Our stomachs are very full tonight from two birthday celebrations today. At least we have not spent any money for our lunch and dinner today. We have saved our budget for two meals... thank you Lord for the invitations.
We ate our dinner and after that we have our Bible Study and I have been teaching to the audience a topic IN CHRIST taken in the book of 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" NIV
This was our fourth Bible study in this family. I was teaching in the series about "Believers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." I have emphasized that to be in Christ you must be a believer of the Gospel of him. As a believer, the Bible says you are already in Jesus Christ.
The Importance of The Gospel
The Gospel is very important in order for any one to be in Christ. The Bible says, as Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:16 "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile." NIV.
This speaks about the believers of the Gospel and the believers received salvation after they have believed the gospel, and therefore, Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit said, the gospel is the power of God for salvation.
Here we understand that no one becomes a believer of God and of Christ without the gospel, so it is really the power of God to saved people. What Jesus Christ has done on the cross of Calvary to redeemed people from sin is nothing and is useless if it is not being heard or known to the people.
The power of the cross and the blood of Christ become powerless in the life of a person if he has not believe the gospel, and how can he believes the gospel if no one is teaching or preaching unto him? That's why Jesus Christ urges his followers to go and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15-16).
You need to hear the preaching or presentation of the gospel and believe before you receive salvation.
The preaching of the gospel must be understood and there must be a clear presentation of it before someone will accept and not to doubt, but believe and lastly receive salvation. That's why the devil called the god of this world is doing all he can to blind the understanding of the people, that they may not be enlightened by the gospel.
2 Corinthians 4:4 "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." KJV
Those who have heard the gospel and believe not, they are the victims of the work of the devil. The god of this world doesn't want you to believe the gospel lest you will receive salvation. He doesn't want that anyone to be saved. But the almighty God who is full of mercy and grace with his agape love doesn't want that anyone will perish.
But God uses his servants to present/preach the gospel and as preachers we should use God's anointing and wisdom to let the people hear and believe the gospel. And this is my ministry, my work to preach and teach the gospel. And now by means of the internet I am posting the gospel of Christ here as well as I am doing it personally. We have conducting crusades in the past in different places and planning to continue this task. And most contents in this website are my presentation of Christ's gospel.
You are not for Christ but you are already in Christ
I emphasized in our Bible study tonight that every believer is not for Christ, but he is already in Christ. The Bible says so.
There are group of people who used this term, that they are for Christ; like for example youth for Christ and couple for Christ. I do not know how they would explain that. For me, it's wrong and why? It is because of the words FOR and IN! That means, using the word FOR, you are not IN yet but still going to get IN.
I believe that those who are not yet believers of the gospel, they are for Christ, but those who heard the gospel, having the clear understanding of it, never doubting about it, but believing, the Bible says they are already IN Christ.
Being In Christ means, you are in His Lordship and Kingship
Because of the inherited sin, before we become believers of the gospel, our life is under the lordship of the kingdom of darkness. That's why God the father sent his begotten son Jesus Christ to redeem us from that kingdom.
Colossians 1:13 "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,.." NIV
That verse in the Bible says that he (God) has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought (redeemed) us into the kingdom of the Son (Jesus Christ) he loves. Before you become enlightened and believe the gospel, you are in the dominion of darkness, but now you are no longer belonged to that kingdom of darkness, because you are now already INTO another kingdom, the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
If you are enlightened by the gospel, you are already in Christ, not anymore going to be in Christ, you are already in His kingdom. You are now under His Lordship and Kingship. You are no longer seeking the kingdom of God, because you already have found it and you are already in his kingdom.
Enlightened by the gospel
Enlightened by the gospel means, you understand that you are a sinner, and you have got a greater problem in you life, and the problem is you cannot save your own from being a sinner and from the penalty of it. And now you know that there is the only one solution of your problem and that solution is the savior who has done all to pay the penalty of your sin and that savior is Jesus Christ. So you must believe in Him and of what he has done for you. If you believe in Him, you are now a believer of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I Hope so.
Conclusion:
You will never be in Christ, without believing the gospel of him and you will never become a believer of him if no one told you about him - ultimately, there is no gospel to tell if God has not loved you so much. God loves you so much that no one can compare. You are always in God's mind. He is committed to love you forever and even you have committed mistakes to him still he loves you much. That's the gospel. So you must be thankful for that. More blessings be multiplied to you in Jesus name. Amen!
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