I have just a few things to say today about the word 'Gospel' and what it means

I have just a few things to say today about the word 'Gospel' and what it means. I also have a few things to say about what it does NOT mean. The Greek word for 'Gospel' is 'Euaggelion,' and it simply means "good news." That's right, GOOD NEWS! What the word does NOT mean is "BAD NEWS." Okay, so what's my point? My point is that a whole lot of 'Christian' ministers today have made the Gospel of Jesus Christ into bad news. For instance, the widely embraced mindset of "sinners saved by grace" is REALLY BAD NEWS! If the grace of God leaves us sinners after we've received it, then that is really bad news for us as believers, plain and simple. That is what the majority of Christianity today believes, whether it is confessed overtly in doctrine, or just accepted as natural fact. But the GOOD NEWS is that it is a lie, and one is NOT any longer a sinner when they are born again by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The scripture plainly declares that "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (II Cor. 5:17). Make no mistake my friend, that is talking about having the OLD nature of sin that we were born with remitted from our being, and being replaced by the NEW "divine nature" when we are truly born AGAIN (I Cor. 6:9-11; II Pet. 1:3,4). I may note here that the new birth experience is the baptism of the holy Ghost with the sign of speaking in other tongues which puts us into the one body of Christ, which is to say in Christ; as the above quoted verse confirms is the new birth (I Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27; Acts 2:4). I have to tell you, it is REALLY good news to know we can have the heavy yoke of sin lifted from us and have the light yoke of the righteousness of God put on us (Mat. 11:28,29; Acts 3:19; Rom. 14:17). And it's really strange how you never hear the following passage taught along with the modern so called 'grace' doctrine: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Tit. 2:11,12). Looks to me that the modern 'grace' preachers are leaving out what the Bible actually says about the grace of God. They have simply made it a 'bad news' Gospel by telling people that they can't truly and literally escape the inward nature of sin that they were born with. I've heard it over and over again through the years: "We were ALL born in sin." OF COURSE we were all born in sin! That is why Jesus came and suffered and died for our sins, and rose again for us to be BORN AGAIN OUT OF SIN! THAT'S the good news people.

We also have many who profess faith in Christ today that do not believe in miracle healing and literal deliverance from demon oppression. The popular methodology of omitting these mainstays of the Gospel is that "it's just God's will for us to endure these things." Or that "God is teaching us a lesson" through our infirmities and oppression. And even stuff like "it's just my cross to bear," and other such adopted doctrines of unbelief. Friend, if we have to keep physical infirmities and spiritual oppression, then that is really BAD news! But the good news is that it is a lie and we do NOT have to keep physical afflictions and spiritual oppression. Peter made it clear that Jesus paid the whole price for our literal deliverance from sin, as well as our healing from all infirmities: "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes YE WERE HEALED" (I Pet. 2:24). People today think that things like "anxiety attacks" are just something that we have to live with and get through. Come on now, let's call it what it is, and it is DEMON OPPRESSION! The scripture clearly says the following about Jesus and his earthly ministry: "who [Jesus] went about doing GOOD, and healing ALL that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him" (Acts 10:38). But let's don't stop there. Jesus told us the following himself: "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (Jn. 14:12,13). Notice that Jesus didn't say that those who believe on him would do LESSER works than he did, but rather that they would do GREATER works than he did because he went to the Father. He also stipulated no limit on what we could ask for, but said "WHATSOEVER" we ask would be done for us. I'm sorry my friend if you're squirming to find some way out there, becasue there simply IS no way out. If we aren't doing the works that Jesus did, then we simply need MORE FAITH in Jesus, not flimsy sayings that excuse our unbelief. If that isn't enough then let's tack this one on for good measure: "Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). Now who is it that we say we're believing in? And to cap off the irrefutable truth of the matter, we have Jesus again telling us what would be the mark of a true believer in him: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mk. 16:17,18). I don't know about you, but that sounds like really good news to me. Amen.