You could be looking for a job somewhere, and you have looked about everywhere where they use your talent and skills, and you haven’t been able to find anything, and the mortgage payments are getting behind. Your mortgage company is beginning to get uneasy about you and you really need a job! Monday morning, someone calls and says, “You came by my place a few weeks ago and asked for a job but I didn’t have any use for you then. If you could come on by today, I’d sure be glad to put you to work today!” Say! That’d be a glad-tidings message, wouldn’t it! That would be “gospel,” but, again, we wouldn’t use the word “gospel” that way. We have reserved the use of the word “Gospel” for religious purposes: “Gospel music,” “Gospel meetings,” “Gospel literature, “Gospel programs,” and so forth. So we use it in regard to religion.

But not in regard to all religion! Islam is not a “Good-News” religion.

When I was at the University of Oklahoma studying the Philosophy of Religion, I had an atheist professor. He became quite annoyed with me. He kept saying, “You don’t know anything about anything except Christianity. So I’m going to teach you something about something else. Before you leave this class, you’re going to write me a book-length paper on Buddhism.” Well, I didn’t know anything about Buddhism when I began, not much to speak of, but by the time I got through and had written a book-length paper on Buddhism, I knew it pretty well. And there was one thing that was noticeable about it: the word “Gospel” didn’t appear in it! It isn’t a “Good-News” message! It isn’t a “Glad-Tidings” message! It isn’t a “Gospel” message!

And so it is with all of the other world religions, even Judaism. You know, you don’t even read the word “Gospel” in the Old Testament. Are you aware of the fact that the word “Gospel” does not even appear at all in the Old Testament, but it appears 101 times in the New Testament?

Many times, the word “Gospel” just stands alone. Paul said, “Brethren, I’ve preached unto you the Gospel,” [1 Corinthians 15:1; see also 2 Corinthians 11:7; Galatians 4:13; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 1 Peter 1:12; 1 Peter 1:25]. Well, it just stands alone that way.

But sometimes it has an adjective that gives it a little description, or perhaps it has a prepositional phrase that focuses in on one aspect of the Gospel. For example, Paul spoke of the Gospel as “the glorious Gospel,” [1 Timothy 1:11]. He spoke of it as “my Gospel,” [Romans 2:16; Romans 16:25; 2 Timothy 2:8] or “our Gospel,” [2 Corinthians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:14]. Of course, it was all the same Gospel, and it was everybody else’s Gospel who were preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, whether standing alone or described by an adjective or prepositional phrase, it is just the Gospel. Now the other times, when it is followed by a prepositional phrase or it is used with an adjective, that gives it some limitation. [Examples of the word “Gospel” followed by a prepositional phrase: “Gospel of the kingdom,” Matthew 4:23; “Gospel of His Son,” Romans 1:9; “Gospel of the uncircumcision,” Galatians 2:7.]

Tonight, we’re going to be speaking about the Gospel of God. I’m going to read to you a few verses from 1 Thessalonians, chapter 2. I’ll begin reading at verse 1 and we’ll read for a few verses [through verse 9]. “For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto youthe Gospel of God with much contention.”[He pauses and repeats] “…the Gospel of God with much contention.” [He continues] “…For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness: Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the Gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the Gospel of God.”

I was preaching on television one Sunday (I had devoted one whole month to the study of God). Some of you might have written and gotten a copy of one of those little books [I had written, called], Holy and Reverend is His Name. At the end of that month, Brother Bill Jones called me on the telephone. Bill Jones had been one of the Professors of Bible at Oklahoma Christian University for a good many years. He is now retired. But he called me and he said, “Brother Lyon, I don’t know whether you have noticed it or not in your studies,” he said, “but it’s been outstanding to me as I focused on these ideas that, from colonial days there has not been much preaching about God. There is just not much preaching in American religion about God.” And he said, “That would go for churches of Christ; that would go for all of the other churches in America since the days that the colonies were first settled.” So it isn’t a criticism just of us; it isn’t an observation just aimed derogatorily at churches of Christ. It’s been true in all of American religion. There hasn’t been much said about God from the pulpits and on television, and for that reason then, many of us have our own version of God.