Is salvation only open to a few who have been selected in advance, but closed to everyone else? What does it mean to be “called”? The surprising answers to these questions reveal how God deals with human beings.
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Tag Archives: gospel
Abide in God’s Word
Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). To be a genuine disciple of Jesus Christ, rather than one in name only, requires abiding in his word. That’s what Jesus Christ himself said. That means a real disciple of Christ, a real Christian, is one who abides in — continues in, or lives according to — the teachings of Christ. And one of the teachings of Christ is that we are to live “by every word of God” (Luke 4:4).
Is it your desire to be a true disciple of Jesus? If so, it’s absolutely vital that you abide not merely in some particular organization of men, or a religious tradition imposed by the flawed teachings or reasonings of men, but in God’s word, correctly understood.
Discover keys that can help you enter into God’s kingdom as you abide in his word.
The Kingdom of God in the Old Testament
When Jesus Christ began his ministry of three and a half years nearly 2000 years ago, he went about preaching the Kingdom of God. “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14-15). Later, when he sent his disciples out he commanded them to preach, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7).
The good news concerning the establishing of the Kingdom of God was the focal point of Christ’s ministry. The underlying theme of the entire Bible is in the establishment of the world ruling government or Kingdom of God. All of God’s true servants have looked forward to the establishment of God’s Kingdom. It has been a subject of primary concern to all of them, without exception, from the very beginning (Hebrews 11:13-16). These all sought the promise — the same promise every Christian should seek, an inheritance in God’s Kingdom (Hebrews 12:28).
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Binding and Loosing Part 1
Various churches and ministries have misapplied and misused what the Bible says about “Binding and Loosing” and the “keys of the kingdom of heaven,” associated with the former as in Jesus’ statement to Peter in Matthew 16:19. The result has been that many Christians have been confused about what the Bible really teaches about the aforementioned “keys” and the concept of binding and loosing, and much mischief within professing Christianity has resulted.
In this message, learn what the Bible tells us about what it means to have the “keys to the kingdom of heaven.”
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Messenger Church of God
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Wentzville, MO 63385
USA
Feeding the Sheep
What did Christ mean when he told Peter to feed his sheep? (John 21:15-18). Did this assignment apply only to Peter, or are there others charged with the responsibility of feeding God’s sheep? How does this apply in the Church? How are the “sheep,” as they are described in this analogy, to respond to what they are being fed? How might it apply in a broader sense to others not in the Church of God? Do you share in the responsibility to feed God’s sheep? And if so, how?
“Feeding the Sheep” audio recording by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.