Gospel truth

 

The Evangelism of ‘Acts’ is followed by the ‘Doctrine of the Gospel’ in the Bible book called Romans. ‘Acts ‘ describes God using humans to spread the Gospel far and wide.

‘Romans’ is the situation on earth as God sees it (helicopter vision).

It begins with God assessing His creation, His creatures. The humans were designed to worship Him, but the evidence is that they had rebelled. Even the enlightened and religious had lost their way. The divine conclusion is:

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” – all guilty.

But God is not defeated by human failure. He is a God who intervenes, coming right into the situation with the solution.

The remedy for this extreme malady is Jesus Christ the Lord. He became a man. He appeared as a Saviour, not a judge. He gave His life up to achieve redemption, atonement, propitiation, forgiveness, reconciliation,  freedom, justification, salvation and more.

But God knows the incapacity of humans to choose well or to pay enough or to pray intelligently or to overcome sin.  So He chose to give freely. This great salvation He decided to give to all who believe in Jesus, His very special Son. Faith in Jesus, makes no room for boasting in self – it is a trust that is focused on Jesus Christ and what He has done.

But God wanted to richly bless all believers. So the doctrine of the Gospel spells out God’s love at work, making peace, spreading His love upon and into believers, changing them from Adam’s family to being ‘in Christ’. Chapter 6,7 describes God believers free from the habit of sin, and free from the law that stands ready to condemn.

But God does more! He sent His Holy Spirit to live in all believers so that they have identity as God’s children and  live as God’s children. They have hope for the future and they are intimately joined to God in His love (Chapter 8)

All this is called GRACE – God giving much more than we deserve!

But God has more – He chooses , He calls people both Jews and Gentiles to have Faith in His Son:

“If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus Is LORD, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” ( 10:9).

Enough – no. – God by His Spirit enlightens to create faith.

But God also enables believers to have faith to walk right as Jesus did. Chapter 12 is not so much commands,  but rather the call of mercy and grace to total surrender – the complete person yielded to the will and way of God. Then is described how a Christian ought to live – motivated by love, letting God be the judge, treating others well even with cultural differences.

 

Finally the conclusion God has been working towards – Chapter 15:13

“So I pray that God who gives you hope, will keep you rejoicing and full of peace as you believe in Him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

God is not defeated, rather God is victorious and we are victorious in HIM.

The Message

 

A most rewarding study is to read and consider the messages delivered by the Apostles in the Bible book of Acts. You will discover how the Gospel is presented audience appropriate.

Acts 2  - to the Jews, it has many references to the Old Testament.

Acts 7 – to the Jewish court, giving a lesson from history.

Acts 10 – to Gentiles, giving details about Jesus the Lord of all.

Acts 13 – In the synagogue, a brief history of Israel through to John the baptiser and Jesus the Messiah.

Acts 17 – to philosophers, speaking of their own culture pointing to Jesus, God’s final judge.

In all these messages, the presentation is audience appropriate, yet retaining the same fundamental elements – Accountability to God (Repentance) and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Lord of all).

 

What about today?  Yes,  with the school children I must be age appropriate, with migrants having limited English I must adjust my vocabulary, with affluent Australians I must reactivate dull consciences, with older folks, presenting hope in Jesus Christ for the next life – but underpinning it all must be giving God the honour of being God, and persuading all as to who Jesus is and what He has done through His death and resurrection.

Evangelism

 

The Gospel remains unchanged:

Repentance – Accepting that God is just and His verdict on sin is correct. My self will is surrendered to His will.

Faith -  Faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the Lord who came down from heaven, the Son of God. Once crucified, He is now risen from the dead and exalted at God's right hand in heaven. Lord I believe.

Evangelism  -  The spreading of this good news, in Bible times took many forms which are still good for today.

Public speaking – Acts 2

In court    - Acts  5, 7

In conversation   Acts 8

Religious debate   Acts 9

In Gentile homes   Acts 10

Before political leaders Acts 13

By the riverside   Acts 16

In Jail     Acts 16

In the public market place Acts 17

At the university   Acts 17

And so it is today – we have abundant opportunities to present the Gospel to those who need it most. In fact we have so many more means to share the light of God’s word. Since the printing press was invented, speaking the Gospel via telephone, radio, and now the internet!

It was the Lord Jesus who said “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel.” 

 (Mark 16)  Am I, are you willing to obey His command?

 In His hand, by His Holy Spirit to be a channel of truth to so many lost peoples?

Gospel

 

The Gospel/ Evangelism

Seems like I need to clarify the Biblical Christian Gospel and the work of Evangelism .

The Gospel is the message, Evangelism is the methods of spreading the Gospel.

Shall I identify the scam gospels – they are many, rife in the churches as well as in the world  --  not yet. I would rather like to sound loud and clear the true Bible Gospel.

The Gospel of Isaiah prophesied the LORD God drawing near in the person of the Messiah  -  a child born named Immanuel, a servant whose soul would be made an offering for sin, a Saviour who would embrace Jew and Gentile and so much more good news.

The Gospel of Matthew beginns with a child  (Immanuel – God with us). A child so special the wise men from the east (likely including Chinese), bowed down to worship Him.

The Gospel of Mark opens with the words of this Lord Jesus  - “Repent and believe the Gospel”  That meant that the King had arrived – no better news could be heard. The message was clear  “repent” – turn away from sin and selflove to give total allegiance to the King of the universe, the Son of God!.

The King was rejected! (“We have no king but Caesar” they said – John 19) And so the risen Saviour changed to embrace of the message. Quote of the Lord Jesus Christ:

“Thus it is written, that Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His Name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem”.  (Luke 24).

From then on, by the power of the Holy Spirit they proclaimed the word of the Lord to Jews and Gentiles. If I had space I would trace each of the Gospel messages in the book of ‘Acts’.

In summary –

Peter preached to the Gentiles about Jesus Christ with this conclusion :

“To Him give all the prophet witness, that everyone who believes in HIM receives forgiveness of sins through HIS Name” (Acts 10).

Paul summarised His Gospel:

“Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20)

Paul reflected on the Gospel he effectively preached at Corinth:

“…of first importance, that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures”  1 Corinthians 15.

Philip preached the Gospel about the once crucified Jesus from Isaiah 53  (Acts 8).

Several threads run through these important references:

1       The problem of sin as seen by God and must be repented of.

2      The gospel focuses on the Lord Jesus Christ and the vital need to believe in/on Him

3      The outcomes of this Gospel are many eg  Forgiveness of sins, The gift of the Holy Spirit, the assurance of eternal life in heaven, and so much more.

The Gospel exposes the real human condition as lost  and gives glory to God as the light shining in the face of Jesus Christ.(2 Corinthians 4)

A message that misses Jesus is false!

  A message that smooths over sin is false.

    A message that presents self help to find happiness is deception.

     A message that promotes good works as a means to eternal life is false.

And so it goes on – instead of accountability before God is promoted affluence as a sign of blessing! – false. Rather salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord, is the genuine  motivator to Christian commitment.

Sadly so many are made happy on the way to hell. Hell? O wait they say. The good news is that a loving God would not punish a person in hell! Some try to fix it up by saying that perish means  to ‘cease being’ instead of ‘well  being’.

False Gospels are an insult to the Name and character of God.

 False Gospels are an insult to the need for and sufficiency of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in His death.

False gospels give false hope and prove cruel to the ones deceived.

How good it is to know and receive the true Gospel of the Son of God, once crucified for our sins, now risen and willing to save all who turn to HIM in faith.

And to think it is for all people everywhere!;

“God so loved the world , that He gave His only Son, so that everyone that believes in HIM, will not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

Psalm 23

 

David the shepherd boy, caring for his fathers sheep, picked up his small harp, looked up into the deep blue sky and composed a song of praise, of trust, of hope, of home. 3000 years later we sing it with understanding and emotion.

“The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want

He makes me down to lie

In pastures green He leadeth me the quiet waters by..”

The LORD who made the universe , the LORD who chose to interact with the peoples of earth – this is the one David claimed as his Shepherd.

1000years later Jesus descended from heaven and announced  “I am the Good Shepherd”

2000 years on and we today can look up and say “The LORD Jesus is my Shepherd!”

Life indeed is a journey with many twists and turns.  The destination is sure, in the Father’s house.

Ponder for a moment the journey:

-          A giving shepherd providing food and refreshment sufficient

-          A restoring shepherd for wandering souls

-          A guide along the way – God’s way

-          A companion in the valley, even death

-          A protector in danger

-          A provider in difficult times

-          A healer from the wounds and bruises of the journey

-          A cup overflowing with love undeserved

For David it was to trust in one whose Providence was enough in good times and bad times. This echoes in the word’s:

“Goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me”

This has a sense of trust for the future, but also can be a review of the past to the honour of the Great Shepherd.

Lastly, triumphantly – the destination.

“And in God’s house forevermore, my dwelling place shall be.”

The sheep was to return to the shepherd’s fold at the end of each day. But much greater is the final destination – abiding in the Great Shepherd’s own house”  - I hear the eternal word’s of the Good Shepherd – “In My Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you… that there you may be also”  (John 14)

How can it be?  Because Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep (us). Who are included?  “I am the door, by me if anyone enter in they will be saved…..other sheep have I”  (John 10)

And so the ultimate promise comes to all who trust Him.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give unto them eternal life and they will never perish. No one can pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:27)

And thus I concluded the funeral service  for one who loved the Lord.

“In God’s house forevermore, my dwelling place shall be”

A place of unfailing love, undisturbed peace, united praise.