Hard To Believe by John MacArthur

We have created in this day a people who are looking, first and foremost, to have their needs met.  This is what the bible calls "being lovers of self."  The church has fallen into the market mentality and is striving to give the consumer what they want. The sad part is, what many churches are giving people is not the gospel at all. They water down the gospel, robbing God of His glory.  These strategies take the gospel and attempt to form it into a self-fulfillment, self-help program. The problem is this,  "the true gospel is a call to self-denial. It is not a call to self-fulfillment.".  The gospel was never intended to be a soft, feel-good gospel.  The cross was shameful to people of that day and the message was foolish to the wise. God's word to His people was "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise."  God's plan was to take the things that are not to shame the things that are.  He took a group of nobodies who could not have any glory through themself and chose to glorify Himself.  Whether you reject the message or  you change it to make it more comfortable to it's listeners, it still leads to hell.  The gospel must be presented in a way that followers will understand the commands of deny self, take up the cross and follow Christ. And at whatever cost is necessary, even if it means death!  There are too many "Christians" of this day that have been ushered down the "broad way" and will one day find that it lead them straight to hell. For many in that day will say "Lord, Lord" and Christ will say, "I never knew you". Do you know the gospel that's "Hard To Believe"?  It is this truth that we are called to proclaim.  

If you want to know the gospel that's hard to believe, read this book! Bibline in his writing, Macarthur has dedicated his ministry to speaking truths that are hard but those that lead to salvation.