With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his proclaiming the good news (2 Cor 8:18)

This famous Amos has been on my mind all week. How did he get so famous? Was it by the therapeutic gospel? “Good morning everyone. How are we all doing? You know what, God’s going to meet all our needs this morning. Yes, that’s right. He’s going to meet your needs, whatever they may be. Need healing? He’s here for you. Broken marriage? He’s here to help you. You know, I was reading Psalm 88 just the other day and it spoke to me so powerfully. David is in this cave, and he feels like it’s this dangerous pit. He prays to the Lord and he feels that the Lord put him back on his feet. Yes, he felt stronger. He felt like he could do all things through Christ. Right? That’s the way we should be. Well, God is going meet us right where we are this morning and help us out of our pits.” Hardly.

Was it because of his seed-faith sermons? “Good morning everyone. You know, God is the God of increase! Yes, that’s right. Increase. Increase in all areas of your life. Your relationships. Your family. Your personal life. Yes, and even your business. That’s right. He’s concerned about your business and how it honors God. Now, I know that this is the beginning of the service, but I want you all to take out your wallets. Yes, go ahead, take them out. Those of you who are in debt, guess what? God’s going to supernaturally cancel your debt. What did he say in Malachi? He said, ‘Prove me in this.’ Prove him in the tithe. You bring tithe into the storehouse and he’s going to rebuke the devil and get him off your back. Your debt is going to be gone in no time. God’s about to do a breakthrough, and I want you to get in on it. How do you do that? You do it by sowing into good ground, and my ministry is good ground.” Doubtful.

Was it because of his take on divine election? “Good morning everyone. Today we’re all going to glorify the Lord. Why? Because everything is for his glory. He has chosen us, the elect ones, in him so he can be glorified. Not everyone will be saved. Not even everyone here will be saved. He’s chosen his people before the world even began, and that we can’t change. But he requires that we praise him for his unlimited wisdom in choosing who would be saved and who would be damned. God is all in all. And he will be glorified in it.” Not a chance.

Amos proclaimed the good news, Paul says. What’s that? Paul summed it up quite nicely in the first sentence in his letter to the Romans.

Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his son, who was descended from David according to flesh, and was appointed to be Son of God in power according to a spirit of holiness through the means of his resurrection of dead ones–Jesus Christ, our Lord.

God initiated a covenant through Abraham to save not just Israel but the whole world. Through the ensuing years he elaborated on that covenant, what he called the gospel of his son, through his prophets. When Jesus appeared, he was a descendant of David, the faithful Israelite to whom the promise of salvation for heathen was made. He faithfully and selflessly offered himself on the cross, to die cursed of God with all of our sins laid on him. After wholly yielding himself to the divine plan, God resurrected him on the third day—the moment when every man and woman could be justified and born again—and appointed him to be the Son of God in power through the means of that resurrection. Jesus’ faithfulness paved the highway of our hope of resurrection and life everlasting. This is what Amos preached. This is what made him famous. ∗

Note: Paul didn’t ever identify this famous brother. We don’t know who he actually was.