Saturday, July 28, 2012

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

Incredible as it may seem, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was 'lost' for over nineteen centuries not only to the world but to the entire Christendom as a whole. In its place, the churches of the world preach a Gospel about the Person of Christ. In essence, the Gospel of Christ is the message that Christ was sent by God the Father to preach to the world - the message of the kingdom of God. Some twenty to thirty year after the founding of the New Testament church in AD 31, controversy began to emerge as to what is the true Gospel. After a period of almost one century - known as the lost century of the Christian church - the Gospel centred around the Person of Christ began to gain momentum, in place of the Gospel about the kingdom of God.

Christ first came as a Prophet was prophesied by Moses, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear' - Deut 18:15. Malachi affirmed that Christ will come as a Messenger of the (new) covenant to bring good news from God the Father about the coming kingdom that will dethrone Satan who is presently the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4) who deceived the whole world (Rev 12:9). Jesus Christ came preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God.The Gospel of the kingdom is to be preached in conjunction with Christ's role in it, and not preaching about Christ apart from the Gospel. Yet all who claimed to be Christ's disciples are totally ignorant of the very work they are commissioned to do! The world's churches of different persuasion preached a different gospel of grace, salvation, social issues and prosperity which the Apostle Paul warned with a 'double curse' - for perverting the Gospel of Christ (Gal 1:7-9).

Many preachers proclaim that 'the kingdom of God is within you' - presumably in you heart, mind and soul - quoting Luke 17:21. But little did they realise that this is mistranslation - when it should mean 'in the midst of you' - meaning that Christ as the King of the future kingdom of God, was in their midst. As the context was Christ speaking to the Pharisees, obviously Christ was not referring to them having inherited the kingdom of God! Because man has rejected the true Gospel, they have supplanted something else - another gospel ( 2 Cor 11:4) - to replace it. That is why the world - like the Titanic - is heading towards the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord but yet totally oblivious to the cataclysmic events prophesied to unfold!

The writer of Mark 1:1 states, 'The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God' - and following down in verse 14-15, he states, 'Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God'  and saying, 'The time is fulfilled and the kingom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.'  IT IS NECESSARY TO BELIEVE THE GOSPEL MESSAGE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO BE SAVED! But how can one believe unless he/she understands what the gospel of the kingdom of God is. That is the very Gospel message that God the Father sent Christ to proclaim  (Luke 4:43) and we are commanded to hear Him. For over nineteen centuries, the world was ignorant of the true Gospel as they only understand a gospel about Christ and not the Gospel of Christ. While on earth, Christ sent His twelve disciples to preach the Gospel of the kingdom of God (Matt 10: 5-7; Luke 9:1-2). After His resurrection but before His ascension to heaven, Christ taught His disciples about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).

The purpose of the church is to prepare those whom God has called to teach and rule in the kingdom of God. The purpose of king Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2:28) was to reveal God's government (2:44) - the quintessence of the kingdom of God. It is referring to a literal kingdom on earth that bear rule on real people over the whole world, as Christ taught in the Sermon on the Mount  - Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matt 5:5). Christ was born to be King, and when He returns all the governments of the world will be dissolved (Rev 11:15). In its place will be the kingdom of God ruled by Christ assisted by born again immortal spirit beings who will form the Family of God. The divine Family of God will rule over all mortal humans of the world but they will not be in the kingdom of God, though they will be ruled by it. Then Christ will be King over all the earth (John 18:37) in the world to come (Heb 2:5).

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ stated this categorically in John 8:30-32 thus, 'As He spoke these words, many believed in Him (people believed that Christ was sent from the  Heavenly Father to proclaim the Gospel message of hope for mankind). Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in my word (the Gospel message of the kingdom of God), you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and truth shall make you free." Christ was telling the Jews that it was not enough just believing in Him that He is the Son of God sent from heaven above (the demons beleive so and tremble), but that they must also believe His word - the message of the kingdom of God - so that they can be set free from sin and death through resurrection (when Christ return) and be born again into immortal life as a spirit being. Sadly, because of unbelief, only a small minority during the church age will get to inherit the kingdom of God ('little flock' - Luke 12:32) as it remains a mystery even to the large majority of church goers the world over. For many are called but few are chosen (Matt 20:16; 22:14) - to become the sons of God in the divine Family who will rule and reign with Christ in the coming kingdom. Make no mistake, only those who are born again as immortals into the Family of God will rule as masters of the universe!

But one of the conditions to earn the reward from Christ is to - 'Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him' (1 John 2:15).This present evil age (Gal 1:4) is Satan's world and the large majority of the people are being deceived to follow the Babylonian system of idolatry rooted in false doctrines and practices. True Christians who are called are warned to 'Come out of her' or else they become partakers in her sins. (Rev 18:4). Those who fail to heed the warning of Christ may not receive a full reward (2 John 8).


Sunday, July 15, 2012

PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH

Many evangelical Protestant churches believe that the church is to function as a saving lighthouse for 'lost souls'. But if that is the case, then how about all human beings who lived before the birth of the New Testament Church in  31 A.D. They would all be doomed without hope of salvation and that would make God a respecter of persons, which is contrary to His nature and Scripture! In New Testament Greek, the Church is called ekklesia which means the called-out ones - the congregation of people that forms the Church. The name should be called "Church of God" which is used twelve times in the New Testament.

According to Herbert W. Armstrong whom God called to restore many biblical truth lost since the first century, the word church first appears in Matthew 16:18 when Jesus said, 'I will build My church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it.' In plain language, it simply means - according to Herbert W Armstrong - "I will call out of Satan's world disciples, to grow into the altogether new and different world, which will be God's kingdom". Jesus Christ is the Founder and the living Head of the Church (Eph 5:23). Notice that Christ came to establish His Church and not churches. So there is only one true Church of God with one set of doctrinal teachings based solely on the Bible and not teaching as doctrines the commandments of men! (Mark7:7).

Jesus Christ did not come to earth in His first advent to save Satan's world while Satan still rules the world (2 Cor4:4). He will save the world in His Second Coming when Satan shall be restrained. Christ came some 2,000 years ago to qualify as the second Adam to replace Satan as King on the throne of the earth, ruling with the Government of God. He also came to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom of God (Luke 4: 43) as a Messenger sent from God the Father (Deut 18:15; Malachi 3:1c). Christ also died for the sin of all humanity and He established the Church to train all true believers whom the Father had called and chosen (John 6:44; 15:16,19) to be the Bride of Christ and be members of the Family of God.

Water baptism is an initiatory rite to be born of the Spirit of God. The kingdom of God will not be composed of mortal human beings for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 15:50). The first Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit (1 Cor 15:45). God is reproducing Himself in His saints whom He has called and obeyed Him! For God to restore His Government on planet earth (and the whole universe in the age of eternity), He would require a group of trained and qualified God Beings who have rejected Satan's way of life and obeyed the righteous laws of God.. The Church will eventually be His instrument to bring salvation to all of humanity who have ever lived when they are all resurrected toward the end of the millennium age. The Church is the firstfruits (Heb 12:23; James 1:18), a chosen generation and a royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:9) who will teach the multiple billions of resurrected flesh and blood human beings since Adam the whole truth. All true Christians are drafted (predestined) and there is no volunteer!

That is why Christ spoke in parables often so that only His true disciples will understand and not the masses who were not called (Matt 13:10-11; Mark 4:10-11). God's plan of salvation for mankind is working one step at a time, and the time is not yet to reveal the whole truth to the world. This plan of salvation is contained in Leviticus 23 where the seven annual festivals is to be observed forever for all spiritual descendants of Abraham, including the Church. The Passover pictures the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross as payment for the sin of mankind. The seven days of Unleavened Bread pictures the Church coming out of sin just as the ancient Israelites came out of Egypt. The Day of Pentcost - originally called the Feast of Firstfruits - pictures the Church as the first begotten and born as children of God. The Feast of Trumpets pictures the Second Coming of Christ to rule over all nations and governments of the world. The Day of Atonement pictures the putting away of Satan at the beginning of the millennium. The Feast of Tabernacles pictures the thousand-year reign of Christ with the spirit born-again saints. The Final Great Day pictures the final judgement of all humans who have ever lived.

When God closed the tree of life after Adam sinned, the Holy Spirit and salvation was cut off from humanity except for a chosen few whom God had called for a specific purpose.  The Church was called not just for salvation and eternal life, but to develop the spiritual character of Christ and be trained to help Christ administer God's Government and redemption for the whole world when Christ returns (Rev 2: 26-27; 3:21). Those who are called are not saved by the blood of Christ but by His life (Rom 5:10)  - by the resurrection - which will happen when Christ returns to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords. Since Christ overcame Satan in the wilderness (Matt 4: 3-11) the Church must now overcome in the church age in order to rule with Him (1 Pet 4:17). The Church is required to overcome Satan, the lust of the flesh and the temptations of the world to qualify as kings and priests in the wonderful world to come. However, the rest of humanity will not be required to so overcome to obtain salvation when Satan has been restrained.

When a person is called of God and obeyed, he/she becomes a spiritual embryo and the church is to provide the spiritual food as nourishment for growth to maturity (Eph 4:11-13). The Church is the  Jerusalem above, the mother of us all (Gal 4:26). The Church has the dual responsibility to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom of God, and Christ is to be preached in conjunction with the Gospel. In addition, it has to shepherd the flock of God (1 Pet 5:2). It behooves, therefore, that God's true ministers should protect and guard the spiritually begotten but yet unborn saints from false doctrine and deception!