2002-12-19
Good Morning Cherished Ones,
Yesterday the Holy Spirit led me to begin writing on the subject of the Gospel, “the hope to which we are all called,” as it is characterized in EPH 4: 4-6. Let me repeat that passage, as it is the revelation for how we can be worthy to receive all the blessings God is showering on all who believe. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; there is one God and Father of all mankind, Who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all.” There are seven elements in that passage, and we’ve already discussed 1) one body, 2) one Spirit, and are now looking at 3) one Gospel.
As far back as Isaiah, a salvation message was mentioned that needed to be carried to waiting ears. IS 52: 7 [KJV], “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation: that saith unto Zion Thy God reigneth!” It is not accident that our Messiah, Jesus Christ, is perfectly described in IS 9: 6-7 [KJV] as the “Sar Shalom” in Hebrew, which means Prince of Peace. “Unto us a child is born, a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” These gorgeous words are prophetic and apply as much to us today as they did to the people who lived in Isaiah’s time (about 740-692 BC). The theme passage for the book of Romans reveals the power of the Gospel and to whom it is directed. RO 1: 16-17, “I have complete confidence in the Gospel; it is God’s power to save all who believe, first the Jews and then the Gentiles. For the Gospel reveals how God puts people right with Himself: It is through faith from beginning to end. As the Scripture [HB 2: 4] says, ‘The person who is put right with God through faith shall live.’” Paul’s pride in the Gospel is a righteous and necessary pride that all believers should share. This is supported in MK 8: 38, “If a person is ashamed of Me and of My teaching in this godless and wicked day, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
This Gospel message so simply stated in 1 COR 15: 3 is that very same message of salvation and peace mentioned in the assertion that we should put on God’s full armor before waging spiritual warfare with the forces of evil. 1 COR 15: 3, “…that Christ died for our sins, as written in the Scriptures [IS 53: 1-12], that He was buried and that He was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures [PS 16: 8; MT 12: 40; AC 2: 24-32].” It is critical that we understand that there is only one Gospel. False prophets and teachers would have us believe otherwise, but that is Satan’s effort to steer us away from the truth. GA 1: 6-9 illuminates this issue. Paul was writing to the Galatians at a time in about 60 AD when they were in danger due to the temptation of false teachers leading them away from the teaching Christ had given him to convey. “I am surprised at you! In no time at all you are deserting the One Who called you by the grace of Christ, and are accepting another gospel. Actually , there is no ‘other gospel,’ but I say this because there are some people who are upsetting you and trying to change the Gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel that is different from the One we preached to you, may he be condemned to hell! We have said it before, and I now say it again: if anyone preaches to you a gospel that is different from the one you accepted, may he be condemned to hell!” That same danger of being swayed to veer away from the accuracy of the Gospel as Christ teaches it still exists today. That’s a pressing reason for spending daily time with the Scriptures and gaining the discernment that is in them to prevent this.
Paul was imprisoned and reaching the end of his physical life when he wrote to his young protégé, Timothy, this salient warning, one that we should all heed, in 2 TIM 1: 13-14, “Hold firmly to the true words that I taught you, as the example for you to follow, and remain in the faith and love that are ours in union with Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Who lives in us, guard the Treasure entrusted to you.” That Treasure is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul also proclaimed this crucial Gospel message to Titus, a Gentile convert to Christianity who became a fellow worker and assistant to him, in TITUS 1: 1-3, “From Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I was chosen and sent to help the faith of God’s chosen people and to lead them to the truth taught by our religion, which is based on the hope for eternal life. God, Who does not lie, promised us this life before the beginning of time, and at the right time He revealed it in His message. This was entrusted to me, and I proclaim it by order of God our Savior.” Dear Ones, this precious, life-giving message has also been entrusted to us!
PRAYER: O Lord, You lead me to share the amazing miracle that is in MT 12: 40. “In the same way that Jonah spent three days and nights in the big fish, so will the Son of Man spend three days and nights in the depths of the earth.” This prophecy didn’t end with Christ’s burial. Instead, You used unheard of power to raise Christ from death to life with You in heaven. We are left with the Gospel message and many witnesses who attested to Christ’s ministry, death on the cross, burial for three days, and His ascension to heaven [AC 1: 9]. These men were faithful and not known to be liars held in Satan’s grip. There were over 500 of them, and some of their names are listed in 1 COR 15: 4-8. Still the gift of Christ’s life, death, burial, and ascension is not complete until it is said that the Holy Spirit will come upon Christ’s apostles, fill them with power, they will become witnesses for Him, and their testimony will reach the ends of the earth [AC 1: 8]. And then, Dearest Abba, there is the promise to us that if we remain as Your children, designated as this by Your Spirit, Who is known to groan when words cannot express-in intervention for us when needed. We who endure in faith through whatever test You allow that Satan sends, will follow Jesus. You have told us He is the “first among many brothers” [RO 8: 15, 26, & 29]. Christ’s Atonement is not in vain. We have seen that You raised Him to sit a Your right side in heaven and to be our Advocate and Intercessor [PS 110: 1; HE 8: 1 & 9: 12]. We, who battle daily with Satan, can have confidence in our salvation and in Your gift of that same power You used to raise Christ from death to life to use against the enemy [EPH 1: 18-20]. When Peter spoke to the early church in AC 2: 24-32, he truthfully outlined the fact that You will not abandon us to the world of the dead and moreover, he reiterated the Davidic covenant [2 SAM 7: 12-13]. This is the promise that a Descendant of David will be King forever. We believe that Descendant is Christ Himself. You are to be praised and thanked for this marvelous, life-giving truth. We dedicate ourselves to accurately witnessing to it, to humbly confessing our sins and to offering You our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, glory, honor, trust, obedience, thanks, and praise forever. In Christ’s name, amen.
In tomorrow’s message, we will look at the next element of EPH 4 :4-6, the fourth one, one Lord-Jesus Christ. I spent some extra time with the prayer this morning, because the Spirit leads me to be as clear as possible about what the “one hope to which we are called” really is. Sadly, there are false teachers who would have us believe anything but that message of salvation and eternal peace. They are led by the adversary and must not be believed. Nor must we get the idea that we can add to or subtract from or change one word of God’s message through the writers of the Scriptures. That is foolishness, pure and simple. It is also a mark of disrespect to the Father. This Gospel message, like everything else God expresses is motivated by the purest love that exists. Christ’s blood spilled for us is just one of many demonstrations of that love, albeit an important one. We must not waste any of this, and we must thank and praise God in an attitude of utter humility that He loves us enough to save our lives and offer us eternal joy, peace and fellowship with Him in His permanent Kingdom. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn