GOSPEL GOODIES
Part six of seven in Warrior Saints series
1 Corinthians 15:3-5
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the twelve.”
What does the word “Gospel” mean to you? Sometimes it’s in lower case, gospel. People often qualify truth by adding the word gospel, as though what they’re saying must be true! Maybe one day someone will ask you what is the Gospel. How would you respond, Warrior Saint?
Christianity is different from other religions. Without Buddha, the basic elements of Buddhism remain. Without Muhammad, Islamic principles stay intact. But without Christ, Christianity is … well, nothing.
That’s because Christianity isn’t faith in a system. Christianity is faith in a person.
The Gospel is Jesus Christ.
Christianity is not a code, it’s a cause.
Christianity is not a creed, it’s a church.
Christianity is not merely following rules, it’s developing a relationship.
The Gospel is a person.
Saints pay attention to how Christ’s Spirit—living within us—leads. He’s our buddy, our conscience, our counselor. He’s our Gospel truth! We allow Him to determine our steps. As we press into Him, our lives transform. Our thoughts and actions take on odd-yet familiar holiness and righteousness. Our relationship with Jesus becomes more important every day.
We bubble up with joy unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before!
Check it out: twelve year olds Jeremy and Brad play football. They certainly wouldn’t call themselves saints. But they are both saved-for-eternal-life Christians. A fight broke out during the last summer scrimmage. Jeremy plays offense and Brad plays defense.
The defense squad attacked the offense squad aggressively. Coach blew his whistle to stop all play. Defense guys continued brawling. Offense guys returned blows. Coach ran toward the scuffle blowing his whistle nonstop, watching Brad separate the squads. Jeremy stopped his teammates from pursuing Brad.
Coach yelled, “What are you doing? This is football, not wrestling or boxing entertainment! These are your teammates!”
Everyone stood still, quiet. Coach said, “Scrimmage is over. Maybe it’s just too hot. Take cold showers to cool down and go home. First game is Friday, September 9th.” Coach threw his arms around Brad and Jeremy’s shoulders on the way to the locker room. “Good work, guys. You’re team leaders.”
Take Home Nugget
Gospel goodies are how saints are transformed into Christlikeness. (See the lesson linked below for more Gospel goodies). Jesus is our Gospel. We believe in Him and allow Him to live His life through us.
Jesus lives in you; will you live for Him?
Adapted from “What is the Gospel?” Dr. Jack Graham. May 25, 2016. PowerPoint Ministries. www.jackgraham.org
J.D. Griffith
.
Here’s another eBook by J.D. Griffith:
Recent eBook by J.D. Griffith:
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment