Text Box: On July 3rd, four churches in Fort Lee with similar theology, practice and worship styles will gather for a first of it’s kind event. In planning for this event at the Middle School, we struggled with language to define who we are. We settled on the event being called Gospel4FortLee. Why is language to describe a church or group of churches so complicated? What do people hear when they hear the word ‘gospel?’ What makes our four churches different from the other churches and religious groups in Fort Lee? The problem with using language to categorize churches is that words often have multiple meanings. To illustrate with the word ‘evangelical,’ which is a word that I believe can be applied to Fort Lee Gospel Church, different people understand it to mean different things. Some people hear evangelical to describe churches that are always proselytizing and asking people to convert. Others associate it with politics and the religious right. When I used evangelical with one person, he associated it with his old Evangelical Lutheran denomination which was advocating for gay priests and gay marriage. When I use evangelical, I mean a tradition within the church that is primarily defined by its belief that the Bible is the inspired word of God. Out of this view of Scripture, there is an emphasis on personal faith, heart felt worship and a pursuit of living a holy life. Most in evangelical churches identify with the language of Jesus in John 3 where he said that we must be born again. While the majority of evangelicals are conservative politically, evangelicalism is not a political movement and does not have one political perspective that represents all its members. Text Box: Evangelicals are also unified by the belief that Jesus is the Son of God and the only way to open the gates of heaven. A favorite verse is John 3:16 which says, ““For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” While some denominations describe themselves as evangelical, evangelicals see themselves as having brothers and sisters in Christ in every American denomination, excluding cults. This is because salvation is the work of God and not the work of a church organization. The four churches that will be gathering on Sunday, July 3rd chose to use the word ‘gospel’ rather than evangelical or any other word. By ‘gospel’ we are echoing the words of Paul in Romans 1:16 which says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” First, the word gospel carries the idea of ‘good news.’ The gospel narrative in the New Testament is that humanity has a sin problem which separates us from God. Jesus was born sinless, lived a sinless life and died on a cross to bridge the relationship between humanity and a holy God. When we invite Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, the Spirit of God comes to reside in the believer, bringing internal change. The normal Christian life includes baptism and involvement in a church community. Because our experience of salvation is the best thing that ever happened to us, we are inclined to want others we know to also experience this salvation through Jesus Christ. I hope you have embraced the gospel message. If not, I would like to speak with you further on this topic. God Text Box: What is the Gospel? Text Box: July 2011 Text Box: Fort Lee Gospel Church 1625 Palisade Ave. Fort Lee, NJ 07024 (201)947-1465 Pastor: Rev. Rick Spenst Web site: www.fortleegospel.org E-mail: fortleegospel@juno.com

Youth Missions Trip

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Men’s Retreat

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Faith & Reason

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July Events

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Youth Events

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Chinese Church

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Gospel4FortLee

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Gospel News