My name is Michelle, I’m a Christian, and I love the Gospel. I love the Bible, in general, and all its stories, its truths, its challenges – but what I love most is the Gospel. I see the Gospel as the climax of the story of the Bible. This means that the purpose of all books from Genesis to Revelation and back are about God’s story to bring His children back to Him – the Gospel. In its story we find love, hate, conflict, paradoxes, beauty, ugliness, and so many other feelings. We find stories that end in sadness and disappointment and others that end in joy and celebration. The thing that grounds me through all this is its purpose, its simplicity even through its complexities.
So, what is the Gospel? As I went about wanting to start a blog feeling like I had so much “stuff” going through my mind that I wanted to put down in writing, I’ve come across a couple of verses from the Bible that resounded in my heart and described exactly how I felt. It wasn’t just about the Gospel, but how I felt about putting forth my emotions and opinions in such a vulnerable area as a blog. Here’s a quote from one of my Bible friends, Paul, which made me think He felt he was in the same boat when he talked about this subject:
“And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”
Now I go forth, writing what I think God is putting on my heart. It’s a little scary, but I think timely. I have, for a long time, felt a bit of different types of frustrations, both inward and outward, all related that led me to this place:
- I knew I needed to do this blog because one of the reasons I was avoiding it is because I fear rejection. Do I fear that some might take offense at something I’ve said? Well, yes – a little. But my biggest fear is that people around me won’t care – that the belief that I’m invisible to most people would be found to be true. I need to get rid of that garbage from my brain, and fast. It has no place there and I’ve carried it with me for too long. Bye. (Now I can move on other areas of my life where I fear failure).
- I do feel like God is talking to me. I do feel like He wants me to share what He’s telling me. While I’m not a super accomplished writer, I do feel like I have a gift there that needs to be developed and it’s a great outlet for me.
- Current events and things I hear around me and read on Facebook tell me that many nonbelievers haven’t truly heard the Gospel without some sort of baggage attached to it that’s not supposed to be there. Part of that assumption has been made, not just because of what I’ve heard from nonbelievers, but also from believers who forget to keep the main thing the main thing and forget that the world is watching. I see fruitless discussions about this part and that of the Bible, about this or that sin, and they get caught in a web wandering through a rabbit trail while the enemy cheers on knowing He’s trapped us in the world of our own pride, in wanting to be right. Before you know it “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” got lost somewhere in the mix or was never brought up at all.
- I say these things knowing I don’t have all things figured out, but I want others to join me in this – believers and nonbelievers alike. I want to be an ambassador for Christ. I want my words to match my actions and I know once they are written for all to see I will be held accountable to them. I want to be a change agent in the world. I want to see people come to Christ and I want my brothers and sisters in Christ to see and desire the same. More than anything, I want to be transformed by what I write, by what God is teaching me and telling me. I want to write as a learner – almost like a journal.
- I also desire a place for honest questions and discussions ALL done in love and understanding and acceptance – embracing differences amongst believers and joining in the journey of a nonbeliever’s search for faith without judgment.
Those “bullet points” have been nagging me for a while now. They don’t really go away by ignoring them. I’ve tried. So I’ve set out to accomplish a desire and overcome a fear (I’ve learned those usually go together) hoping to continue seeing God’s faithfulness and power in my baby steps and weakness. We’ll see what topics come forth soon and hopefully I’ll have the courage to bring them out.
I love the Gospel.
Peace!
Michelle Blanco
The Main Thing 