Prior to the birth of Christ, the gospel was a mystery concealed. After, it is a mystery revealed. Much of that revelation came through the apostles who walked with Jesus or from the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul had possibly the clearest revelation of the mystery of the gospel. That revelation is unparalleled. Paul's revelation of the gospel extended beyond intellectualism and academia and went into a place few have been willing to tread - the practicality of the gospel.
The Apostle Paul understood the power behind the gospel. To him, the gospel became a life source that caused Heaven to pierce through our earthly veil. From that vantage point, he was able to see clearly the origin of the gospel, the necessity of the gospel, the practicality of the gospel, the simplicity of the gospel, the complexity of the gospel, the ultimate purpose of the gospel and so much more. Paul attempted to use human words to reveal Heaven's mystery, the gospel, to Mankind on earth.
Today, much of the church has slipped into what Paul hated, intellectualism. Paul had been deceived by his intellectual understanding of God's word. Yet he missed the gospel while studying and memorizing God's word. The Apostle Paul became an enemy of God through his desire to serve God. So great was his desire that he murdered in God's name. Today, many do the same thing; they murder in God's name. How awful! Yet in the darkened minds of twisted men, even murder can be made sensible.
At the same time, the glorious light of the mysterious gospel is hidden from the darkened minds of men and women. In truth, "[a]ll of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own." Is. 53:6, NLT. From the beginning, we have been deceived. Satan, our great adversary, has used every trick he can to "blind[] the minds of those who don’t believe." 2 Cor. 4:4, NLT. That blindness is Adamic; it afflicts all Mankind.
The cure for this affliction is faith hidden in the mystery of the gospel revealed. When the gospel is revealed to men and women, faith enters the afflicted heart delivering its cure. Where the light of the gospel enters, darkness is driven from the human heart and mind. That is God's great gift to us - faith that comes from the gospel becomes our lifeline to salvation. And all Mankind needs salvation from what afflicts us - sin.
Nevertheless, Mankind persists in clinging to sin. Though it kills us, we love our sin. Whether it be clinging to the bottle or the syringe or "dirty" magazine or videos, or other vices, we cling to them. Why? Because we have been deceived into believing the lie that there is pleasure in them. And yes, there can be temporary "pleasures of sin for a season". Heb. 12:25. Yet sin always carries its hidden hook within pleasure to ensnare us into exchanging that pleasure for a lifetime of pain.
Truly, Satan comes as an angel of light. 2 Cor. 11:14. But those pleasures offered to us by sin are nothing when compared to those glories that await us. Listen to what Paul the Apostle says, "For I give counsel that the sufferings of this time are not comparable to the glory which is going to be revealed in us." Rom. 8:18, Aramaic Bible in Plain English. Like a loving father, God desires to preserve us from a lifetime of pain. Can you blame Him?
We can see the effects of sin all around us. Our technological improvements have deceived us into believing that we can sin without consequence. But sin remains. As do the consequences of sin. We cannot escape the grip of sin unless we cling to the lifeline of deliverance provided to us - faith in the mysterious and glorious gospel. Now, I can hear the Apostle Paul's great message to preachers:
how will people call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher (messenger)? And how will they preach unless they are commissioned and sent [for that purpose]? Just as it is written and forever remains written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!” Rom. 10:14, 15, Amplied Bible.
Faith comes when people hear (and understand) the gospel message. For that to happen, that gospel must be preached by an anointed preacher who knows what the gospel is. To preach the gospel, one must be sent and commissioned with an understanding of what the gospel is. That is what we lack - clarity in understanding the gospel. But for that clarity to come, we need the gospel to be revealed where it has been concealed.
To unravel the mystery of the gospel, we must let the Scriptures and Holy Spirit be our guide into all truth...and grace. Yes, grace. Without grace, we cannot understand the mystery of the gospel. Hence, what Jesus brought - grace and truth. When truth and grace are combined in the hearts and minds of men and women, a powerful and supernatural reaction is unleashed. Revelation is the result. From enlightened minds filled with revelation, we can unravel the mystery of the gospel.
What we learn as we study the gospel is the sevenfold mystery of the gospel message. Yes, the gospel has seven distinct facets which must be understood to enter into its fullness. But understanding those seven facets of the gospel is not enough. No, our gospel of words must move into a gospel of power. The gospel must be preached - and demonstrated - for a full understanding of its saving message to ruminate in the hearts and minds of men and women.
An intellectual gospel will not save. An academic gospel will not heal. Having a high IQ will not deliver us from the wages of sin - death. From the moment we are born, we begin earning wages through our work. So many believe the lie that we are born to die. Death isn't our end. Jesus died. Nevertheless, he lives. We, too, may die, but we are born to live. That's what Jesus revealed. As Scripture teaches,
He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The LORD has spoken! Is. 25:8, NLT.
The gospel is the lens through which we gain access into God's mind for Mankind. There, death is defeated. There, health is restored. There, we are consumed by life. There, justice is demonstrated. There, the curtain is pulled back. We see God. We see our adversary. When this happens, and it will, then, we exclaim in reference to our adversary, "Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble?" Is. 14:16, NLT.
Yes, there is power in the gospel. Yes, the gospel is a mystery waiting to be revealed. Yes, the gospel, when revealed, releases all of Mankind's needs...and more. Yes, what we need today is a revelation of the gospel. We need the mystery of the gospel unraveled. We need the gospel preached. We need gospel preachers filled with Holy Ghost power. That is the great need in our world today. Men and women who can walk the gospel walk, not just talk the gospel talk.
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