The TRUE Gospel
Jesus began his public ministry by saying, The time is fulfilled, and the
When the disciples asked Jesus to tell them what shall be the sign of His return and the end of the age he said, And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Math24:14)
Before he departed back to heaven Jesus told the disciples to Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)
Since the gospel of the kingdom seems to be the central tenet of Jesus ministry, my question to you is this;
What exactly is the gospel?
I know that the gospel means the good news but can you specifically define what that good news is?
Try this little experiment in your church. Ask ten people what is the gospel and see what type of response you get.
Many will say it is the good news. Some will say it is the first four books of the New Testament. Some will even relate it to doing good works like feeding the poor or bringing people to church.
You see, the church today is so far from the truth that most don't know and few can actually agree on what exactly constitutes the gospel of the kingdom.
Everybody talks about preaching the gospel but few actually preach it. All the TV preachers collect money so that they can "take the gospel to all nations" but they never seem to actually proclaim the gospel. In fact most of the time you can watch so called Christian TV all day long and never once hear a presentation of the true gospel of the kingdom.
The gospel is defined in 1Cor 15:1-4
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Jesus died, was buried, and rose again. That is the gospel. There is no other. This is the gospel that Jesus preached from the beginning.
Math 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
This is the gospel that Paul proclaims throughout his ministry.
Rom 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
This is the gospel that Peter preached on the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:22-24
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
This is the gospel that Paul says is the power of God
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
This is the gospel that is not being preached by the church today. Instead the church has substituted a false gospel, a powerless gospel that is really no gospel at all.
Gal 1:8
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
The so called gospel that is preached today is the "ask Jesus into your heart" gospel. It is the gospel that says 'Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life' It is the gospel of the so called sinners prayer which is found nowhere in scripture.
Now I know that many of you are thinking, 'I'm saved, I don't need to hear this, the gospel is for the unsaved'.
The first thing I would ask you is this. Are you sure you're "saved"? Are you certain that you have repented and believed the gospel.
Remember, you heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.… (Jer 17:9)
And if you've been sitting in a typical church for any time at all I can promise you that you have been filled with the doctrines and traditions of man mixed with the word of God. Jesus says this mixture makes the word of God to be ineffective in your life (Mark 7:13).
So why don't you take just a moment to examine yourself to see if you really are in faith.
2Cor 13:5
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Secondly as we study the true gospel I think you will see that the gospel is something you need every day. The gospel means more than just 'go to heaven'. The gospel is the power of God to enter into His kingdom right here and right now if you believe and if you continue in it.
1Cor 15:1-2
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
Let's go back to Jesus words that began his ministry.
Mark 1:15
The time is fulfilled, and the
The first thing he commanded is that we should repent. What does it mean to repent?
The word repent in the New Testament is translated from the Greek word metanoeo, meaning to change ones mind. It means to turn from, to amend with an abhorrence of ones past actions or sins. It is an act of will.
It does not mean to simply feel remorse. It does not mean you must cry and carry on and weep and wail to show everyone how sorry you are about your sins.
The next thing Jesus said was to believe. What does it mean to believe?
To believe means to trust in, rely on, adhere to, commit to, to have confidence in. This is more than just acknowledgement. If you truly trust in something, have confidence in it, your life and your lifestyle will reflect that confidence and that trust.
Many people today acknowledge Jesus. Many claim that Jesus is Lord and that he is the son of God but their walk doesn't match their talk. In truth, they have no confidence in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and their lives reflect that lack of trust.
Just acknowledging that Jesus is Lord bears no fruit in relation to the power of the gospel.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Math 7:22-23
Many today call him Lord yet do not know him.
And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? Math 8:29
This scripture shows that even demons acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, and thus Lord. Does this mean they will be saved?
For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. Rom 14:11
This shows that eventually every person who's ever lived will acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus. Will this entitle everyone to eternal security?
So when Jesus said to repent and believe the gospel what he was saying was;
Turn from the things you've been trusting in and start trusting in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Stop trusting in the ways of the world. Stop trusting in your money. Stop trusting in your job or career. Stop trusting in politics. Stop trusting in people. Stop trusting in your education. Stop trusting in your family or heritage. Stop trusting in so called science and knowledge.
Turn from these things and trust in, rely on, adhere to the gospel which is the power of God.
It is important here to understand what salvation is. As I said earlier, it is much more than just 'go to heaven'.
The word saved is from the Greek word sozo meaning ;
To save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction from injury or peril. To save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health. To preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue. To save in the technical biblical sense. To deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment. To save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance.
The modern church has mostly defined salvation down to one thing, that being 'you get to go to heaven'. But truly, salvation is so much more than that. That's why I say you need to believe (trust in) the gospel (the power of God) every day of your life.
Do you have a need? Trust in the gospel.
Are you in danger or peril? Trust in the gospel.
Is sickness attacking your body? Trust in the gospel.
Do you lack basic necessities? Trust in the gospel.
So, the question becomes, how do I do that? How do I, living in this body of flesh, surrounded by the things of the world stop trusting in the things of the world and start trusting in the power of God?
I'm glad you asked! Let's go again to the words of Jesus.
Luke 9:23-24
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save (sozo) it.
Luke 14:27
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Deny yourself, deny your desires, deny your plans, take up the cross daily and follow Jesus. You must be willing to say 'not my will but your will Lord Jesus'
To take up the cross means to believe the gospel. Just as the cross was the instrument of Christ's death, so must we take up that cross and reckon ourselves dead to our own desires and our own will.
You must enter into the gospel yourself in order to manifest the Kingdom of God in your life
Gal 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Romans 6:3-4
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Do you see this? Baptism represents the manifestation of the gospel in our lives. It represents the death of our old way of doing things and the beginning of our life in Him, or rather, His life in us.
It is not about you trying to live a "Christian Life" It is you dieing to self so that Christ may live through you.
Do you want more of God in your life? Do you want to see more of the power of God in your life? Do you want the
The answer is simple. Less of you = More of God
John 3:30-31
He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
For Him to increase, you must decrease.
That which is from the earth (your flesh) speaketh of the earth.
Your flesh only knows how to trust in earthly things. But He that is from above is above all. That means He is above lack, he is above sickness, He is above danger and peril.
1Cor 1:29
That no flesh should glory in his presence
As long as your flesh is in charge, God's perfect will cannot prevail because He will not share His glory with man.
Is this what you've been taught in your church? Are you taught to deny yourself and take up the cross? Or have you been taught the 'ask Jesus into your heart' gospel?
You want to know something? I'll let you in on a little secret. Jesus doesn't want to come into your wicked heart. He wants to change your heart from a heart of stone to one of flesh!
Ezek 36:26
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
This is not a popular teaching. Telling people that they must lay down their lives and deny all their own desires is not conducive to large altar calls.
Salvation is not by works but neither is it free. There is a cost. The cost is your life.
Mark 8:35
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
Did you know that this teaching was not popular in Jesus day either?
John 6:53-54
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Vs 56
He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Vs 60
Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
Vs 66
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
When Jesus explained the gospel (He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.) They didn't want to hear it. When he explained that in order to attain eternal life they must allow him to be manifest through them they walked away.
Yes, it's much easier to tell people that Jesus loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives. To tell people that salvation is free and all you have to do is ask Jesus into your heart. To tell people that Jesus loves you just the way you are and he doesn't expect anything from you.
Do you see what a subtle and deceptive false gospel this is? Everything I said in the previous paragraph has some truth in it. But it is not the whole truth. It is part truth and part lies. It is the word of God mixed with the tradition of men. A little leaven leavens the whole lump!
Some have even taught that you can be a believer but not be a disciple. That somehow there are two levels of citizenship in Gods kingdom. Some would tell you that you can be a believer and that gets you to heaven even if you aren't truly living a crucified life. This is a lie.
You are either in the kingdom or you are outside the kingdom.
Math 7:21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
You either crucify your flesh and follow Jesus or you are on your way to hell.
Rom 8:13
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify (crucify) the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
To follow Jesus you must take up your cross. If you fail to follow him you walk in darkness.
John 8:12
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Jesus said to count the cost.
Luke 14:27-28
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Through the traditions of men most of us have been taught that the
Luke 17:20-21
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the
The religious rulers of Jesus day were looking for a physical kingdom, a political kingdom to be set up on the earth. The religious leaders of our day teach that the kingdom is a spiritual kingdom to be attained in heaven. Both views are wrong.
It is true that Jesus will set up a physical kingdom on the earth in the millennium. It is also true that the kingdom will first be manifest in the spirit. But we don't have to wait for the millennium to experience the kingdom. Neither do have to wait until we get to heaven.
Jesus said the
What is the
The word kingdom in the Greek is the Greek word basileia {bas-il-i'-ah} meaning;
Royal power, kingship, dominion, rule , not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom.
Of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah
Of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah's kingdom.
A kingdom, the territory subject to the rule of a king
Used in the N.T. to refer to the reign of the Messiah.
So, the
Math 6:10
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Jesus established the
Notice the scripture says thy will be done IN earth, not ON earth. That is an important distinction because the first place his will and kingdom should be manifest is in your earth, your flesh. Isn't your physical body made from the dust of the earth? He's talking about allowing God to rule and reign in your flesh.
Therefore, we don't have to wait for heaven to see the
Gal 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
If you are crucified with Christ you are bringing the
On the other hand if you fail to crucify the flesh you cannot enter into the kingdom.
1Cor 15:50
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
Flesh and blood cannot walk in the kingdom but Christ can because he is raised from the dead and inhabits an incorruptible body.
Understand that to crucify the flesh is a daily thing. It would be nice if you could do it once and for all but that isn't how it works. That is why Jesus said to take up your cross daily
Gal 5:17
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
This is where so many people miss it today. You think you can just "accept Jesus" then go on living your life in the flesh. You can't. If you live after the flesh you will die! (Romans 8:13)
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Rom 12:1
Do you know why you still have a problem with your flesh? Because it is a living sacrifice. That means it is always trying to get up off that altar. You must keep it on that altar by crucifying it daily!
The faith people love to talk about all the promises of God. They like to claim the promises. They say that all the promises are yes and amen! They say that all the promises of blessing that God gave Abraham are ours.
The problem is they miss the central requirement of the scripture.
2 Cor 1:20
For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
Do you see it? The promises are IN HIM!
In fact none of the promises are ours. The promises were unto Abraham and unto his seed (singular) meaning Jesus.
Gal 3:16
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
The only way we will see the promises manifest in our lives is by believing the gospel. We get the benefits promised to Abraham when we enter into our own death burial and resurrection and allow Christ to live through us.
This is the gospel of the Kingdom and there is no other. This is the gospel that Jesus said would be preached unto all the world as a witness before the end comes.
Is this what is being preached in all the world now? Is the world really seeing Christ in us? Is the church manifesting the image of Jesus? Are we doing the works of Jesus? I think we both know the answer to that.
For almost 2,000 years the church has been impotent and lifeless in the earth. Only a handful of people over the centuries have truly walked in the
Isaiah 43:8-9
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
This is the gospel of the kingdom that Jesus said would be a witness in all the world. God's people, laying down their own lives. God's people denying themselves and taking up their cross. God's people showing forth the works of Christ for all the world to see.
Perhaps you've been a Christian for years and you've been "working for the Lord". Maybe you think you are doing great things for the
Stop it! You can't do it. All of your working and doing are of the flesh. All of your attempts to do something for the Lord are works of self righteousness. They are as filthy rags before Him.
You cannot live for the Lord. All you can do is die to self and allow Him to live through you.
You cannot do anything for the kingdom. The kingdom is already established and complete. It needs no assistance from you. What you must do is take up your cross and enter into that realm where God through Jesus rules and reigns.
Repent of your self righteousness. Stop trusting in the doctrines of men. Lay down your life and trust in, rely on, and have complete confidence in the death burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 12:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Steve Lumbley 2004
www.apostasywatch.com
posted by CONSUMING FIRE GLOBAL MINISTRIES at 4:22:00 PM
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