Andrew Fuller (1754-1815), and his theology of prayer, was the subject of my dissertation. He's a person I wish every Christain to become familiar with and emulate his passion for reaching the lost. We live in a day where the evangelical needs to be re-evangelized. We've confused the gospel message with man-centered beliefs, preaching, and idolatry. We've syncretized the gospel with our story. Rather than believing and preaching His story in redemptive history, we've merely included Jesus in our story. Today we evangelicals have not been faithful in our telling of the gospel. To recover this message will require faithfulness, faithfulness to teach the hard word. The message of the gospel is an offense, yet when believed it becomes a delight to the heart (Jer. 15:16).
Here is an exert of what Fuller had to say about the gospel in a sermon on Colossians 4:3-4 [Fuller's spacing, punctuation, and spelling are retained].
The gospel is a message which implies a disagreeable and heavy charge against those to whom it is addressed, and therefore requires great faithfulness.—It supposes that all mankind are the enemies of God, and exposed to his righteous displeasure. You will have to do with the wicked as well as with the righteous, and you must not flatter them. It is at your peril to say any thing soothing to the wicked. It will be very painful to keep them at a distance, and to exhibit to them the threatenings of God’s word against them. They will be trying to shift the blame, and to invent excuses; but you must follow up your charges. Their hearts may rise against you, and they may be displeased with your preaching; but you must not desist.
If we could go with a message of approbation and applause—if we could tell our auditory that they are amiable and virtuous beings, with only a few imperfections, which God will doubtless overlook—it might be much more pleasing and agreeable to ourselves as men. We can feel no pleasure in accusing our species. But woe unto us if we speak not the truth! The wicked will perish, and their blood will be required at our hand! Ezek 3:16–21. Then beware of softening matters, either with the unconverted or the backslider. Beware of giving up the authority of God over the heart, and of allowing either that the heartless services of the unconverted are pleasing to him, or if not, that the fault is not in them. Beware of countenancing their own views of themselves, that they are poor pitiable creatures instead of sinners. The wound must be probed, or your patient will be lost! O! if we preach the gospel as we ought to preach it, what fidelity is here required! You must my brother, side with God against an ungodly world. You must follow the windings of their evil hearts; you must detect them in all their refuges of lies, that they may flee to the only refuge set before them in the gospel. However it may pain you, or offend your hearers, if you would preach the gospel as you ought to preach it—you must be faithful.
Andrew Gunton Fuller, The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller: Memoirs, Sermons, Etc., ed. Joseph Belcher, vol. 1 (Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 1988), 494–495 (emphasis mine).
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