The Whole Gospel to the Whole World
“Then I saw
another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to
preach to those who dwell on the earth--to every nation, tribe, tongue, and
people -- saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the
hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the
sea and springs of water." (Rev. 14:6-7)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
The word
“gospel” means “glad tidings” or “good news”.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem God send His angel to proclaim to the
shepherds, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I
bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is
born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
(Lk. 2:10-11) The
gospel is that God has provided a way of redemption for mankind through His Son
Jesus Christ. Through the gospel, the
Holy Spirit works for the salvation of all human beings (Rom. 1:15-16). It is called “the
gospel of Jesus Christ” (Mk. 1:1. Rom. 15:19) and
“gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4).
The gospel has to do entirely with the Lord
Jesus Christ. It was preached by Him
(Mt. 4:23; 11:5), by the apostles (Acts 16:10; Rom. 1:15), and by the
evangelists (Acts 8:25).
Salvation
begins with belief on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31)
“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’" (Rom. 10:8-13)
“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Eph. 1:13-14)
False Gospel
leads to Damnation
The
apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian Church:
“ I marvel that you are
turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a
different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble
you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you
than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again,
if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him
be accursed.” (Gal. 1:6-9)
Notice
Paul wrote the Galatians were “turning away so soon
from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel”. If the message
that is preached has nothing to do with the Lord Jesus Christ and His grace
then it is not the true gospel. “.
. . Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (Jn. 1:17)
To distinguish the true gospel from the false
gospels, a major clue is that any teaching that changes the focus and nature of
God or the Lord Jesus Christ or their doctrines of salvation is anti-Christ and
false. Preaching the false gospel misleads people into damnation instead of
salvation. Paul warned that even he
himself or an angel from heaven “preach any other
gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” Here we have the clear indication that the gospel cannot
change. What the Lord Jesus Christ and
the apostles preached two thousand years ago must still be preached today. On Judgment Day “God
will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.” (Rom.
2:16) The false gospel is a
deadly mixture of truth and error that pleases man, panders to his carnal
nature rather than pleasing to God. The true gospel (of the Kingdom of God)
comes only by God's revelation, producing fruits of faith and eternal life
Other Religions
do not believe in the same God as the Christians'
We
find a lot of false gospels being preached in the world today. More so after
the September 11 terrorist attack on America.
Some preach we should be more tolerant and embrace all religions so that
there will be peace on earth. When
Jesus was born the angel and a multitude of the heavenly host were praising God
and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men!” (Lk. 2:13-14)
True peace comes from our Lord Jesus Christ (Jn.
16:33). Christians should endeavor to
live in peace with people of all religions but they must not compromise their
faith and accept other religious beliefs.
There is only one way to God.
The Lord Jesus Christ said: “I am the way,
the truth, and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through Me.” (Jn. 14:6)
There
is a misconception the three religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam
believe and worship the same God. This thinking is definitely wrong. For the sake of discussion let us say that
even if it were true yet not every religion will enable one to go to heaven. The Bible states: “You
believe there is one God. You do
well. Even the demons believe – and
tremble.” (Jas. 2:19) A
careful study of Judaism and Islam shows that these two religions do not
believe in the same Christian God who manifested Himself in the flesh. According to the Bible this denial of
Christ’s divinity is the sign of the Antichrist (1 Jn. 4:3)
Not every Christian will be Saved
Some
others preach you can go to any Christian church and still be saved. This is not true because Jesus said: "Not
everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but
he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,
'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name,
and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never
knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' “ (Mt. 7:21-23)
Our Lord Jesus Christ warned
the disciples there would be many false christs and false prophets before His
Second Coming (Mt. 24:23-26). Many
teach that Jesus is just a good prophet and teacher comparable to Mohammed,
Buddha or Confucius but not as God manifested in the flesh. Some pseudo Christian churches also deny the
divinity of Jesus Christ. Jesus said to
the Jews: “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for
if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Jesus was talking about His oneness
relationship with the Father (Jn. 8:23-27; ref Isa. 9:6). He proclaimed Himself to be the One True God
when He said, “I and My Father are one” (Jn. 10:30). If you do not believe Jesus is the One True God manifested in the flesh
you will die in your sins.
Repentance and Remission of Sins
After His death, burial and
resurrection our Lord Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission to the disciples.
“And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (Lk. 24:45-47)
Belief in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
John 3:16 is the most quoted
verse in the Holy Bible. Here is what
it says:
“For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
That
is fine, but let us continue reading what the Lord said:
“For
God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but
he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in
the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (Jn. 3:17-18)
Here
He said that if a person does not believe in the name of Jesus he is condemned
already. Many believe who Jesus is but
not in His name. Belief in the name of
Jesus affects salvation (Acts 4:12).
Here is what the apostle John wrote: “These
things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that
you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe
in the name of the Son of God.” (1 Jn. 5:13)
What are the effects of believing in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation? “To Him all the
prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive
remission of sins." (Acts 10:43) How can we receive
remission of sins through the name of Jesus?
On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit inspired the apostle Peter to
proclaim:
"Repent,
and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your
children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will
call." (Acts 2:38-39)
Baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins is part of the true gospel.
Wash in the Blood of Jesus Christ
Another
truth that is related to water baptism is the application of the Lord’s
blood. After Jesus had died on the
cross “one of the soldiers pierced His side with
a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” (Jn. 19:34) This miracle
connects the two important events of the Lord’s baptism and His
crucifixion. Water points to His
baptism and blood points to His atonement on the cross. The apostle Paul wrote: “Or
do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into His death? Therefore we
were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life.” (Rom. 6:3-4)
Water
alone by itself has no cleansing power, but when combined with the Blood of
Jesus Christ baptism has the effect of washing away sins (Rev. 1:5). “For
the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the
altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes
atonement for the soul.' (Lev. 17:11)
“And according to the law almost all things are
purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”
(Heb. 9:22) The
apostle John who had witnessed the miracle on the cross wrote: “This
is He who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by
water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is
truth.” (1 Jn. 5:6) The
Holy Spirit bears witness the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is present in the
water during the baptism therefore the sins of the baptized persons are
remitted. The whole gospel must surely
include the shedding of the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Our
Lord Jesus Christ spoke to Nicodemus:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." (Jn. 3:5-8)
He
later explained the true meaning of born of water and the Spirit to His
disciples.
For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." (Acts 1:5)
On the Day of Pentecost the disciples did
actually experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:4)
Speaking with tongues is
the evidence of baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4; 10:44-46; 19:6-7)
Washing of Feet
After
the supper had ended our Lord Jesus Christ began to wash His disciples feet. “Then He came to
Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, are You washing my feet?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I am
doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.’ Peter said to
Him, ‘You shall never wash my feet!’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you,
you have no part with Me.’” (Jn. 13:6-8)
Having no part with the Lord Jesus Christ can be
a very serious situation. Washing of
feet needs to be practiced in every congregation. Our Lord said to His disciples, "Do
you know what I have done to you? You
call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have
washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you
should do as I have done to you.” (Jn. 13:12-15)
Holy Communion
As the
Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles were eating the Passover meal He “took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the
disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them,
saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the
remission of sins.” (Mt. 26:26-28)
Holy
Communion is highly essential for Christians to partake of the Lord’s flesh and
blood in order to have eternal life and be raised on the last day (Jn. 6:53-56;
1 Cor. 10:16-17). This sacrament should
be held as often as possible to "proclaim the the Lord's death till He comes." (1 Cor. 11:26) We should
follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ by using only one unleavened bread
and grape juice (Mt. 26:29).
The Seventh Day Sabbath
God
instituted the Seventh Day Sabbath at Creation (Gen. 2:1-3) Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath (Mk.
2:27-28). He set a great example by His
regular Sabbath-keeping (Lk 4:16).
There
can be no doubt the Early Church that consisted of Hebrew Christians continued
to observe the Seventh Day Sabbath according to the Commandments of God after
the lord’s death (Lk. 23:56). At the
Jerusalem conference the apostles confirmed the keeping of the Sabbath (Acts
15:21). Both the Jews and Gentile
Christians kept the Seventh Day Sabbath (Acts 13:42-44)
Keeping
the Seventh Day Sabbath is an integral part of the gospel (Heb. 4:1-8)
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” (Heb. 4:9-11)
True Christians are “the people of God” therefore they must keep the Seventh Day Sabbath.
Keep the Ten Commandments
Although
salvation is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who gives us grace, but it
does not mean that we can commit sin (Rom. 6:15). "Whoever
commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness" (1 Jn. 3:4). Our LORD did not come to destroy but to
fulfil the Law or the Prophets. He
declared, "Till
heaven and earth pass away, one jot and one tittle will by no means pass from
the law till all is fulfilled" (Mt. 5:17-18). All the Ten Commandments are continued
in the New Testament, but the handwriting of ordinances were abolished when
Jesus Christ died on the cross (Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14-17; Heb. 9:8-10;
10:1). Every one of the Ten
Commandments must be kept. “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in
one point, he is guilty of all.” (Jas. 2:8-12)
During the Old Testament time the people were unable to keep
God's Laws because they were doing it by their own efforts. In the New Covenant God puts His Laws in the
mind and write them on the hearts of His people (Heb. 8:10; 10:16). He helps them keep His Laws by putting His
Spirit within them and giving them a new heart (Ezek. 36:26-27). Jesus Christ
taught that in order to have eternal life we must keep the Ten Commandments.
(Mt. 19:16-19)
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter: Fear God and keep His
commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work
into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it
is evil.” (Ecc. 12:13-14) “Blessed
are those who do His commandments, that they have the right to the tree of
life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” (Rev. 22:14 - NKJV)
Live a Holy Life and Endure to the End
Holiness
is one of the essential attributes of God’s nature. It indicates purity and absence of all that is sinful. Our Lord Jesus Christ is called the “Holy One” (Lk.
1:35) Christians are
exhorted to become holy. “But as He who called you
is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy,
for I am holy.’” (1 Pet. 1:15-16) Heaven
is called “the
Holy City, New Jerusalem” (Rev. 21:1-2)
“But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes
an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of
Life.” (Rev. 21:27) “Pursue peace with
all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” (Heb. 12:13)
Many are
deceived into believing that they can continue in sin and still make it to
heaven. (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21;
Mt. 7:21-23) “We must through many tribulations enter the
Kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22). Our
Lord Jesus Christ said, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”(Mt. 24:13) “He who overcomes
shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name before My
Father and before His angels.” (Rev. 3:5)
Go into all the World
Just before His ascension into heaven our Lord Jesus Christ gave His disciples the Great Commission that is recorded in the New Testament.
“And
Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in
heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am
with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” (Mt. 28:18-20)
“And
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe
will be condemned. And these signs will
follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak
with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything
deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and
they will recover." (Mk. 16:15-18)
“Then
He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the
Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning
at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of
these things. (Lk. 24:44-48)
“But
you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall
be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end
of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
Unity in the Truth of the Gospel
Before going to the
Cross our Lord Jesus Christ prayed for His disciples:
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have
sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also
may be sanctified by the truth. I do
not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through
their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You;
that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent
Me. And the glory which You gave Me I
have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in
Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You
have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (Jn. 17:17-23)
Our
Lord was praying for all Christians throughout the world and in different
generations. He was definitely praying
for us in our present age. One of the
reasons the Great Commission has difficulty in fulfillment is the disunity and
distrust amongst Christians of different denominations. When Christians hold discussion forums to
try and sort out their differences they are heading in the right
direction. Those that adopt the “holier
than thou” attitude, do not fellowship and work with other Christians are
impeding the spreading of the gospel.
Our
Lord Jesus Christ indicated God would use ministers who did not belong to His
group (Mk. 9:38-40). During the time of
the apostles the Christian congregations are called by different names. In the New Testament there were many groups that are called by
different names.
The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is called "the House of God, which is the Church of the Living God, the
pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Tim. 3:15)
· The first Church that was established in
the New Testament is the one in Jerusalem.
It was simply called "the Church" (Acts 2:47),
"the Church which was at Jerusalem" (Acts 8:1) and "Church in Jerusalem" (Acts 11:22).
· Later on, other local congregations were
established in other areas. They were called by various names. "And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch."
(Acts 11:26)
· Another group was known as "the Way" throughout Asia
Minor (Acts 9:2; 19:9; 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).
· They were also called "Nazarenes" in Caesarea (Acts 24:5).
· They were called "the Church of God" in Corinth, Ephesus and Galatia (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 1:2; 11:22; 15:9;
Gal. 1:13; 1 Tim. 3:5)
· In Rome they were called "Church of Christ" (Rom. 16:16), "Church by Christ
Jesus" (Eph. 3:21), and "Churches of the Saints" (1 Cor.
14:33).
The
list of different church names goes on and on.
Some Christians did a research in the New Testament and discovered more
than fifty different names and designations for the Church. Although all these
churches and congregations are called by different names, yet in the Kingdom of
God they are in the one and only Body of Christ. The important thing about all
these New Testament churches is that they had all believed in the same Lord
Jesus Christ, had the same faith, the same water baptism and the same Holy
Spirit, therefore they were all accepted by the One True God (Eph. 4:3-6). This
same principle can also be applied in our time that also has the same
situation. Any Christian group or
congregation that has the same true faith, same correct water baptism and same Holy Spirit
is in the one and only Body of Christ - the Church. A believer in the Kingdom of God must recognize
and accept the work of other Christians that do not belong to his group (Mk.
9:38-41)
Gospel of the Kingdom preached to all Nations
To Every Tribe and Tongue and People
and Nation
“And this Gospel of the
Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and
then the end will come.” (Mt. 24:14)
“For
this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men
to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:3-4)
“And
they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are
worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have
redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and
nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on
earth.” (Rev. 5:9-10)
If
it is God’s will and desire to have all people saved because our Lord Jesus
Christ came to redeem every person on earth then He will have congregations and
ministers in different parts of the world to preach the whole gospel. Then no single religious group can claim
exclusive rights to world evangelism.
Exclusivity is not only against the will of God but also an impossible
task. Just look at the facts of the
truth.
1. Nations
of the World
The world
that we live consists of many nations.
Within each nation there are various ethnic groups that have immense
diversity of cultures, ideologies, and languages. No single religious group has the solitary and ultimate capability reaching out to
every nation, race or tribe in the world. It needs the
combined efforts of many groups to accomplish what God wants us to do.
Visit
these web sites for more detailed information on the nations.
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/
http://www.polisci.com/almanac/nations/entities.htm
2. Tribes
of the Nations
Many
nations have indigenous people that are divided into tribes. Just look at the American Indians you will
find many tribes. Visit these web
sites:
http://www.yvwiiusdinvnohii.net/tribes.html
http://www.gbl.indiana.edu/archives/miamis21/M78_2a.html
3. Major Languages
in the World
There are several major languages in the world.
Within each nation there are various dialect groups. Please click on the web site below for information
http://www.geocities.com/whole_ark/languages.htm
Great Multitude of People who are saved in Heaven
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number,
of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and
before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with
palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a
loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb! . . . . ."
All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living
creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
"Amen!
Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor
and power and might,
Be to our God forever
and ever. Amen."
Then
one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white
robes, and where did they come from?"
And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the
great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and
night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst
anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in
the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of
waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Rev. 7:9-17)
A Sermon based on this Article was preached by Paul Wong
to a Congregation in Houston, Texas on June 1, 2002
For comments please write first to: arkpw@sbcglobal.net
May God bless you.
Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the
President of ARK International.
His ministry also serves as an architectural service company in Houston.
The ARK Forum on the Internet is international and non-denominational.
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