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| Vol. 14 No. 9 September 20121 | Page 11 |
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| Vol. 14 No. 9 September 20121 | Page 11 |
Dean Kelly
When the questions of life tend to fill my day, When I ask “Why” as I journey on my way
When the world does not make much sense to me, When there are no answers that I can see
Then, I must open the eyes of faith inside, under the wings of my Savior I can hide
And as down this uncertain path I go, He is always there, and He loves me so.
Faith is not just a feeling inside my heart, on a firm foundation faith must get its start
From the Word that God has given to us all, believed by those who will heed His call.
And faith does not lie dormant inside of me, instead true faith takes actions for all to see,
It leads my steps and it guides my heart so that from my God I should never part.
I cannot always answer “why not” or “why,” no matter how often or hard I may try
But I believe that God is always there, caring for me all the time everywhere.
So I will do my best to hold onto His hand, in my perilous journey to the promised land:
To fill my heart with faith, fight off the doubt, till I see Him face to face,
that’s what it’s all about.
Royce Pendergrass
What is the Gospel? The apostle Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes” (Romans 1:16). The Gospel is the “good news” or “tidings” of Jesus Christ. It is teaching the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. It is the truth that everyone has sinned and violated the will of God and is without hope until he is reconciled (Ephesians 2:16) to God by the blood of Christ.
What is the extent of this Gospel? We see this in Matthew 24:14, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations.” This was a statement that our Lord made during His earthly ministry, and the apostle Paul confirmed that this prophecy did actually occur as stated in Romans 10:18, “Their sound went into all the earth and their words unto the ends of the world.” The Gospel is for all and, in order to be saved, everyone must have an opportunity to decide whether to obey the Gospel message, so the Gospel was carried to all of the then-known world.
Today, it is the job of Christians to take the Gospel to those who do not know Christ or have not accepted Him as their Savior. Paul was instrumental in converting the young preacher Timothy, and he instructed Timothy, “The things that you have heard, the same commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).
Why did Paul instruct Timothy to do this? Because he loved the souls of sinful people and wanted them to know about the Savior in order to have an occasion to be purged of their sins so they would have a hope of salvation. He continued in verse 10, “that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” Paul desired to have others know the love of Christ and to be able to live with Him eternally.
We still must have this love for lost souls and have the fervor to have them know the truth. This is part of what our pulpit preaching is all about, but it is also what every faithful Christian must do. There is nothing else a Christian can do in this life that will bring any greater reward than teaching someone the Gospel and helping to save a soul from eternal punishment. Jesus Himself said, “I must be about My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). If Jesus (the perfect One) felt the necessity for teaching others about God’s “grace, mercy and peace” (1 Timothy 1:2), where does that leave us, the sinful ones?
We have such a great opportunity whenever we host a Gospel meeting. We can exercise the faith that we have in Christ and help others to enjoy that faith and the promises that come with it. We can invite others to hear the Gospel preached in its truth and simplicity.
Maybe there are family members or friends who are “religious” people and have a great deal of faith in God, but are they worshipping and serving God according to the New Testament pattern? So many people choose a religion that makes things easy for them, and without the knowledge of what they should be doing, they let someone else make decisions that affect their eternal salvation. If you know someone like this, it is my prayer that you will first pray for yourself to have the strength and conviction that you might do everything you can to get him or her to attend our Gospel meetings. You also must pray for him or her to accept the Gospel in its simplicity and become faithful children of God.
Talking to others about religion is sometimes a “scary” matter. Go ahead and do what is right, knowing that, like Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). You can!