Topic: Gospel
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. (Luke 1:1-4 KJV)
In this new series, we are covering the first four books of the New Testament, The Gospel of Jesus Christ, in chronological order. We have lost the historical facts and teachings of Jesus Christ today. We hear more messages on Christian living than what Jesus taught His disciples to do. Unlike today's modern sermons, I'm not going to bring up Easter and Christmas, which relate to Jesus Christ, because 1) the Bible doesn't spell out these holidays, and 2) they are mixed with paganism. The Bible tells us that we can't have fellowship with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14).
Luke was a fine writer of the New Testament period. He was a doctor or a research specialist. He stressed the births of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. Of the four books of the Gospel, Luke has the most content about who Jesus is. Although Luke wrote the second volume of the Gospel, the Book of Acts, he emphasized the importance of the Church (the Greek word for katholikos, meaning universal or catholic, referring to the universal church) in the world after Jesus ascended to Heaven. Like Dr. Luke, we need to study and examine the Word of God so that we can be prepared to answer when people ask us about the Bible. Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:2, "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." We need to be witnesses for Jesus.
The word "Theophilus" is a Greek word for "lover or friend of God." As we study the Gospel, we will see how much Jesus cares for people — how He heals them and loves them as His own. Is Jesus to be a friend to you? What is your relationship with Him? He can be your friend. Proverbs 18:24b says, "…there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." However, Jesus is more than just a friend. He is your personal Savior. Two thousand years ago, Jesus faced the death penalty for our sins. He didn't need to die for our sins. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8.) I'm not going to use the cheat-cheat sinner prayer, because it is not a sincere prayer from you. Pastors can begin using the sinner's prayer at the beginning, but they cannot finish it for you or do the repetitive sinner's prayer. Your sinner's prayer needs to come from you alone. You talk to God. Then, I would like to encourage you to find a church that teaches from the Word of God and feeds your spirit.
If you need more help, please visit my ministry website at www.mgjcweb.org or email me at mgjcinfo@mgjcweb.org.
See you next time.
Posted by MGJC Web Ministry
at 11:35 PM EST
