The Sharonville Church brings this paper to you each month. It is our hope that others (as some have done), will submit to the Gospel of Christ so that they will (by the Lord), be added to the church with the assurance that their past sins have been taken away and that they enjoy the communion of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Then too, there is the wonderful fellowship of fellow Christian, a delight that sweetens the soul daily. If this paper is for any other reason it escapes us. In addition to this monthly effort we not only worship each Lord’s Day, but we gather in the afternoon of that day to present the truth that the lingering souls can hear and obey the Gospel and we who are Christians can be admonished and encouraged by the word of God. Then twice yearly we arrange Gospel Meetings, so-called because we select a special Preacher and invite special people (our neighbors, friends, and relatives), giving them a special opportunity to hear the Gospel in successive gatherings. Since the Gospel is preached we refer to these as Gospel Meetings. As you can notice on the last page of this paper one of these special times is to occur this month. Our wish is for you to mark your calendar so that you can be with us—you will be our special guest. We shall not point you out to embarrass you among people you have just met, nor will we ask you to contribute financially in any way to this effort, which is our responsibility. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord.” (Isa. 1:18). With these things before you, notice some things about the Gospel.
The word Gospel means Good News and it is always used in the New Testament in a special sense. We can hear good news in respect to a variety of things. If it is raining and we have an activity planned after noon and we hear the rain will stop at ten thirty o’clock, that is good news, but that is not the Gospel. A loved one may be stricken with a heart attack, but after the doctor’s examination he says, “there is no permanent damage.” That is good news, however, that is not the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news that the Messiah has arrived that the promised Kingdom is a reality and that salvation is obtained in this reign of King Jesus.
Jesus demanded those whom He had chosen to preach this good news to all people of every nation. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” or, “teach all nations” (Mk. 16:15, Mt. 28:19). The same Gospel that they preached or taught then when preached today will produce the same results. It therefore, falls upon Christians to tell others whom we encounter this same good news.
A wonderful (scriptural), definition of the Gospel as well as the duties implied by those proclaiming it and those who hear it is found in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scripture.” (15:1-4).
For simplicities sake let’s begin with the last two verses of the passage. Paul states that the Gospel he preached unto them in essence contained the death of Jesus “for our sins.” It is appointed that every man shall died (Heb. 9:27), but, the thing that made Jesus death unique is found in the fact that He did not die as other men. “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.” (Jn. 10:17). “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Jesus’ death was a willful, decided, determined act. It was an action that was predicted in the scriptures, meaning of course, the Old Testament writings. “He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.” (Isa. 53:8). Furthermore, “He was buried.” It is historical fact that Jesus’ body was taken down from the Cross and laid in the new tomb of Joseph (Mt. 27:57-60). That was not the end in this case, nor was it the finality of Paul’s preaching for he preached that Jesus “rose again the third day.” (Ps. 16:10, Lk. 24:1, 13, 21). Anyone who denies that Jesus died to take away our sins or that He rose again for our justification is wrong and if any man preach otherwise he is a false teacher.
Reverting to the first two verses we have the following.
1. Paul declared the Gospel. That speaks of the authority to declare, which Paul as an Apostle had the authority to set forth. In Second Corinthians chapter five verse twenty he speaks of himself and the others who were selected by Christ to be ambassadors. Christians are citizens in the Kingdom but we are not ambassadors. I am a citizen of the United States but I am not an ambassador of the President. I have no authority to speak for (in the stead of) the President. The Apostle spoke for Christ and had authority to demand that certain things be done and other things forbidden. So, Paul in presenting the Gospel to the world “determined not to know anything…save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (I Cor. 2:2). He would not preach anything else.
- The Corinthians received the Gospel. How did Paul know this about them? Was the Gospel something they upon believing were at that point saved? Or was there an expression of their faith enabling others to know they had received the Gospel? We read in Acts 18:8, “And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing, believed, and were baptized.” As with every case of conversion recorded in the Book of Acts they were baptized immediately allowing all to know they had received the Gospel. (Think on Rom. 6:3-4 and 16-18).
- The Corinthians were standing in the Gospel. The Gospel is something for which to stand, the Gospel is something by which to stand, and the Gospel is something on which to stand. There is nothing that strikes fear in the Christian who plants his feet firmly in the Gospel. “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph. 4:14). The winds of liberalism blowing from the left and the storms of radicalism coming from the right have no power to destroy the Christian because we have planted our feet firmly in God’s word. Observation and experience soon teach the believer in Christ that there are those bent upon destroying the truth of revelation, but we are undaunted and unwavering in the face of their doctrines and sophistry. We will not change nor to the best of our ability we will not allow others to alter in any way the Gospel preached by the Apostles. It doesn’t matter what claims they may make from Heaven or from earth. God has provided stability for us and we gladly seek it to guide our life, our worship and our fellowship. If God be for us who can be against us? Answer: it does not matter!
- The Corinthians were saved by the Gospel. This attests to the power God placed in the Gospel. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Rom. 1:16). Paul was aware of the Lord commissioning his fellow Apostles just before He ascended to take His place at the right hand of the Heavenly Father. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be save; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mk. 16:15-16). Without the Gospel there would be no hearing of salvation. Without the Gospel there would be no believing in order to be saved. Without the Gospel there would be no baptism to obey for the remission of sins. In a word without the Gospel the world would be void of the means of obtaining salvation or the remission of past sins. Putting it another way Jesus said, “ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Furthermore, He prayed to the Father, “thy word is truth.” (Jn. 8:32 & 17:17). Peter wrote, “the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” (I Pet. 1:25). James put it all together, “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” (Js. 1:21). The importance of the Gospel and our obeying it is shown by Paul when writing to the Thessalonians the second time, Assuring them that the Lord would come again he wrote, “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (II Thes. 1:8-9).
- The Corinthians were to keep the facts of the Gospel in memory otherwise their faith was vain. What a terrible thing to suggest to these people—“your faith is vain!” If they should fail to remember the facts of the Gospel, that Jesus died for their sins, was buried and rose the third day, their faith would be without purpose? Does this suggest that if for a single moment they allowed these facts to slip their mind their faith would be meaningless? If a child is severely injured and the parent became overly consumed with its well being their faith would be vain? I think not! If we but recall what the Apostle had said to them earlier it all becomes clear. In the eleventh chapter he wrote, “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: for this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. (11:23-25). The instruction was for them to do what Jesus did in their presence—not something else—not something similar—not something slightly changed—but, what He had done. Nothing else can satisfy the instructions “THIS DO!” To what end or purpose were they to do this? Verse 26 reveals it “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.” So, as “often” as they ate the Lord’s Supper in the prescribed way they kept in memory—remembered the Lord’s death and assured themselves and others that Jesus resurrected as they worshipped a Christ that had died but was alive and was coming again for them. The church at Corinth came together for this (V 18), and the coming together was on the first day of the week—the day Jesus arose (I Cor. 16:20). Such instruction was by Apostolic authority and was commanded in all the congregations (I Cor. 14:37). Gathering on the first day of the week is not something to be taken lightly. “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them.” (Acts 20:7). Christians should be most careful to assemble and remember the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord (Heb. 10:25). “Lest your faith be in vain” gives pause to serious thought.
THESE THINGS WILL BE HONORED AND TAUGHT
We take Gospel Meetings very seriously by respecting the word of God and those who honor the Lord and us by attending.
Review this article and please join us to listen to our brother preach.
The specific times of the gatherings are listed below.
Barney Owens 1604
Life Lines
Some dream. Some do. Some do both.
GOSPEL MEETINGS
11560 Lippleman Road
(Just West Of Chester Road)
Sharonville, Ohio
APRIL 20-24
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 7:30 P.M.
Saturday 6:00 P.M.
Lord’s Day 10:30 A.M. (and) 3:00 P.M.
Preaching By: Brother Rick Martin of Marietta, GA