WE HAVE GOOD NEWS TO REPORT TO YOU!
In Jesus’ youth he grew in wisdom and God’s grace was upon him. Even at the age of 12 he was found in the temple asking and answering questions. People were amazed with his learning. He continued to learn the ways of his Father. When he was an adult he spoke publicly about his Father and his Father’s will. He spoke of the abundant life he wanted everyone to have. He came not only to seek the lost, but also to save them. Jesus’ earthly ministry lasted only a few short years, but He was successful in what He came to do. He came to provide salvation for all mankind. He did this by offering himself one time for all time for all mankind when he was crucified on the cross. The Scriptures tell us the fact that Jesus died, was buried, and was physically raised from the dead. This was all according to Scripture, and thus was God’s plan. According to God, this is the “good news.” Because Jesus sacrificed himself as payment for man’s sin and God accepted it as payment enough, all humans that have sinned, can be saved from their own sin according to God’s plan. Having provided good news, Jesus sent his disciples throughout the entire world proclaiming that He died, was buried, and raised from the dead! The disciples did exactly what Jesus told them. We read about thousands of believing, repentant people confessing Him and obeying Him by faith. By faithful obedience to Jesus’ commands, and God’s grace they were cleansed from every sin, and God remembered their sins no more. The same thing is available for us today. THAT’S GOOD NEWS!!!
WHO BOUGHT THE CHURCH?
Christ was talking to his disciples one day about who people were saying He was. There were various answers, but Peter’s answer, as recorded in the book of Matthew, identifying Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God prompted Jesus to mention something very significant. Jesus said He was going to build His church. Jesus used a word for “church” that doesn’t have anything to do with a building. His word for church means people who are called “out of one thing” into “something else.” So Jesus was talking about His church being made up of “people” and not of wood, stone or other building materials. I also read in the Scriptures that Jesus “purchased the church with His blood.” That in itself tells me the value of His church. It meant so much to Jesus that he died to make it possible. He knew what the price was and still paid it. That also tells me how wonderful Jesus is. In the book of Peter, Peter talks clearly about people who were “redeemed,” meaning bought with the blood of Christ. They are described as being God’s possession. Another messenger, a man named Paul,, wrote to some people he knew to have been redeemed by the blood of Christ also. His prayer for these people was that they would understand the privileges they had by belonging to Christ.. Paul also spoke about the “body” which is the church, of which Christ is it’s head. Paul talks about the God of all glory making people glorious, by causing them to be without spot or blemish, by using His grace, Christ’s blood, and man’s obedient faith to bring about this transformation. This does not happen because man is good, but because God is good. John, another writer like Peter and Paul, wrote to some people who were very near to him, and explained in detail the love of God for man, and the love that man should have for Him and mankind. John was talking to people who had already been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, people who were in fellowship with Him.
OLD NEWS, BUT GOOD NEWS
John told them a lot of significant and exciting things about being in fellowship with God and Christ. Two particular things caught my eye as I read what John wrote. The first being, the fact that blood redeemed people have fellowship with Jesus, and if they quit making sin their way of life and try to serve Him daily, that same blood will cleanse them daily so they can continue in fellowship. If the redeemed person decides to quit walking with Jesus, they themselves break that fellowship, until they repent and turn again to God’s ways. Secondly, is the fact that you can know positively if you have eternal life or not. God has given His word on it. Quite literally, we can read, study and understand exactly what He wants us to do and be to bring Him glory and save us from eternal separation from Him. Forgiveness of sins, and eternal life with God are His desires for all who sin. Just as surely as we can read His word and know what sin is, we can also know what to do to get rid of it. God wants us to worship Him, and serve only Him. Therefore, He is the only one who knows how to clean us with the blood of Christ, and clothe us with Christ so we can properly stand before Him the way He desires. All of this is possible with God’s grace, and mankind’s obedient faith. The good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for the redemption of mankind from our sins, is not new news, but is still GOOD NEWS. Thank you so much for reading this article. Sometimes it’s difficult in today’s world to find people like you who care about God, and are interested in redemption matters.
|