 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV).
Grace is defined as an act of goodness that is undeserved. God was good and kind when Jesus died on the cross for your sins. The grace of God was powerfully at work when you became a new person in Christ Jesus. When the Holy Spirit breathed life into your spirit, you became alive. Just like a baby cries and a human breathes, you started showing signs of life. You began praying. Your desires changed from self-centered to God-centered. Your alive spirit cried out for holiness and breathed out worship and praise. Whereas your old spirit wanted sin and was discontent. Your alive spirit hates sin and loves the fruits of life. God by nature is full of grace. From start to finish, everything that a believer experiences from God is grace. By grace, you are justified, forgiven of your sins and your record of wrongs erased. By grace, you are given Jesus’ record of righteousness. Through His grace, you “are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” As a believer, even your good works are produced in you by God’s grace. When your body dies and your spirit and soul go to Heaven, this will be because of God’s grace. Man’s religion says that you must work and be a good person to be accepted by God. God’s religion says the opposite. God accepts you already, regardless of your good or bad works. The reason why you do good works is because that is your new identity. For the believer, being godly is a product of being a saint. Being holy is a product of being God’s child. The reason why a believer obeys God’s rules is because that’s his nature. A member of God’s family will behave like he is part of God’s family. If you have God’s spiritual DNA, you will develop the family resemblance. “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” 2 Peter 1:3-4 (NLT). Through the divine power of God, you have everything you need for a godly life. You have God’s life inside of your spirit. You have the mind of Christ. You have the Holy Spirit to teach, guide and empower you. You have the Word of God to give you instructions on how to live a godly life. These are all free, undeserved gifts. If you read the Bible, you’ll find many promises of gifts that you can open and identify with today. The more you know about your identity in Christ, the more power you have to be escape the world’s corruption and share in God’s divine nature. Think about how you view yourself. What adjectives do you use to describe yourself? Do those match with your identity as a faithful, accepted, loved, holy, Spirit-filled, chosen child of God? What is a behavior that you enjoy doing that is godly? Is there something that doesn’t match your godly identity? Prayer: “Heavenly Father, Thank you for your grace that has given me salvation and made me a saint. Please show me the promises that help me share in your divine nature of life and holiness. I want to know who I am in Christ. I want to be that person every day! Please help me with the sin in my life and give me the perspective to hate it. I want to be holy. I want to be authentic to my new nature as your child. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
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 “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3.
To understand this verse, you must know some important things about God. God has always lived in a perfect relationship of unity, love, purpose, and Being. Can you imagine being in a long-term relationship with someone who shares your love, purpose and sense of being? Maybe, you’d call someone like this your “soul mate.” For us, life stretches forward into eternity. For God, His life of unity, love, purpose and Being stretches both forward and backwards into eternity. The Bible reveals God as one being who is three distinct Persons, living in perfect unity, love and purpose. God is the essence of eternal life, and He embodies everything that makes life amazing. For you, you begin to experience eternal life when you begin to experience a relationship with God. As the blessings of God’s life bubble up into your experience, you start to understand what it means to be alive. To be alive means to be in a relationship with God that is full of unity, purpose, and love. This is the life that God wants to give you. It was for this reason that God created Adam and Eve in His image. Before they died spiritually, Adam and Eve shared in God’s life through a relationship with Him. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve spent time with God and enjoyed serving Him as stewards. When they broke off their relationship with God by distrusting Him, the life left them and a spiritual deadness moved into their spirits. Each of us is born into this experience of spiritual deadness and a personal resistance to being in a relationship with God. Since we are dead, we can’t be part of His life of unity, love, and purpose. Instead, we resist Him and choose our own paths. “All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:3-5 (NIV). Jesus’s rising from the dead proclaimed that He had successfully absorbed death and was ready to bless you with eternal life. By grace, the Holy Spirit brought you the gospel message and made your spirit alive. You were dead. Now, you are alive. This means that you’re spiritually connected to the source of life, Jesus Christ. It also means that you’re in a relationship with Him. Let’s end today’s devotion with some thoughts about the type of Person you’re in a relationship with. What makes Jesus a good Friend? Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for inviting me to be in a relationship with you. Thank you for your kindness and mercy in forgiving me of all of my sins. I appreciate your setting me free from the lifestyle of the world. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die on the cross for me. I give you all of my sin and death. I receive your righteousness and life! Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for being a good friend. Thank you, Jesus, for being… (list out some reasons why Jesus is a good friend). In Jesus’ name, amen.”  "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:4-5. Being alive affects your thinking and behaviors. When you were spiritually dead, you lived in a context of loss, rebellion, and dysfunction. Now that you’re alive, you live with the opportunity to experience a life full of light. That light is the opposite of darkness and fear. Jesus reminds us that His life produces light. “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12. Do you sometimes experience darkness in your soul? What is the root of that darkness? Where does it come from? Are they negative thoughts? Or, is it a heavy emotion? One of the characteristics of light is that it replaces darkness. Whether it is the shadows of your past or a confusion in your thoughts, Jesus Christ’s light can replace that darkness. Life from Jesus is light and leads from darkness into light. How do you participate in that life from Jesus? There are some clues for you in 1 Thessalonians 5:5, 8-10: “You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness… 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” First, recognize that you are a son or daughter of God, who is represented by the words “light” and “day” in this passage. Inside of your spiritual DNA, you are encoded to be a person of light. Your core being is light. You are in a relationship with the Being who is infinitely bright. Wake up to the light that is pouring from His Spirit through your spirit! Joy comes in the morning because the light pushes out the dark thoughts. Believe the Bible when it says that you’re a saint who is loved and involved in a relationship with the most loving Person in the Universe, Jesus Christ. Second, instead of living life alone. Wake up every morning and live together with Jesus. Over your morning coffee, talk to Him about your plans, your worries, your challenges, and your dreams. Read His words and listen to His Spirit’s voice. You are not alone, and your future is bright because you are living in relationship with the Light of Life. Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for making me a child of light. Please flood my soul with the goodness of your life and light. Please let me feel a sense of your acceptance and help me to experience your delight in me as your child. I give you the darkness that tugs at my spirit. I hope in your salvation and know that your promises are true. Let me experience a sense of your presence throughout my entire day. In Jesus’ name, amen.”  “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 (ESV).
In this verse, Jesus is contrasting Satan’s agenda with His gift of life. The effects of sin, Satan and the world on your soul can be seen in these three words: “steal, kill, destroy.” What has been stolen from you? Your innocence? Your joy? Your peace? Your mental health? Your friendships? Your value? Each of these belongs to you because you are a child of God. Answer this question: What has been stolen from me? The life of Jesus is the opposite because He is always giving, always loving, always healing, always fulfilling. As humans, we desire to be loved and to experience life. One of the secrets to experiencing life is to learn that life is a Person: In John 14:6, Jesus identifies Himself as life. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” Have you ever met someone who radiated life from every cell in his body? When you’re around that person, you feel more alive! This is who Jesus Christ is. He is life personified. When Jesus is in the room, the works of darkness can be replaced. When Jesus is with you in your workplace, the works of integrity and kindness will shine forth. How did Jesus live His life on Earth? How is He living through you here on Earth? Learn more about Jesus and you will experience more of His life. You will grow in your participation, as His life radiates out of you! You will understand what the abundant life is when you realize that it is found inside of a relationship with Jesus. Jesus is the gift from God that you receive. Jesus is the friendship you’ve always needed. What is it about Jesus Christ that makes His friendship special? Take a few minutes to meditate on what characterizes the person of Jesus Christ. How have you experienced these from Jesus? The abundant life is Jesus and your experiences of life together with Him. You are not alone. You are in a close relationship with the most caring, faithful, kind, honest, humble, trustworthy, trusting, loving, compassionate, strong and healthy Friend. Let’s return to the contrast between the thief and Christ. Jesus Christ is the opposite of Satan. Jesus Christ’s friendship can replace all toxicity in your past. Are you experiencing His healing touch in the places where Satan has stolen from you? Give those broken places to Jesus and hear Him say, “I was there with you when that happened. You didn’t deserve that. I’ve come to heal your broken places. I will be with you, as you learn how to experience the life together with Me.” Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, I release all of my pain and trauma to Jesus, and I receive His peace and healing. Please help me experience the effects of Christ’s life in my emotions, body, and mind. Please heal the broken places. I choose to forgive the ones who hurt me. I trust you to handle those situations with justice. I give You my life and ask You to fill it with the person and purposes of Jesus Christ. I’m excited to discover your will, as I walk in the light of Jesus’s life. In Jesus’s name amen.”  “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-6.
The word “abide” means to continue with Jesus and persist in being together with Him. Abiding with Jesus means sitting together with Him. Waiting for or with Him. To abide with Jesus means to live in the same home together. In each season of life, you will find that an aspect of abiding becomes important to you. Are you in a season of growing in the presence of Jesus? Or, is this a waiting season? Regardless of what type of season you’re in, abiding in Jesus is always a time of spiritual growth. In your lifetime together with Jesus on this Earth, you will find the balance between quiet time with Jesus and being active together with Jesus. You will sit with Jesus in quiet prayer and meditation about the Word, as well as problem solve, persist, and do difficult tasks through His power and encouragement. Abiding is a partnership and a relationship. Being a branch on a vine is a relationship that requires participation. The vine gives life, nourishment, and strength. The branch harvests energy from the sun and produces fruit for the vine. As a believer, your source of life is Jesus Christ. What is life? Is it breathing and eating? Or, is life more than that? When do you really feel like you’re living life as it should be lived? Most of us feel most alive when we are in a healthy relationship and living a purposeful life. Abiding with Jesus characterizes this type of life. From Jesus, you receive life and nourishment to live life with purpose. As you engage with Him, the small flowers of purpose begin to bloom. Those flowers are pollinated by the Holy Spirit’s supernatural power and you become fruitful. Abiding is a partnership of purpose and participation. From the seeds of His will that He plants into your heart, you will see Him garden a full harvest of delicious fruit. Together, you discover love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, self-control, forgiveness, justice, peace, stewardship, integrity, humility, miracles, wisdom, and fellowship. Which do you want to produce today? Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I want to abide in your home and sit in your presence. Please teach me how much you love me and give me a sense of your acceptance for me. Please clean out of my soul the worldliness that poisons our time together. Please destroy all demons from my life that sabotage our fellowship. Please make me aware of my rebellion that blinds me to your purposes and goodness. I want to live wait in your garden to hear your voice. I desire to connect to your vine and produce the fruit you have planned for my life. Please tell me what you have planned for my day and guide me in my priorities and activities. In Jesus’ name, amen.  There are several different types of evangelism modeled in the New Testament. I’ll highlight several of them below. Evangelism is an ability that every believer should have because all believers are commissioned to go into the world and make disciples. Some believers are especially successful with evangelism, which is a special gifting from the Holy Spirit. Since evangelism is part of the great commission, I believe that all believers can bring the salvation message to their communities.
Power Evangelism: The New Testament is full of power evangelism, where the miracles of the Kingdom authenticate the message of the King. “Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.” Acts 14:3. “After Jesus healed a paralyzed man, He told the man ‘See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.’” John 5:14b. When God miraculously heals someone that I am praying for, I often use that as an opportunity to give them the message of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. When God miraculously heals someone, He is telling them that He cares about them. Sometimes, I show the person who was miraculously healed this truth from 1 Peter 2:24 “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” Jesus purchased many gifts through His passion. I show the healed person that he just received healing that was purchased by Jesus Christ. I explain that he should seek to experience the rest of the verse: forgiveness, death to a sinful lifestyle, and a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Outreach Evangelism: Most of us have participated in some type of outreach evangelism. You may have come to Jesus through outreach evangelism, like Vacation Bible School, youth camps or street evangelism. Outreach evangelism can be done by teams of believers who have varying spiritual gifts. Outreach evangelism can be service projects that fill a need in the community. Through filling that community need, the team is given opportunity to talk about Jesus as Lord and Savior. Some evangelists travel to minister in foreign locations, while others minister in their home communities. Paul modeled outreach evangelism in Athens when he responded to an invitation by the local philosophers to inform them about his God. Paul used a cultural connection from their idol worship as a bridge to talk with them about Jesus Christ. The purpose of outreach evangelism is to find unbelievers and give them an opportunity to meet and taste of God’s goodness and grace. Evangelists need to listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading and vary the message to reach the listener’s area of spiritual need. Outreach evangelism isn’t a one size fits all method. Different people need to learn different aspects of the gospel message before they are open to the entire message. Some unbelievers need to learn about God’s moral laws first and others need to start with God’s goodness. Personal-Testimony Evangelism: Everyone who has met Jesus Christ has a story to share about how he has found salvation and new life through faith in Jesus Christ. One thing to remember when sharing the story of your spiritual journey is to focus on Jesus Christ, rather than focusing on your horrific sinful past. Learn how to tell others about how Jesus reached into your life and gave you spiritual life and forgiveness. You can tell people about your past but don’t let your sin eclipse your Savior. The Samaritan woman invited others to listen to Jesus by her testimony. Jesus Christ’s glorious truth outshone her testimony and captivated the hearts of many in her village. “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’ 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.’’ John 4:39-42. Relationship Evangelism: Relationship evangelism is intentionally being an authentic Christian in your relationships so that the gospel can be shared. Most of us practice relationship evangelism because the Holy Spirit works through life-on-life relationships to bring the love and knowledge of Jesus to life in front of our friends and neighbors. As you reflect the character of Jesus Christ in your community, those around you can see that the gospel of Jesus Christ is real. Relationship evangelism is harder than most other types of evangelism because it takes stamina and patient godliness to live out the message of the gospel. Relationship evangelism isn’t an event, it is a lifestyle. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will have evidences of God’s power in your daily life. As you respond to trials with patience and kindness, your friends and coworkers will see God’s work in you. The power of the gospel sanctifies your soul, which produces fruits of righteousness. These fruits tell a story of God’s power and grace. As you make decisions that are Biblical, people will notice the effects of Christ in your life. Faith that is alive is like a light in the darkness. Your relationship evangelism will tell of the love, grace, holiness and power of Jesus Christ. Relationship evangelism is wordless but has a powerful message because of your attitudes and actions. At some point, you will be asked questions about your personal life. Be ready to use words to point people to Jesus. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3:15. Garden holiness in your soul and be ready to tell how you went from being a sinner to being a saint. Jesus modeled all types of evangelism, including relationship evangelism. If you look at His public ministry years, you will see people coming to Jesus because of relationships. Jesus is the ultimate example of relationship evangelism. Which type of evangelism do you find fits your personality the best? As you disciple others, how do you help them find the type that fits their outreach the best? To read more about spiritual gifts and how to use them, read my book, Victorious Living, Part 2. It's free on our eReader app or pick it up on Amazon.com on Kindle or Audible or paperback.  "My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10b (NLT).
Belief in Jesus Christ and becoming His disciple is the road to receiving what Jesus has purposed to give you: a rich and satisfying life. The biggest obstacle to living the abundant life that Jesus promises is ignorance of how to follow His principles for the Kingdom lifestyle. Most people default to their cultural beliefs about truth, unless they have understandable resources and teachers to help them learn to think and act Biblically. This often results in a Christianity that is a mixture of Biblical truths and pagan cultural ideas. "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2 (NIV). The world has patterns of thinking and behaviors which must be replaced by a transformed mind and lifestyle. We don't want to mix those patterns of thinking with the transforming Biblical truths.. "Do not worship the Lord your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods... Completely erase the names of their gods!" Deuteronomy 12:4,3b (NLT). This verse describes syncretism, which is the use of worldly or pagan ideas to worship and serve God. Syncretism is probably the most significant block to believers experiencing God's blessings. "A disciple is not better than his teacher. But everyone who is fully-trained will be like his teacher." Luke 6:40 (ISV). The challenge for every believer is to become like our teacher Jesus and to simultaneously disciple others to become like Jesus. This challenge requires tearing down syncretistic strongholds in our thinking, while building a Biblical culture in our minds and lives. As disciples, we must search the Scriptures to improve the accuracy of our Biblical understandings. As disciple-makers, we get to teach these truths to others who will be able to pass them on to their children, spouses, and friends. "You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others." 2 Timothy 2:2 (NLT). Let's examine our assumptions and actions to see if they are Biblical, reducing our syncretism and living out the pure word of God as examples for others to see. "The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." Psalm 12:6 (NKJV).  Hope is a way of viewing the present and the future with God's perspective in mind. Hope creates an optimistic perspective, which in turn builds a healthier mind and body. When hope is replaced by pessimism and fatalism, stress and anxiety begin to erode mental and physical health. Modern science says that a negative mindset can shorten your life and cause major physical problems. "People with high levels of negativity are more likely to suffer from degenerative brain diseases, cardiovascular problems, digestive issues, and recover from sickness much slower than those with a positive mindset." (https://marquemedical.com/effects-of-negativity/)
Discipleship is a combination of building a Biblical worldview and coaching a Spirit-filled lifestyle. With the Biblical foundation, the disciple is equipped to live in the abundance of Christ's life. But, what if some of the key doctrines are mission? What if grace is missing? Then, legalism creates a cold Christian. When a key doctrine is missing, the void is often filled by a false doctrine. When the doctrine of hope is absent, fatalism and negativity permeate the soul. Biblically, God is always ready to listen and come to your assistance. He also has a good plan for you, which is available to take you into the good times and through the difficult times. God has promised to provide and protect you, if you seek His kingdom and live in the shadow of His wings. Jesus has promised an abundant life, as you abide in Him. A believer's doctrine of hope is based on the fact that God defines Himself as hope. "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 The Holy Spirit can fill you with hope, as you live life through the lens of Scripture. In trials, the Holy Spirit pours God's love into your heart, as you experience His presence, provisions, and trustingly obey Him. (Romans 5:5). No matter how desperate your circumstances, the promise of Matthew 6:33 rings true: Walk in God's wisdom and He will provide for your needs today, tomorrow and forever. The goodness of God and His myriad of promises create the matrix for hope, as you rely on His Word and experience His goodness. Hope springs up like a morning sun that dispels the darkness. Most of God's attributes nurture hope in your heart, including His omnipotence and sovereignty. Jesus Christ trusted in God's sovereign goodness when He went to the cross. He knew that He would be victorious through the traumas, execution, and horrors of death because He knew God's promise to bring Him back into His presence with joy. "But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip… My body rests in hope. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence." Acts 2:24, 26b-28 . As you walk beside other believers, guiding their footsteps and informing their doctrines, teach them to live in a perspective of hope. Demons, the world, and their flesh will attack them with condemnation, negativity and fatalism. This is why you must teach them how to protect their minds with the helmet of hope. "But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” 1 Thessalonians 5:8. Culture is in every community and is revered as sacred by most people. When you live immersed in your own culture, you might see the world as a decent place for decent people. You may not really see a problem with your behavior, traditions or hobbies. As a believer, you are challenged to evaluate your thinking, cultural values and behaviors. This is a difficult process because it can undermine ideas that you've accepted your whole life. How do you know what parts of your culture to keep and which to jettison? There is only one place where you can find those types of foundational truth: The Bible.  One significant difficulty in mission work is making disciples and teaching them to obey Jesus. This is difficult because the people who you are trying to reach and teach already have an established culture of commandments that they follow. Also, most humans are born stubborn, which makes the process of change a bit more trickly. Another consideration is that usually people don't feel any urgency to discard cultural beliefs and replace them with Biblical beliefs. It can be a slow process of living through many situations together with the disciples before they realize how God's truth applies to their situation. Often believers default to cultural practices when they should be adjusting to God's way of thinking and acting.  "I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments." Psalm 119:45. The commandments of God replace the bondage of worldly culture with freedom. Implementing God's Biblical culture brings financial freedom, freedom from drama, freedom from oppression, and freedom to enjoy a godly lifestyle. How does God know what the right culture is for believers? How does He know what is the best thought and action for each situation? "You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands." Psalm 119:73. Jesus said, "the Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free." Luke 4:18. Events, outreach, programs, camps, and special nights all have their place in reaching the lost and bringing believers closer to Christ. Yet, none of these seem to have the power to change the believer's mindset and personal culture. Jesus has chosen to use discipleship to bring Biblical culture into the hearts, heads, and lives of His people. Discipleship requires many hours of prayer for the Holy Spirit's power to change mindsets and cultural ideas through the study of the Word of God. The difficult trail of missions lies through the fields that are ripe for the harvest, yet that journey is one of incredible difficulty, discouragement, and joy. Our objective is to bring freedom of thinking and freedom in behavior through training in the Word of God and its application to each individual's life. We are not alone in this mission. We have the Body of Christ surrounding us with prayer and encouragement. We have the Spirit of Christ and His authority continually with us. Even the the task is daunting, we minister in hopeful expectation of what He will do in His people who "hear His voice" and have hearts to apply His words. "Jesus came and told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'” Matthew 28:18-20.   Think about this question. Why do you think the gospel is good news? Many of us have a limited definition of the gospel, which centers on forgiveness. Actually, the gospel is good news for that important reason and some other amazing reasons. The gospel is good news because:
The gospel brings a believer into the path of God's healing, which can be spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional. As the believer learns and engages with God's will, timing and Christ-purchased wholeness, he begins to experience freedom and healing. The gospel is simple and it also is complex... Ultimately, the gospel translates us from the kingdom of darkness into the glorious kingdom of light. Here on Earth, we experience growing degrees of that light as we learn and trust in more and more of God's truth. After we die, we will experience in full God's presence, healing, and sinless perfection. One of the marvelous missions of the believer is to share the gospel and its multitude of blessings with others. The gospel is simple, yet it is also deep. So deep that it takes a lifetime for a believer to study and apply the many, many truths of the blessings purchased for him by Jesus Christ. The process of learning and applying these truths is called discipleship, which is why Jesus gives us the privilege of going out to make disciples and teach them to apply all of His commandments in their saintly lifestyles.  Read this prophecy about Jesus Christ and look for the different aspects of the gospel: Justification, Wholeness and Healing. He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows hat weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. Isaiah 53:3-6 Read this prophecy about Jesus Christ. Do you see the good news of the gospel for emotional healing, restoration, righteousness, joy, purpose, God's favor, deliverance and freedom? “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” 4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations. Isaiah 61:1-4 The gospel is good news because some of the blessings are given instantly at conversion and many are learned about, received and applied through sanctification. This is good news worth the intense spiritual warfare, time and relationships necessary for discipleship.  |
