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diet and hear nearly all preachers
telling you
about
Christ - urging
you to believe on Christ - to accept
Christ - telling you what a wonder–
ful person he was. They will be
called "gospel programs." They will
lalk about getting out the gospel.
But Christ the person is not the gos–
pel! 1 know that sounds incredible –
because they call what they are
saying "the gospel."
Millions of viewers and listeners
have
ASSUMED
they were hearing the
gospel. People have heard all their
lives the preaching about Jesus
Christ the person which has been
cal/ed
"the gospel." People have
simply taken it for granted that they
were hearing the gospel. So they ac–
cept what they have heard
as
the
gospel when, in actual fact, they
have never
heard
the gospel of Jesus
Christ - the message - the news
announcement.
Bel ievers Wanted to
Kili Christ
What they have accepted without
question
as
the gospel offers no so–
lution to humanity's sufferings, frus–
trations and indescribable evils! The
true gospel Jesus brought proclaims
the solution to the world's troubles,
but men rejected that gospel and
crucified Jesus for preaching it!
There were those who
BELIEVED
on Christ, just as millions do today
- millions who have not heard his
gospel!
Nolice! Read it fully in the Bible.
It 's an eye-opener - for the Bible
doesn't
SAY
what you've supposed.
Jesus was speaking in the Temple at
Jerusalem: "Then said Jesus
10
those Jews which believed on him,
If ye continue in my word, then a re
ye my disciples indeed" (John 8:31).
Understand it! Jesus' word was
28
his message - the gos pel he was
teaching. He was saying. in other
words: " If you continue
DOING
what
the gospel teaches. you will be my
disciples."
But they refúsed to
believe
what
he taught - his gospel - or to do
what he taught. They beüeved on
him - they believed in his identity
- they believed he was the Messiah
- the Christ - but they
did
not
BEUEVE
HIM -
what he said!
Continuing. ".. . but ye seek to
kill me, because my word hath no
place in you. 1 speak that which I
have seen with my Father ..."(:ver–
ses 37-38). These very people who
BELIEVED
ON
HIM
sought
lO
kilJ him
because
they hated what he said
-
his gospel - the very solution to
mankind's troubles - the way that
will usher in peace, prosperity, hap–
piness and every good state.
These who believed on him con–
tinued to argue. Then he said: "But
now ye seek to kili me, a man that
hath told you the truth, which 1
have heard of God ..." (verse 40).
Jesus continued: "...
1
proceeded
forth and carne from God; neither
carne
1
of myself, but he sent me"
(verse 42). Further: "And because 1
tell you the truth, ye believe me
not" (verse 45). Millions today be–
lieve on Christ, but do
NOT
believe
his gospel in most cases because
they have never heard it. They have
heard of him - of what he did -
but not his message of the solution
to a ll man's trou bies and how
10
gain eterna! üfe in joyful happiness,
abundance and accomplishment.
A M essenger and His
Message
You will have noticed, above,
how Jesus stressed the fact that God,
bis father, had sent him. What he
taught, he had received from God.
Notice now this prophecy in Mal–
achi: "Behold, I will send my mes–
senger, and he shall prepare the way
before me ..." (Malachi 3: 1). He is
speaking here of John the Baptist
(Mark 1:2), but primarily as a type
of another to prepare lhe way be-
fore his second coming (Malachi
4:5-6).
Continuing, " ... and the Lord,
whom ye seek, shaJI suddenly come
to his temple, even the messenger of
the covenant, whom ye delight
in ... " (Malachi 3: 1). Jesus carne as
a messenger - the messenger of the
COVENANT.
This
ÍS
speaking of the
New Covenant. Moses was the med–
iator of the OId Covenant , an agree–
ment between God and the people
of Israel, which set them up as one
of the kingdoms on earth named after
their earthly father, Israel (Jacob).
This prophecy leads us direct ly
10
the beginning of the gospel of Jesus
Christ, in Mark 1: 1: "The beginning
of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the
Son of God ; As it is written in the
prophets, Behold, I send my mes–
senger before thy face, which shall
prepare thy way before thee. The
voice of one crying in the wilder–
ness, Prepare ye the way of the
Lord , make his paths straight"
(Mark 1: 1-4).
This shows John preparing the
way before the
beginning
of Jesus'
announcement of his gospel. The
next nine verses describe John's
baptizing and his announcing of the
coming of the Messiah, the baptism
of Jesus and Jesus' head-on con–
frontation with and conquering of
Satan, by which he qualified to re–
store on earth the government of
God.
Then, verses 14-15: "Now after
that John was put in prison, Jesus
carne into Galilee, preaching.. . ."
What? What gospe1? "... preaching
the gospel of the kingdom of God,
a nd saying , The time is ful–
filled...." How fulfiJled? Jesus had
just qualified to restore and rule that
government. It could not have been
announced sooner - " ... the king–
dom of God is at hand: repent ye,
and believe the gospel." Believe
what? He said we must believe the
gospel - the good news of the King–
dom of God.
But since late in the first century,
that gospel has not been
preached ro
PLAIN TRUTH July·August 1973