This phrase is often used and little explained. The classic Gospel message is that sinners are forgiven and accepted by God's grace alone because of the work of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Whether we have never stepped foot in a church, or we have been a Christian for 30 years, we are all in the same boat -- we need Jesus Christ to be our Savior and our Lord. His grace transforms anyone and any place that it touches. It affects everything we do at our church.
Outward Face — The gospel makes us a people for others
The gospel teaches us to have a deep respect and a great hope for every non-Christian. We are a church not just for ourselves but for our friends and associates who don't believe. We are relentlessly aware of and welcoming to non-believers in our midst. First, this means that we actively love our neighbors and seek to develop significant relationships with them. Second, we try to be sensitive to non-Christians in our meetings, being thoughtful in our communication of the gospel, inviting questions, never saying "just believe because we say so."
Community — The gospel creates a new community
We not only speak the gospel verbally, but we embody the gospel, making it visible through deeds of service and through community. The gospel completely transforms human relationships. Without the gospel, Galatians 5:26 tells us we will either provoke those to whom we feel superior, or we will envy those to whom we feel inferior. But since the actions of Christ on our behalf have both humbled us and assured us that we are loved and valued, we can be free from both envy and pride, and both inferiority and superiority.
Changed Lives — The gospel produces changed lives
The gospel does not just reform people but transforms them. The gospel makes us "new," not just "nice." It produces an entirely new relationship with God, one of a personal father to a child rather than that of an impersonal boss to an employee. The gospel gives a whole new motivation for obeying God – love, gratitude, delight in God, rather than fear and self-interest. This means we have the freedom and power to love and serve others unconditionally with no strings attached. We no longer take our identity from what others think of us or from what we think of ourselves, but from what God thinks of us in Christ (1 Corinthians 4:3-4).
Social Healing — The gospel produces social healing
All social brokenness is a result of sin. The gospel is the only cure. It makes us humble – which heals the brokenness between different races, nationalities, societal issues, etc.
Cultural Renewal — The gospel produces cultural renewal
The gospel enables us to realize that all of our work matters to God. Scripture calls all of God's people to be prophets, priests, and kings (1 Peter 2:9). As a result, all so called "secular" work is as valuable and God-honoring as Christian ministry. Also, God matters to all our work. That means the gospel shapes and effects the motives, manners, and methods we use in our work. Christians are to work in their vocations both with excellence and Christian distinctiveness, thus transforming the culture in which we live from the inside out.