The ‘Gospel’ is the proclamation of ‘Good Tidings’ it is the equivalent of the Greek word ‘Evangelion’ in English ‘Evangel’. ‘Evangelion’ originally denoted a reward given to anyone bringing good tidings, later, the idea of reward dropped out, and the word stood for just ‘good news.’ In the New Testament it denotes the good tidings of the kingdom of God and of salvation through Christ, to be received by faith, on the basis of His expiatory death, His burial, resurrection and ascension. The word Gospel has taken pre-eminence over ‘Evangel’ and means ‘Glad tidings’ of the kingdom of God preached by Christ, it is also said to be the doctrine of Christ and His apostles, finally: The Gospel is the story of the life and person of the Lord Jesus-Christ.

I have quoted, previously, some statements that Jesus-Christ made in the synagogue in Nazareth when He read from the prophecy of Isaiah “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” It is interesting to note how often prophesies from the Old Testament, stated by various prophets, have been fulfilled in Jesus-Christ, before His birth and after it, and right into eternity! The apostles of the Lord, in their writings often quoted fulfilled prophecies. The Gospel is really the life of Christ and all about Him is ‘Good News.’ From His miraculous birth, right to His ascension into heaven, there would be no Gospel without Him. The Good News, by excellence is that Jesus-Christ is alive. Many religions are based on the thoughts and teachings of men now dead; Christianity is the only one whose founder is alive! Hence, it is a living faith!

The life of Christ reveals a four-point mission, foretold centuries before He actually came to live on earth. Statements He made are not given as a help for social rejects or political victims, as some confused activists in the pulpits have stated, although it helps men of all social standing; the mission of Christ was and is purely spiritual, the freedom that He offers is for men labouring under the yoke of the devil, and the salvation from the destruction that awaits the world and every sinner that has not been freed from his slavery to the devil by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Good News is the proclamation of the Lord’s favour, it is the invitation God is giving to men that are longing to be delivered from the bondage of their soul, none other than His elects. None are as blind as those that cannot see their dismal spiritual situation in a world outside of Christ. People are blinded by Satan who does not want them to see the Lord. ‘If Jesus stood in front of a mirror, you would not see Him, you would see God’. The Bible states, and I quote: “By setting forth the truth plainly, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age (the devil) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God…For God, who said, ‘let the light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:1-6.) I like to explain this truth with the following: ‘If Jesus stood in front of a mirror, you would not see Him, you would see God’. 

The New Testament is divided into three part, firstly, the four Gospels, Matthew, Marc, Luke and John, they record the life and teachings of Jesus-Christ. In His High Priestly prayer Jesus says to God His Father: ‘I have given them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you and they believed that you sent me’ (John 17:8.) Secondly, the Epistles which are the records of the teachings of the apostles, which unlike those of the Gospels, apply purely instructions to Christians, people that have believed in Christ as their Lord and Saviour. In the prayer I quoted, Jesus makes a clear distinction between the believers and the unbelievers saying: “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word…I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, for they are yours.” (John 17:6-9) The epistles are written to those people. Lastly: The book of Revelation, called also the ‘Apocalypses’, which is what it says it is, a revelation of the end times! In those days God will bring cataclysmic judgements on the world of unbelievers, and after destroying this planet which disappears like a shooting star, He creates a New Heaven and a New Earth, wherein dwells righteousness. 

In the few passages quoted above we realise that this Good News, this glorious mission of bringing the truth into light, this proclamation that Christ is making in the synagogues and the country side, of Galilee, is finally called the GOSPEL. It has to do with one man, Jesus-Christ of Nazareth, and all that He came into the world to fulfil the plan of God, His Father, with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Finally, by His death on the CROSS, He defeated Satan and spoiled his goods, disarmed sin of all its power and by His death destroyed the power of death. On the third God raised Him from the dead, by which He destroyed the last enemy: death! It is written: “Where O death is your victory? Where O death is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory though our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57) Man becomes a Christian only when he lets Christ save him and lets Jesus flood his being with the life that rose from the grave.

Before Jesus-Christ ever came to live amongst men, He knew that not everybody would listen to Him and fall at his feet in repentance, but He knew that some would, and it is for that reason that He came, He came to save those that would believe in Him according to the will of God. He says: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me that I shall lose none of all that He has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him at the last day.” (John 6:37-40)

One can sense from this quotation that in the mind of Christ there is no doubt whatsoever that God’s will, shall be done. This strong assurance energises everything that Jesus says, by the touch of the Holy Spirit, these words are so alive that they electrify every man that belongs to Him!  If men doubt Him so often, there is not a hint of doubt in the heart of the Son of God, this assurance drove Him powerfully from the Nazareth’s synagogue to His death on the CROSS, for He knew, beyond the shadow of doubt that all those the Father gave Him will come to Him and that He will raise them at the last day. Christian, let the words of Christ settle your heart forever, for when the book of life shall be opened at the last day, your name will be called out! Since this book of life is sealed, it is sealed because the names of all those that the Father gave to Jesus are saved already, In His economy! That is a fact! “They will come to me, and I shall raise them at the last day.”

From the verses quoted above, Jesus explains clearly the purpose of His coming to earth, and they are not the only ones, because Jesus speaks of the purpose of His coming continually.  In John’s Gospel chapter ten we read that Jesus came, ~ to call His sheep by name, to gather His sheep and lead them. ~ He is the only one who really cares for them and He is the gate by which they would enter into this new life, saying whoever goes through Him is saved and is safe because He is the protector of His sheepfold. ~ He says also ‘I have come that they might have abundant life. His life, victorious abundant and Eternal~ is God’s gift. ‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! (Romans 6: 23)

He is the good shepherd, He is not like a hireling that runs away at the first sight of the wolf, they are not his so he does not care for them, Jesus says that He will actually fight and defend his sheep. We learn by His words that His mission was to save all those that the Father gave to Him, and so the greatest battle in history was fought on the CROSS. During the few hours that Jesus hung on the CROSS the devil threw at Him all he could but failed and so, having gone through all the terrible sufferings to save His sheep, He will now defend them, and no-one, not even all the demons in hell can harm the smallest saint, for he is redeemed by His precious blood! That is really Good News!

In the same Gospel chapter six Jesus was very open as to who He was and said it plainly. On one occasion He fed miraculously five thousand men with five barley loaves and two small fishes. There was amongst that crowd a little boy that had them, most probably in his shopping bag or lunch box? Having blessed the loaves and the fish that the boy gave, his disciples started to distribute it to all those that were sitting on the grass, out of so little they ate as much as they wanted; this is visibly God at work. The bread, the fish multiplied in His hands until all were fed, including the women and the children. Can you imagine the effect upon them?  They wanted to make Jesus King as stated in the following verses: “After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say: ‘Surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world.’ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make Him King by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.” (John 6: 14-15.) 

How many men would do what Jesus did, leaders of men, especially politicians seek to convince the majority of how good they are, when they think that they convinced them, they hope that their vote is guaranteed? Yet Jesus, seeing that He could become king withdrew himself away from the crowd, to have a walk on the sea. Jesus was born to be King but not by man’s politics, He will be exalted as such by God in His own way and in His time! Jesus had nothing to do neither with politics nor with the will of the people; to gain power in such a fashion is the way of the world; He came into the world to do His Father’s will, but not that of a fickle and moody people, for a little while later took up stones to Kill Him! 

Because He obeyed God’s will He is King today over His Church, but He is coming again to this earth to take up His throne, on that day the government of the world will be upon His shoulder: just as it is written: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He (Jesus) will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing it and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-9.)

Meanwhile, it appears that the news of the miracle spread quickly so much so, that when Jesus and the disciples left for Capernaum, boats had reached the place where this huge crowd had been fed by the Lord. They came too late, but they did not leave it there; they inquired and discovered where Jesus went and took immediately to their boats and crossed the Sea of Galilee, they found Jesus where He was with His disciples. “When they found Him on the other side of the lake, they asked Him: ‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’ Jesus replied: “: I tell you the truth you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.” (John 6:25-27) Jesus could look right through men and see their heart, and He knows yours also! 

Man has a constant habit of seeking to use God for his own end. Right through the Bible we find that infirmity of soul; He sees the selfishness of men turning everything to suit their carnal appetite. They would not even mind to believe in God, as long as He did what they wanted; their heart was inspired by greed and they tried to exploit the power of Christ to their own ends. So, the Gospel introduces Jesus, as God in the flesh, destined to be King Eternal, not over an earthly kingdom, but a spiritual one and one that will never end. In His sovereignty he tells the people: “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life.” It was a call to look at life in a completely different way, God’s way, in which the emphasis is always on the spiritual need of mankind, to encourage them to seek the food for the soul. 

The body is temporary, and everything on earth lasts only for a while, the world itself will burn up one day, but the soul is eternal and man can save himself from hell by yielding his will and heart to Jesus-Christ. As I have mentioned in the chapters one and two, life on earth is short but eternity is forever, and once the soul leaves the body it lives in a different dimension, forever. Jesus says even to you today: “Stop your natural bias to monopolise your whole outlook, stop wanting the food that spoils, which lasts for a while, and work for spiritual food, food for the soul that endures to eternal life! That food is His word, food for the soul, capable to save it! Do you want to work for the ‘now’ or do you also want to work for the hereafter as well, and gain eternal life? So, to this statement of Christ, they asked: “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

To this Jesus replied: “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” That is the whole difference between the Old Covenant and The New. In the Old it was all up to what one should do to obey God who gave the Ten Commandments, and those who would fulfil them, to the letter, would live by them forever. In other words, it was left to them to work it all out, but as we have seen already, no-one is capable to this day to fulfil the rigid demands of the Law, so that all have sinned by disobeying them and lost the way, lost forever! So, by the Gospel God offers the New Covenant which is not what man should do but and could not, to save him Jesus came to do what he could not; through His death He destroyed the power of sin of death and of the devil, to set men free to share, by faith in Him, His total victory and by His risen power live a New Life  

Thus, the benefits of the New Covenant begin with faith as against works. Jesus says: “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” In other words, you have to believe in Jesus to receive eternal life freely, which proved to be impossible by a strict adherence to the Law, The Ten Commandments. This people saw that Jesus was somebody very special, and so they asked Him: “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe in you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat”.(John 6: 18-30.) We can gather from these words that these men were still interested in their natural life, for they had no idea of any other. Jesus was talking another language, one that they could not understand, my words said Jesus: “are Spirit and they are life. 6:23. This is the big problem in Christianity today, Christians have no understanding of the spiritual language, they have humanised Jesus-Christ to such a degree, that His teaching has lost its true meaning, they miss completely what Jesus says and because of it, the mission, the true mission, of the Church is lost. For men to understand what the Bible teaches they need a radical change of heart, this they cannot do but Jesus can, by the new birth, men must be born again of the Holy Spirit to appreciate what the Gospel is and what it can do!

Jesus was keen to tell them that what He was declaring publicly about the Gospel, which unveils His true nature and God’s way of salvation, will only be received and understood by those who God the Father calls to follow Jesus. I feel that what is important for Christians, in this generation, is to realise that not all who hear the Gospel can be saved. Our duty is to proclaim the Gospel to all everywhere a sundry, but the saving of a listener belongs to God and to His grace. Jesus said: “All that the father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away...No-one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him at the last day” (John 6:37 & 44.) In reply to their question about the ‘Manna from heaven’: which Moses gave to their forefathers, He said! “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the true bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. The fact that Jesus knew man’s heart is often a challenge to grasp that, although Jesus knew that they would not understand at all what He was saying to them, and although He knew how violently they would react to His statements, He went ahead regardless and said it. Why did Jesus do that? This is symbolic language say some, people do not understand it, you must talk a language that they understand, therefore the Church does not speak the same language as did her Master and Lord, it does not matter how men receive the truth the importance is that God’s will is that they hear it, some will believe it and others will not, it is a fact that no-one can change! Jesus did it, because he knew that in God’s day, some people would understand what He meant and believe in Him, just as people do today. True faith is a gift from God, how people receive it is through the preaching of the Gospel, God works when He wants, according to an eternal plan, just as He wills.

After His death, Jesus commissioned His disciple to go and preach the Gospel to everybody, everywhere. Although some will be saved and others will not, it still is God’s will that all hear the Gospel! Those that God has chosen will hear the Gospel and they will be saved. It is only by the preaching of The Gospel that faith is created in the heart and it is through God’s word that the Holy Spirit leads such people to Christ. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ (the Gospel)” (Romans 10:17.)  God chose to save some people long before the world, as we know it, was created and Jesus said that they will come to Him, and that He will not send them away! Writing to Christians in Ephesus, the apostle Paul reminds them the things he taught them at first, and says: “For he (God) chose us in Him (Christ) before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight…In Him (Jesus) we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of God who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.” (Ephesians 1:4 and 11)

The glorious salvation as revealed by the preaching of the Gospel shows that it is purely and totally the work of God. God speaks clearly, so clearly that children can understand it; but men make such a mess of it which shows how impossible it is for them to grasp the ABC of spiritual truths. The saving of a soul is the greatest of all miracles; it start with the new birth, which is a new creation, only God can create and He always does it by His word. A Christian is a walking miracle and if it were not for God continuing His work in Him, no Christian would ever make it to the end. “I am confident of this thatHe (the Holy Spirit) who began a good work in you will carry on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6.) On that Day the Holy Spirit will present to Christ a pure perfect Church, His work will have been done!

When Jesus spoke with Nicodemus, a prominent man among the Jewish ruling Council, he said to Him: “I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Puzzled by this statement, Nicodemus replied, “How can a man when he is old be born again?” But Jesus was not speaking of the normal birth but of a spiritual birth, and replied to Him: “I tell you the truth, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) gives birth to spirit.” (John 3:1-7.) That is how God begins and Paul says: (Philippians 1:6.) So, a person is not saved by a human decision, but each one is born by divine decree, and becomes an eternal being.  

The eternal life begins with the birth a new spirit, it is created and man become body soul and spirit! As said ‘but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’ This life is to be lived down here and now, it pulsates in the human heart and by the Holy Spirit it keeps man conscious of God and enables him to communicate with him, who has become his heavenly Father and Jesus Christ his Saviour. This glorious life is being fed and nourished by eating: “the living bread that came down from Heaven”which is the living word of God, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4.) Are you so hungry that every word uttered by God is like honey to your taste? Blessed are you indeed, by it God will guide you through your life and sustain you even until the day you inherit a new body, which will be like Christ’s glorified body, in that body life eternal will be lived to the full!

I would like to go on and continue with other important aspects of the mission of Christ and the reason He came down from heaven, but I cannot do so, I must go on because I am compelled to complete this whole teaching which is so vital to those who believe in Christ, and to those who will not believe in Him. Therefore, Jesus continues and says to these Jews, that ate of the miraculous bread: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry, and He who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.” Jesus is talking about the complete satisfaction that will experience all those that come to Him and believe in Him. 

Being hungry, being thirsty, are terrible experiences, but they fit also the soul, always hungering for more, always seeking more, these are truly the signs of a fallen nature inspired by covetousness. It is a fact that the more people have the more they want. What about thirst? The craving desires for satisfaction! Seeking it in people, or in love, in various experiences, but eventually they find that after having tried all the pleasures life can afford, the soul is still thirsty. Why? Because man was made for God and without Him, life has no meaning, no fulfilment, something is always missing but it is not something the soul longs for, it is Him, yes Jesus alone can fill the space made for Him. It is He alone that satisfies the hunger of the soul by giving it of the bread that came down from heaven, which is the living Word of God, just as he said it: “I am the truth” (John 14:6.). It is He alone that can quench the thirst of the soul by giving us of His water to drink, which is the Holy-Spirit, God coming into man. This is indeed what Jesus was saying to the people that He fed; He was trying to reveal to them, that what He offers is spiritual and not carnal, He gives to the spirit of man spiritual food, spiritual water!! That is what the Gospel teaches. God sent Jesus because we badly need Him!

Once the life is filled with Christ, God the Father becomes a reality, once a person finds the truth about itself, and sees the truth change its heart and soul, it has found the answer and will never seek it elsewhere. What price would men pay for true and deep satisfaction? It is the lack of these that create the unbalanced society in the world at the present time. Today’s people are prepared to lose their lives, to walk hundreds of miles and cross the sea on boats or ships that are not sea worthy, why? Because they have been told that in the western countries, they will find this better life, poor and oppressed they seek at all cost to reach Europe. It is a fact that what people are seeking this side of the Atlantic, they seek to find it also in the U.S.A. When they reach this supposed promised Land they discover that to get what they were promised they have to work hard just like every other citizen. But true satisfaction of the real life is not found in Europe or the U.S.A. or anywhere else. The miseries of an affluent society are more numerous than those of all other peoples. True satisfaction is only found in God’s gift to the whole world, none other than Jesus-Christ His Unique Son! 

But spiritually, this will not happen to those who, seeking this better life will not find it, unless they turn to Jesus with all their heart; all that is needed to cross over from death to life is faith, the faith, which God grants to those that repent from their sins. When Jesus said to the people that He fed miraculously: “But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.” Out of that huge crowd of people some did believe in Him,

So, the refusal that He found in some of them was not general. That is why He came, because He knew that millions of people, from Israel and the Gentile nations would believe and follow Him. This is what Jesus: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. “All the verses I quote, are from John 6:16-59.) Jesus came to save those that have been given to Him by His Father before the world was made. Jesus knew who His disciples were, so, at the right time He found them and called them to follow Him; just as He knows all those that are His, this is why He says: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me ~ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father~ and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. These are those that would believe in Him from the Gentiles nations. They too will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life ~ only to take it up again.” (John 10:14-17.) The Son of God did not speak just for the sake of it, the preached the Gospel knowing those sheep that will hear the call and follow Him!

Jesus came into the world to die on the cross, His death alone could atone for the sins of His people, but having preached to them the Gospel He also had to die and lay down His life, without his sacrificial death not one could ever be saved. Jesus laid down His life of his own free will, thus He fulfilled the Father’s will and opened a way to freedom from sin, Satan and death. He bore our sins and to save every believer He paid the ultimate price by giving His life for the love of His sheep! God accepted His sacrifice in raising Him from the dead. So, until the present, a living Saviour, from heaven calls people to follow Him, the Holy-Spirit, whom He sent to this world, will gather all the believers into one sheepfold of which He is the only shepherd. 

No Pope nor any other man on earth can call himself the Vicar of Christ; He has only one vicar and that is the Holy-Spirit. He represents Jesus as the Messiah and Saviour to every nations of the world. The Holy Spirit applies the will of God and raises to a new life all those that Christ’s redeemed for Himself and owns them and represent them in the presence of God. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts His people of their sins, His mission is to call them to repentance, it is by His power that they are born again, it is He that prepares the Church for the return of Christ, His work on earth will end when He will present the bride to the bridegroom, to be with Him in the Father’s house, forever! 

Jesus spoke highly of the Holy-Spirit, before His passion He said to his disciples, that He would send Him from heaven to take His place as a comforter to His disciples until the end. “For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me that I shall lose none of all that He has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise Him at the last day.” In His high-priestly prayer, as recorded in the Gospel of John chapter 17 settles forever the special relationship that Christians enjoy with their Saviour; “Father, I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.” The sole difference between a believer and an unbeliever is obedience to the Word of God, obedience is faith, faith in Who? Jesus is all that He says He is! 

Therefore it is important for you to hear the truth that comes from the lips of our Saviour. I would go as far as to state that it is a deadly mistake not to take the doctrines of Christ seriously, as it is done by the majority of people today. Most churches are satisfied to adhere to a certain kind of morality and ethics; they support a lot of charitable societies, and respect human life. All this is good to have and do, but it is a terrible error to believe that these good works will get them into heaven. What they do is simply the duty of every human being! Christian or not. Christ alone and faith in Him guaranties eternal life to every believer, to those that believe on Him. Eternal life cannot be earned, it is a free gift, God gives it to those who humble themselves before God and receive it by surrendering their lives to the rule of Christ. There must be that commitment of one’s whole life, and then what one does one does it to the glory of his Saviour. Such a person does not have to do good works to earn something that has been given him or her. I have found that the only good thing one can get from modern Christianity are the studies, sermons and teachings, that it has inherited from past generations, when doctrine mattered, in the spreading of which, Great Britain, led the way in the world, taking the Gospel to every nation. In those days, to every believer Christ was what He is in the Bible, the Only Way, the Only Truth and the Only giver of Eternal Life. If you are prepared to do without Him, it is all up to you, but according to His teaching hell is a real place and that is where you will end up if you refuse Him! 

It is not easy to say it of the calf, so to speak, but it has to be said, because that is what the Gospel teaches! “The sea gave up the dead that where in it, and death and hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:13-15.) Long ago God closed the book, Christ alone is worthy to open it, and he will do so at the last day! And only, those that are written in it will live with Him forever!

What Jesus said to the crowd that listened to him, on that eventful occasion as recorded in John 6, reveals clearly the purpose of His coming into the world. His one concern was to do the will of His Father. His Father’s will, was to keep safe all those that He gave to Him. He started with the call of few disciples, Peter, Andrew, John and James the two sons of Zebedee, and as the days went by, the numbers grew, until he gathered few hundred men and women that believed in Him and became attached to Him. The crowds always followed Jesus for selfish reasons, and as always with crowds, this one too changed suddenly, so drastically as to want to stone Him; one can never follow the crowd.  It is dangerous to follow majority! The disciples I mentioned were the first from among the people, given to Him, a special people, they were the nucleus of a multitude that would believe in Christ right up to this very day, for them He said: “And this is the will of Him who sent me that I shall lose none of all that He has given me,”

The true Church are not all that call themselves Christians, the true Church is made up of those that Christ calls individually, according to the will of God the Father, they respond to Him, they are members of Christ’s Church, He alone knows those that are truly His people that He has sanctified, and set aside for Himself! God took the initiative for their salvation, not one could ever seek Him, it is impossible, it is not in the human nature to seek after God; man would not even know how to begin ‘to seek God’. Abraham, in Ur of the Chaldees, was an idolater, but it did not stop God calling Him, Abraham heard His call and believed. This is why Jesus came, just as He says: “For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10. KJV.) 

This seeking and saving is not measured by time, and is not due to some merit of those he calls, but it is an act born out of pure love, which inspired God’s grace. As I love to say, Grace is God love in action. Jesus was told the following before He left His home in glory: “My Father’s will is that every one that looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him at the last day.” ~ Such words thrill me right inside! I cannot thank God enough that I am one amongst so many, that belongs to Him! The feeling that permeates every day of my life is pure delight and I shall have eternity, to share it with all those that are His. 

The truth that Jesus describes so faithfully provoked the people that heard Him, to grumble. “At this the Jews began to grumble about him because He said: ‘I am the bread that came down from Heaven.’ They said, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, I came down from heaven?” The natural man is at a loss, his mind cannot grasp spiritual truths, to the greatest wise man the enigma of God becoming man, and man being God in the person of Jesus-Christ is unfathomable. His sinful nature rebels naturally against things he cannot know or understand, this one is to deep even to those that believe! 

Jesus came from heaven to preach the Gospel to the poor. He came to proclaim it aloud, in the synagogues, in the homes, in the streets in the country side, and in the temple, He had to proclaim and the give the people the last call, after Him there is nothing left, so whilst you can, do not harden your heart, but respond to His call and be saved. The Gospel is not proclaimed so that scientists could find fault with it, yet men never cease to do it, seeking to discredit it. They do now exactly what the religious rulers did with Jesus-Christ in His day; they went to hear Him to find fault in his words so that they could trip Him up and condemn Him. Eventually, when He told them openly that He was God, they chose the truth He told them about Himself, to send Him to the Cross.

The Gospel was not proclaimed by the Master and His disciples to be ignored as it is done by much of Christendom today. Every religion speaks about their gods; this conflict will never end, to accommodate the various factions which, whilst in the Church, become enemies of the Gospel, in accepting that whatever one believes, one worships the same god! This heresy has polluted Christianity to the point, that even its clergy rarely mentions the name of Jesus-Christ the Son the Living God. They all, seemingly speak, with one accord, about a god, but rarely mention the Christian God, Jesus-Christ, thus proving that He stands outside this devilish lie, and it makes Jesus, who He is: Unique! Now as ever, Jesus alone can bring humble men to God! 

The Name of Jesus offends the devil and his disciples, so let us talk about Him more and more. The reaction of the people to the Gospel, that Jesus preached so powerfully, was mainly hostile. He was dealing with a very hardened people; Israel proved over the centuries of its existence, to be very rebellious to God and merciless to His prophets. Jesus knew very well that the Jewish leaders, with the rulers of the people, hated Him and that they would eventually kill Him! Nevertheless, whatever was their reaction to the truth of His words, it did not deter Him from preaching faithfully the Gospel, which as the apostle Paul said later: “The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone that believes; first for the Jews, then for the Gentiles. For in the Gospel righteousness from God is revealed that is by faith from first to last, just at it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith”(Romans 1:16-17.) The truth that Jesus told them then, is still the greatest truth now, its power is saving men all over the world to this very day. 

At the end of the argument, His Gospel will condemn the majority of men, but, this wonderful grace saves those that believe in Christ, they are those God chose for Himself before the foundation of the world! As one reads the Gospel, especially in the first four books of the New Testament, one realises that the people praised Him whenever He performed a miracle, or fed them miraculously, but much of his teaching fell on rebellious ears, and later the very people that He fed, healed and blest, followed their leaders and  shouted with them: “Crucify Him! Crucify Him”. We do not want this man to rule over us! (Luke 23:20.) Where was the crowd that wanted to make Him King? Men are fickle unstable like the waves of the sea, but Jesus did not come to earth to be popular, He came to call and to save those that He knew would come to Him!

This is exactly what Jesus declared at the time: “No-one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise Him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God,’ (Isaiah 54:13.) Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him, comes to me. No-one has seen the Father except the one who is from God only He has seen the Father.” This man is the son of Joseph and Mary, they said, we know him and His brothers and sisters live amongst us. He is the carpenter from Nazareth, the son of Mary and Joseph, from where comes all His wisdom? How can He say I am the bread that came down from Heaven? 

Here is man’s puny intellect wanting to fathom God’s unlimited wisdom, and however clever a man may be, and there are many clever people, yet he is forever shut to divine truth, unless the light of God shines into his darkened soul. Nothing has changed, two thousand years have passed and Jesus-Christ is still analysed and dissected by human wisdom, they seek for and yet never find the truth. The Bible says that, towards the end of time, learning shall increase and it has, yet men will never find the truth about the truth. Jesus said, as quoted previously: “I am the way, the truth and the life; no-one comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6.) That is still true today; it is all by grace through faith in Christ, who remains the only way to God. If this is hard for you to understand, well, there is more, for Jesus said, to end this portion of His teaching, and I quote: “I tell you the truth. He who believes in me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that cane down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat”? 

This indeed is a mighty revelation. As you read and meditate on this passage of scripture, John 6: from verse 16 right to the end of the chapter, you will see clearly that Jesus took the subject very seriously, and that He had to take it to the end, whatever the cost to Himself, so He continues: “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give you.”From then he goes deeper into the subject that He completes in Capernaum saying: “I tell you the truth, unless you can eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has Eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day, for my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.” One cannot grasp the wonderful meaning of these words unless the Holy Spirit enlightens him, then he can begin to grasp what Jesus is really saying by a language which, humanly speaking is shocking! Indeed, the natural man is lost when faced with the language of the Holy Spirit. True Christians find nothing shocking or out of place, everything that God is saying concerning His love manifested in Jesus Christ is divine food for his soul. 

The life of Christ, his demeanour in His contacts with men, the depth of relationship that he has established with all his disciples, the Gospel He preached openly in the homes of the people, in the country side or the synagogues, followed by His special teachings to His disciples, everything in His lifestyle, was done to reveal the Love of God, His Father and the depth of His holy, righteous and divine character, the beauty of which cannot be truly appreciated by the human mind or his faculties. In the light of these statements, I quote the word of the apostle Paul addressed to born again believers.

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with demonstration of the (Holy) Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on man’s wisdom, but of God’s power. WE do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those that love Him, but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. (Quoted by Paul from Isaiah 64:4) ‘To us’means Christians that have the Holy Spirit, men that have been born again; one does not have to be a priest in whatever Christian confession, to have this special wisdom, as some call it! Jesus said: ‘Except you become like as little children, you will in no wise enter the kingdom of God.’***

The (Holy) Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thought of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no-one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We (His disciples) have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:4-14.)

These words settle completely and forever that The Bible, which is the Word of God, comes from another world and leads to another world. We see clearly the reason why the man without the Spirit, the man of the world, is constantly at war with what God says. The world by its nature will never be any different, those who do appreciate and believe, as stated above, are people who have gone through a conversion, which is the New Birth, without it, it is impossible to grow in grace and in the knowledge of God, it is exactly as Paul says it, ‘We (His disciples) have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

The New Birth is the birthing, in man, of a new spirit, he is a new creation, a divine miracle not seen on the body, but very real to the soul; man becomes a completely different person from then on such a person, born of God, appreciates and understands what it is that God has freely given. Yet this change is not fully known immediately, the Gospel teaches that there is a process of growth, a spiritual development. Years after the apostle Paul founded the Church in Corinth, he writes and mentions it: “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready.” Later on, he mentions of the process of teaching and how men’s ministry differs saying: “So neither he who plants not he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who pants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be revealed according to his own labour. For we are God’s fellow-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:1-11)

Whether the Bible uses the example of a baby that needs milk to grow, or plants that need watering, or even a building which brick by brick rises from the ground until completion, to which various tradesmen were needed to bring it to be exactly as it shown on the plan. So, in the spirit there is a growth into maturity, as it is mentioned in Hebrews 5:14: “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” This process is so often forgotten, whether in the Church or in the world, that a Christian is never perfect until he reaches completion, which will only happen on the day of the resurrection, yet each one must grow and see to it that it practices in the power of the Holy Spirit, what one is taught by various ministers of Christ.

Returning to the Gospel of John chapter six, I say that I believe strongly that Jesus said to the crowd truths to shock those who superficially believed on Him. It is no wonder that they asked themselves, ‘how can He give us His flesh to eat? To the human mind this is absolutely stupid! So, “On hearing this, many of His disciples said, ‘this is a hard teaching. Who can accept it’? If the words of Christ upset you and you come to the same conclusion, what can I say? I can say that whether now or later on, in the development of this study you do not surrender to Christ and believe on Him, then you cannot have a part in the Eternal life that is offered to those who believe in the Son of God, and trust Him. 

Indeed; “Who can accept it?” But millions have! Many still do! Man does not really know if someone is a believer, nor does he know when that person believed on Christ, neither does one know how deep is their faith, but it appears that in that crowd, which wanted Jesus for their King, there was not a solid foundation. In fact, it is obvious that their feelings were purely human, and sadly having heard all this, “many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.” If I may humbly say it, I have to applaud my Master, because He knew what His words would do to those who came to such a drastic decision, but he did not shrink away, as do so many men in pulpits today. For fear of offending people, they wilfully ignore the word of truth; they really chose to see them go to hell rather than see them accept the truth and be saved, that is some choice. On the day of the Lord there will a lot of red faces, forever lost!

It is hard to say so, and I say it very humbly, but my experience in the ministry has brought me to realise, that if people will be offended by the truth of God’s word, the Church is better off without them. Jesus loved the rich young ruler, whom I mentioned previously, but when He told Him what he had to do to follow Him, he decided not to, and went away sorrowful; he could not part with his riches! At what stage are you in the faith? Do you believe at all in what has been taught thus far? Have you ever wondered if you are a real follower of Christ? What are your feelings after reading these statements? Do you want to give up also and say this is utter nonsense? If you do, you will remain lost, without hope and without God!

But I must come to the conclusion, and mention that Jesus had to find out one last thing, and turning to the twelve, His closest disciples which He was preparing for the ministry, He asked them: “You do not want to leave me too, do you? Simon Peter, who was often the first one to reply, answered Him: “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of Eternal Life. We believe and know that you are the Holy Son of God.”

On another occasion, Jesus wanted to know what people thought of him, so He enquired of His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of man is?” They replied: “Some say John the Baptist; others Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter, (him again), answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied: “Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 16:13-20.) We see here the difference between philosophical believers, and men truly united to Jesus Christ. There are many of such disposition, for one who is born of God and enlightened by the Holy-Spirit remains true and faithful! 

His disciples knew that Jesus had the words of life, words that they could eat as food a spiritual man. Every believer has these two natures in him, the spiritual and the carnal man, to the new spirit the words of Christ are food so, he feeds on them and grows in grace and in the knowledge of God. Jesus said: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothings. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63) This is how a true Christian consumes Christ (by hearing or reading his word) and drinks His blood, the Gospel preached, anointed by the Holy-Spirit, is fresh food from heaven for all those that have received eternal life, What Jesus says, are spiritual words that feed the new man, born of Holy-Spirit. This spiritual life needs spiritual food so it must feed on Christ and all His teachings, and drink of the Holy Spirit who is the life-giving stream.

Having come to this point we must go through the main declarations that Christ made concerning the Gospel that He read from Isaiah’s prophesy in the synagogue, in Nazareth. I have chosen the first portion of its content which says: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor”. Christ chose it to explain one of the reasons for His coming into the world. Firstly: Jesus was sent by God to preach the Gospel to the Jews, and then through his apostles the Gospel would reach the whole world. Secondly: He was the anointed one. “God, His father, has anointed Him to preach the good news”

Preaching the Gospel is a divine proclamation of hidden truths about Jesus-Christ. Preaching is done by divine appointment; Jesus as Son of God waited for the time appointed, when at the baptism of John, the Holy-Spirit came upon Him, and God gave him this testimony: “This is my beloved Son, hear ye Him.” (17:5.). Note that before His ascension Jesus commissioned His disciples to go into the whole world and preach the Gospel. (Mark 16:15-16.) He saw it as the most important activity of their life; to this day the Gospel remains the only hope men have to find a way back to God!

Jesus is, by His very nature, the Good News, which He came to give to the world. At the night of his birth, to the shepherds that were minding the sheep in the plains of Bethlehem, an Angel appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified, but the angel said to them: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is the Christ, the Lord.” (Luke 2:8-11.) Hence the Good News is the birth of the promised Saviour that was widely promised by God through His prophets, to this day, God has not sent anyone else to help Jesus save the world, He did it once and for all, He still is the Good News to the whole world, even in this century. 

God trusted Moses to give the Law to the people of Israel; God trusted His prophets with the revelations of Himself and of His plan to save men, they did it faithfully, most of them at the cost of their lives; but when it came to bring the Gospel, the Good News, which is personified in Christ, God sent His beloved Son! From beginning to the end, the Gospel is the greatest love story. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, (Jew or Gentile) may not perish but have everlasting Life.” (John 3:16.) Jesus could say, before His death: “I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.” The power of His words is amazing and extremely effective. He who receives Jesus receives God, who sent Him. There is this glorious oneness between Jesus and his disciples who together with God the Father, enjoy a unity established and kept by the Holy-Spirit, a oneness that shall never be severed! These are the guaranties of the New Covenant. God will keep His saints come what may; who can undo what God has done?

The anointing was a very important part of the religious function of the spiritual life of the people of Israel. The High Priest was really essential to the whole future and existence of Israel as a special nation, but he could not have started his function without the anointing. The very oil for the anointing was of extreme importance. It was a mixture of different spices mixed together according to a divine prescription, nothing could be added to it and nothing could be taken away from it. (Exodus 30:22-33.) As the High Priest was replaced after his death, only a son of Aaron was allowed to continue the sacred office until he died, yet he also had to be anointed, the anointing is never handed down from father to son. 

To know all about the consecration of the priesthood one must turn to the book of Exodus chapter 29. The importance of the anointing of Jesus to the ministry of the Gospel is therefore also very important. As a man, He was appointed by God Himself to this unique ministry of bringing the Gospel to the earth. Jesus was consecrated to it when He was baptised by John the Baptist: “As soon as Jesus was baptised, He went out of the water. (It was a baptism by immersion; it is the only baptism that has any value in the eyes of the God, the only one that is scriptural.) At that moment the heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) descending like a dove and lighting upon Him.” (Matthew 3: 13-17.) Jesus has taken the humble road to live and act as every servant after Him has to do and wait for God’s call, and then for His anointing. Thus, are set apart men who are appointed by God to spread the Good News to the world of sinners.

Therefore, the preaching of the Gospel is under the Lordship of the Holy-Spirit according to the will of God, through a chosen vessel; no-one can appoint Himself to that blessed task. Jesus was anointed of God when the Holy Spirit descended visibly from heaven and rested on Him; He remained filled with the Holy Spirit and did His preaching out of that fullness! From among His disciples Jesus chose the twelve apostles after a night of prayer and under divine guidance, He ordained them to help Him in what is the most important work on earth, for without the preaching of the Gospel no-one can be led to Christ for the salvation of His soul. This is made plain in the following verses: “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile ~ the same Lord is Lord of all ~ and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.’

How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News!” But not all the Israelites accepted the Good News, for Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message.’ (Isaiah 53:1) Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard though the words of Christ; (the Gospel He preached.) But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course, they did:’ their voice has gone out into the earth, their words to the ends of the world.’(Psalm 19:4.)

Again, I ask: Did not Israel understand? First, Moses says: ‘I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding. (Deuteronomy 21:21.)  And Isaiah boldly says,’ I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.’ (Isaiah 65:2.) But concerning Israel he says: ‘All day long I have held my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” (Isaiah 65:2.). This extract of Gods’ word is found in (Romans 10:14-21.) God alone is at work, (meaning the Father, His Son Jesus-Christ and Holy Spirit) from beginning to the end of anyone’s salvation and after a real conversion, each believer is added to God’s family of sons

Now, we must understand that Isaiah prophesied about 750 years before everything concerning Christ was fulfilled; this shows that God’s word never dies, sooner or later what He promised will happen. That long ago, prophesy revealed that Jesus Christ would be rejected by the Jews, and when it happened the nation was united to send Him to the CROSS, shouting ceaselessly: “Away with Him! Away with Him! We will not have this man to rule over us! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Yet Jesus and His Gospel were and still are believed in by Gentiles just as God said; He was found of those who did not seek for Him, and he was revealed of those who did not ask for Him. 

If one does not, or cannot believe in Jesus Christ, he is not a Christian. Preaching is God at work and salvation comes by His initiative, He saves by grace alone without any merit, so each believer is a miracle of God’s power and love, at work through the preaching of Christ, His life and His teaching which are ‘THE GOSPEL’ is a mighty power that changes the lives and the destiny of all that will believe. So, the love of God is expressed by the calling to Christ of Jews and Gentiles, yet the majority of the Jews, to this day, still reject their Messiah, but a remnant of them will believe in Him when He comes with trumpet sound and great glory.

Therefore, under the anointing of the Holy-Spirit Jesus-Christ started Himself to call His sheep, He call them to be citizens of a new nation, born of the Holy-Spirit. We can gather this fact very clearly from the passage quoted above. Israel, God’s chosen nation, was obstinate to the Gospel, just as they have been obstinate to God, through the whole of the Old Testament, but it was never as obstinate as it has been to Jesus-Christ as a person and to His message. Therefore, it was in the will of God, before the foundation of the world, to separate His elect from this welter of nations, a people that Jesus would call: His Church. A Church that He is gathering and Building up to be His people, called out from darkness into light, from bondage of sin to true freedom, from death to life, from Satan to God, and this could not have been done by any other means but through the preaching of the Good News which is The GOSPEL, whose central declaration is, Jesus Christ is Lord!

It continues to be preached, to this day, by anointed ministers chosen and called by the Master. As Paul, the apostle says: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, starting: first with the Jews, then for the Gentiles. For in the Gospel is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from the first to the last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17.) After two thousand years of the Christian faith being preached, the world has never been in a more desperate need to hear the Good News as it is today. Everything that man sees as essential to his needs, whether it be in the field of science, politics, sociology, etcetera, it has not helped him to find the answer, he is still searching for the truth.!

Who are we? Where are we going? Why are we here? At the end of the day, the answer still lies in Christ alone, who said ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven, he that eats of me shall never hunger, and he that drinks of the water I will give him shall never thirst’. But what has the world done with Jesus? Exactly what the Jews have done and it still says: “We will not have this man rule over us.” If Jesus came to earth today, as He did afore, the so-called Church, would do to Him what did the Jews, and they would find a way to silence Him as they did with thousands of His disciples through its history. The Church as it is called by the world, and Christianity as the world names it, are the two greatest enemies of TRUTH, and to this day they falsely use the name of Christ to foster their rebellion to Him!

One cannot change this prescribed order instituted by a divine decree. This anointing is still poured out from heaven on men chosen and appointed by their Master in heaven! Who is this Jesus Christ of Nazareth, anointed by the Holy Spirit His disciples preach the Gospel to every nation under the Sun! It still is the great commission: “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all the creation. Whoever believes and is baptised shall be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”(Marc 15:15-16) The same is commanded by Christ in Matthew 28:18-20.) “Then Jesus said to them:(His disciples) All authority, (all power. KJV) in heaven and on earth is given to me. Therefore, go to make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy-Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The twentieth century has seen the world evangelised as never before, and yet it has never witnessed such a denial of Christ by those who call themselves ‘the Church’, much of the clergy is more interested in the physical welfare of society than the salvation of the soul, sermons are a boring mixture of psychology and a mishmash of morality ethics and politics. More and more people are interested in the charisma of the speaker then in the inspiration of the Holy-Spirit, which at the end of the day is the true character of inspired preaching. A preacher is not a man giving a lecture, he is a herald who is sensitive to the direction and guidance of the Holy-Spirit, a man who is not afraid to set his notes aside so as to prophesy the intimate thoughts which God inspires for just that moment. I have often experienced it and discovered that it is at such moments, that divine wisdom, manifested by inspired preaching, creates new life and leads men to repentance! As a preacher of the Gospel, I cherished such moments, I enjoyed them so much, I cannot express the wonderful feelings of such moment! The words just flowed from my being like living water, inspired words not sieved by the human mind. I lived them quite often in the pulpit, and I always felt that they did not come often enough! So, inspired preaching is vital for the survival of the Christian faith, and sadly there is, in these soulish hour, very little holy Ghost inspired preaching in the pulpits.

Another thing that is vital, for any preacher, is to know without the shadow of a doubt, that he is called by the Master. We have already shared previously the fact that the twelve apostles were chosen by Jesus-Christ for this ministry, but it is not wrong to remind ourselves what Jesus said to them, what applies to His servants today: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit ~ fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: ‘Love each other.” (John 15:15-17.)

“By divine appointment”! How often do those that live in the United Kingdom see this written on things that are recommended by the Queen. But a call from God is greater, for it is a royal ascent from the King of kings, stamped on the forehead of every preacher, figuratively, of course; for without a call to the ministry no-one has the right to preach the Gospel. Every preacher must appoint Elders. Men that have proven themselves, in character and stature and filled the Holy-Spirit, so that he has someone to stand in for him in the pulpit, if for any reason, he would be unable to fulfil his office for that specific time, or longer periods of time. But they do not share in his anointing. A true elder will know that and will not impose himself at any time, or create a division, this self- appointing is a grievous sin!

Thus a novice, or an incapable man, is not given the opportunity to sow words that would oppose themselves to the sound doctrine, the Church must always be protected from silly statements that can harm it, I have seen it happen; people can be so ignorant of God’s ways, that they are unable to even discern that they actually promoted untruths, but it is far worse when wrong doctrines are wilfully spread by someone that waited for the opportunity, to sow tares among the wheat, and trouble with devilish lies a peaceful congregation. It is amazing, how these lies, have left a lasting impression on the hearts of people. Tares root themselves very quickly, but at times allows this kind of behaviour to cleanse the church from dead wood! 

Nevertheless, having stated how Jesus chose the twelve to assist Him in His programme, and carry on His mission,  He also sent seventy other disciples, which eventually forsook Him. (John 6:60.) The reason for their failure was a carnal understanding of spirituals truths. Nevertheless, from among all those that Jesus commissioned to preach the Gospel, one stands unique in the work of God, that man is Saul of Tarsus. Who would have ever thought, that this violent man, this persecutor of the Church, was a chosen vessel of the Lord, to do the immense work, which he declares to have accomplished by the grace of God! At the martyrdom of Stephen just few words introduce him to us saying: “And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.” From then on began, under his leadership, the great persecution of the Church in Jerusalem and then, wherever believers were found. (Acts 8:1-3) Yet, the rest of his whole life testifies to the glorious fact, that there are no limits to God’s grace. When Saul was actually going to Damascus to apprehend believers and bring them to Jerusalem for a public massacre, the purposes of God had suddenly come to light. 

Trembling, no doubt, Saul addressed the Lord with a question: “Who are you, Lord?” He realised quickly that it was an out of this world experience and that the author of such an intervention could only be God. To his question came the answer: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what to do.” (Acts 9:5-6) This was to Him an astonishing discovery. Saul heard a lot about Jesus but he never actually heard Him, at that point he thought that He was dead. He regarded Jesus and His followers are enemies of God, but his god was his religion and it made of him a butcher, his hatred of Christ was that of a blind young man, who stupidly wanted to impress his leaders. He proved that he had the ambition to climb the ladder and reach the top of His profession.

But Jesus had his eyes upon him from long ago, and chose him to be His herald and to that end He revealed Himself to him in a very outstanding fashion, for immediately, fear gripped his whole being. He understood, by the answer he received, that his actions against His disciples was a direct attack on their Master, who suddenly made of Saul a different man. Jesus reveals here, His oneness with His body the Church, His Church. Saul of Tarsus was persecuting the disciples, not knowing that he was actually fighting the Lord, for Jesus said: “Why do you persecute ME?” God said it, many times before, concerning His saints: “He that touches you touches the apple of my eye.” When one hears God directly, or by His word preached under the power of Holy-Spirit, the soul reacts to Him, knowing immediately, that one is dealing with the Lord, the Adonai, the Almighty God. 

Such experiences are the first steps, to an encounter with Jesus-Christ, which leads to a new way of life. Whilst Saul of Tarsus was led into the city, blind and helpless, the Lord was preparing one of His servants for a very special mission, that servant was Ananias! He heard many things about Saul, but he never expected to be told: “This man is my chosen instrument to carry my Name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my Name.” (Acts 9:15-16.) The Gospel teaches that God will move heaven and earth to accomplish His purposes and save His elects! Paul experienced the grace of God at first hand, and knowing the extent of God’s grace, He writes: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith ~ and this is not of yourselves it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8) There is no other reason it is all by grace, without the slightest merit on the part of all that believe; through grace millions have been swept into the Kingdom of God.

After his conversion, Saul was named Paul, and as such the Church of Christ still owns him as the great apostle of the Gentiles, so it was right that through him God opened Europe to the Gospel. During his fruitful ministry, he wrote many epistles, which convey the true meaning of the Gospel, which he received directly through a revelation of Christ. In the face of much criticism from people that tried continually to discredit his ministry, Paul’s only defence was the revelation that he had been given of the mystery of the Gospel, which Jesus gave to him directly, this is what He writes: 

‘Surely you have heard of the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the Gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.’ (Ephesians 3:2-6.) 

Had it not been for the inheritance he left to the Church of Jesus Christ; I wonder what would have become of the Church? Things that he wrote, have been the means to bring the believers into seasons of revival and deep renewal. It is by reading the epistle to the Galatians that the reformation was born, it is the – ‘Reformation’ that saved the Church from formalism, legalism and death, this revelation of God’s grace still fires most of the Evangelical churches round the world. It was when Paul was writing to the Galatians that he mentions a very important truth, a truth that shows that it is Jesus and He alone that chooses and appoints His servants, men He sends into the world with the greatest message, because outside of the Gospel, there is no hope for the humanity.

The Gospel is the last call from God for men to repent and return to Him through Jesus Christ. Humanity is already judged and rejected of God. When the Bible speaks about ‘Salvation’ it presents to men the only way out from the sentence that God has already passed on them, which is eternal hell! God by His grace is offering to men a way of escape from the day of wrath, as predicted in Revelation, chapters 6 to 20. The Gospel is still preached, and millions are turning to Jesus Christ. It is not happening everywhere, but it still is an ongoing divine enterprise, it is what I am doing now, trying by every means possible, to warn people that the time of the Gentiles is ending so, that the time to turn to God is now without delay or procrastination, the salvation of your soul should be your number one priority. There is no doubt that to save you and me, and all that are His by design, was very important just as it was to Jesus Christ His Son, who did not shun the CROSS, but offered Himself willingly, to bear away our sins and make of men Sons of God!

It is in the Gospel alone that one can find the WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE, given freely, by Grace, through faith in Jesus-Christ, without any merit whatsoever a sinner steps out from slavery to the devil into the family of free men, sons of the living God. This salvation full and free is at the centre of the message of Christ. The servants of Christ and every member of His body, the Church, have been anointed by the Holy-Spirit into a Holy Priesthood, it happened on the day that He came down as a mighty wind, filling the upper room in Jerusalem with His glory and when tongues of fire descended on each believer, so, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit fitting them together, as one body to take the Gospel to everybody near or far!

Jesus first called Peter and Andrew when they were mending their nets on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. He called John and his brother James, the sons of Zebedee; they also were fishermen. Jesus called Matthew at the receipt of customs for he was a tax collector. Paul says that he was set aside for this ministry when he was still in his mother’s womb. Just as the prophets of old were called from many walks of life, so did Jesus called His disciples and to this day He has not changed this principle. He still works in the same way, and it is not the prowess of the minister that makes him what he is, but it is this mighty anointing that renders each preacher capable of the greatest manifestations of the power of God.

From the time we mentioned the presence of Christ in the synagogue at Nazareth, where He mentioned the anointing that He received, we have found it important to establish the reality of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which is absolutely essential for the work of the ministry. Various apostles have contributed to the compiling of what is now The New Testament, but in the central thought of their writings, none omitted the fact that they were called of God. Having done this, we must now come to what is the central message of the Gospel, and what is the way by which man enters into Christ and Christ into him, as the Word of God says: “Christ in you the hope of glory.” The way into the riches of God’s glorym starts at the Cross. It is the Cross that opens the door to the treasures of the NEW COVENANT, which Christ inaugurated in the upper room as He gave the cup of wine to the disciples to drink, and said: “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the New Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:27-28.)

The conversion of the apostle Paul has opened a whole new chapter in the character of the Church. He calls himself as one born out of due time. Paul was an apostle before his birth, by the will of God he would take the Gospel to the gentiles, as I have mentioned it already, this is what he is saying: “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you, Gentiles ~ Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this you will understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit of God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the Gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, (the New people) members together in the promise in Christ-Jesus” (Ephesians 3:1-6.) 

It is obvious that the Gospel Paul was to take to the nations was a hidden mystery, but Jesus chose to reveal it fully to Paul, and with the help of the Holy Spirit he made it so clear. To this end Jesus appeared to Him several times and from these tête-à-têtes, came the revelations that he is describing as mysteries. What was that mystery which was hidden for generations? The hidden part of the plan of God was that the Gentiles had the same part as Israel, to the heritage promised to Abraham and their fathers Isaac and Jacob. Mentioning the position of the Jews He says: “What shall we conclude then are we (Jews) any better? (Then the Gentiles) Not at all! We have already made the charge that the Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.” (Romans 3:9.) This is the greatest news that ever came to man’s knowledge, To the Ephesians Paul describes it as the wall that was between Israel and the other nations, a wall that the religious rulers built over centuries, a wall of pride and prejudice. Due to their ignorance of the Scriptures, their rejection of Christ as their Messiah determined their downfall.

To acquire a true knowledge of God we need to know His Son Jesus Christ and to know Jesus Christ we need a Bible and read it. In the Bible alone God reveals Himself just as He is. The ignorance of the Gentiles as to ‘Yahve’, the God of Israel and all the treasured revelation He gave of Himself to this unique nation, have influenced the world to this very day. But what they were and had, did not excuse them; they are now as all other Gentiles, lost rejected by God!  All this changed when Jesus came and sent His disciples to take the Gospel to the world. Men’s ignorance of the Gospel will not exonerate them when they face God, so get a Bible quickly! Read it. God said: “They that seek me shall find me, if they seek me with all their hearts “. Go and hear the Gospel if you can, but above all do not stay as you are, because without faith in Christ, and the surrender of your life to Him, you are doomed already to destruction and hell. That is what the Gospel teaches! 

The news of Paul’s conversion soon spread through all the churches in Judea, they heard of this brutal persecutor of the saints, inspired with the strong desire to wipe off the map every Christian wherever he could find one, at the news that he was now preaching the Christ that he was persecuting, they glorified God. Writing to the Galatians Paul  says: “For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the Church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when, God, who set me apart from birth and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles. I did not consult any man, nor did I go to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately to Arabia and later returned to Damascus.” (Galatians 1:13-17.)

He mentions a very amazing revelation God gave him of His Son! Before anything else, Paul had to experience what God thought of His Son Jesus-Christ. The poverty of Christians today is due to their ignorance of who Jesus really is, and especially of the Gospel He taught. Think of what Jesus had to do to save men from sin, think of His cruel death. He died the death of a criminal to take our place and deliver us from Satan, sin and death. It is no wonder that Jesus took His disciples apart, and taught them during three years for, He wanted to make sure that they knew Him intimately. Those that Christ sets apart for this unique ministry of preaching the Gospel, must have a deep knowledge of Who He is, it takes time because it is with time and the reading of His teachings that the Holy Spirit opens the door to a true knowledge of the love of Christ for His Church, and reveals His true character. The word of God says “Christ so loved the Church that He gave Himself for her”. (Ephesians 5:25) Take time to know: “The glory of Christ, who is the image of God”. (2 Corinthians 4:4.)

Peter also; mentions his own experience when Christ revealed His glory on the mount of transfiguration. The veil of the flesh was taken away and the real Christ shone thought his mortal body, He never forgot it, how could he, but then later he could say: “We have seen His glory,  the glory of the only begotten Son of God.” In Matthew 17 we read: “Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light… a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, this is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased, listen to Him!” (1-5.) what a precious memory to treasure; to see the glory of Jesus-Christ! Unforgettable. All true Christian have somewhat of this glorious revelation, and with the eyes of a new spirit created in them they can say: “We have seen His glory.”

Ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you and open Him your heart! Then you will know what you have been missing. It is said of the Christians that were persecuted in Jerusalem and escaped it that: “Those who had been scattered preached the Word wherever they went. Philip went to Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there.” (Acts 8:4.) The awful persecution they were living through, thrust them everywhere and where they went, they did not stop to proclaim Christ, for they saw His glory! In every place that the Holy-Spirit led them, they were not frightened to share their Saviour with people they met, even if it meant that they would be persecuted, imprisoned or even beheaded, fearlessly they gossiped Jesus. Many in history lost their lives for doing it; but even that did not deter them. They died victoriouslysinging the songs of the redeemed!

The central part of Paul message was Christ and Him only; this indeed is the Gospel. This was revealed to Ananias when He sent him to pray for Saul of Tarsus saying: “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul for he is praying. In a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” (Acts 9:11-12,) Paul knew and did a lot of things prior to this awesome experience, but for the first time in his life he really prayed, this is a tremendous experience because many people pray to one god or another, but it is only as men acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord (meaning Jehovah - Yahve) that they really pray a prayer that reaches the throne of God. 

So, Ananias went regardless of all he knew about Saul and prayed for him, and Jesus healed Him from his blindness, Jesus adding to His words: “This man is my chosen instrument to carry my Name before the Gentiles.” Nevertheless, with all that Paul learned through this eventful meeting with Jesus, whom he learned to love so deeply, he did not start his ministry till few years later, although ‘his natural eyes’ were opened by the prayer of Ananias, he had much to learn about the Gospel and learn concerning Jesus who is the beloved Master of all that know Him. He learned especially about the most importance of the CROSS of CHRIST, which became central to his message. He could then say: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone that believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)

Thus, during the years of his preparation for the ministry of preaching Christ to the Gentiles, Paul made the CROSS of CHRIST the theme of his ministry. He writes to the Church in Corinth and reveals, what was to be the special character of his preaching, saying: “Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Gospel ~ not with words of human wisdom, lest the CROSS of CHRIST be emptied of its power.” (KJV. Lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect.) The King James Version gives an important difference of this central meaning of the Cross, because the preaching of the CROSS has a very powerful effect, even to this day. Every promise attached to the NEW COVENANT, (which is the everlasting covenant), so very different from all other Covenants, for the New Covenant is eternal and it ushers the believers in Christ into Eternity! This power only works powerfully because Christ died and shed His Holy blood on the Cross, for a life had to be offered, to ratify the New Covenant, which ushers every believer into a new life, it shall never end! 

Whatever the CROSS of CHRIST means it means firstly that at Cavalry, where stood the CROSS on which He died, there was a definite end to everything that was before. Things after His death, were never going to be the same! Although the death of Christ was determined in eternity, those that unlawfully condemned Jesus to that awful death took the whole nation of Israel with them into a spiritual death. The special status they had received from the Lord ended with the Cross!  When Jesus returns to earth with His glorified Church, only a remnant of Israel will be left to welcome Him when he set His feet on the mount of Olivet, all that will be left of Israel will believe on Him. After the Cross God never spoke to them as He did before, their last prophet was Jesus Christ His Son. Now, God, through the Gospel offers salvation to Jews and Gentiles alike. 

This is what Jesus said: “No man comes to the Father but by me.” God does not bless nations; God blesses individuals which have become His Sons by faith in the Lord Jesus-Christ. By their lives and their faith, they influence the people, by their influence they affect their nation, and bring the news of salvation to its people! The only ones that God remains attached to, and speaks to, by the Holy Spirit are the Disciples of Christ; just a little portion of the whole nations of Israel believed in Him, they, together with all gentile believers became the original Church, the Church of Christ. The first witnesses to the resurrection of Christ were Jews, with them started this great enterprise that is an ongoing Mission; the preaching of the Gospel will end when the last elect will have crossed from death to life, from Satan to Christ. Then Jesus will come to take them home.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:14. “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” Man tends to always be subjective; true Christianity is objective and evolves around Jesus Christ; it is the true Church that presents Christ and seeks His glory. Christ is the Good News, Jesus is the message that His disciples are still preaching, presenting Him as the Hope of the world. He is the object of their love and of their worship.

You may ask yourself: ‘What will Jesus do to me?’ ‘What will I get out of believing in Him? What will it mean to me, to become a Christian? These are questions I have heard again and again, proving how man is utterly selfish. This is why his attitude to God is what it is, because he feels that Jesus will not do much for him, he is not interested in it. But through the work of the Holy Spirit man’s heart is touched and by God’s power he becomes a Christian, he realises what Christ did to save his soul, even that first beginning is given to him by God, for it is only with the help of the Holy Spirit that man comes under the power of conviction, and by grace working in him, the Spirit, sheds the love of Christ into his heart, from then on Jesus becomes very real and precious. He will, from the heart, live for himself no longer, but he will live for the glory of Jesus who died for Him. That very cruel death on the Cross is the means by which God brings new life and leads a sinner to Christ.

What is this Christian life? How does one know that he has got it? It is a fact of life that no-one comes into the world a believer in God even less in Christ. King David says “in sin did my mother conceive me”, which means that man does not become a sinner he is born a sinner, and in the Bible a sinner is an enemy of God. Now the amazing thing about receiving this Christ’s Life, which is eternal, even God could not give it, unless something important was done, and this essential act was the death of Jesus on the Cross. A broken heart is one that confesses truly his sins and says: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassions. Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely, I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me!” Such repentance leads to a prayer: “Wash me in the blood of Christ, and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whither than snow.” (Psalm 51: 3-7.) That is what the Gospel teaches!

In the light of it let me ask you a question: What would have happened to the world if Jesus refused finally to go to the cross? We can imagine all sorts of things! But there is nothing in the Bible for such a thing to happen, so we do not know! Jesus was destined to die and rise again. What is certain and wonderful is that for the Jews and the Gentiles, from then on, Christ is the only mediator between God and man, as He is to this day. The Bible teaches that God still has a future for a remnant of Israel, but it will never be on the basis of the Old Law, which Jesus fulfilled and put away for good. Without the CROSS there would be no resurrection, there would be no salvation, no forgiveness and no hope.

The blood of Christ shed, on the Cross, seals the New Covenant, planned in heaven by the Holy Trinity before the creation of the world, and today it is only under this New Covenant that God gives hope to a lost humanity. The Father planned and decided on the necessity of it, The Son came to earth to do all that was required and put it into operation, now the Holy Spirit applies His victory to the elects, those people God gave unto His Son Jesus-Christ to be His treasured possession; as the Bible says: “Christ so loved the Church that He gave Himself for Her.” (Ephesians 5:25.) The Cross is the greatest love story, it proves God’s love for guilty sinners, it displays Christ’s love for His Church and the Holy-Spirit pours it into the whole wide world; like a river it flows to embrace the whole wide world with the Good News to bring into light those that believe in the Gospel.

This is why the preaching of the Cross was and is the central theme of the Gospel; all preaching must pivot around it.  The CROSS can never be bypassed or ignored, the true character of any servant of Christ is revealed by the place the Cross of Christ has in his life! As I have said: The apostle Paul received a revelation of the Gospel directly from Christ and understood that there was no Good News without JESUS, for He is the Good News. What Jesus accomplished on Calvary is the fulfilment of the promises of the whole of the Old Testament, right from Eden to Calvary. Continuing from the verse, quoted above, Paul sends to the Corinthians a message, that must be the message preached to the world until the return of the Lord, that according to all the signs cannot be far: “For 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 for it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him. God was please through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.Jews demand miraculous signs, and Greeks look for wisdom (just as all learned scholars and philosophers have done since Calvary) we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling-block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles)Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength!”

Therefore, the Cross of Christ divides humanity into two groups of people, the believers on one side and the unbelievers on the other. It divides the saved from the unsaved, the saints from sinners, the children of light from those of darkness; it sets apart those who belong to Christ from those who remain under the slavery to the devil. The advice Jesus gives to join His side is the following: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate, and narrow is the road (or path) that leads to life (to Christ the life) and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14.) 

If you seek popularity you will not find it on the narrow way. History proves that the disciples of Christ were always in the minority, just as were the faithful in the Old Testament. At the times of the greatest visitations from God, when through the move of the Holy-Spirit, hundreds and thousands have been swept into the Kingdom of God, they still were the minority; They still are! When the Church in Jerusalem grew so fantastically, until it was eight or nine thousand strong, the believers were still the minority, and the majority, under the guidance of their rulers, began to persecute them and kill them, so that they had to flee from the city. 

When God sent the reformation to save the true church from corruption, those who believed in the Gospel were persecuted by the then established church. Thousands lost their lives and from France and other lands, thousands had to flee for their lives to Protestant countries. Today true Disciples of Christ find the world’s self-righteous sinners always ready to mock and persecute them, sadly they are often members of the dead church which fosters the cause of the devil. In some countries of the world to be a Christian is a very precarious position. But the miracle of the Cross is that when a man hears the call of the Holy-Spirit, by the preaching of the Gospel, he responds and, in all situations, he finds himself, he turns to Christ and however hard may be the road ahead, he will make it to the end, because the Christian life is God’s life at work in every person that believes and with the help of the Holy-Spirit such a person surrenders to the lordship of Jesus Christ, and Jesus will not fail for He has given them eternal life! 

TO GET TO THE GLORIOUS CONCLUSION OF ALL THAT CHRIST DID AND IS DOING THOUGH HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION, AND THE FINAL CURTAIN THAT HE WILL DRAW TO BRING TO LIGHT GOD’S WILL BY HIS RETURN TO THE EARTH.  Please follow the subject as it is developed in the next chapter.

If you desire to give your heart to Jesus-Christ, live with Him and for Him the rest of your life, then pray to Him a simple prayer. You must realise that you have the right to pray and prayer is simply telling Him that you surrender to Him and desire Him to come and live in your heart and direct your life. Say: “Lord Jesus I feel that I am a sinner, that I have lived against you and have really never known you. I believe that you died for me on the Cross; you took my place so that I might be forgiven of all my sins and live the new life, the eternal life you give by grace to those who believe in you. I take you as my Master, my Saviour, and my Lord and from now on I want to live for you. Amen. 

“The Bible says: If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus-Christ (that He is Lord – Jehovah or Yahve) and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.” (Romans 10: 10) Therefore, believe that you are saved, read your Bible and pray daily to Him and your faith will grow. May God bless You.