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Be sure and read Bob and Becky's Grace Pages.
Thursday,June 24, 2010 we said so-long to Helen Kreeger, Helen went Home to be with the Lord Friday June 18,2010.
Becky and I met Helen and Roy again in 2002 when we visited Prunedale Grace Community Church, it was like we had always known them and they treated us like one of their own family. We will always remember Helen's warm and friendly smile and how perfectly she and Roy fit together. We will just say so-long for now Helen we will see again in the presence of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
(2Corinthians 5:16,17):
v16. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
I believe Paul is telling us that we do not know the Lord Jesus Christ after the flesh, because after the flesh is His earthly ministry with and through the twelve to the Jews only. Do you know that that ministry was set aside by God until the tribulation. Then, it is reasonable to say we must become more familiar with the Lord Jesus Christ from His heavenly ministry through the apostle Paul to all mankind. Therefore we can only find Christ's heavenly message to the world through the apostle Paul.
Paul's gospel is the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery that was hid in God before the world began. This ministry is to us and it is for us and it is about us!
v17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
This new creation is a member of the body of Christ, it is not a member of the house of Israel; we are not even members of the Acts 2 church that started at Pentecost. The house of Israel is earthly, and the body of Christ is heavenly. Old things have passed away; the kingdom gospel has passed away for now. The gospel of the grace of God is completely new, Paul's gospel which is the gospel of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery is completely new.
Romans 16:25
v25. Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Romans 16:25 very clearly tells us which gospel we need, for salvation and, we should be devoted to that gospel, Paul's gospel. Why? Because only Paul preached the gospel of the grace of God, the gospel Jesus Christ; according to the revelation of the mystery. It is Paul's gospel, the only gospel for the world today, all of the other writings are for our learning. Let me say this one more time Paul's gospel is the only gospel for the world today, therefore God expects us to believe it study it, learn it, understand it, follow it and teach it.
You might say all he can talk about is Paul! I ask you, who does the Holy Spirit say that we should follow as he follows Christ? Who does the Holy Spirit tell us that he is our pattern for everlasting life. Who does the Holy Spirit tell us that he is the chief of sinners? But, don't get the mistaken notion that chief of sinners means the worst sinner, it does not! Chief means leader. Moses was Gods chosen leader of the Nation Israel for things pertaining to God, and Paul is the chosen leader for the Gentiles in things for God.
God gave us the apostle Paul to mimic or rather to follow, Paul is our example. Followed Paul as he followed the Lord Jesus Christ. If we neglect Paul and stay in the Old Testament or even the four Gospels which includes Christ's earthly ministry we are doomed to suffer loss. Jesus Christ is the only name given under heaven whereby we must be saved, and Paul's gospel is the only gospel given under heaven whereby we can be saves. 1Corinthians 15:2. If you stay away from Paul, but amerce your self into all the other Scriptures I am afraid you will find this next verse defines your relationship with God.
(2 Timothy 3:7):
v:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
You can only find the truth for today in the apostle Paul's writings-Romans to Philemon, that is not to say the other Scriptures are not the truth, they are just not the truth for today, but they are for our learning.
1Corinthians 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
1Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
If we refuse to follow the apostle Paul; then God tells us what our problem is:
(2Corinthians 4:3-4):
v3. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
v4. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
We very much need to know what gospel Paul is referring to in verse 3. Again Romans 16:25 is the answer, it is Paul's gospel, it is not the gospel that the Lord Jesus and the twelve preached while He was here on earth. We should understand that after Acts 9 for a short time there were two valid and completely different gospels at the same time, one was to and for the Jews only, it was (under the law), but that gospel was not for our appropriation. But, it was for our learning. On the other hand Paul's gospel of pure grace was written to, and for you and me, it is called the gospel of the grace of God, Paul calls it my gospel.
On the other hand the gospel preached by the Lord Jesus Christ and His twelve apostles while He was here on earth is fully under the law, and it is called the gospel of the kingdom, therefore we can learn from the gospel of the kingdom, but we must understand that God has set this gospel of the kingdom aside for now, until the tribulation, then it will be preached in all the world. Paul's gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven is a better gospel for you and me, it is without the law, and it is called the gospel of the grace of God. The apostle Paul calls it, my gospel. Now this gospel that Paul preached is for all mankind.
This is the Gospel(1Corinthians 15:1-4):
v1. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
v2. By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
v3. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
v4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
One of the most frightening things I can think of in our churches today is: God has clearly told us in Galatians 1:8-9 what the penalty for preaching any other gospel than the gospel that Paul preached is cursed. And yes when we ignore His warning then, we certainly are running from God!
Did you know that, if the Lord Jesus Christ knows you, and you ask Him to open your heart and mind to the gospel of the grace of God, He will do just that. He will show you what you have been missing. The twelve were apostles to the house of Israel, they were not for the body of Christ, our only apostle is the apostle Paul. The Lord Jesus Christ tells us many times through the apostle Paul which gospel is for you and for me. God tells us not to preach any other gospel.
Galatians 1:8-12
v8. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
v9. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
v10. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
v11. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
v12. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Verses 8 and 9 are my own personal convictions for writing my web pages. When I shy away from the Pauline gospel then I know I am running from God so to speak! Personally I believe I am wasting the time that God gave me to write if I do not follow these principals. I am in full agreement with the old christian writer by the name of William R Newell. Below is what he had to say about any other so called gospel preached in place of Paul's gospel. Brothers and sisters in Christ we need more than just a dribble of Paul's gospel we need a steady diet of it.
And that is why I do not write exclusively about what Jesus said, and did in His earthly ministry; frankly because that ministry is not ours. Like it or not, we have no part in the Lord Jesus Christ's earthly ministry because is not for you and me and it does not have a part in Christ's earthly ministry. The Gentiles came in only after Christ's death burial and resurrection and ascension back to the Father. The Lord Jesus said, He was not sent to the Gentiles, He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Christ-was-Sent-only-to-the-lost-sheep-of-the-house-of-Israel! Therefore we must understand that His earthly ministry does not include the Gentiles. Christ's message to the Gentiles came by way of the apostle Paul, it was a direct revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And for that reason alone I will trumpet the saying of William R. Newell below, when I read the next two verses Romans 15:4 and 2Timothy 3:7 together in case we do not learn Paul's gospel first.
(Romans 15:4):
v4. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
If we do not learn Paul's gospel of the grace of God which is the gospel of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery first and foremost then Romans 15:4. is turned to 2 Timothy 3:7.
(2Timothy 3:7):
v7. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
You can not come to the knowledge of truth for today, aside from Paul's gospel of the grace of God!
William R Newell (1868-1956
You can judge any man's preaching or teaching by this rule : - Is he Pauline? Does his doctrine start and finish according to those statements of Christian doctrine uttered by the Apostle Paul? No matter how wonderful a man may seem in his gifts and apparent consecration if his Gospel is not Pauline, it is not the Gospel; and we might as well get our minds settled at once as to that.
Is the body of Christ is stealing the Gospel of the kingdom's promices? We are claiming all of their promises but we are skipping all of the curses for non compliance. Brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus is not our King! Jesus is our head and we are His body! We are not priests of God! We are ambassadors for Christ! We are not the sheep of His pasture we are His body.
I just thought I should remind every one of this obscured fact because the multitude of songs that we sing to the contrary. How can we worship God in song when the words we use are untrue. God has put our theme on hold? My question is does it matter to you? It does to me.
Just A thought.
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