The Christian Conscience

Many preach a man-made gospel, made up of a handful of unrelated Bible verses, and tell people that they have been " saved ".   They claim to believe that God wrote the Bible, and the Bible is inerrant, yet don’t teach, and preach, what the Bible says that  Jesus taught!

John the Baptist preached the Kingdom of God.  Jesus preached the Kingdom of God, and told the twelve disciples, and the seventy, to preach the Kingdom of God also.  See Matthew 3:1-2, Luke 9:1,2 and 10:1-12.

Jesus told a Jewish Pharisee named Nicodemus that if a man ( person ) was not born again (from above) he couldn't even see (comprehend) the Kingdom of God. (John 3:3)   And, if a man was not born of water ( a natural birth ) and born of the Spirit (a spiritual birth), he couldn't enter the Kingdom of God. (John 3:5)   He summed this up by saying that a person MUST be born again from above. (John 3:7)  

The Greek word, “ anothen “ rarely means anything other than " from above " or " from the top ".   In other words, God is the source of the new birth, not a particular church or preacher.

In Matthew’s gospel, we usually find the Kingdom of God called the Kingdom of Heaven.   A comparison between similar verses in Mark, Luke, and John, reveals that they are talking about the same Kingdom.   More than 30 times in the book of Matthew, we find Jesus referring to the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God.   And, not once, do we find Jesus referring to anyone as " saved ".

In the remaining gospels, Mark, Luke, and John, we find that Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God over 45 times!   And again, not once, do we find Jesus referring to any person as "saved", as that term is used in many churches today.

What about the book of Acts?   Read Acts 1:1-3, 8:12, 14:22, 19:8, 20:25, and 28:25-31

What was preached?  In every case, it was the Kingdom of God.  In the letters written by the Apostle Paul, the Kingdom of God is repeatedly mentioned. Check out 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 15:24, 15:50, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:5, Colossians 4:11 etc. What happened to the Kingdom of God in most of today’s preaching about the gospel?

It is always used in the present tense ("being saved" as in Acts 2:47 ) or in the future, (shall be, or will be, as in Acts 2:21, 11:14, and 15:11) .

Most of the arguments used to enable a person to say they are presently “saved” comes from incorrect translations of Eph 2:5-8.  The older, more reliable, Bibles say “are saved by faith” indicating how, without saying when. The newer corrupted Bibles say “have been saved” making it appear that a person can be saved now, and all set for life, and can continue living in sin, and selfishness.

Questions or comments?  Send an e-mail to the address below.

At the Mexico Beach Christian Worship Center, we preach the Kingdom of God, just as Jesus and His followers did.  At the MBCWC, we don’t pass an offering plate and plead for money, or twist your arm to join.  Plan to check us out this Sunday!  Our services begin, with a time of greeting and fellowship, at 9:30 a.m. CT on Sunday.  Worship begins at 9:45 a.m.  Come early so that you can meet, and fellowship with us, and enjoy the praise and worship music led by TJ!  We meet, and worship, at the Mexico Beach Civic Center on 105 N. 31st street, behind Parker Realty, and the Beach Walk gift shop, just off U.S. 98, in Mexico Beach.

God Bless,

Pastor Tim Morrill

Mexico Beach Christian Worship Center

pastor@mexicobeachcwc.com

http://www.mexicobeachcwc.com