He died for our sins, He was buried, He rose from the dead. Beyond that we know from Acts 1:10-11 that He ascended into heaven and that He will return one day in like manner to seek those who belong to Him. (John 14:3; Revelation 19:11-16) The promise (forgiveness of sins and the gift of salvation) is offered to those who will but believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31) and in Him alone. (John 3:16-19; Acts 4:12)
In our pluralistic societies this kind of teaching is considered foolishness and appalling. (1st Corinthians 1:18-25) However this is the message that we as believers and followers of Christ have been called to bring to the nations. (2nd Corinthians 5:18-21; Romans 10:14-15,17) May we not be ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation for all who will believe, for the Jew first and also the Gentile. (Romans 1:16)
Now a personal application to this... We are drawing closer to December 25th and the time when many "supposedly" celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I understand from having spoken with people and witnessing their lives that they truly aren't celebrating Christ at this time nor at any other. Although I try to not give much heed to the calendar, I do recognize that there are moments when the culture might be a little more open to hearing a "Christian message". I mean, it is "Christmas" after all. So when there was to be a presentation of Christmas carols in the town plaza I was presented with the opportunity to share the story of Christmas. But with one exception. I was only to share the story in a generic sense, without any "evangelical commentary". In other words, I was to water down the message in a way that it would not be offensive to any who might hear it. I politely declined the opportunity to share since I deemed it impossible to share the true meaning of the birth of Christ without explaining the sacrifice of Christ for our sins. This (nor any other time in my opinion) is not a time to worship the baby Jesus, but it is a time to reflect upon and thank the Father and thank the Son for the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29) To thank God that the Son of Man came to give His life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45b) To urge men and women, boys and girls to lay aside their idols and turn to the living God. (1st Thessalonians 1:9-10)
Please pray for the light of the gospel to shine in the hearts of the people here in Curaco as it has in our own. (2nd Corinthians 4:6; 1st Peter 2:9-10) To God be the glory as we His people take a bold stand for, and never be ashamed of, the gospel!