The Message That Purifies the Messenger

Jesus’ command is simple and unmistakable: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). The Great Commission is not an optional program of the church—it is the defining posture of the people of God.

Yet somewhere along the way, many Christians begin thinking of the Gospel as merely the entry point of their faith rather than the ongoing and life-defining center of the Christian life. 

As a result, We assume the Gospel is for unbelievers, while maturity is about moving on to “deeper things.” While the scripture does call us to become mature in the faith (1 Corinthians 3:1-3), maturity does not mean moving on from the Gospel.  Paul said it like this:

1 Corinthians 15:1–2

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are being saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.”

Notice Paul’s language. The Gospel is not only something they received in the past—it is something they stand in and are being saved by in the present. The Gospel is not a door we walk through and then leave behind. It is the ground beneath our feet. 

So here’s what I’d like to propose to us today: 

1. The Gospel not only saves the lost; The Gospel continually shapes, purifies, and realigns the church that holds fast to it.  

2. By extension, the church who actively prioritizes advancing that Gospel, benefits from greater spiritual health, because it is more continually reminded to hold fast to the Gospel’s truth. 

This has significant implications for church planting and revitalization. A church that stops advancing the Gospel does not remain neutral—it drifts. And when the Gospel moves from mission to memory, the church slowly loses its humility, passion, clarity, and sense of purpose. When the Gospel is no longer the daily reference point, churches begin defining themselves by culture, preferences, personalities, or traditions instead of Christ crucified and risen.

On the flip side, a church who prioritizes the Gospel (both in their daily interactions with people, but also in advancing the Gospels' reach through church planting) has kept the great commission before them as a beacon that guides their life.  A church that stays in continual contact with the Gospel stays anchored to their foundation in Christ (Eph. 2:19-22) and by extension makes church planting and revitalization a priority. 

Living the Great Commission Keeps the Church Close to Grace

When we regularly share the Gospel, we are forced to revisit our own story. We remember where we were when Jesus found us—lost, enslaved to sin, and unable to save ourselves. Paul says it plainly:

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified…” (1 Cor. 6:11)

Churches that have turned inward often drift toward subtle self-righteousness and even self-centeredness. They may still affirm grace doctrinally, but they feel removed from the awareness of their need for it in daily life.  

On the other hand, a Gospel-focused church is far less likely to forget how much it has been forgiven (2 Pet. 1:9), and this drives us to advance that Gospel message even further; reaching those who have not yet received it, including people in areas where a church desperately needs to be planted, or is present but in need of support and revitalization.  

Similarly, when church planters watch God save real people in real time, worship stops being programmed and becomes personal again. No one has to be told to lift their hands when they remember the pit they were pulled from.  Those forgiven much still love much (Lk. 7:47).

In the same way, even long-established churches benefit from a renewed emphasis on church planting and revitalization, because as we support the soul-saving ministry of newly planted and revitalized churches reaching the lost, we are reminded of the grace that saved us, which stirs genuine gratitude and worship within us.  

The Gospel Cuts Through Drama, Division, and Distraction

In Galatians 2, Paul confronts Peter—not for denying the Gospel itself doctrinally, but for not acting in line with the truth of the Gospel. Peter’s fear of people and the pressure of their opinions led him into hypocrisy.

When churches stop prioritizing the mission, they start obsessing over minutiae: preferences, cliques, offenses, and decades-old grievances. Keeping the Gospel the focus has a way of exposing how small those arguments really are.

When you watch people pass from death to life, you stop caring whose hat is bigger, whose seat was taken, whether the worship team sings your favorite style of song.  Souls being saved reframes our priorities.

Church planting is part of that.  When a local church body champions the expansion of the Kingdom of God through church planting and revitalization, we are spotlighting God’s values for our people, and reorienting our focus to pursue His desires over our own.  

I’m not saying that this would solve every challenge in your church, but what if gossip and division became powerless in your church community simply because your intentional vision-casting for support of Harvesters ministry taught your people to put aside their petty differences to focus on seeing souls saved?