“I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE!”
The work necessary for man’s deliverance from his position in the slave market of sin is strictly the Plan of God, WHICH CENTERS AROUND AND THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST. JOHN 3:15-18, 36; ACTS 16:31; ROMANS 5:8.
Apart from accepting Christ as one’s personal Savior, man can do nothing to save himself! Jesus Christ is the only way to BE SAVED FROM GOD’S WRATH … THE ONLY WAY TO ENTER THE KINGDOM! (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
Here is the simplicity of God’s Grace-Plan for the unbeliever (lost humanity): The CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST. Here is the simplicity of God’s Grace Plan for the BELIEVER in time: How to live the christian life, or, THE FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (John 14:26; Ephesians 5:18; 1 John 1:7-9).
GOD’S PLAN IS REVEALED BY GOD TO MAN THROUGH GOD’S WORD, by God the Holy Spirit! So where does mankind go to know God’s Plan? Where does mankind go to find God? The answer is GOD’S WORD — THE HOLY BIBLE. Therefore, Christian Churches across America must preach the Word. Churches must evangelize, and the individual believer must witness by example and/or by word of mouth.
Churches across America must not only evangelize the unbeliever, but educate believers in the Truths (principles and categories) of God’s Word, “rightly dividing the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12). GOD HONORS HIS WORD.
The MEAT of God’s Word is the single most important aspect for the transformation of the believer’s human viewpoint (worldly view) to Divine Viewpoint (God’s view) — “maturity in Christ” (1 Peter 2: 1-5, 9, 10). “Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ (salvation), let us press on to maturity, not laying again (over and over) a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.”
PREACHING the Word is for evangelism and exhortation. Preaching impassions, and is necessary for conversion and motivation.
TEACHING, on the other hand, is for edification, transformation, renewing and conformity. TEACHING the ‘meat’ of the Word (as opposed to the ‘milk’ of preaching/evangelizing) matures the believer.
APPLYING God’s Word matures the believer when Bible Doctrine is memorized, processed through contemplation and meditation, and stored in the believer’s soul and spirit. Then, when needed, the stored-and-processed truths (doctrines) are exhaled in application, testimony, and witness, and the community is blessed.
When each community is blessed, our nation is blessed. When our Nation is blessed, the earth is blessed and God is Glorified on Earth as He is in Heaven. Amen and Amen! This is the express meaning in Matthew 5:13-16 and 2 Corinthians 2:14-15; 3:1-3; 4:13-16.
The individual believer and the church as a whole are the the salt (preservative) of the earth. This preservation begins in our local churches with the leadership, but especially the PASTOR. The Pastor has a tremendous responsibility to teach the meat of God’s Word to the congregation, per God’s own commandment for him to do so, and for the baby believer to grow up, stop suckling milk, and start digesting meat. NO MEAT, NO GROWTH.
Each believer must, daily, pray for the Pastor of their Church. DO YOU?
God’s Word is the foundation of Liberty (freedom). God blesses the local church that glorifies Him (and not themselves). God blesses the local community where His Word is honored and applied by the believers in each church and each community. From this embryo God blesses America, and every other country where the Word is taught … where the meat is taught.
As born-again Christians, we must understand that we must put God first so He can bless us through His Son by His Holy Spirit. God must be our centrality! If Christians do not honor God as the most important person in their lives, who will?
“The household of God (the local church body) is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15 — See also Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 2:19).
The local church must get back to teaching God’s Truths systematically, so the body of Christ (individual believer) can grow to maturity. Then, the believer must live these Truths and apply these Truths to everyday life by living these Truths in their community and world.
The believer illuminated by the Light of Scripture attracts the unbeliever, so that the world of unbelievers will want to leave the darkness and come to the light. (John 1:5, 7, 9; John 3: 19; 8:12 12:36; Acts 13:47; 26:18, 23; Romans 2:19; 13:12;2 Corinthians 4:4, 6; Ephesians 5: 7-14; Philippians 2:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 21:24). Please, look up all Scripture references and read them from your Bible. This is but one crucial step in your peaceful, daily walk with the Lord.
Just as physical light shined at creation, so spiritual light shines in the hearts of those who become new creations in Christ Jesus … so let your light (living testimony) shine to all those in your periphery. Because the light of the glorious gospel is in you, you must let it shine out from you. This is why we are left on earth after salvation — to shine in a world of darkness. Not by bragging and uppity-ness, not by attitude, but by humility, not by judging, but by compassion.
All ‘holier than thou’ attitudes must cease. All judgment of others must cease (both inside and outside the church). The church should welcome ALL, as our Lord did (just look who He hung out with).
Consider this: A few believers (the Apostles and Disciples), in the first century “turned the world upside down” )Acts 17:6)! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is still “the power of God” (Romans 1:16), and always will be, therefore God’s Word in the believer, functioning under the power of the Holy Spirit, is the basis for winning souls and preserving any National Entity. More than ever before in our history the Local Church must evangelize and TEACH THE WORD OF TRUTH SYSTEMATICALLY! Nothing else will do.
Hearing ‘hell-fire and damnation’ every Sunday helps no one.
Believer’s need Biblical Education from the Pulpit and “Bible Study Class” — “feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17). The word feed in this verse means to nourish and shepherd (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). The unbeliever is looking for a teaching church. The believer is searching for a teaching church.
The Light of Scripture is designed by God to attract mankind to His Glorious Light, which comes to mankind through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit in the world and in the believer. Our country needs God, therefore Biblical education is an imperative through the local church … in every community in America. (Ephesians 4:12-13: 20-21).
God has always blessed America but He will not tarry with us for long. We, as a nation on the edge of destruction, need Him now, more than ever. “As goes the believer, so goes the nation.” The very future and soul of this nation rides on YOU, believer.
Study and apply the Word. Be a light in the world, not a spiteful, hateful, judgmental pseudo-Christian. The Lord is counting on you; the nation is counting on you.
Shine for Him.
Amen.