For four weeks, we have been thinking about this "ecotonic moment" God has placed us in. Do you remember what an ecotone is?
An ecotone is a place where two or more ecosystems come together, the point of transition between two communities or ecosystems that blend into one another—where they meet. A good example of an eco¬tone is an estuary, where the river flows into the ocean and the tide meets the current. An ecotonic space is always unstable, shifting, and fragile. But it is also highly fertile, characterized by diversity, fluidity, and transformation; a place of enormous risk and danger, but also of potential new life and growth. It is a space where new life is spawned and new beginnings are made.
When we move from traveling down the current of a river and hit the new ecotonic space of the ocean tide, things change. For example, the old rowboat might be fine for the river but probably won’t be sufficient in the ocean. When we hit those times and places of change, we must make decisions about what we will hold on to and what we simply must let go of.
We have been saying that we are living in a time in which everything is changing rapidly. If we are indeed in an ecotonic moment, we must be asking our Heavenly Father what it is that should be at the heart of our church and our lives. What would God have us hold on to—and what would he have us be willing to leave behind?
This weekend, I will seek to convince us that two words will give us guidance as we address this challenging question: God's gospel. In Mark 1:14-15, Jesus started his ministry by "proclaiming God's gospel." And Jesus said it has to do with God's being the one in control rather than anyone or anything else. In 1 Thessalonians 2:4, Paul declared definitely that what God has entrusted to us has been his gospel. And, in our weekend passage, 2 Timothy 1:8-2:2, the Apostle Paul says that this gospel is a deposit from God that we must grasp, hold on to, and pass on until God's promised good news is completed.
But, what is the gospel? Can you define it? Can you be sure that you as a Jesus-follower and we as a church understand it, hold on to it through all that our world throws at us, and pass it on to future generations? My prayer is that no one will leave LAC without understanding the gospel. As a foretaste: The gospel is the power of God for the rescue and re-making of everyone (that includes you) who believes (Rom. 1:16)!
To His glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor