Wednesday, December 3, 2008

GOSPEL Word-Study Devotional

May this devotional urge you on in the wonderful task of sharing Jesus Christ. -BJ

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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Romans 1:16 (all verses: NKJV)

“But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all,…” Galatians 2:14a

“Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” Mark 1:14-15

Euangelion (S#2098, pronounced: yoo-ang-ghel′-ee-on) is a compound Greek word expressing two major themes: eu = good, or well; and aggelos = angel, or messenger. Put them together again and you get the basic definition as “a good message,” or, “a good messenger.” Since it was a proclamation, it has retained the meaning as, “Good News!” The Good News, that is, the Gospel, was the announcement that the Messiah had come to deliver God’s people from their bondage, their sins.

From Mark’s Gospel version (see above), we have Jesus preaching the Gospel as something one must believe in, meaning to “repent (turn away from, in the mind and heart) and believe (turn to in faith and trust) in the gospel (the Good News!).” Paul teaches us that the Gospel is not only the “truth,” but “it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (see above). It was this great proclamation that brought new life into a dead, sinful world—new life into a dead, corrupt, and misguided religion.

Jesus Christ is that Great News!—the Gospel that still “is the power of God to salvation.” So great was this news, that God had it infallibly penned in four different books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In Matthew, Jesus is revealed as the promised Son of David, King of the Jews. In Mark, Jesus is revealed as a Servant, performing more miracles here than in any of the other gospels. In Luke, Jesus is revealed as the Son of Man, a Perfect Man, tracing His genealogy back to Adam. In John, Jesus is revealed as the Son of God, fully disclosing His deity with the Father. Someone has said that Matthew appeals to the Jews, Mark to the Romans, Luke to the Greeks, and, in John, Jesus appeals to all mankind as the Son of God, the Savior of the world: “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.” –John 3:16

The resurrected Jesus says to us, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The Gospel should still be our proclamation of Great News! It is the best news any man or woman could ever hear and understand. He is still the Deliverer—the Savior of mankind. The Gospel is our message from God of a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And we are the “angels” (aggelos), God’s messengers, sent to the world to proclaim that a Deliverer has come to save His people.

Does the Gospel excite you? Do you proclaim it? You may not be a preacher, an evangelist, or a missionary, but you should still find ways to proclaim the Gospel. You have a “Good News” testimony, don’t you? You can still give a Gospel witness through a tract or a Bible or by doing a deed that could lead to a Gospel presentation, can’t you? You can financially support someone who is presenting the Gospel, can’t you? The answer is YES! Find ways to present the Gospel to your world around you. It is still “the power of God to salvation.” Use it for the conversion of the lost!

1 comment:

  1. Great Devotional! Life of Christ encapsulated into one page that cuts to the heart of Christian belief. Very Good. Thank you for sharing.

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