You Can Be a World Changer!

You Can Be a World Changer!

With everything that is taking place in America and around the world, we can see through Matthew 24 that Jesus is coming soon.  With the turmoil in the middle east, the different wars and rumors of wars, the severe earth quakes, the love of many grown cold and growing cold around the world, and different political unrests in many nations, we can clearly see that the stage is being set for Jesus to return.   We have an opportunity right in front of us to reach this nation and the nations of the world like never before.  As we have been reaching out in cities here in the United States, there has been a fresh openness in the people we are ministering to.  In light of everything that’s taking place, many are open to hearing the Gospel that weren’t in years past.  This is the season to begin to reach this nation and the nations of the world because the time is short and the harvest is plentiful.

 

Yes, the Gospel is good news and glad tidings.  The true definition is that Jesus came, died, and rose again to take away the sins of the world.  He is the foundation that all is built upon (1 Corinthians 3: 9-11).  It is not Allah, Krishna, Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Bahaullah, Dali Lama, Mother Earth, tarot cards, witchstones, Ouija boards, witchcraft, astrology, Scientology, astral projection, divination, New Age, or any of the like.  Jesus Christ is the only way (John 14:6) and we must impregnate the measure of faith given with this truth of God?s Word.  God does not play musical chairs!  When we use the word of God to present the Gospel to people, it must be with the understanding that there is no room for the deceptive concept that there are many ways to God - so choose one.  Will this "no compromise" stand bring conflict?  Of course, but God has called us to a resolve, with His abiding grace upon which to stand.

A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. World religions differ in their treatment of documents classified as gospels. Christianity traditionally places a high value on the four canonical gospels, which it considers to be a revelation from God and central to its belief system. Christians teach that the four canonical gospels are an “accurate and authoritative” representation of the life of Jesus. Now let us understand some basic truths about the Gospel.
 

Who is God?

The One God is triune - a tri-unity.  The word "one" in this verse (Deuteronomy 6:4) below is a compound "one" and not a singular "one".  Christians do not believe in 3 Gods - but ONE!

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!"

It is one God in three persons, not three gods:

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Often the title "God" designates the first person, and God the Father. God is a spiritual being without a physical body. He is personal and involved with people. He created the universe out of nothing. He is eternal, changeless, holy, loving, and perfect.

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is God, the second person of the Trinity. As God the Son, He has always existed and was never created. He is fully God and fully man [the two natures joined, not mixed]. As the second person of the Trinity, He is co-equal with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. In becoming man, He was begotten through the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus is the only way to the Father, salvation, and eternal life. He died on a Cross according to God's plan, as full sacrifice in payment for our sins. He rose from the dead on the third day, spiritually and physically a mortal. For the next 40 days, he was seen by more than 500 eyewitnesses. His wounds were touched and he ate meals. He physically ascended to heaven. Jesus will come again visibly and physically at the end of the world to establish God's kingdom and judge the world.

Who is the Holy Spirit? 

The Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Trinity.  The Holy Spirit is a person, not a force or energy field.  He comforts, grieves, reproofs, convicts, guides, teaches, and fills Christians. He is not the Father, nor the Son, Jesus Christ.

How is one to be saved? 

Salvation is by God's grace, not by an individual's good works.  Salvation must be received by repentance (turning away and forsaking of sin) and by faith.  People must believe in their heart that Jesus died for their sins and physically rose again, which is the assurance of forgiveness and resurrection of the body.  This is God's loving plan to forgive sinful people.

What happens after death? 

Believers go to be with Jesus.  After death, all people await the final judgment. Both saved and lost people will be resurrected.  Those who were saved live with Jesus in Heaven.  Those are lost suffer the torment of eternal separation from God in Hell.  Jesus' bodily resurrection guarantees believers that they, too, will be resurrected receive new a mortal bodies.

Other Beliefs or Practices:

Group worship, usually in churches.  No secret rites.  Baptism and the Lord's supper [Communion]. Active voluntary missionary efforts.  Aid to those in need: the poor, widows, orphans, and downtrodden. Christians believe that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah promised to Israel in the Old Testament [Tanakh].  Jesus said his followers would be known by their love for one another! (1)

The people who chase after pleasure never really experience it. It comes down to this: If you live for yourself and your own happiness and pleasure, then you will be a miserable person. It's ironic that the people who live for happiness never find it, while the people who live for God find happiness as a byproduct. The people who chase after pleasure never really experience it. They may find little bits here and there, but nothing to speak of—certainly nothing enduring. Yet the people who live for God experience the ultimate pleasure: a joy that bubbles up from deep down in the inmost being.

God determines the number of your days, but you determine how they are spent. The Psalmist said, 'This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.' Yesterday is a cancelled cheque, tomorrow is a promissory note, today is all you've got.

And you can begin your life over today, if you live by these words: 'Today I will delete from my diary two days - yesterday and tomorrow. Yesterday was for learning; tomorrow will be a consequence of what I do today. Today I will face life with the conviction that this day will never return, that it may be the last opportunity I'll have to contribute because there's no guarantee I'll see tomorrow. Today I will be courageous enough not to let opportunity pass me by; my only alternative will be to succeed. Today I will invest my most valuable resource, my time, into my most important possession, the life God has given me. I'll spend each minute purposefully, making today a unique opportunity. I'll tackle each obstacle knowing that with God's help I can overcome it. Today I will resist doubt and pessimism and warm my world with a smile. I'll maintain a strong faith, expect nothing but the best, take time to be happy, see every task as an opportunity to honor the Lord, and endeavor to leave His footprints on the hearts of those I meet.'

John Boykin wrote, 'Time is your life - nothing more, nothing less. The way you spend your hours and your days, is the way you spend your life.' So pray, 'Lord, help me to maximise this day.'

 

Today we have our Internet, telecommunications, the information superhighway and the likes. We can take the gospel message to more people today than ever before in human history. Of course, we can use television, radio, and printed media. But we can also use new media. We need to make use of every means possible to get the gospel out to as many people as we can.

Yet sometimes we have the delivery system in place, but we don't have the message to deliver. Some churches are a little too preoccupied with being cool and have forgotten how important it is to confront people with the claims of Jesus Christ. And if we miss that, we have missed everything, because that is the only hope for our nation. It is the only hope for individuals. Even so, some people will respond favorably to this message, and some people will respond unfavorably.

The apostle Paul put it this way: "Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing" (2 Corinthians 2: 15).

When we share the message of the gospel, to some it will be a fragrant perfume, while to others it will be offensive, even repugnant. But we still have to bring the message. We still must invade our culture with the Good News.

John Maxwell writes: 'Little did I realise when I started with a desire to add significance to others, that it would add significance to me! Now I understand. We should not receive anything without giving, and we cannot give anything without receiving.' The truth is, your dream isn't worthy of your life if it doesn't bless others. President Woodrow Wilson stated: 'You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.'You Can Be a World Changer!

Reference:

(1) "Understanding the Gospel" – By Rick Warzywak from Michigan University Internet Church Zone.

Blessings,

For the Gospel,

Raj Kosaraju