Hey friends, thanks for tuning in to this LIFE ON MISSION with Tanner Klein podcast. This is going to be an interesting one. We’re aiming to honestly expose widespread false gospels to the light and truth of Christ, and contrast these with the true Good News of Jesus and the always advancing Kingdom of God.
We are starting this new series because the Lord moved my heart with His desire to inspire real, lasting HOPE in us—especially in an age when so many lack real hope.
I really believe that God really wants to restore HOPE in us as we turn our eyes toward Jesus and respond to the truth that sets us free.
My prayer is that this series will refresh you with the best news ever and inspire lasting, contagious hope within you.
Just so you know, you are welcome to explore our latests podcast-posts. In our last post, we had some fun exploring CULTURAL SAYINGS vs GOD'S TRUTH - Unpacking some Junk and Replacing it with Eternal Treasures.
Before it, I shared about PARIS: The SPIRITUAL DESERT Masked By BEAUTY, My Conviction to Go, God has Brought the Nations to Us, & Good News from Sunday. I am full of hope and resolve, excited to see what the Lord has in store for this city and for us.
In the post before it, I got to give A Glimpse into The Real Reality of our LIVES ON MISSION in PARIS 🇫🇷 4 mo. here in a 10x10 Studio✨. Life here has not been glamorous but it has been eternally significant.
If you’re interested in those podcasts, you can click the links attached. You can also share this podcast via Apple Podcasts and Spotify or share this LIFE ON MISSION publication with friends using the link attached or the QR code below.
Which Gospel Are You Living By?
It says in 2 Timothy 4:3-4,
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
Welcome to the world we know today.
Welcome to the Battle for Your Belief
We live in a time when everyone’s preaching something.
It may not come from a pulpit, but it’s there—in ads, on screens, through influencers, podcasts, self-help books, messages, videos, and even memes.
Every day, whether we realize it or not, we are discipled by something or someone.
There are countless voices offering different “gospels”—a version of the good life, a promise of hope, purpose, happiness, or identity.
And not all of them are true, to say the least.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ—or Something Else?
The word gospel simply means “good news.”
But not all “good news” is God’s news.
Culture is full of counterfeit gospels.
They might sound good.
They may feel empowering.
There may even be an element of truth sprinkled in—just enough to influence our hearts and minds.
But they are so often rooted in man-made ideas, and they ultimately lead us away from the love, freedom, and abundant life that is only found in Jesus Christ.
Here’s the hard truth:
Many of us are living by false gospels without even realizing it.
Why This Series?
This series was born out of a deep conviction and an even deeper hope:
To call God’s people back to the true, life-transforming, perspective-shifting, joy-filled Good News of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.
On the other hand, agendas abound. False hopes are so regularly served to us on an enticing, shiny platters, it can be hard to have any real hope whatsoever.
Our intention in this series is to lovingly—but boldly—expose some popular lies to the light and truth of God’s unchanging Word and celebrate the unfading beauty of the real Gospel.
Here’s what’s at stake:
When we believe a false gospel, we end up placing our hope in something that cannot save us.
In stark contrast…
When we respond to the true Gospel, follow Jesus, and anchor our lives in Him, we come to experience abundant life with God.
We get to let go of false gospels and sin-stained ways and take up our true identity in Christ, as beloved sons and daughters.
We get to leave behind our me-centered lives and embrace new Christ-centered lives.
We get to give up false hopes and place our hope daily in Jesus, the One who never changes, never lies, and never disappoints—the One who offers an inheritance of eternal, abundant life, starting now and lasting forever.
We learn to live life led by the Holy Spirit, life with God, not apart from Him.
As we abide in Jesus, we grow and become more and more like Him—more and more full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
The world needs these kinds of people.
We need this kind of transformation, amen?
So What Are Some of These False Gospels?
These aren’t always shouted with pitchforks and evil laughter.
Often, they come softly, in Instagram captions, interesting TED talks, marketing slogans, well-meaning conversations, and so much more.
They preach the same messages I measured against God’s Word in my last post, CULTURAL SAYINGS vs GOD'S TRUTH - Unpacking some Junk and Replacing it with Eternal Treasures.
“You do you.”
“Make a name for yourself.”
“Just follow your heart.”
“Believe in yourself.”
“You deserve this.”
“You need to love yourself.”
“Look within yourself to find answers.”
“Do what makes you happy.”
There are so many more sayings like this:
“Chase your dreams—no matter the cost.”
“Never change for anyone.”
“You’re enough.”
“Manifest what you want.”
“Your truth is your power.”
Yuck, I don’t even like saying these out loud.
At first glance, they don’t seem dangerous—they may seem inspiring.
But peel back the layers, and you’ll see the problem:
These messages put you at the center, not Jesus.
They build kingdoms of self, not the Kingdom of God.
How They Oppose the True Gospel
Each of these false gospels replaces the cross with a crown of self-exaltation.
They promise freedom—but actually deliver slavery to self and to sin.
They promise life—but disconnect us from the Giver of Life.
They tell us to look within to find meaning—while the true Gospel invites us to look up to the One who made us, knows us, loves us despite our sins, and died for us to ransom us from the kingdom of darkness and deliver us into the Kingdom of the Beloved Son, Jesus—the Kingdom of Light.
Only Jesus can save.
Only Jesus satisfies the deepest longings of our hearts and souls.
Only one Gospel is true.
What’s the True Gospel Again?
Here’s the simple Good News:
God lovingly made us to know Him, enjoy Him fully, and make Him known.
Nevertheless, we have all sinned and gone our own way.
But in His mercy, God sent His Son, Jesus—fully God and fully man—
who lived the perfect life we could never live,
died the death we deserved,
and rose again to conquer sin and death forever.And now, by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus, we are invited into a new life—eternal, abundant life with God, starting now and lasting forever.
Feel free to read that again.
Take whatever time is necessary to let this reality sink from your head, down into your heart.
It takes time.
It requires the Spirit of God to inspire the childlike faith necessary to believe and respond to this Good News.
This is not just a message about how to get to heaven and avoid hell.
It’s about the arrival of the Kingdom of God, of God’s reign advancing through Jesus working through and with His people.
It’s about living under Christ’s loving reign, abiding in the Lord, and becoming more like Jesus in the world with the help of the Holy Spirit.
There are infinite depths we could dive into the infinite mercy, grace, and love of God on display through the Good News of the Lord and Messiah, Jesus.
A Sneak Peek Into this Series
Over the coming weeks, we plan to confront 12 of the most common false gospels in our culture and expose them to the truth and light of Jesus Christ.
Here’s a sneak peak of what’s coming, including False Gospels of:
Popularity and Influence
Political Ideology
Wealth and Comfort
Life without Suffering
Salvation without Lordship
Self-Expression and Identity Autonomy
Personal Happiness
Romantic or Sexual Fulfillment
Hustle and Achievement
Escapism and Entertainment
Religious Performance
Self-Love and Self-Help
Why This Matters
This isn’t about pointing fingers at “the culture out there.”
It’s about humbly asking the Lord:
“Who or what is discipling me?”
“What do I actually believe, and is it aligned with the Word of God?”
“Where does my hope truly come from?”
“Where have these false hopes crept into my thought-life and perspective?”
“Is my life built on the Cornerstone, Jesus? Is He truly at the center of my life?”
“Is God’s Good News truly the best news ever to me? Or has my heart grown cold due to familiarity or something else?”
“How can I embrace and respond to who Jesus is and what He has done?”
“How can I partner with God in the work of the Kingdom?”
“How can I embody and share the true Gospel of Jesus and the Kingdom of God?”
It’s good to keep in mind that following Jesus—obeying His words and ways—really does stretch our faith past our comfort zones, and that is a good thing. It leads to long-term growth in Christ.
This is not an exercise in comparing us vs them. Not at all.
We’re not here to shame others—but to shine the light of Jesus, sharing His love, truth, and grace.
When we embrace the Good News and respond to it, everything else seems to come into perspective.
Let’s Rediscover HOPE and The True Good News Together
This series is for:
Anyone who needs some real HOPE.
Anyone who wants the truth over what’s trendy.
Anyone who desires freedom over fear and pressure to conform to the ways of this ever-changing world.
Anyone who feels weary from performing or pretending.
Anyone who knows of Jesus, but has felt pulled by the pressures of culture.
Anyone who doesn’t know Jesus, but is open or curious to learn more.
Anyone who wants to go deeper into truth and experience the joys of life with God.
Anyone who is curious if there's more than the empty promises and candy-coated idolatry offered to us everyday, whether we asked for them or not.
We believe God has so much more beauty in store than we could possibly fathom.
There is HOPE.
His name is Jesus, and His Kingdom is here, now, advancing, and it will come, soon, in full.
And some more good news?
Jesus not just better than the false gospels offered.
Jesus everything our hearts and souls have been longing for and so, so much more.
Stay Tuned
Moving forward, I intend to release new podcast episodes, exposing a false gospel to the light and proclaiming the best news of Jesus.
Come with your Bible, see for yourself. Come with your questions. Come with your heart open, ready to receive from the Lord.
Let’s tear down every counterfeit idol. No more wasting our attention and affections on false hopes.
Let’s build our lives on the Rock, the one true Savior and Lord, Jesus.
Let’s abide in God’s Word as true disciples, living according to the truth that sets us free, as Jesus said:
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
- John 8:32
I hope you were blessed and encouraged by this series introduction. I hope you’re excited to unpack some more junk with me and replace it with real eternal treasures. May God refresh you with the best news ever and inspire lasting, contagious hope within you that overflows from you. Feel free to share this podcast-post or the link to this LIFE ON MISSION publication. You can click the share buttons below or subscribe for free. May God bless you with hope in the Good News of Jesus today!
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