The One True Gospel Is Kingdom Focused
Guest Writer: Rev. Dr. Wayne Gordon
Preface
Everyone has a “gospel,” some big ideology they want to preach, some salvation they want to offer, some “truth” they want to present. This series is a clarion call for the church to return to the one true gospel, the heavenly gospel kingdom that is led and represented by our one and only Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s guest post is by good friend, Rev. Dr. Wayne Gordon, aka “Coach.” He is my beloved colleague at Northern Seminary, an amazing pastor, and a passionate follower of Jesus.
Gordon is professor of Urban Ministry at Northern Seminary, founding pastor of Lawndale Community Church (Chicago), and author of several books including Making Neighborhoods Whole, Real Hope in Chicago, Who is My Neighbor?, Do All Lives Matter?, and Missing the Kingdom.
I am delighted to welcome Coach to Engaging Scripture to reflect on how The One True Gospel Is Kingdom Focused.
~Nijay
The One True Gospel Is Kingdom Focused
By Rev. Dr. Wayne Gordon
Yet for many in the church, it’s not even mainly about “getting saved”—it’s about going to heaven. Much of what has been preached has sounded more like fire insurance than an invitation to follow Jesus. I’ve seen scare tactics designed to make people fear hell rather than love Christ. The question, “If you died tonight, would you go to heaven?” gets used like a hook, often backed up with gimmicks: pray the sinner’s prayer, go through a tract or the “four laws”—all aimed at getting someone to accept Jesus so they can avoid hell and make it to heaven.
But that’s not the message Jesus led with. His invitation was not just about heaven after death—it was about entering the Kingdom now and living under His rule today.
To understand the One True Gospel of Christ, we must understand the Kingdom of God, which was the central message of Jesus.
Mark 1:15 — “The time has come,” he said. “The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (NIV)
Matthew 4:23 — “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom.” (NIV)
In these first recorded words of Jesus, we find that the Good News of the Gospel is the Kingdom of God.
In Jesus’ magnificent teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), we find the Lord’s Prayer, where we pray, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In Matthew 6:33, Jesus tells us to seek first His Kingdom.
When we study word usage in the four Gospels, we find that Jesus speaks about the Kingdom approximately 120 times and salvation only seven. By sheer numbers, we see that Jesus’ central message is the Kingdom of God. The one true Gospel is Kingdom focused.
My own journey began in Iowa, where I grew up attending a Baptist church. I was in church every Sunday, rarely missing a service. I even earned attendance pins—those little badges of honor for never skipping. But it wasn’t until I attended a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) conference as a junior in high school that I realized something important: I was a great church kid, but I wasn’t truly following Jesus. I was simply going through the motions.
At that FCA camp, I gave my life to Jesus Christ. The person who led me to Christ was John Westbrook. After one of his talks, he shared a verse with me that became my own:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live,
but Christ lives in me.
The life I now live in the body,
I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.”
— Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
Jesus didn’t just come to preach about salvation, or forgiveness, or how to live a better life—though all of that matters. His central message was this: the Kingdom of God. And because the Kingdom has come, our response is to repent and believe.
It is important for us to understand that life is not about us. As Rick Warren says in the very first line of The Purpose Driven Life, “It’s not about you.” Our lives are not our own. They are meant to be lived for our Lord Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.
When salvation becomes our main focus—especially when it is mostly about evangelism and getting people into heaven—it becomes easy to fall into a me-centered version of Christianity. That kind of faith turns everything inward: my salvation, my walk with God, my needs being met. A narrow focus like that can actually harm our faith journey.
When we focus on the Kingdom of God, everything else begins to make sense. The whole Bible aligns. The teachings of Jesus come alive. The Gospel becomes more than a transaction—it becomes a whole new way of life.
The word repentance is often used to describe how someone becomes a Christian. In Acts 2:38, after Peter’s powerful message at Pentecost, the people asked, “What shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized.” Those who accepted his message were baptized and added to the church.
Repentance is a prerequisite to following Christ. It involves a change in direction and a new way of living—Kingdom living.
Mark 1:15: “The time has come,” he said. “The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (NIV)
“‘Kingdom of God’—this was what all Israel had been waiting for. It wasn’t a new piece of good advice. It wasn’t a new political agenda. It wasn’t a new type of spirituality. It might eventually lead to advice, agendas, and certainly to prayer, but it was itself something more than all of these. It was Good News that the living God was on the move, was indeed now coming into his Kingdom. And it demanded a definite response. It was God’s good news.”
— N.T. Wright, Mark for Everyone
Repentance isn’t just about stopping bad behavior. It is about turning completely around. It is a total change in direction. It means stepping into a new way of life. It is Kingdom living. Repentance is about becoming part of the Kingdom of God and living out Kingdom values.
A Kingdom-Focused Gospel Is About Community
“Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, NIV)
Jesus is teaching us clearly that His Kingdom is central. He is praying—and teaching us to pray—that God’s Kingdom would come to earth.
From the very beginning of the church, after Pentecost, believers lived out community in powerful ways. Acts 2:42 gives us a beautiful summary:
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42, NIV)
That sounds like community—deep relationships, shared meals, prayer, and learning together. This was not a Sunday-only gathering. It was life together.
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” (Acts 2:44–45, NIV)
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” (Acts 4:32, NIV)
“There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.” (Acts 4:34–35, NIV)
No needy persons among them. This is what the true Gospel looks like when it is Kingdom focused.
A Kingdom-Focused Gospel Is About Loving God and Loving People
I remember a conversation with my wife Anne nearly 50 years ago when we were preparing to move to Lawndale. We talked about what really mattered—what would guide our lives. One conversation in particular stayed with us. It was about the greatest commandment.
When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was (Matthew 22:34 and following), he didn’t hesitate. He said the most important thing we can do is love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength—and love our neighbor as ourselves.
In Mark 12:28–33, after Jesus gives this answer, the teacher of the law responds:
“You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mark 12:32–33, NIV)
Jesus then tells him, “You are not far from the Kingdom.” In saying this, Jesus shows that the Great Commandment captures the very essence of what it means to live in the Kingdom of God.
A Kingdom-Focused Gospel Is About Righteousness and Justice
At the heart of the Great Commandment—loving God and loving people—is the call to righteousness and justice. Loving God is righteousness. Loving people is justice.
Micah 6:8 says, “…what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (NIV)
I have studied the Great Commandment my entire adult life. I have come to see that almost everything in the Bible can be summarized in these two truths: loving God and loving people. That is the foundation of the Christian life.
A Kingdom-Focused Gospel Is About Living Kingdom Values — The Sermon on the Mount
When we come to the Sermon on the Mount, we see Jesus unveiling the Kingdom of God on earth. In this sermon, King Jesus gives practical principles for godly living in His Kingdom. The Beatitudes begin with eight character qualities embedded in the life of the Christ follower.
The message of Jesus is profound and yet understandable. In the Sermon on the Mount, we find clear characteristics of a Gospel-centered life rooted in the Kingdom of God—being honest, loving our enemies, forgiving others, caring for the poor, and many other Christ-centered virtues. These are the priorities of a Kingdom life.
Let us seek first His Kingdom. The One True Gospel is Kingdom focused.
Check out Coach’s most recent book, Missing the Kingdom.
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