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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

The Devotional – 157 – Preparation and the Gospel


The Devotional – 157 – Preparation and the Gospel

 

The "chair" is a useful tool for the "buns", but it is all too often used as a platform for "scorn"! Psalm 1:1

 

Comments and Challenges

Last Monday at the rescue mission I had made mention that the ministry of Jesus Christ was nearly two thousand years ago, at the end of the gospel message, one old timer came up to me and said, “your words touched me, you say that these events of Jesus was nearly two thousand years ago”? “Yes” I responded. His reply was: “That’s the first time I heard that”!

We live in dark days, now that is not because of our struggles as a nation (those struggles we both know) but the dark days that I am referring to are controlled by Satan and his companions. He has skillfully covered creation with lies and deception for nearly seven thousand years and he will continue to do this until the LORD places him in the abyss.

For any elderly man living in the United States of America without the simplest understanding of “you must be born again” is I believe a dis-credit to the churches across the land. Somehow we have allowed our pulpits to be filled with men or women who do not even understand the gospel them self. The gospel is a simple message of truth and once it is understood a decision to believe it or reject it by the individual person will happen. But how can one believe or reject if it is not properly explained?

As a nation; Israel rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ. Notice Romans 10:14-15 “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? You may want to read the rest of the chapter through verse 21.

Here is the rub? The gospel was not made by man, along with Creation it came to man by the Living God… the gospel was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the things pertaining to the word of Life. 1 John 1:1, the gospel is the only declaration of “good news” worthy to believe.

Mark 8:13-21

If you are a baker, leaven (Yeast) is a good ingredient, but if you are a preacher of the gospel; leaven is not so good. We are warned in scripture to refrain from adding or taking away from the truth. The warning; “for I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written I this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophesy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book”. Revelation 22:19-20

 

Those who are in need of “good news” when heard will do as the disciples did in these few passages of Mark; they will apply what they heard to something humanly appropriate or say things like the man at the mission, “I never heard that before” so if you do not know how or when to present the good news, it is better for you to say nothing at all, but do study and be ready, 2 Timothy 2:15-16.

 

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