Whatever happened to the gospel?
My hope in writing these messages is that they will deliver you from every other version of the gospel except the gospel of the kingdom—a gospel that has been virtually lost to us today.
I’ve been pondering this topic for several years and how it has impacted the church. Jesus sent out the twelve disciples with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”
Later in Matthew 28:18-19 which covers the events around the Resurrection of Jesus and ends with the Great Commission, Jesus said to the eleven disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Why did Jesus leave the splendor and beauty and glory and holiness and wonder and perfection of heaven to come to the dirt and sin and trouble and sadness of earth? It is crucial in these uncertain times that we know why Jesus came to earth and share this message with others. What did Jesus come to earth to do? The primary reason why Jesus came to the earth was to rescue you and I, and save us from the coming judgment at the end of life on earth.
Jesus speaks clearly in the below Scriptures why He came:
- “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” –Jn. 3:17 NIV
- “The Son of Man came to seek and to see the lost,” –Lk. 19:10 NIV
- “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” –Lk. 5:32 NIV
- “I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.” –Jn. 1017-18 NASB
- “The Son of Man did not come to b e served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many.” –Matt. 20:28 NIV
Satan has worked overtime to distort, pervert, or replace the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a different emphasis in the church than preaching the true Gospel. This is very grievous to me. Apostle Paul spoke to the Galatians about this very issue, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. —Galatians 1:6-7 (NIV)
2 Corinthians 11:4 (TPT) says, “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” You should never tolerate anyone who comes to you preaching a pseudo-Jesus.
I encourage you to go deeper in your hunger for the things of God. The Bible says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” –Matthew 5:6 TPT
Blessings,
Dr. A
BEYOND CHURCH WALLS 