A veiled gospel

[pop james]

Recently a post was submitted that ask'd a question that demands a second look. Soul winning, as it was titled, has been on my heart for a few days and I ,now, feel the need to respond.

A most important question was presented.....How can one who believes in predestination and election truthfully witness? How can they honestly tell a lost soul that God loves them?(paraphrasing).....Lets explore that question.

How CAN one preach that GOD loves the unregenerated, that He desires to make them happy and prosperous?(which is a popular method of witnessing today). The simple answer is..... if one wishes to preach/witness to the lost as the Holy Spirit instructs in GODs word.....HE/SHE never witnesses in such a way.

How then do we witness/preach?....We preach Christ and Him crucified, the ONLY power unto salvation.The only way anyone will come to know GOD is by divine revelation and through the Holy Spirit. We are to preach the CROSS...certainly not a popular method among most but it is the only scriptural way of sharing the gospel.

Thank GOD for this scripture..."the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of GOD"1co4 1:18....Dear one's the power of GOD through the word of the cross is what saves the poor lost miserable wretch from an eternal hell.

The message of the cross is not about feeling good. It is, without a doubt, NOT about Jesus loving us so much He wants to offer happiness and prosperity to us abundantly....that's rubbish....It is about saving His elect from hell.

How on earth can one expect to truly lead another to GOD by giving them false expectations of what being saved is all about.....consider this scripture...."even our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing whose minds the god of this age(satan) has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of GOD, should SHINE on them" 2cor 4:3-4.

Once, many years ago(40 or so) when I was even more of a babe in Christ than I am at the present, I also struggled with this all important question...Thank GOD that HE has revealed the truth of HIS wonderful power in salvation to one such as I..for now....I can, with more and more assurance
each day He gives me.....proclaim.....that HE is a GREAT GOD and SAVIOUR, One who has provided everything I need to enter in to HIS Kingdom someday...for if it were left up to me (and you) I would fall so short of being worthy. Praise GOD for the cross brethren and preach it...........regards Pop

[godslove]

hi brother pop, great message, i look at it this way. i don't think that those who want to come to God with a true heart have to worry about God choosing them. that just shows that God is already drawing them to Him. and those that reject God wouldn't want to be with Him anyway, unless God were to draw them to Him also....God bless.

[larry]

Dear Brother Pop James, I will address just one part of this, and hope to give my thinking of the reasons God has us witness to all; even those appointed to wrath.

Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” This command was completed below in Colossians.

Colossians 1:23 … be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Luke 9:5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

God will judge righteously by Jesus Christ according to Romans 2:16. “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel,” and this was a veiled gospel, or gospel hidden to all before as Colossians 1:26 says. “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:” This was the gospel revealed to Paul by God the Father, and Jesus Himself in Galations 1:1.

Now without having given everyone the gospel, he could not righteously judge them, but he did give it to all, and is doing so today also. When we witness to those not called, I believe it is to be a witness against them.

God bless you Pop James in the name of Jesus - larry :)

[Iamclay]

Ya know, pop james I think most believers at some point, struggle with the concept of predestination, and the question of..."then why witness"? As I have pondered this myself I found a great comfort in the understanding that it isn't up to me to get anyone saved. it's not my job description. That's the Lords doing, isn't it? Only His blood has redemptive power. We are but...well,clay. It is, however all of Christaindom's job to be salt and light...seed sowers. To broadcast the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ to those for whom the lord has given us an open door. We need pray for one another that the Lord opens our eyes to the doors He opens, and gives us the wisdom to be salt and light when He does. Praise His name...
...clay

[pop james]

AMEN..........and AMEN............To HIM be the glory!!!!!!!!!

[LovedBubba]

Demands a sencond thought???

[LovedBubba]

@Larry, please respectfully so,

I see [and to remind everyone, I am just as human as Larry :) ] this command (Mark 16:15) is being fulfilled today (as well as back then) becasue 1/4 (or more) of the population of the world was not born at the time of Paul.

or did I misunderstand your logic, Larry??

uncle bubba

[pop james]

actually Unc it demands a SECOND LOOK........as stated.........and if not understood a THIRD....and then a FOURTH if not revealed and so on.....Pop

[hearthammer]

"The message of the cross is not about feeling good. It is, without a doubt, NOT about Jesus loving us so much He wants to offer happiness and prosperity to us abundantly....that's rubbish....It is about saving His elect from hell."

I agree with much of what you said, however when it comes to the above statement. The cross is more than saving us from hell. It is about an overwhelming abundance that the Lord has to offer us. Eternity in the kingdom. We know as sinners, we were caught in the ways of the world which were empty and vain. We now know that we were destined to hell, which is a continuation of our condition on earth, seperated and burning with a desire for we knew not what (only many times the worse for eternity.) Yes Christ took our judgment once and for all. But only that we may enter into the joy and peace that He has mediated between us and God, bringing our war with our creator to an end, that we may know and Love Him who gave us newness of life.

Happiness is fleeting. It is an emotion like hate and anger and jealousy. Agape is unchangeable as God is unchangeable. Joy is eternal and cannot be taken. It is a good thing that our salvation is not based upon the emotion of the moment with God, (for we should all perish).
Jesus did said, He came that they may have life and that more abundantly. Prosperity is material gain. Christ never promised material gain, and those who truly serve Him do not seek such things (though they are at times blessed to recieve them).

I understand what you are saying and getting at, but Jesus is so much more than "fire insurance", He is also "life assurance".

Preach grace to the weary, poor and down-trodden. Preach the Law to those
who are rich, proud, boasters and self righteous.
Take Care and God Bless in Jesus Holy precious name.

[LovedBubba]

Matt 13:44; 25:21,23; John 10:10; 15:11; Luke 6:23; 15:7,10

Although I must admit the word "joy" implys a state of being and not a fleeting feeling...

uncle bubba

[pop james]

The word joy is much more than a state of being unc.......it is something experienced by believers acts 16:34 and comes from worshiping GOD psalm 24:1... Joy means mirth and gladness.....Joy is , like all things spiritual, given of GOD eccl 2:26 and something we serve GOD with...psalm 100:10.....
Each scripture you listed means all these things...when we enter into joy we enter into a state of gladness that is stimulated by the relationship we have with GOD........Pop

[LovedBubba]

Hebrews 11:24-26
24By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Where and in whom did Moses put his faith into? (24) [He must have looked forward to the coming Messiah] Moses certainly never entered into Canain, (or Israel?) so his reward was not here on earth. It must have come on the other side of his bodily death.

One other question to consider, where did Moses hear of the coming Messiah? God's plans are wonderful!!

uncle bubba

[Recycled]

What is faith, but trust and confidence. Moses obeyed God, putting his trust and confidence in Him. That was his faith.

You are correct-- Moses' reward would have been the other side of death, as with all of us. The believer's life on earth is only a promise of what is to come-- the final reward comes when you cross the threshhold into eternity.

The first mention of a Messiah was made to Eve and there were other Messianic promises, of which Moses would surely have known, since he is given credit for authoring the first five books of the Old Testament.

Have a happy day,

Recycled

[pop james]

Unc.I sometimes wonder how we get off on various subjects.....I do thank you for bringing this post back for others to ponder over....just exactly what led you to the questions concerning Moses I do not understand....but....nevertheless......
Moses put his faith in GOD........sorry for such a simple answer but there it is.....Now......For the comment that Moses "most certainly never entered into canan,(or israel) I must respond that Moses did indeed not only see the promised land, but, was seen physically in IN the promise land.....matt 17:1-7....luke 9:30.................Pop

[Wendell]

One other question to consider, where did Moses hear of the coming Messiah? God's plans are wonderful!!

Deu 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

unc...the verse above is often thought to refer to Christ.. also as recycled has said, the statement to eve in the garden speaking of the seed that would crush the serpents head referred to the Christ...

In addition to those statements and others, the books written by moses, are filled with references to the coming messiah, and the ceremonial law contained christ everywhere..

He was in the burnt offering.. he was in the manna... He was in the shewbread.... He was in the passover lamb... he was in the scapegoat... he was in the serpent lifted up on a pole... he is everywhere on every page...

God revealed the coming of His Son, in many ways to moses, in types and figures... Moses, as one of Gods elect, because he was one of His sheep, could hear and see, and understand these "parables", about the coming Christ. While at the same time, the types and figures, hid the true nature of the gospel from those who were not ordained to salvation. The same situation was true when the messiah came... some, understood, and some were blinded. Blessed be the Lord...

blue

[LovedBubba]

Matt 17:1-7 and Luke 9:30 (sorry, the other side of death...)

uncle bubba

[LovedBubba]

you don't mind if I copy and paste on this one so I can "chew the cud on this one" and then respond to with an intelligent mind??

uncle bubba??

[LovedBubba]

(although tech I guess you could say his spirit did??)

[LovedBubba]

@blueheron32 and others who can explain??

Why is it that the veil of "not knowing" is shrouwed over my "eyes" until I chew the cud on the scriptural issue several times and then the "light bulb" comes on when I read over it for the 3 or 100th time??

Don't understand??

uncle bubba...

[pop james]

UNC............repetition is theological glue...................Pop