Devotional
Author: Brandi With An I
•11:32 AM
Seven Gospel Imperatives
by J. Randal Matheny
Forthright Magazine

Wisdom sparkles from every line of Scripture. 

To fulfill our mission of proclaiming Christ to the world, look to other emissaries of peace for a great education in working with people and doing the will of God. 

The travels and experiences of the apostle Paul in Acts 19 provide many lessons for the followers of Christ. 

Open your Bibles and read Acts19:1-41; then follow the Seven Gospel Imperatives.

#1. Do it right (1-7). Make sure your obedience is complete, and help others to obey the Lord Jesus in all things, as he commanded in Matthew 28:20. A partial or incorrect obedience requires proper knowledge and correct compliance.

#2. Find your platform (8-10). The gospel is for proclamation. When the synagogue closed its doors to him, Paul found a school from which to preach. Discover how you can get out in the community to reach people.

#3. Know what you're doing (11-16). Going off half-cocked by going through the motions without personal obedience and submission to God will leave you exposed and bruised.

#4. Don't skip repentance (17-20). Not until sinfulness is exposed -- confessed and repented of --will God have space to remake us and use us for the gospel.

#5. Make plans for the gospel (21-22). The Lord will at some point change our plans, but He does use them to advance the kingdom.

#6. Expect disturbances (23-27). People have hidden motives and selfish interests and will often attempt to protect them at all costs. Beware!

#7. Avoid the uncontrollable (28-41). Sometimes you can bring sense to senseless situations; other times, you should stay out of mobs that react violently. Listen to those close to you.
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Question of the Day
Author: Brandi With An I
•12:19 PM
What does it mean to obey the gospel?

Bob Prichard
Topic(s): Christian Life, Gospel, Salvation

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that mankind needs.

It is a message that must be received and obeyed.

Paul warned that the Loving Savior will return In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:8). The Lord will take vengeance on those who obey not the gospel, and He will reward those who do obey the gospel.

Paul stressed the fundamentals of the gospel, reminding the Corinthians what he had preached: 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 scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ were at the heart of his message.

The rest of 1 Corinthians 15 is a discussion of the importance of the resurrection.

He began the chapter by reminding the Corinthians that it was the gospel he had preached to them. 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 (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). Paul stressed that the gospel is a message to receive, and to stand in, and it is a message that brings salvation when kept in memory.

Paul asserts that we choose the master we serve.

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16). The master we choose is the one we obey. Jesus said, If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).

Paul commended the Romans for the choice they had made in obeying Christ and His gospel. But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness (Romans 6:17-18). They had obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine he had delivered to them.

Doctrine refers to something taught, and Paul taught the same gospel wherever he went. Centered in the facts of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, his message was one of the necessity of obeying the will of God and becoming a servant of righteousness.

Earlier he stressed that they were buried with Christ in baptism to obey the gospel. Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4).

Baptism parallels the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

Man is dead in sin, and then buried with Christ in baptism.
He rises from the waters of baptism in the likeness of Christ's resurrection to walk in newness of life.
He then has the forgiveness of sin, and the joy that comes from obeying the gospel.

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Question of the Day
Author: Brandi With An I
•1:42 PM
Is baptism part of the gospel message?

 Topic(s): Baptism, Evangelism, Gospel, Salvation
Todd Clippard

Paul did indeed say in 1 Corinthians 1:17 that he was not sent to baptize, but to preach the gospel. However, this is a long way from saying that baptism is non-essential to obtain remission of sins nor a part of the Gospel.

First, baptism is< a part of the Great Commission. It is explicitly stated in the accounts of Matthew (28:19) and Mark (16:16), and implicit in Luke's account (24:46-37; cf Acts 2:38). One cannot read the Great Commission or the conversion accounts in Acts and come to any other conclusion.
 
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus said disciples were made by baptizing them into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Therefore, disciples cannot be made without baptism.

In Mark 16:16 - "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." He that believeth what? The preached Gospel of Mark 16:15. The proper response to the preaching of the Gospel is to believe and be baptized in order to be saved. According to Jesus, preaching the Gospel includes preaching about baptism, else how would one know to be baptized as seen in verse 16?

When Peter preached the first Gospel sermon in Acts 2, he preached the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (vv 22-35). In response to the preaching of the Gospel, the audience asked, "What shall we do?" (v 37) What was Peter's response? Let's first note what it wasn't. Peter did not say to them:
"Accept Jesus as your personal savior"
"Ask Jesus to come into your heart"
"Pray the sinner's prayer"
"You can't do anything because that would be earning salvation"
"You obviously believe what I have preached, and thus you are now saved based solely upon faith alone."

No, Peter did not give any of these responses, but these are the responses that most in the religious world would give today. Why not just say what Peter said: "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (v 38)?

In Acts 8:5-13, Philip was preaching in Samaria. Verse 5 says he "preached Christ unto them." Verse 12 says he preached "the things concerning the kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ." What was the response of the people? They believed and were baptized (vv 12-13). Now, where in the text does it say Philip preached baptism? Nowhere! Thus, it is logical and right to conclude that preaching Jesus and His kingdom includes preaching about baptism, else the Samaritans (including Simon) would not have known how to respond to Philip's preaching.

In that same chapter (Acts 8), Philip was called away from Samaria to preach to the Ethiopian nobleman (eunuch). In verses 30-33, we see this man is reading from the book of Isaiah, chapter 53. Upon inquiring of Philip about whom the scriptures were speaking, "Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus" (v 35). 

What was the response to this preaching about Jesus? Verse 36 provides the answer: "Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Now, where in the text does it say Philip preached to him about baptism? Again nowhere! Therefore, we logically and rightly conclude that preaching about Jesus necessarily includes preaching about baptism.

Therefore, baptism (immersion) to obtain remission of sins is a part of the Gospel message. 

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