I attended a church service in Australia some 3 years ago where the preacher challenged us to have new revelations from God in this new age and era. I left the service wondering if there was really a new revelation from God and a new gospel...
Having been a Christian for a number of years, I realised that it can be the case where the gospel that I believed in and gave my life to God by believing in His Son Jesus Christ in response to, can be easily put behind my mind. I don't think I am the only Christian who thinks like that. It is very easy to think that the gospel which I had once heard, is enough for me since I am now a believer of Christ, a Christian and I have eternal life. Therefore I need not think of the gospel and know about the gospel any much further, not until and unless I need to share it with non-believers.... Either that or I can know every detail about the gospel but in my refusal to believe and trust in it and without it transforming my life, those will only just be words that run through my mind.
I am thankful that in my church, we will study 1 gospel every beginning of the year. The 4 gospel books in the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) will be rotated year after year and our DGs will study the Bible and sermons will be preached according to the book that we cover. I think I only begin to appreciate why a gospel has to be put in every year. This is to remind us that we cannot and should never tire of learning, knowing and being reminded of the truth of God, the word of life, the gospel of Jesus Christ. The good news of Jesus Christ (gospel) is what we as believers heard and responded to and this is the basis of our Christian faith, the only reason why we still continue to persevere to live godly lives. I remembered Pastor always says that if one day we ever get tired of hearing about Jesus Christ, then we are probably in great danger... and if ever one day he stop preaching about Jesus Christ, we would know that he is not very right...
We are now studying the first 5 chapters of John. At the beginning of DG a few evenings ago, my DGL asked us what we have been learning from the last 3 studies thus far. I led the last study in John 3 where a Pharisee Jewish leader, Nicodemus went to look for Jesus in the dark and in their conversation, Jesus told Nicodemus how one has to be 'born again' to enter the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus, a Jewish leader himself would probably think he would know better than anyone about the way to heaven and what it takes for salvation. But surprisingly, him being a religious leader doesn't grant him automatic entry into God's Kingdom. One has to be 'born again' - born of the water and of the Spirit to gain that entry. Born of the water is to be cleansed as how God said in the Old Testament in Ezekiel that He will cleanse His people of water to make them righteous before Him. To be born of the Spirit, Jesus told Nicodemus that only God can give this Spirit to man as He wills. It takes a simple faith and complete belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of Man to be saved and have eternal life.
To me, I am thankful that through God's word, I am reminded of my need for the gospel and I'm glad that I have not tire from hearing the gospel and it is my prayer that I will never take the gospel for granted but ever be gripped by God's love demonstrated for me in that way, and so that the gospel will be lived out in my life...
I remembered that I have a book titled "Believers Need the Gospel". I fished it out from my cupboard and here are some snips of the book to share.... Its true that believers need the gospel and it should never be out of our lives.
Having been a Christian for a number of years, I realised that it can be the case where the gospel that I believed in and gave my life to God by believing in His Son Jesus Christ in response to, can be easily put behind my mind. I don't think I am the only Christian who thinks like that. It is very easy to think that the gospel which I had once heard, is enough for me since I am now a believer of Christ, a Christian and I have eternal life. Therefore I need not think of the gospel and know about the gospel any much further, not until and unless I need to share it with non-believers.... Either that or I can know every detail about the gospel but in my refusal to believe and trust in it and without it transforming my life, those will only just be words that run through my mind.
I am thankful that in my church, we will study 1 gospel every beginning of the year. The 4 gospel books in the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) will be rotated year after year and our DGs will study the Bible and sermons will be preached according to the book that we cover. I think I only begin to appreciate why a gospel has to be put in every year. This is to remind us that we cannot and should never tire of learning, knowing and being reminded of the truth of God, the word of life, the gospel of Jesus Christ. The good news of Jesus Christ (gospel) is what we as believers heard and responded to and this is the basis of our Christian faith, the only reason why we still continue to persevere to live godly lives. I remembered Pastor always says that if one day we ever get tired of hearing about Jesus Christ, then we are probably in great danger... and if ever one day he stop preaching about Jesus Christ, we would know that he is not very right...
We are now studying the first 5 chapters of John. At the beginning of DG a few evenings ago, my DGL asked us what we have been learning from the last 3 studies thus far. I led the last study in John 3 where a Pharisee Jewish leader, Nicodemus went to look for Jesus in the dark and in their conversation, Jesus told Nicodemus how one has to be 'born again' to enter the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus, a Jewish leader himself would probably think he would know better than anyone about the way to heaven and what it takes for salvation. But surprisingly, him being a religious leader doesn't grant him automatic entry into God's Kingdom. One has to be 'born again' - born of the water and of the Spirit to gain that entry. Born of the water is to be cleansed as how God said in the Old Testament in Ezekiel that He will cleanse His people of water to make them righteous before Him. To be born of the Spirit, Jesus told Nicodemus that only God can give this Spirit to man as He wills. It takes a simple faith and complete belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of Man to be saved and have eternal life.
To me, I am thankful that through God's word, I am reminded of my need for the gospel and I'm glad that I have not tire from hearing the gospel and it is my prayer that I will never take the gospel for granted but ever be gripped by God's love demonstrated for me in that way, and so that the gospel will be lived out in my life...
I remembered that I have a book titled "Believers Need the Gospel". I fished it out from my cupboard and here are some snips of the book to share.... Its true that believers need the gospel and it should never be out of our lives.
What is the gospel?
It is the good news about Christ – the message of what God has done in and through the Lord Jesus Christ to deal with man’s sin and to make the guilty sinner acceptable to a holy God. (The gospel) is not about Christ healing our bodily diseases. He may do that but that’s not the gospel. Neither is the gospel solving our marriage, emtional or financial problem. The gospel is about Christ dealing with our sin. Sin involves the cross and the cross is always an offense to sinful man because it accuses us, judges us, condemns us. This is the offense of the cross but the glory of the cross is that its only hope of salvation.
It is the good news about Christ – the message of what God has done in and through the Lord Jesus Christ to deal with man’s sin and to make the guilty sinner acceptable to a holy God. (The gospel) is not about Christ healing our bodily diseases. He may do that but that’s not the gospel. Neither is the gospel solving our marriage, emtional or financial problem. The gospel is about Christ dealing with our sin. Sin involves the cross and the cross is always an offense to sinful man because it accuses us, judges us, condemns us. This is the offense of the cross but the glory of the cross is that its only hope of salvation.
The gospel, in spite of the fact that its good news, is the most hated and opposed message the world has ever heard. That's because it doesn't merely say "God loves you and wants to spend eternity with Him in heaven" That's only half the gospel and to preach only that is to be a false prophet. Its to preach "Peace, peace," when there's no peace... the gospel always starts by talking of mankind in sin. Only then it does say "God loves you and can deal with your sin and save you." People don't like hearing the message of sin. No one likes being told they are wrong on any point, but to be told, as the gospel does, that our whole life is totally wrong is unacceptable.
The gospel is the power of God to save and this is the sinner’s only hope.. Such is the reality of the bondage of sin that man is in and such is the power of sin in every human being’s life, that nothing short of the greater power of God could make any one of us a Christian… it provides men’s and women’s greatest need: a righteousness to make them acceptable to God. It (gospel) alone deals with their greatest problem: God’s wrath upon them because of sin.
John Piper also wrote something about "How Does the Gospel Save Believers" available in part 1 and part 2.
Also see "2 ways to live" - the heart of Christianity and the choice we have to make.
I pray for you and I that we will always remember and be thankful for God's love for us shown through Jesus Christ at all seasons of our lives.... and to respond to Him by surrendering our wretched lives, to turn away from Sin and turn to Jesus Christ, believe in Him and live a life of righteousness and holiness as He desired us to.
The gospel is the power of God to save and this is the sinner’s only hope.. Such is the reality of the bondage of sin that man is in and such is the power of sin in every human being’s life, that nothing short of the greater power of God could make any one of us a Christian… it provides men’s and women’s greatest need: a righteousness to make them acceptable to God. It (gospel) alone deals with their greatest problem: God’s wrath upon them because of sin.
John Piper also wrote something about "How Does the Gospel Save Believers" available in part 1 and part 2.
Also see "2 ways to live" - the heart of Christianity and the choice we have to make.
I pray for you and I that we will always remember and be thankful for God's love for us shown through Jesus Christ at all seasons of our lives.... and to respond to Him by surrendering our wretched lives, to turn away from Sin and turn to Jesus Christ, believe in Him and live a life of righteousness and holiness as He desired us to.
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