Kevin Maloney » Mission Worship Church Leadership Gospel Culture

The gospel is a song, and it should be so crisp and clear and so often repeated that our churches know how to sing along by heart.

I watched a short video this morning that captures a moment when Marcus Mumford, of Mumford and Sons fame, gets up to sing and is surprised and thrilled to find that his audience actually knows his song well enough to sing along. It was the moment he realized something big was happening in his career: “They actually know and love this song!”

It reminded me of the aim of the church and what should be the goal of all of our ministry. We want our cities to sing along.

Singing a familiar tune

We want the message of the gospel to be so crisp and clear and so often repeated that when we get up to open the Scriptures, our churches already see the gospel message and know what will be preached before we preach it. And we want them to celebrate that. We don’t want their reaction to be a bored, “He’s singing the same old gospel song again,” but a thrilled, “We love this song and we know this song.”

We want the song of the gospel to be sung in every area of life. Every decision we make should be driven by the gospel, and over time, if we’ve done our job, the natural connections between the message of the cross and all of life should be more evident and the tune easier to follow.

In every relationship, Jesus’ love poured out in laying down his life should become the familiar tune that is followed in how we live. In every marriage, the rhythm of Christ’s love for his church should be the rhythm that husbands and wives are increasingly keeping step with in their love for one another.

We want the song of the gospel to be sung in every area of life

As the tune becomes more familiar, the dream is that people will bring the gospel to where they live, work, and play. There, they’ll help others learn the tune, and even plant new churches to help whole towns sing along.

The hope is that, one day, the world will have heard this song, and increasingly, they will be singing along. For this to happen, thousands of Christian leaders will have to make every effort to teach this gospel melody constantly. Here are a few ways leaders can encourage their people to learn this gospel tune:

1. Risk repetition

One way to make the gospel tune familiar is to repeat it and repeat it again. You can’t overplay this song. We should certainly always work on fresh ways to communicate the gospel, but let’s never move on and start singing some other tune for the sake of novelty. We need to make the gospel message the heart of our teaching ministry and the soul of our sermons. Some people will wrongly believe we should move on from the gospel to preach “something more.” Risk disappointing those people. Like Luther said, “beat it into their heads continually.

2. Connect it constantly

Teaching the gospel for all of life can’t only be done from the pulpit. You can’t only talk about the song you want them to play—you need to help them play it. The people you lead need you to coach them through applying the message of the cross to all of life.

One way to make the gospel tune familiar is to repeat it and repeat it again. You can’t overplay this song

Follow the model of the New Testament authors, who constantly said, “The gospel, therefore...” “Jesus forgave us much, therefore quickly forgive the relatively small offenses against you.” “Jesus laid down his life for his bride, therefore lay down your rights, preferences, and comforts for your bride.” “Jesus gave you his life, therefore don’t worry that he will fail to provide anything else you need.” These connections have to be made in the pulpit, in the coffee shop, and in the counseling office all the time.

3. Apply it to yourself

They have to see you singing the song yourself. They need to see an example of the gospel-centered life, and that’s what Christian leaders are for. Do they see pretense in you, as you hold yourself out as something you’re not? Or do they see genuineness and regular confession that shows that you really believe your sufficiency comes from the cross?

Do they see you relying on the innate power of the gospel to change others, or manipulation? Do they see in you bitterness from all the trials, or a spirit of forgiveness and peace that shows that you believe who Christ is for you? They will be quicker to learn a tune you’re singing than one you’re just telling them about.

So let’s play this song until the world sings along. 

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