Light and Truth of God's Gospel itself will always do the
revealing of where people are.
Therefore, we do not have to be accused of "judging" others -
the Word of Truth does the judging and disclosure.
So for our own hearts, we have to come under some kind of
scrutiny if we are going to progress in spiritual growth.
As I survey my life, my years, my spiritual journey and
where the church is today with all its divisions, ministries, teachings, this
and that, I go back to the same thing again and again.
It is my job - and my job alone to find out what is the
TRUTH of God's Glorious Gospel concerning His Son.
As I read the writings of Paul the Apostle, over and over
again, it has become increasingly clear to my heart, that until we do
understand the Gospel, we will fall into one of two camps. Yes, I believe there are only two camps.
Flesh that follows flesh - meaning taking up the law,
commandments of men (and sometimes new commandments of men), ideas of every
sort, OR spirit that follows Spirit which
is: understanding Christ, grace, and the
life of faith in Him, the cross, what it means to be crucified with Him, and so
forth.
The following of flesh may be dressed up differently in
denominations, ministries, and all kinds of things on the internet today, BUT I
am convinced that the Word of God's Gospel that was revealed to Paul and the
other Apostles after Christ's resurrection is the SAME Word we should be after
today. It's not ceasing, it's not going
away, it's not different, but we do see an enemy who seeks to pervert the TRUTH
of God's Glorious Gospel.
God's will is to reveal the Gospel to our hearts. Listen to what Paul says about God's Gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ:
"I marvel that
you are turning away so soon from HIM, who called you in the grace of Christ,
to a different gospel, which is not another, but there are SOME who TROUBLE you
and want to pervert the Gospel of Christ."
Galatians 1:6,7
"But I make
known to you, brethren that the gospel which was preached by me is not
according to man." Galatians 1:11
"...to whom we
did not yield submission for even an hour, that the truth of the gospel might
remain with you." Galatians 2:5
"In HIM you also
trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in
whom whom you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of
promise." Ephesians 1:13
"...because of
the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the
word of truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the
world, and is bringing forth fruit as it is also among you since the day you
heard and KNEW the grace of God in truth."
Colossians 1:6,7
"...if you
indeed continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away
from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, which was preached to every
creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, was made a minister." Colossians 1:23
"For I am not
ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it
is the POWER of God to salvation for everyone who BELIEVES, for the Jew first
and also to the Greek. For in it is the
righteousness of God REVEALED from faith to faith: as it is written, 'The just shall live by
faith.'"
To understand spiritually God's Gospel completely and fully
is to believe, is to live the life of faith in Christ alone, to have the real
fruit of His righteousness coming forth in these vessels, is to get a true
renewed mind and live in the mind of Christ, is to experience the joy of our
salvation, is to stay out of all the erroneous things out there in the world
that exalt itself against the true knowledge of Christ.
The antidote to me is go after the truth of the Gospel. Don't think we've heard it once and don't
need to hear it again and again. We can
ask God to perfect the TRUTH in our hearts until the Word of Life found in
God's Gospel bears that fruit we are looking for.
Paul went about teaching and preaching the revelation of
Jesus Christ - this is why he suffered so much persecution. Partly because he was announcing to all the
world that God has commanded men to BELIEVE the Gospel that they might be
saved.
There is NO religion, no flesh trying to live by the law,
NOTHING of this world that can save flesh, but Christ alone. God says it is GRACE through FAITH and as a
brother recently said that he once heard another brother say, "The way in,
is the way on."
The revelation of the Gospel of Jesus to our hearts will
change our lives. Stay with the hope of
the Gospel - stay with the HOPE of Jesus Christ in the heart - stay with HIM
and HIM alone through faith in HIM brought to you by, the unfathomable,
bottomless GRACE of God.
God can and will teach us the TRUTH - He does use vessels to
speak His TRUTH but the bottom line always is, to listen for HIM. And He will be faithful to reveal if we are
doing something else other than the Truth of His Gospel and walking some other
way than in the faith of the Son of God. Gal. 2:20
Going all the way in the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
Sue Gaither
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