Preaching The Gospel of CHRIST

Early Christians used the Fish <")))>< IXTHYS as a symbol of the basic gospel. Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Some still use it today. [It's an acrostic.]

Peter writes in the context of assuring Christians of the hope we have, and of the dangers which face the church.

"And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;" 2 Peter 1:19 (NKJV)

The false teachers may not be who we think. We are in a battle for truth with evil. Peter warns that some will "deny the Lord who bought them." The devil first attacks the Holy Spirit and then denies that the Lord Jesus actually came in the flesh (see 1John 4:1-4).

Some said Jesus only seemed to be human, and that He did not actually raise from death (1Cor. 15:12-20). A "rising from the dead" certainly proves the human side of Jesus who experienced life from our point of view (Phil. 2:5-9).

But He did not cease to be God even though He "lowered Himself" in order to die for us (Hebrews 2:5-9,10,14,16).

Christ Jesus in the flesh "tasted death for every man."

"In the Incarnation, God the Eternal Word did not come in appearance only. He truly took flesh & blood from Mary the Virgin, who was the "mother" through whom God came into the world. He became the same as we are, so that He could truly enter death and bring us salvation. Christ destroyed the devil's power by using the devil's strongest weapon - death itself. Hebrews 9:14-15." (Wallerstedt)

John emphasizes that Jesus came with the water [of His baptism] and the blood [of His death]. See 1 John 5:6. "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." (NKJV)

Rob Lacey understood this:
"Jesus the Messiah - two lasting images.
Soaking wet at His baptism (by John),
caked in blood at His execution (on the cross).
But He didn't stop short at the water.
NO, HE went through with the water AND the blood.
And God's SPIRIT backs it all up with HIS INTEGRITY!
Three pieces of evidence: the water, the blood
and the account of God's SPIRIT -
and they all add up to the same thing - TRUTH."

1 John 4:1-4

Here's how you test for the genuine
Holy Spirit of God.
Everyone who confesses openly his faith
in Jesus Christ—the Son of God,
who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person,
who entered time and space to save us—
comes from God and belongs to God.
And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus
has nothing in common with God.
My dear children, you come from God
and belong to God.
You have already won a big victory
over those false teachers,
for The Holy Spirit in you is far stronger
than anything in the world.


This Is My Bible

This is my Bible - my Light and my Guide.
It points me to JESUS the Savior of the world.
It tells me of God's great Love for me,
and spells out the many Promises of Hope
and how He puts people right with Himself
through the kind of Faith that Abraham had.
God's Word is truth and refreshing water to my soul.
Thank You God for teaching me to seek You
in all that I do and say.
I trust You today and choose
to commit my every decision to You so that
I can grow strong like the tree planted by
the water. In Jesus' name, Amen.