Doctrine about Gospel.

Gospel

Euaggelion (2098) to announce good news, declare, bring, preach, glad tidings

Verses - Mark 1:1; Luke 4:18; Romans 1:1,9,15,16; 1^st Corinthians 15:1;
2^nd Corinthians 4:3,4; Ephesians 1:13; Revelation 14:6

First Use: - Genesis 3:24 and He (God) placed at the east of the garden Cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. This is the gospel, that despite the disobedience of man, God has kept "the way of the tree of life". Jesus is the tree of life.

Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom {that Jesus is the tree of life} and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Gospel means "good news," the good news of the resurrection of Jesus and through the death and resurrection of Jesus, reconciliation of man to God with eternal life. This is indeed good news. Sometimes the word gospel is mistakenly used to mean truth as in "what I'm telling you is the gospel truth". It happens to be the truth that Jesus has risen from the dead and reconciled us to God, but gospel means good news. This is just how the news of Jesus should be presented, as good news. It is not bad news that God loves us and that our sins are forgiven. It is good news-the best of news.

Fruit of the Spirit

Fruit

Karpos (2590) fruit, flower, fragrance, substance, byproduct

Verses - Genesis 1:22; John 15:2,4,5,8,16; Galatians 5:22; James 3:18; Jude ver. 12; Revelation 22:2

First Use: Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the Fruit tree yielding Fruit after his kind, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Fruit is the substance from the plant. Fruit occurs naturally based on the type of tree or plant. An orange tree will have the orange fruit and a lemon tree will naturally have the lemon fruit. A tree does not become an orange tree by producing oranges, a tree produces oranges because that is what it is First. A good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree will bear bad fruit. The easiest way to identify what kind a tree is, is not to look at the leaves but to look at the fruit. The fruit makes it evident what type the tree is.

We as Christians produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit because that is part of what we are.

John 15:5 I (Jesus) am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much Fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.

Galatians 5:22,23 But the Fruit of the (Holy) Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

What is the meaning of Freewill?

Freewill

Eleutheros (1658) free, unrestrained, without obligation, citizen as opposed to a slave Thelema (2307) will, determination, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure

Verses - Deuteronomy 12:11; Psalms 119:108; Proverbs 1:29; Matthew 10:8;
Acts 2:29; 2^nd Corinthians 11:7; Philippians 1:22; Revelation 21:6, 22:17

First Use: Leviticus 22:18 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons and unto all the children of Israel and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his obligation [required giving] for all his vows and for all his freewill [volunteer giving] offerings, which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering:

Ezra 7:13 I (king Artaxerxes) make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Freewill is enacted through choice. If there is no choice then the freewill is meaningless and cannot be exercised. From the beginning of creation God has desired to have only a mutual freewill relationship with mankind.

Proverbs 1:29 For that they hated knowledge and did not choose [exercise freewill, correctly] the fear of the LORD:

What Holy Bible Teaches about 'Evil"?

Evil

Poneros (4190) hurtful, evil in character and influence, diseased, malicious, wicked

Verses - Genesis 3:5; Psalms 5:4; Proverbs 1:16; Matthew 5:11 7:11; Romans 1:30; 2^nd Thessalonians 3:3; Revelation 2:2

First Use: Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Evil is not a part of the original creation of God. Evil did not exist in the original environment where Adam and the Woman lived. Adam and the Woman introduced evil into the world. It is interesting that God had planted the "tree of life" in the middle of the garden of Eden. God wanted Adam and the Woman to live securely in the middle of the garden, experiencing life through God. The Bible doesn't specifically mention where the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil existed. It could be that the tree of evil was located out on the edge of the garden and that the tree had to be sought out and discovered by Adam and the Woman. Anyhow find it they did and they did eat from the tree of evil and now we as their descendants are still eating from the tree of evil. God gave man a choice to follow God or to disobey. Anything that is not of God is evil. We have the choice just like Adam and the Woman (Eve) to follow God or to discover evil.

Biblical examples: Satan, the Antichrist and the beasts of Revelation

Revelation 6:8 And I (Disciple John) looked and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him is Death and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the forth part of the earth to kill with the sword and with hunger and with death and with the Beasts of the earth.

These beasts are cruel people, people that have denied the Deity of Jesus and they are out to inflict hurt and pain on anyone they come across or anyone who gets in their way. They are in legion with Satan whether knowingly or unknowingly. Satan was aware of the pain, suffering, separation from God and death, that would inflict people when he deceived the Woman and introduced sin into God's paradise garden of Eden. This plan of pain and suffering in agony is Satan's plan and cruel people are helping Satan carry it out.

Meanness is bad enough but it is different from cruelty. Mean people are usually that way because they are acting out of selfish self-interest and are unconcerned about other people's predicaments or situations. The selfishness that accompanies meanness often stems from insecurities that come from fears and worries, fears about the past, present and specifically the future; fears about finances, security, relationships, health and especially fears of death.

Revelation 21:6-8 And He (God) said to me (Disciple John), It is done. I Am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Sometimes people are afraid to come to Jesus because of what they have done in their life or they are afraid that they are not worthy of God. Nobody is worthy of God that is the point; that's why Jesus died for us. We are not worthy in ourselves.

Meanness is usually selfishness and insecurity and people are often unaware that they offend other people. Cruelty is different. Cruelty is fueled by hatred and hatred is a powerful emotion almost as powerful as love. Cruelness enjoys inflicting pain and suffering.

Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

How true. Some people even in their mercies are cruel.

Proverbs 4:14 Enter not in the path (make acquaintance) of the wicked and go not in the way (be a companion) of evil men.

Romans 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Evangelism

Evangelism

Euaggelistes (2099) Eu - well, good, well done; Aggelos - Angel, messenger; preacher, proclaimer of the gospel, good and well done messenger

Verses - Galatians 1:8; Luke 3:18; Romans 15:9; Ephesians 4:11; Colossians 1:23;
2^nd Timothy 4:2; Hebrews 4:2; Revelation 5:2

First Use: Acts 21:8 And the next day we that were of Paul's company {including Luke who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts} departed and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven {the First seven helpers chosen Acts 6:1-6}; and abode with him.

Ephesians 4:11 And He (Jesus) gave some, apostles; evangelists; and some pastors and teachers;

2^nd Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof (accomplish, fulfill) of thy ministry (service).

Evangelism is to preach or proclaim the good news. The good news that God has not abandoned us to our sin but God in Jesus has rescued us from death. This is good news, this is the best news, an everlasting relationship with the loving, providing God.

Evangelism is the message of salvation in Christ Jesus. To be saved it is necessary to know that you are in danger of death and separation from God for eternity. The evangelistic message is therefore a two-part message. The message of sin and death and the message of life and resurrection in Jesus. It is necessary to proclaim both parts of the message. A message that is all sin, death and despair is not the gospel (good news) and a message that is all good news does not adequately portray the predicament of mankind nor does it adequately portray the cross and the sacrifice of Jesus.

About End times- Eschatology

End Times

Eschatos (2078) "Eschatology" last, end, in chronological order, the last as opposed to the beginning Hora (5610) "Hour" time, times, day, season, duration

Verses - John 6:39; Acts 2:17; 2^nd Timothy 3:1; 1^st Peter 1:5,20; 2^nd Peter 3:3;
1^st John 2:18; Jude ver. 18

First Use: Genesis 49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

End times or last days are signified as the last times that man will be out of the perceived presence of God. End times does not mean the end of the world or the end of time it means the end of man's separation from God. Since the beginning of creation God has been revealing Himself to mankind. Since the fall of mankind God has continued to reveal Himself, but to a separated mankind. When God and mankind are fully reunited, God will continue to reveal Himself to man, although man will no longer be guessing about God since man will be in the perceivable presence of God.

The end times are a call to mankind that the end of separation from God is almost over. The call to man is to prepare to meet God, prepare to meet our maker.

1^st John 2:18,28 Little children, it is the last time:.. And now, little children, abide in Him; that when He shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

What Holy Bible says about Angels?

Angels / Spirit beings:

Aggelos (32) messenger, to bring tidings, the intermediary between the sender and the receiver of a message

Verses - Exodus 3:2; Psalms 148:5; Colossians 2:18; Hebrews 1:6 12:22 13:2;
1^st Peter 1:12; 2^nd Peter 2:4; Jude ver. 6; Revelation 1:1 22:16

First Use: Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God [angels] saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Angel means messenger, angels are God's messengers, His assistants. Angels do not deliver their own message but they speak and assist when they are directed First from God. Angels are spirit beings, who are created by God for companionship with God. The spirit realm is the permanent realm and angels as spirit beings have an everlasting existence. Angels are "sons of God" this means three things; First they are each a unique creation of God. Angels do not marry and have babies like humans do. God individually creates each angel. Second, being sons [family members] they are in the visible presence of God. Third, being sons they have received an inheritance with God.

Holy angels: Note: Only holy (God's) people have holy (God's) angels. The holy angels are God's messengers sent to help and assist believing humans.

Hebrews 1:14 Are they (holy angels) not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them (people) who shall be heirs (inheritors) of salvation.

The fact that there are angels is another way to prove that God exists. Angels are the messengers, having a messenger requires a sender and a receiver of the message. God is the sender of the messenger and we are the receiver of God's message.

A lot of people in today's society will acknowledge the presence of angels and they are correct, angels do exist as the Bible tells us that they do; to acknowledge angels requires us to acknowledge the sender of the angel, God. True there are also plenty of unholy angels around, so it is very important to test every single message and make certain that it comes from holy angels and matches the Holy Bible. Some people may indeed have an angel communicating with them but it is in no means a holy angel of God if the message communicated does not match the Bible.

Revelation 19:10 And I (disciple John) fell at his feet (holy angel) to worship him. And he said to me, See you do it not: I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Fallen angels: unholy angels

Hebrews 2:16,17 For verily He (Jesus) took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham {became a human, not an angel}.. to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Fallen angels are not eligible for redemption like fallen humans are. The reason is that because of the status of angels from which they chose to rebel. It was in the presence of God, in their inherited body and from their inheritance that some angels chose to rebel from and became fallen angels. There is not another inheritance or body for the fallen angels; nor can they remain forever in the visible presence of God because of their sin.

Matthew 25:41 Then shall He (God) say to them (unbelievers) on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels:

Jude ver. 6 And the angels which kept not their First estate, but left their own habitation (God given spiritual body), He hath reserved in everlasting chains {the more wicked fallen angels are chained} under darkness (out of the visible presence of God) unto the judgment of the great day.

Colossians 1:20 And having made peace through the blood of His (Jesus) cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, by Him, I say, whether they be things {humans} in earth or things {holy angels} in heaven.

Angels in the past have rebelled against God. This verse indicates that since the cross of Jesus there will be no more new additional angels rebelling against God. But the angels that have rebelled against God will continue to rebel against God.

What is the meaning or doctrine of Adoption

Adoption

Huiothesia (5206) Huios - sons; Tithemi - to place, appoint, commit; to place as sons

Verses - Romans 8:15,23 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5

First Use: Genesis 48:5-6 And now thy (Joseph's) two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I (Jacob) came unto thee into Egypt, are mine (adoption); as Reuben and Simeon (existing sons), they shall be mine. And the children, which thou begettest after them, shall be yours and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

Adoption Biblically is slightly different than what we think of as adoption. For instance a stranger is not adopted into the family of God, like the concept we have of adoption where a non-family member becomes a family member through adoption. The Biblical concept of adoption is confirmation of adulthood of an existing family member and with adulthood comes privileges and inheritance. In the Bible Jacob actually adopted his two grandchildren Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob did not need to adopt them to make them family but he did need to adopt them to give them an inheritance in the promise land. Indeed Ephraim and Manasseh did receive inheritances in the promise land just like their uncles did, because they were adopted as sons and received the same inheritance as their uncles the sons of Jacob.

We are born into the family of God, through faith in the resurrection of Jesus in the new covenant. Jesus spoke to Nicodemus and told him that he must be "Born Again" in order to see the kingdom of God, [in Jesus the kingdom of God is now available] the First step to becoming a member in the family of God is to be born into the family as a child of God and that is done by the person accepting the covenant of God that we are His creation separated by our sin and that He loves us and died for our sins on the cross and then He resurrected from death to reconcile us to Him in His resurrection life. When we accept the "New Covenant" we are now in a correct relationship with God, we acknowledge that God exists and that we desire to have a relationship with Him. We have asked for forgiveness of our sins, we are now cleansed from our sin, we are now clean and God in Spirit has come inside of us giving us a new life in Him, our new birth into His family as a child of God.

Once we are a "born again" child of God we are then predestined (appointed outcome) to the adoption. The actual adoption takes place later, when we physically die and our spirit and soul enter the visible presence of God where we are then adopted as sons of God and being sons of God we then receive an inheritance in heaven (visible presence of God).

Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the Firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to whit, the redemption of our body.

Deliverance

Deliverance

One cannot go back and reform the 'old man', and redo what was said and done. But as a

new creation, citizens of heaven, we look at life now from the spiritual realm to the

earthly. Our primary concern is in our relationship with God the Father, nothing else

should matter. As the Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Father. We have been

adopted as sons. As we are in Jesus, the sonship, we are to love as Jesus loves the

Father. Participating and sharing in the triune love, our loving action becomes the means

of our deliverance ( John 15:10 ; John 17:20-24,26 ).

The answer to healing the soul lies here: loving the Father by obeying His commands (

John 14:21 ). Accordingly, unresolved actions of the past are to be dealt with in the

present, and in the spirit of repentance and reconciliation.

Sanctification

Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit; only He knows the heart and the motives. As

a counselor, our basic function is to lead and encourage the disciple to rely on the bible

as the sole authority and rule for living, and to hear from and to know the Person of the

Holy Spirit ( John 16:13 ). To accomplish this, our aim is to work with the disciple to

establish a standard from which he can work out his salvation.

To this effect, the following guidelines are provided to assist the disciple to work and

abide within a biblical framework.

Defeating your Adversary, the Devil

Defeating your Adversary, the Devil
By Dr. Dale A. Robbins
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
Every Christian has an enemy. Although unseen by the natural eye, this adversary is not imaginary nor a mythological character. Satan, the Devil, is a real person... a spirit being, with intelligence, tangible characteristics, and whose incessant goal and ambition is to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10).
Around the clock the enemy is on the prowl, seeking to cause mayhem and destruction to all believers and the work of Jesus Christ throughout the world. With military-like strategy and ruthless hostility, the devil aggressively searches for weakness in our faith and spiritual life, hoping to devour us with deception, temptation, or oppression. He is the personification of all that is evil and is the author of every despicable work.
Regardless of whether you realize it, Satan has targeted you as a victim. He knows your name and address, your strengths and weaknesses. Somewhere in the shadows, he and his forces lurk, waiting, planning for the moment they will strike when you’re caught off-guard. He desperately hopes that you will, as many Christians, remain ignorant of his reality so that you’ll blame his assaults on somebody or something else.
His method of operation is almost always “undercover.” Subtly, he manipulates hindering circumstances and inspires evil thoughts or temptations, disguising his activities behind the shroud of people or things. He will always seek to divert attention and blame for his actions upon others. But make no mistake, he is the real enemy, not your husband, wife, employer, government or Christian brethren!“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
Satan has no Rightful Authority over Believers
The good news is that, although the Devil is described “like” a “roaring lion,” in reality he has no actual authority over believers. He is not really a lion, but roars “like” a lion would to bluff his victims into fear and intimidation. Satan is a liar and deceiver and uses deception as his weapon to gain advantage over those who are ignorant of the limitations of his power.
When Jesus gave his life on the cross as the sacrifice for the sins of the world, He also redeemed us from Satan’s power and dominion over us. “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Col. 2:15). “...For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Praise God! Satan is already a defeated enemy! His legal authority was neutralized by the finished work of Christ on the cross.
Every Believer has Authority over Satan
So if Satan is already defeated, why then is he still able to cause trouble? Because, even though Christ broke Satan’s legal power, the Lord has left it up to us to “enforce” the Devil’s defeated condition. It's our responsibility to use the authority that Christ has given us to put Satan in his place.
As a believer, you need not fear Satan, but realize and exercise the authority which God has given you over the Devil. Every person whose name has been recorded in the “Lamb’s Book of Life” (all those who are saved) have been given authority over the power of the Devil. “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19).
You have the right to use the authority of the name of Jesus to repel and drive Satan out of your territory and to break his grip over spiritual strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4). When you recognize Satan’s activity and covert operations, take authority over him in the name of Jesus! Just as Jesus and the early apostles did, command Satan to leave (Mark 16:17).
The Devil hates the name of Jesus and detests an atmosphere of praise and worship which exalts the name of Jesus. Christ said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). Be assured, the presence of Christ will expel the presence of Satan. Lifting up Jesus in praise will send the Devil running!
Slam the Door on the Devil
The name of Jesus will drive Satan away. But it would be futile to order Satan’s departure if we leave the door wide open for him to flourish. The Bible tells us to not “give place” for the Devil (Eph. 4:27). That is, provide no area of your life where Satan can be comfortable or establish strongholds.
The enemy can always be found working in those who entertain sin, disobedience, rebellion or a self-willed nature. Unforgiveness toward others is another area which Satan flourishes (2 Cor. 2:11). Furthermore, any area of your life which is not submitted to God is considered open territory to the Devil, and he has the right to bring his expanding influence to those areas.
This is why the scripture says, “...submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). The only way to actually resist Satan is to submit yourself fully to God. This was what Jesus was referring to when He said, “...the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me” (John 14:30). Jesus had submitted himself to God, and although the Devil would try Him, there was nothing for the Devil to use to gain an advantage.
Rejoice Christian! God is in you, and YOU have been given power over the Devil! By submitting to God, and exercising your authority in the name of Jesus, you are more powerful than the enemy. “...He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Live and Die for Christ

Live and Die for Christ.

To live for Christ and to die for Christ is a must for the believers. The committed and fully dedicated life will only see the fruits of their mission. Every Christian should take a note that without the practical life there is no fruits bearing mission. As the phrase says, ‘Action speaks louder than the speech’. This very important short little phrase should be always kept in mind. Everybody loves to see the work not the saying, the sacrificial life than the mere teaching. Every religions have got there own idol model where they focus their moral teachings, but majority of the followers did not follow. The only problem we have in dealing with the peace is - no one follows what they think is the best. The world will go in this manner. The followers of Christ must stand firm in their faith to face any threat that comes along their path. One should always keep in mind that the world which we live in is a sinful world. There will be temptations; trying to lure and trap us in every possible fields. But we should always remember that this worldly luxuries and benefits will not lead us to eternal life but rather lead us to death.

The believers may be poor in material but rich in spirit. They envy nobody and nobody envies them. The inner joy is so great that they don’t have time for material gain. As Jesus owns nothing in this world, so also this worldly material should not disrupt our mission for Christ. This does not mean that we should hate this worldly material, but rather we must use them for the extension of God’s Kingdom. Helping the poor with our wealth; giving them food to eat, clothes to wear, house to stay, donating for the cause of the poor are all part of Christian Mission. If we do that then we can store our treasures in heaven rather than on this earth. These all things should be done for the sake of Lord Jesus Christ only. If we happen to do for our selfish gain then it would mean nothing. In the end we might be compel to say we did this and that, but Jesus Christ will say – go away I do not know you. How shameful and disgraceful will it be? Thus everyone will be responsible for what he or she does?

Lord Jesus Christ laid the foundation for the fallen race, and now we are entitled to be call Children of God. The path of righteousness is the only way to be followed by the Children of God. This is always a difficult task with human strength, but with the help of God we can overcome it. We are running a race for future glory, and we are on the race track. When we run the race by our own strength we will get exhausted, but with Christ we will keep running till we reach the final destiny. The believers’ strength and stamina is Christ who promised to help His people in times of trouble, sorrow and exhaustion.

This world is a sinful world; temptation runs thick and fast. The desire for wealth and luxuries lives is the sole aim of the worldly people. This is not the case to the believers. Their faith in God leads them to the path of sacrificial life, forsaking the worldly pleasure.

How to share Gospel efficiently?

What's the Gospel? What’s the gospel? I’ll put it in a sentence.
The Gospel is the news that Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, died for our sins and rose again, eternally triumphant over all his enemies, so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe, but only everlasting joy.
That’s the gospel.
You Can't Outgrow the Gospel You never, never, never outgrow your need for it. Don’t ever think of the gospel as, “That’s the way you get saved, and then you get strong by leaving it and doing something else.”
No! We are strengthened by God through the gospel every day, till the day we drop.
You never outgrow the need to preach to yourself the gospel.
How the Gospel Strengthens Here’s an illustration, and I use it not because it’s any big deal to speak from my life, but because it’s what I walked through and where I most pointedly in the last year experienced the power of the gospel to make me strong. (Many of you are walking through things much heavier than prostate cancer—much heavier.)
Do you remember the verses that I shared with you back in February that were almighty for me? It was that moment right after the doctor says, “I think we need to do a biopsy,” when this stab of fear comes. It didn’t last long, mercifully.
And then came—what? 1Thessalonians 5:9-10. It’s just as pure gospel as you can get.
God has not destined you for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,who died for you so that whether you wake or sleep you will live with him.
Settled. Peace like a river.
The Gospel Is Perfect for Your Needs That’s just gospel—perfectly timed, perfectly applied, perfectly suited to my need. That’s why the Bible is so thick—because there are so many different needs that you have. And there are suitable places where the gospel is unfolded for you, so that if you immerse yourself in the whole book, always with an eye for what Christ has wrought for you and purchased for you in this thick, glorious history of God’s interaction with people, he will give you what you need.
Therefore, everything in me says, and I hope to say until the day I die, “Now, to him who is able to strengthen me, according to Paul’s gospel, to him—to that God—be glory forever and ever.”
God came into history in Jesus Christ; he died in order to destroy the power of hell and death and Satan and sin; and he did it through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
A Plea to Believe I know that there are people reading this who are not trusting Jesus Christ, and therefore can only expect condemnation. So I’m just going to plead with you here at the end, lay down that rebellion. Lay it down. And simply embrace the gospel that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Righteous One, died for your sins. He was raised on the third day, triumphant over all his enemies. He reigns until he puts all of his enemies under his feet. Forgiveness of sins and a right standing with God comes freely through him alone, by faith alone.
I plead with you, don’t try to be strong in your own strength; it will not be there when you need it. Only one strength will be there—the strength that God gives according to the gospel.
Don’t put it off.
[This text is an edited transcript of the audio. It is excerpted from the sermon, “God Strengthens Us by the Gospel.”]
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

What Jesus demand for the repentence

Thoughts on Jesus' Demand to Repent
As part of my sabbatical here in Cambridge, England, I am working on a book with the tentative title What Jesus Demands From the World. The demand to repent is as basic as it gets in Jesus’ message. It is equally basic to, and almost synonymous with, the command, “You must be born again” (John 3:7). One of my concerns is to show that repentance in Jesus’ message is not behavior but the inner change that gives rise to new God-centered, Christ-exalting behavior. Here are some thoughts to help make the meaning of repentance more plain. From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)
I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:32)
The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. (Matthew 12:41)
Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. (Luke 13:3, 5)
The first demand of Jesus’ public ministry was, “Repent.” He spoke this command indiscriminately to all who would listen. It was a call for radical inward change toward God and man.
Two things show us that repentance is an internal change of mind and heart rather than mere sorrow for sin or mere improvement of behavior. First, the meaning of the Greek word behind the English “repent” (metanoeo) points in this direction. It has two parts: meta and noeo. The second part (noeo) refers to the mind and its thoughts and perceptions and dispositions and purposes. The first part (meta) is a prefix that regularly means movement or change.1 So the basic meaning of repent is to experience a change of the mind’s perceptions and dispositions and purposes.
The other factor that points to this meaning of repent is the way Luke 3:8 describes the relationship between repentance and new behavior. It says, “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.” Then it gives examples of the fruits: “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise” (Luke 3:11). This means that repenting is what happens inside of us that leads to the fruits of new behavior. Repentance is not the new deeds, but the inward change that bears the fruit of new deeds. Jesus is demanding that we experience this inward change.
Why? His answer is that we are sinners. “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). What was Jesus’ view of sin? In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus describes the son’s sin like this: “He squandered his property in reckless living . . . [and] devoured [it] with prostitutes” (Luke 15:13, 30). But when the prodigal repents he says, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” Therefore, throwing your life away on reckless living and prostitutes is not just humanly hurtful; it is an offense against heaven—that is, against God. That’s the essential nature of sin. It’s an assault on God.
We see this again in the way Jesus taught his disciples to pray. He said that they should pray, “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us” (Luke 11:4). In other words, sins that God forgives are compared to the ones people commit against us, and those are called debts. Therefore, Jesus’ view of sin was that it dishonored God and put us in debt to restore the divine honor we had defamed by our God-belittling behavior or attitudes. That debt is paid by Jesus himself. “The Son of man came . . . to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). But for us to enjoy that gift he says we must repent.
Repenting means experiencing a change of mind that now sees God as true and beautiful and worthy of all our praise and all our obedience. This change of mind also embraces Jesus in the same way. We know this because Jesus said, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God.” Seeing God with a new mind includes seeing Jesus with a new mind.
No one is excluded from Jesus’ demand to repent. He made this clear when a group of people came to him with news of two calamities. Innocent people had been killed by Pilate’s massacre and by the fall of the tower of Siloam (Luke 13:1-4). Jesus took the occasion to warn even the bearers of the news: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5). In other words, don’t think calamities mean that some people are sinners in need of repentance and others aren’t. All need repentance. Just as all need to be born anew because “that which is born of the flesh is [merely] flesh” (John 3:6), so all must repent because all are sinners.
When Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32), he did not mean that some persons are good enough not to need repentance. He meant some think they are (Luke 18:9), and others have already repented and have been set right with God. For example, the rich young ruler desired “to justify himself” (Luke 10:29) while “the tax collector . . . beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ [and] went down to his house justified [by God!]” (Luke 18:13-14).
Therefore, none is excluded. All need repentance. And the need is urgent. Jesus said, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” What did he mean by perish? He meant that the final judgment of God would fall on those who don’t repent. “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:41). Jesus, the Son of God, is warning people of the judgment to come, and offering escape if we will repent. If we will not repent, Jesus has one word for us, “Woe, to you” (Matthew 11:21).
This is why his demand for repentance is part of his central message that the kingdom of God is at hand. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The gospel—the good news—is that the rule of God has arrived in Jesus to save sinners before it arrives at his second coming in judgment. So the demand to repent is based on the gracious offer that is present to forgive, and on the gracious warning that someday those who refuse the offer will perish in God’s judgment.
After he had risen from the dead Jesus made sure that his apostles would continue the call for repentance throughout the world. He said, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47). So the demand of Jesus to repent goes to all the nations. It comes to us, whoever we are and wherever we are, and lays claim on us. This is the demand of Jesus to every soul: Repent. Be changed deep within. Replace all God-dishonoring, Christ-belittling perceptions and dispositions and purposes with God-treasuring, Christ-exalting ones.
For Christ and his kingdom,
Pastor John
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

This a new begining

Hai friends this is a new blog I started to share some useful links and messages to edify people of God both grownup and young in the Lord. I just started this to make a good channel for many people to interlink each other in this. God may help us to glorify His name together.