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Tag: Gospel

The Gospel is Good News to all who will humbly accept Jesus and listen to His teaching.

We refer to the four books of the Bible which tell the story of Jesus Christ as the Gospels. These books are named for their authors: Matthew, a Jewish Apostle; Mark, a disciple of the first generation who recorded accounts of Peter and the Twelve; Luke, a gentile Physician and disciple of the first century; and John, one of the Twelve Jewish Apostles chosen by Jesus.

  • The Beatitudes and the Multitudes – Part 4

    The Beatitudes and the Multitudes – Part 4

    Questions for and from the multitude for ‘followers’ of Jesus (you… and your ‘church’):

    • Are you of the house of the King?
    • Are you a child of the Living God?

    OR are you just one of the multitude who does not have ears to hear and a heart to bow down?

    • Why does the church that has fed the poor not have eyes to see the poor in spirit?
    • Why does the church that mourns at the funeral not have ears to hear the loud wailing of the losses of her members?
    • Why are they not so meek as to stand low in the sandals of our suffering?
    • Why do we not savor those that hunger and thirst for righteousness, and quench their spirit for but one failing like our own?
    • Why are we not merciful, as we have received mercy?
    • Why do we revile and persecute and speak evil again our own, members of the body of Christ Jesus?

    Is the church without salt because we have trodden Christ under foot?

    Have Christians embraced darkness, because the Light of forgiveness exposes too much Truth of imperfection?

    Be ye perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect. – Matthew 5:48

    By the grace of Christ Jesus, we have much more to be done in the refinement of the Word.

    To be continued…

  • The Beatitudes and the Multitudes – Part 3

    The Beatitudes and the Multitudes – Part 3

    MERRY CHRISTMAS.

    Merry Christmas.

    Such a joyful greeting from a Christian to another.

    Returning our thoughts to the multitudes hearing Jesus’ teaching:

    Matthew 5

    King James Version (KJV)

    Verse 13

    • You are the salt of the earth.

    Salt is plentiful and worthless, except that it makes our food to last and seasons its flavor to make our food more palatable.

    • But if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted?  It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and trodden under the foot of men.

    I am trodden under the foot of man. But of what worth am I to this man (who calls himself the Son of Man)? What does he mean that I am the salt of the earth?

    • Ye are the light of the world.
    • A city set on an hill cannot be hid.
    • Neither do men light a candle, and but it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light to all that are in the house.

    What can all this mean? What does it mean to meet God on a hill overlooking the city?

    Dearly beloved believer and seeker of the Lord God,

    I leave this to your own conviction of the Spirit. Yet I challenge the context of your hearing the blessings or beatitudes of Jesus once more in considering His calling. Jesus speaks to the multitudes. The believing church sits in the crowd as a light on a hill or a candle lifted on a candlestick to light the whole house.

    Many will hear the Word and wander off back into the darkness and destruction and death. Many will not see the Lord on the hill again until the call of the trumpet to Judgment, of which Jesus further warns the multitudes (immediately after these verses) of the fulfillment of the Law and Scripture in Him.

    To the multitudes, our Lord further speaks of repentance for the sin we have done. He calls us to righteousness exceeding the appearance of the most respected representatives of God’s Law.

    He tells us how to exceed the righteousness of rules by the intention of our heart and the thoughtfulness of our actions. Jesus forbids divorce. Jesus forbids anger without cause. He commands reconciliation between brothers (now he speaks to the church), before thinking that our offering to God is acceptable.

    Jesus tells the crowd and the church how by our actions Christians are to demonstrate God’s light to the house and to the world. He proceeds to tell us how we, as God’s house and God’s city, and God’s people must do more than the Law, to go the second mile.

    Further, He concludes:

    Matthew 5:44

    • Love your enemy.

    • Bless them that curse you.

    • Do good to them that hate you.

    • Pray for them that despitefully use you.

    • And (pray for them that) persecute you.

    Is this the church you signed up for?  Is this the light on the hill you are among men?

    It’s difficult, if not impossible, isn’t it?

    Jesus then says (in verse 45) that we have to do it to be children of the Father.

    Then he says essentially (in verse 46): If you love only those who love you, even the politicians do that. Ouch!

    Then our Lord calls on us to do something that we cannot do:

    Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

    How?

    Repent! Be obedient children of adoption by our Father in Heaven, who did send Christ Jesus to the Cross as perfect redemption for our sins.

    ‘Go; and sin no more,’ as our Lord has called upon us to do. (John 5:14; John 8:11)

    Jesus’ teachings of ‘Blessed are you…” or ‘Happy are you…’ give us, perhaps, a little different than usual perspective on the reason for God to send His only Son to a manger in Bethlehem.

    Have you ever thought of the Nativity of Bethlehem with the baby in a manger to be the beginning of His destination of His place for you on the Cross?

    Do you think of the Cross when you wish someone (perhaps an unbeliever), “Merry Christmas?”

    Do others see Christ’s Light in the salt of your joyful greeting?

    To be continued…

  • The Beatitudes and the Multitudes – Part 1

    The Beatitudes and the Multitudes – Part 1

    Matthew 5: KJV And seeing a multitude, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came to him: and he opened his mouth and taught them saying:

    Blessed are they… Happy are those… etc.

    You may have even memorized the following verses, according to the Bible version of your upbringing; but let us set the scene properly.

    John Wesley begins his commentary of the scene: ‘And seeing the multitudes – At some distance, as they were coming to him from every quarter, He went up into the mountain. – Which was near, where there was room for them all.’

    Do you see it? Jesus has sent the Disciples out into the towns and the countryside. The response of the people has been miraculous. It seems that everyone wants to hear what the Teacher and Messiah has to say.  The crowds approach from every direction in numbers exceeding the services of the popular mega-church.

    They are Jew and gentile alike. They are rich and poor alike. They are believers and unbeliever alike. They are Galilean and Judean, Samaritan and Roman, businessman and farmer, resident and traveler. The multitudes have, by the power of the Holy Spirit, come to hear what a Savior might say.

    Who will listen?  Who is this Jesus of Nazareth? What will He say? What will He do?

    Is His teaching for me? Will the Lord bless me? Will Jesus bless me?

    Before we begin, understand that Jesus is NOT preaching to the church. He is not recruiting members for the church. He is not even giving advice and direction for the church. Jesus is teaching the multitudes. Jesus is telling truth to all. The church and followers must come later – on their own – each believer – each who understands and would worship the Lord as He IS come to our salvation.

    He will suffer and die for our sins. He IS our Shepherd.

    (Have you ever thought this of the baby in the manger?)

    The multitudes have come to the Shepherd on the mountainside. He will lead by the Word of God. Some will reject Him immediately. Some will follow and stray soon. Some will follow and stay after they have understood the cost. Some, a few, will remain faithful. All will listen. Each must decide.

    To be continued…