The most striking feature of tourists is the look in their eyes and the heads tilted back, gazing up at the sky scrapers. They are the ones who haven’t gotten over the “awe” of the city. The locals all live and work and walk among some of the greatest buildings, streets, views, and companies in the world. For many of those who live among such beauty and magnitude, the wonder is gone. They can laugh and remember the day when they thought the Empire State Building was something. They can recall the first time they saw the Brooklyn bridge or sailed past the Statue of Liberty on the Staten Island Ferry. The locals busily walk back and forth doing business as usual. Many are wearing headphones, mentally a million miles away from the busy traffic and crowds of tourists that they walk through. For them, the spectacular isn’t special anymore. They’ve lost the wonder.

This is the same danger that seminary students, teachers, preachers, and Christians face. The difference though, is that unlike the beauty of art, music, scenery, and architecture, the beauty of Christ - the wonder of the gospel has enormous and eternal consequences. When we lose the wonder of the gospel and stop beholding the glory of God as found in the person and work of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18), we are beginning to drift into a place of coldness that is not unlike the blank stares of the New Yorkers who hurriedly rush back and forth through the subway. There’s a cold hollowness that says “so what.”

This shows itself when people say “Why all this talk about the gospel?” or “Would you stop talking about grace so much!” It also shows up when I prefer checking CNN or Facebook over the Bible. When I prioritize a human relationship above Christ so that I speak much of and to the other person, and speak little of and with Christ.

When I think that I’ve “got it” and there’s no more to learn, it’s a sure sign that I’ve lost sight of the glory of Christ. When I’m insulted that someone else would suggest that there’s more to this Christianity thing than what I have attained, I’ve lost the wonder.

I pray that we would not be a people who are marked out by our funny hats and cameras and backpacks, with a tour guide walking backwards, but rather that we can be identified as the people who pause before saying the name of Christ, who’s lips tremble and eyes fill with tears at the thought of the gospel.

This saying “it’s all about the gospel” is true because the gospel is ten thousand times greater than some scary stories about houses on fire, cars crashing, and being diagnosed with cancer with an alter call tacked on at the end.

The message of the gospel is that “Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day” (1 cor 15:3-4). At first reading, it’s easy to skim over those words, while missing the magnitude of what it means. Those words involve the incarnation, the hypostatic union, the Trinity, the substitutionary atonement, justification, regeneration, redemption, and the resurrection. By extension, that verse also includes the doctrines of election and sanctification as well.

As I come to the point where I need to wrap this up, I would like to connect back to the beginning of the post with the text from a well known hymn.

1. And can it be that I should gain
an interest in the Savior's blood!
Died he for me? who caused his pain!
For me? who him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

2. 'Tis mystery all: th' Immortal dies!
Who can explore his strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
to sound the depths of love divine.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
let angel minds inquire no more.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
let angel minds inquire no more.

3. He left his Father's throne above
(so free, so infinite his grace!),
emptied himself and came in love,
and bled for Adam's helpless race.
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
for O my God, it found out me!
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
for O my God, it found out me!

4. Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
fast bound in sin and nature's night;
thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

5. No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in him, is mine;
alive in him, my living Head,
and clothed in righteousness divine,
bold I approach th' eternal throne,
and claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th' eternal throne,
and claim the crown, through Christ my own.

A word of personal/ministry update: This last week we had a group from a supporting church in Texas come and help us with some projects that greatly needed to be done. One of the team members also spoke in my place for the Tuesday Chapel. The work group was able to complete several projects, two of which were grouting the tile in the bathroom on the ground floor, and putting another layer of tar on the roof. During the whole tar project, the Jones’s dogs jumped off the roof on the back of the building. No one is quite sure why…. and to our surprise, only one of the two sustained any kind of injury. Shadow broke his front left leg, but the vet was able to set it and put a cast on it, so he should be fine in a month or two. Taz is completely fine, though he jumped down a total of 30-40 feet in 2 or 3 bounds. One thing is for sure! Like is never dull at NYGM!

Right now I’m in Louisville, KY, attending some module classes and trying to recruit some interns. While I was in Greenville over the weekend I was able to present the ministry 9 times to around 600 people. I gave out about 250 contact cards to people who indicated interest in the ministry.

Praises:
Safety during travels (NYC-Greenville-Louisville)
A large number of contacts made so far
Money to purchase chairs for auditorium!
A young man who is willing to translate my sermon manuscripts into Spanish for the spanish services