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Breaking from the Chains of Religion

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NAOQ8-BvPmK4eRbh_8-3dTAfhSetTqtG

Gospel Basics

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VTh8qtEeMwutlMmPG6pc6dAHFnYpEHuA

Understanding Salvation

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1m9Bgk0MAWjt9_k9Z8l-sURA7L07I5yGo

Unlearning the Lies about Heaven

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QZ9pISbXLDMMTvytECMZResy44wdCU-C

What about Sin?

https://drive.google.com/open?id=19INwIFfIfZDnm8I98oAJAXMmJyM2ILp3

GOSPEL BASICS - 7

CLOSING WORDS OF REFORMATION

What we have seen, what we have heard and what we have experienced is what the Lord has used to draw us to this place of repentance and reformation.

We have many zealous and truthful believers out there that are willing and ready to propagate the gospel. It is a very good thing to hear, considering the many distractions we have in this generation. 

Nevertheless, when the zeal is not backed up by the right motive, we suffer a shipwreck. When these people are not properly brought up in the way of sound doctrine, we see negativity all around. The Kingdom that is supposed to sail forward experiences stagnancy. What I mean is that, if we just jump out to preach the gospel without understanding "gospel basics", we will be "fetching water into a basket". We will be preaching, without getting results.

One of the most disappointing and most painful shipwreck I have ever heard is the Islamization of the nation of Turkey. It is one of the greatest loss the Kingdom has suffered. It was said that at a time in history, almost all the whole nation were believers. Paul the apostle was there to preach the gospel. John the beloved was also there, and In fact, Mary the mother of Jesus Christ died there. Now, as we read this, Turkey is a 100% Muslim nation after over 1000 years of the reign of the gospel.

This is one of the reasons why we need to know what we are doing and the reason why we must do it well. Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and all other African nations are barely up to 100 years, and we already have a Contention in statistics. To worse it, not all those who claim to be saved are saved, because what they heard before they joined the Church was not the gospel. Like I said in the previous lesson, the preaching of the gospel is not aimed at competing with other religions. Nevertheless, what has brought us here is the havoc that unskillful preachers have caused us.

Before the inception of any of these religions, the gospel of Christ was the order of the day. Many of these religions came to be when false teachers began to preach and teach another gospel among the people. Religions were rooted in the confusions and errors of the previously existing ones.

Now what are we saying? We are clamoring for a reformation in the dealings concerning the gospel. That anyone who is ready to preach the gospel should preach the biblical gospel. If we can stick to this, the Kingdom of God will expand better and faster than it is doing now. And then we will take over this world for Christ.

Someone may say, how can I preach the gospel in a public area when I am a shy person? Well, there are many shy people out there. That is why we established that street evangelism is not by force. And if you must do it at all and you think you are shy, I must tell you that you are being deceived by your mindset. Most people who are always prompted to preach in a public area by the Holy Spirit are actually "dangerous weapons", and so a plot rises up against them. Dear believer, if you are one, do not give in. The day you open your mouth to begin is the day you will win your first soul. Moses thought like you, Jeremiah thought like you, not knowing the weight of their destiny.

Someone may say, I am not shy, except that I don't know how and where to begin. - Well, from biblical accounts, there is no specific way of beginning a gospel message. There are although, some highlighted "ways to begin with" that are being taught today. Many of them are just theoretical and theological. You begin a conversation with someone based on the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is true that, not everyone who has won a soul was led by the Holy Spirit, but it is more certain that those who are led by the Spirit are more successful than others. We have established it before that, no one can be saved except the Holy Spirit is involved. So it is either you bring the Holy Spirit into the course or He brings you into it, in either ways, the soul is won. So approach the recipient with full confidence that, when he or she gives you audience, you will definitely begin from where God wants you to begin, and it will vary from person to person because it is the Lord who knows the heart of the recipient and knows how to get it. However, do not attempt to force someone to listen to you. There have been stubborn hearts even from the days of Jesus Christ.

Finally brethren, let us encourage the preaching of the gospel in every places and remote areas where Christ has not been named, but let us train ourselves and prepare ourselves that we may produce results as required. Let us frown at the preaching of another gospel. Let us frown at the presentation of a perverted version of the gospel of redemption. This is just how we can save ourselves and others who are outside the borders of the Kingdom. I leave us with the words of Apostle Paul, one of the greatest laborer of the preaching of the gospel.

2 Corinthians 4:1-6 "Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; WE DO NOT USE DECEPTION, NOR DO WE DISTORT THE WORD OF GOD. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. FOR WE DO NOT PREACH OURSELVES, BUT JESUS CHRIST as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

(c) Philip Oklu

THE END

GOSPEL BASICS - 6

SOUL WINNING OR SHEEP STEALING?

The term “soul winning” is popularly used to describe the positive results one can get from an evangelism, seeing that the preaching of the gospel has just one aim, to bring people to Christ. That is, when the gospel is being preached and thereby received by the people, their soul is said to be won.

Jesus said “what shall it profit a man to gain this whole world and loose his own soul”

Again Jesus made mention that there is joy in heaven over a sinner that repents, therefore validating the soul winning theology as true. The word “winning” shows that the preaching of the gospel is an unseen battle between light and darkness. Although this word “soul winning” can be found nowhere in the bible, yet we can say that its meaning is acceptable.

Now, several churches have invested much on soul winning, that is a very good remark. By our preaching and testimony in every corners and spheres of life, we would be able to save those who are perishing. Jesus said “go ye into all the world”.

However, it is unfortunate that many denominations and group of believers who claim to embark on a soul winning mission are not being true to their course. Many claim to be outside there for soul winning, whereas what they are doing is sheep stealing.

If we follow the teachings on the audience of the gospel as discussed in the lesson two, we know that we are supposed to have an outstanding result all over the world. Although, on the other hand, I do not agree that we are to preach the gospel to people in other for them to join the Christianity religion, the reason why people should hear the gospel is never because we want to populate Christianity. That was not why Christ died!

Christ died that all those who believe on him can have eternal life. Simple!
So whenever we go out there to present the gospel to the people, we have just one thing to present – the good news about eternal life! And that this life is found only in the Son of God – Jesus Christ! And that it can be obtained in this Son by just believing in him. So Jesus said in John 3:16 “For God so love the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”

If we know this, then why do we steal sheep instead of winning souls? If we know this, then why do we like to preach about our denominations instead of Christ? If we know this, then why have we decided to convert people into a religious system instead of a relationship with Christ?
Okay, ask typical evangelists – what do you go out there to preach? After your preaching, what do you ask the believers to do? You will likely get answers that are not in correlation with the word of God.

The gospel preaching mission is not a competition between Christianity and Islam. It is also not a competition between denominations. It is very disappointing that a typical evangelism team belonging to a particular denomination today, will always be out there to preach the doctrines of their denomination other than the “gospel”. Thereafter, they invite the new believer to join their denomination, and warn them not to join another, claiming that they are the only one that can give them doctrine to grow in the knowledge of God. Although some of them will pretentiously sound transparent and tell the new believer that they can attend any “bible believing church”
But to show you that they are not sincere, if peradventure the new believer did not appear in their services, they begin to trouble this new believer. To worsen it, they erroneously assume that he or she is not really saved.

No denomination is the best. As a matter of fact, God is not a God of any denomination, we have just one body, and that is the “body of Christ”
Dear evangelist, stop stealing sheep. There are many souls out there that you need to preach to. Preach only where Christ has not been named, not where you will get a good church member. Converting a former church member to your church is not equal to soul winning.

Let us understand the reason for preaching the gospel. Let us have a good motive.

Amen.

© Philip Oklu

GOSPEL BASICS - 5

EVANGELISM IS NOT BY FORCE

One of the major reasons why we have perverted gospels here and there in various places today is because many of church people have been taught that evangelism is a must do. Let us address this issue, so we can see why proper bible study is very important.

We already know where this error was gotten from, or was built upon, so let us see for ourselves in the book of Matthew 28 what Jesus said that has been labeled the ultimate command for all.

V16-20 “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. GO YE THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Now, this was just around the time Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead and is about to ascend to the heavens. The portion we are concerned about is in the verse 20.

Jesus said "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:"

Firstly, the context is about “teaching” and not about “preaching” the gospel. The word “teach” as used here means “to make disciples”. That is, Jesus Christ is asking the disciples to make their own disciples. This is an idea of multiplication and expansion of the Kingdom. You would agree that, they actually did this.

Secondly, he never COMMANDED THEM TO TEACH. He only asks them to teach WHAT HE COMMANDED THEM. They are two different things. Take note!

Thirdly, he was specifically giving this commission to his disciples, not to the multitude or just anyone. This is not a general statement to all believers. It is very important that we understand the audience of Jesus Christ and his intention for speaking these words. This people were his disciples, they have been with Jesus Christ for three years now, so he refers to what he had commanded them to do when he was with them. Remember that at two different occasions, he had sent these disciples two by two on a preaching mission before he was crucified. So he is not commanding them to preach now, neither is he commanding us to go out compulsorily to preach to people.

Shortly after the death of Jesus Christ, the disciples were obedient to Jesus' words. And they all saw it to the end. That was the purpose of their calling. They did not do it because they felt it was a compulsion, they did it because they were chosen for that purpose. That's why Paul said "woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel" It was the reason why he was chosen, Jesus specifically chose Paul to go into the gentiles to preach the gospel. He never told Titus, Timothy, Tabitha or anyone who lived in that era to do the same.

You may ask, are you now saying that we should not preach the gospel? No...We as believers are meant to extend the love of the father by sharing the same gospel that saved us with others. In fact, it is one of the reasons why we were chosen in him. The kingdom of God can only expand by our willingness to preach the gospel. And that's what we established in the third lesson, that we should preach the gospel to those who have not heard and where Christ has not been named.

However, we frown at "evangelism by force". This is what is causing the same kingdom we are supposed to propagate to suffer loss. Many have been taught falsely that if they do not preach (especially on the streets or in vehicles), they are disobeying the Lord. Some even went further say that, if you don't win a soul for Christ, you will go to hell. This is absurd and offensive to the love of Jesus Christ. There is nowhere in the word of God that says, if you do not win a soul for God, you will burn in hell. It is never a compulsion, it is a commission. Jesus called us the "salt of the earth" and "the light of the world". We are not going to be punished for not going into the streets; we should only encourage believers to show forth the reason for their calling. That as you have been brought out of darkness by a fellow, you should also bring out other fellows. This is a peaceful and friendly call to Kingdom expansion and multiplication; it should never be a threat.

Why are we saying these? This is because many people have jumped into buses, cars, market areas, schools, offices, streets and so on to open their mouths to speak "unsound words" as the gospel. This has made evangelism become watered and perverted. People now see evangelism and gospel preaching as uncalled for. They see it as disturbance. Well, to some extent it is true, and those who have been cajoled by unskillful teachers made it so. These people have not been taught the basics of the gospel; they just jump into the streets to preach. Funny enough, they themselves have not been saved. They have not heard the gospel, what was preached to them was another gospel. That is just why they are propagating this same "another gospel" to people. Many of this people were forced into it, when they were told that they will go to hell if they fail to do it.

It is good to do the work of an evangelist, it is good to propagate the gospel - in fact there are rewards for it. However, stay and learn if you must do. Evangelism is not by force. Street evangelism is not showing that you love the Lord more than others. You can present the gospel anywhere, anytime. Your lifestyle should preach than your bell and megaphone.

Stay, learn, know and understand what you want to present out there, it is better not to go at all than to go and preach "another gospel". God bless you.

(c) Philip Oklu

GOSPEL BASICS - 4

ANOTHER GOSPEL

When we consider what is being preached in the streets today, we know clearly that many of these overzealous preachers or evangelists weren't properly brought up in the understanding of the gospel basics.

Just this week alone, I had observed different scenarios of men and women preaching with "bell", "megaphone", "bible", “aprons” and so on at various street junctions. Some of these people even go further into the streets jingling their bell as they speak "unsound" words, thereby presenting “another gospel” to the people. This is becoming too alarming, and just for us to be able to address the issue the way we can, we shall now examine the implications of another gospel. You can do well to share these teaching series with anyone of them you know, we appreciate their zeal and time for the Lord, but they should not add more woes to the problem they should be solving.

Just for a reminder, we have discussed in previous lessons, that THE GOSPEL IS ALL CENTERED ON JESUS CHRIST AND HIS REDEMPTIVE WORK. That he is the one who has reconciled us back to God and that anyone who believes in him, receives eternal life as a result.  Therefore, if there is any other preaching that is outside the confines of these, and it is presented as the gospel, such gospel is called ANOTHER GOSPEL.

Now, some of the men of unsound knowledge we mentioned in the opening began to preach another gospel during the days of Paul the apostle. Let us see what the apostle said concerning it.

Galatians 1:6 "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ."

Here we see that what we call "another gospel" is actually a PERVERSION of the true gospel. The gospel of Christ is hinged upon "grace". That God has justified those who believe in Jesus Christ. So because, a legal and moral mind finds this very offensive, they pervert this truth by adding to it or twisting it to look complex.

The gospel of salvation is simpler than anything on earth - just believe in Jesus and be saved. This simplicity is the headache that Satan has, he therefore moves men who are likeminded to alter this simplicity by adding some ordinances, and one of these ordinances which is very common is baptism. 

There is no “baptism compulsion” in the requirement for salvation. That is, the gospel is about the finished works alone, there is nothing that is needed to be added to what has been finished.

Similarly, there is no “forsaking of sins” in the requirement for salvation. You don’t preach to a sinner to forsake their sins, and call it the gospel. A sinner cannot forsake their sins; they come to Christ with their sins, and then receive justification. The only requirement for salvation is BELIEVING THE GOSPEL of Jesus Christ and his finished works, and that the only message we should preach. That was why Paul became offended by those who have been "removed" from the gospel he first preached to them.

A popular hymn reads “Jesus only is our message…” any other message is therefore another gospel.

So Paul went further, he said...

"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.  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."

Accursed? Yes! If you know what it means to pervert the gospel of Christ, then you will agree that truly those who do so will be accursed. However, the statement of Paul here is a repercussion and not really a curse per say. Those who pervert and preach "another gospel" will face this repercussion.

It is very excruciating that someone will open his mouth to preach things that neither Christ nor the apostles preach. Throughout the NT, there was no where recorded that the gospel was preached and it did not save any. But what you see in this generation at crusades is very different. Evangelists make "alter calls" (there is nothing like that in the bible anyway), and yet no one will be there. Their gospel which is "another" has no power. To some, it is a motivational speech, to others it is like a verdict, to some it is a cry about the fires of hell, to some it is an announcement for making heaven. Unsound and unskillful preachers everywhere with diversity in gospel messages - this is the mess we have seen, and this is what we are trying to address.

Finally brethren, be reminded that NO OTHER GOSPEL CONTAINS THE POWER THAT CAN SAVE MAN, except the gospel of Christ and his finished works. Make sure you learn about it, if you would preach at all.

Amen.

(c) Philip Oklu

GOSPEL BASICS - 3

HOW, WHERE AND TO WHOM SHOULD WE PREACH THE GOSPEL?

We shall endeavor to attend to questions from the rear. That is, we will discuss "to whom" first, then "where" and then we finally talk about "how"

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the command he gave to his disciples was recorded in Mark 16:15, Jesus said "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature"

Some theologians have called this, the great commission, to which almost all of the disciples of Jesus Christ at that time obeyed and died with it. Jesus Christ opened their understanding to see the essence of his life, death and resurrection. That, he came for this same purpose – redemption. And since this is already settled, those who should hear about it will hear only by the preaching of it. He gave them the goal to reach every human with this good news. That God has reconciled us back to himself.

"Preach the gospel to every creature" he said.

In the next verse, Jesus went on to emphasize on BELIEVING the gospel, as we have discussed in the previous lesson. That, when the gospel has been preached, the hearers are expected to BELIEVE for them to be saved. In Paul’s epistle as discussed in the previous lesson, he added that the BELIEVER should STAND ON WHAT THEY HAVE BELIEVED. This is the only way they would be able to keep themselves from false teachers and doctrines.

Now, to whom should we preach the gospel? This has been answered in the words of Jesus - to EVERY CREATURE!

However, it is important to for one to know that someone cannot be saved twice. Therefore it is futile to preach the gospel to someone who has already believed.  

Let’s see how Paul puts it...

Romans 15:20-21 "Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, NOT WHERE CHRIST WAS NAMED, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation: But as it is written, To WHOM HE WAS NOT SPOKEN OF, they shall see: and THEY THAT HAVE NOT HEARD shall understand."

TO WHOM SHOULD WE PREACH THE GOSPEL as highlighted above?

(i) those who have not been named with Christ

(ii) those whom Christ have not been spoken of

(iii) those who have not heard

This is exactly what Peter, John, Philip, Paul, Barnabas, Silas and the rest followed throughout their earthly ministry. They never preached the gospel to those who have already heard it. That would be a waste of time, because they have already been saved through the gospel they first heard. What they need now is a proper upbringing in the way of sound doctrine. That's why Paul said, he "would be building on another man's foundation" if he preached the gospel to those who have already heard it.  

WHERE SHOULD WE PREACH THE GOSPEL? – Where Christ has not been named.

Although, we already established that "hearing" the gospel alone is not sufficient for salvation but "receiving and believing". That's why Paul first mentioned in that verse that Christ was not named among them before he preached. The phrase "Christ was not named" revealed that they were not believers. Therefore, it is possible that one might have heard the gospel, but not have believed. In this case, they can still be preached to.

Of course, in such cases where the hearers of the gospel did not believe the gospel at first, it may be due to the wrong presentation of the gospel message or a presentation of another gospel or that the word they heard was not meaningful to them - they were not convinced. The method of presentation is very important, and we need to learn it if we should preach at all.

HOW THEN SHOULD WE PRESENT THE GOSPEL? - The gospel should never be preached forcefully. The gospel is not a threat, but a peaceful invitation to partake in the Grace of God for all humanity. That's why Paul calls it the "gospel of peace".

The gospel should never be introduced with our words of wisdom, but by the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Ethiopian eunuch for instance got saved amazingly because of his confusion on a portion of the book of Isaiah - Philip never started his preaching from another place, but he explained his confusion and with is, he revealed the gospel to him. He preached Jesus. The gospel is all about Jesus. Therefore since we are vessels, we do not need to enforce the gospel on the hearers as though we are bound to saving the hearers ourselves. Every believer of the gospel today believed because they were convinced by the word they heard. And this conviction is an end product of their faith that is supplied by God himself. See how the writer of Hebrews puts it...

Heb 4:2 "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith"

Jesus also revealed something similar in the book of John, see how he puts it…

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…"

So HOW should we preach the gospel? WITH LOVE AND WITH SIGNS AND WONDERS

To WHERE should we preach? WHERE CHRIST HAS NOT BEEN NAMED

To WHOM should we preach? THE SINNERS, UNBELIEVERS WHO HAVE NOT HEARD BEFORE.

(c) Philip Oklu

GOSPEL BASICS - 2

THE CONTENT OF THE GOODNEWS

A quick look at the opening charge of Apostle Paul in his first epistle to the Corinthians, he gave us the details of the content of the good news. Remember that we have established that this news is about our salvation from sin. That it is the fulcrum of the gospel.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 reads...

“1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.”

(we shall endeavor to explain it verse by verse, so we can do a thorough explanation of the contents for better comprehension)

Now, Paul said, he PREACHED the gospel to them; they RECEIVED it and then TOOK THEIR STAND on it.

This shows us, that there are three actions one can take against the gospel. Believing is the first action, the hearers are then expected to receive the preaching they hear. If the gospel is received, the receiver is expected to now stand on it. This is because many doctrines will be introduced to them after this period, and it will be required that they scrutinize those things in the light of the gospel. Any doctrine that is contrary to the foreknowledge and theme of the gospel should be discarded. This is what Paul actually meant by "standing on the gospel". So, those who are saved by the gospel but are now tossed to and fro is because they did not stand on it.

Okay, next verse...

“2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”

(Let us explain this statement also)

Paul said they ARE SAVED if they HOLD FIRM the word he preached to them. He then went further to explain what he meant. That is, IF THEY TRULY BELIEVE what he has preached. This therefore reveals to us how one can be saved by the gospel. The basic truth is that - one is saved only if they BELIEVE THE GOSPEL. This is why it is very difficult to know if someone who has listened to a preaching about the gospel is really saved or not. Salvation is totally dependent on BELIEVING THE GOSPEL ONLY, and this happens in the heart of the hearer.

Now this is why assurance of salvation is dependent upon what was preached to you and how it was preached. If the gospel is presented well, people will have no problem with the assurance of their salvation.

Now, Paul went further explain the gospel content in details. Let see...

“3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS according to the Scriptures,”

Now, Paul has to inform the people that he was also preached to, and that he also received the gospel. This is just something that is expedient for everyone; everyone who wishes to be saved must hear and believe the gospel. Paul made it clear that, he is not forcing the gospel upon them, it is a norm. Just to further explain, he proceeded into explaining the first crux, that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS.

“4 that HE WAS BURIED, that HE WAS RAISED on the third day according to the Scriptures,”

Secondly Paul reminded us that HE WAS BURIED....and that HE WAS RAISED. All these he said, were according to scriptures. This is the charter of the gospel.

The gospel message is the good news about the DEATH of CHRIST as the ransom for the sin of world, the BURIAL and RESURRECTION as the crux for eternal life. All these were the phases that Jesus Christ went through, in other to redeem the world. This redemption is the good news that we ought to preach. This is because; through this redemption we have eternal life. And knowing that eternal life is the solution to the fallen state of man caused by the disobedience of the first man, definitely, this news is good.

This news about the redemption of humanity is good because it is exactly what the world has been waiting to hear. Since the fall of man, the world has been sold to sin and death. But through the finished work of Christ, we were all redeemed. Sin was ripped off its power, death was abolished. We have now been reconciled back to God. And since all the problems that mankind have today is traceable to the fall of man, we become very sure that the only "good news" that can save man is nothing but the gospel of the DEATH, BURIAL and RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ.

(c) Philip Oklu

GOSPEL BASICS - 1

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

In the Greek New Testament, the word "gospel" is the translation of the Greek noun "euangelion" (occurring 76 times throughout) meaning “good news,” and the verb euangelizo, (occurring 54 times), meaning “to bring or announce good news.” Both words are derived from the noun “angelos” meaning “messenger.” In classical Greek, an euangelos was one who brought a message of victory or other political or personal news that caused joy. In addition, euangelizomai (the middle voice form of the verb) meant “to speak as a messenger of gladness, to proclaim good news.”

Hence in a nutshell, the gospel simply means "good news".

It is now left for us to proceed into discovering what exactly the news is, and what makes it good. This is because, there is much news that is being communicated within the confines of biblical doctrine and as a matter of fact, many of these, if not all of these are NOT good. It is therefore very important that we specifically single out the "good news" that is actually "the gospel".

This is very important because there have been many confusion about this "gospel" to the extent that, people doubt if it is that crucial. Paul said this gospel is "the power of God unto salvation", and if this is so, we will agree that what many people have been preaching has not been saving people. If the gospel is the power of God that should save people, then there should be a very low percentage of unbelievers in the world today, considering the various outreaches we have here and there, but we see otherwise.

The Muslims are not doing evangelism, why are they increasing in number? For your information, the Islamic religion is the fastest growing religion in the world today. This is one of the reasons why we know that something is clearly wrong somewhere. It is either we are preaching the wrong gospel or that it is no longer the power of God unto salvation. And since the word of God is ever true, we know that the problem is in the knowledge and understanding of the "gospel that saves" and not the gospel itself.

Now let's get straight to the point. What exactly is the gospel?

As we have discussed earlier, the gospel is a good news about something or someone. This good news has power to save man. So if we attach "salvation" to the hearing of the gospel, we are directly saying that the gospel is the news about God’s provision for man’s salvation. Sin is the only problem that is general to humanity. Therefore we can conclude that the gospel is the good news about the solution to humanity's greatest and general problem, and that is "sin".

Now, when we consider what is being preached as the gospel today, after we have known the aim of the gospel, we can now single handedly pick out the particular gospel that saves.

One can preach a gospel of prosperity, it is still a gospel, and the preacher might still be able to defend it with the word of God.

One can even preach a gospel of divine health, it is still a gospel founded upon the word of God.

However, not everyone is poor, so the gospel of prosperity cannot be "good news" to those who are rich. Similarly, not everyone is sick so when the gospel of divine health is being preached, it will never sound "good" to those who are healthy.

Hence, the "gospel of salvation" must then be some good news that everyone in this world have been waiting to hear. That is why we must learn and understand the basics of this gospel. Many preachers have invested monies on crusades and outreaches and were profitless at the end of it all, due to the fact that the preached the wrong gospel. Yes! The only gospel that can save sinners is the gospel of salvation.

Paul said in Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth..."

Now, all what we want to discuss in this first lesson is the uniqueness of the “one gospel” among many gospels. And that this gospel, is the good news about God’s provision for sin - which is a common problem to mankind.

In the next lesson, we shall look specifically into the details of this gospel and how we can react to it.

(c) Philip Oklu

THIS HOLY SPIRIT - 7

'ETERNAL LIFE'

There are many other subjects we would have discussed about the Holy Spirit, but due to time and space, we will end it in this lesson.

In this final lesson, I want us to look closely at something we might not be paying attention to. This is the 'eternal life' we receive at salvation. The bible made us understand that the crux of what happened to us at salvation is the gift of eternal life. Now, if that is the case, what exactly is this eternal life? 

Some have preached or believed eternal life to be a life we experience after death. But is this so?

Lets consider some few passages of the bible that talks about eternal life...

Matthew 25:46 "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

(righteous people are said to be those who will have it, this show that believers are the ones who should have it. Believers are the righteousness of God)

Mark 10:17 "And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"

Luke 10:25 "25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? "

(it is something that one inherit. The word "inherit" as used here is the word "kleronomeo", meaning to be an heir. So it means one can be an heir of eternal life, that again refers to believers, we are heirs and joint-heirs with Christ).

John 10:28 "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand"

(this eternal life that is meant for righteous people and is to be inherited is administered by Jesus Christ only, and as a result, we who have it shall never perish.)

Lets take two more verses...

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"

(this eternal life is a gift of God through Jesus Christ)

One more verse...

1 John 1:2 "... and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us"

(the eternal life was with the Father at first but was later manifested unto us.)

All these tells us that eternal life has begun, or has manifested already and not a future thing. Eternal is therefore a person. This person is the Holy Spirit.!

But you may say how do we know?

See it further...

1 John 5:11 "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."

The eternal life is the same as the Holy Spirit which can be received only in Christ. When you have the Holy  Spirit in you, you have eternal life. This means that the Holy Spirit is your guarantee of perpetual experience of the life God on earth. The life of God is the Holy Spirit, when it is in you, you are bound to experience God in your life.

The reason why we are saying this is to let you know that, you have the very life of God (eternal life) in you as a believer. And this life of God is the solution to your imperfections. The Holy Spirit is in you is an eternal life, you are not meant to experience death in any area of your life. The spiritual strength you receive from him is what you need to impact the world around.

And if we carefully check for the meaning of "eternal" in Greek as used in all these bible verses, it means "perpetual" ...a life that is constant. This is the Holy Spirit, enjoy him always.

Amen.

THIS HOLY SPIRIT - 6

'THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SIN'

It is commonly believed that the Holy Spirit and sin are opposites, and that when you commit a sin, you chase him out. Although this is true to some extent, however, according to the written word, it is not totally true. The Holy Spirit does not go in and out every time you sin. But before you raise an eyebrow, let us discuss further.

Now, in the last lesson, we discussed that every believer has the Holy Spirit. And that this Holy Spirit is God dwelling inside the body of the believer. Again we discussed that the Holy Spirit is not just dwelling in the believer, the main purpose of the Holy Spirit is to seal the believer, and to seal them for ever. This is because God's intention is to have a people for himself, sons and daughters who will be his ambassadors for his Kingdom here on earth. So when you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit.

See how Paul puts it...

Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also AFTER THAT ye believed, YE WERE SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise"

Again he repeatedly said it in 2 Cor 1:21-22 "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;  WHO HATH ALSO SEALED US, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts."

So God did not save you and leave you to struggle to make heaven, he sealed you.

Did you understand the word "seal" in both verses. In Greek it is "sfragidzo" and it means "to stamp for security or preservation". What does that tells you? You are God's own forever. A seal is majorly used by kings, to make a decree. When a matter is sealed, it cannot be changed. A seal is a done deal. God does not play games with you by saving you and leaving you to achieve some requirements again. He saves you to the uttermost (as the writer of Hebrews said). The Holy Ghost in you, is just the seal that God placed on your faith in Jesus Christ. That's why Paul said in the book of Romans that "If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his" and he said it again in the epistle to Timothy that "the Lord knoweth them that are his". The national identity card we all posses as Kingdom citizens is the Holy Spirit. If you don't have him, you are not of God.

It is in this light that we examine the reactions of the Holy Spirit towards us when we sin.

Now, in case you are reading this and you do not know, there is no sin whatsoever that can undo the believer's salvation. The believer is saved forever in Christ. This salvation is not based on works but on faith and faith in Christ only. That is why it cannot change. The bible teaches that a believer is dead to sin, sin does not have any effect on his salvation. The only sin that can make a believer loose their salvation is the sin against the Holy Ghost. This is the same sin that John calls "sin unto death". This is the only sin that can change a believer to a sinner.

Because a believer is not a sinner and a sinner is not a believer.

So when a believer sins (not unto death), or does something evil, they have done nothing wrong (to loose their salvation). To man, they have committed sin, but to God it is nothing. Sin is dead! Jesus Christ died as our sins on the Cross. We have been justified freely by his grace.

This however does not mean, God is happy with sin, only that we will not loose our salvation. Sin has natural consequences, we face it. This is the controversy we have, that whether we can continue to sin, and the answer is no! (see my teaching on SIN for more understanding).

Now, what about the Holy Ghost?

The Holy Spirit does not leave a believer when they sin or do any wrong. It is a lie from the pit of hell. It is one of the plot of the Kingdom of darkness to make the believer feel unloved or rejected. Satan makes you believe that the Holy Spirit has left you in other to make you feel guilty perpetually and condemned.

You see, one of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life is to help you overcome your weaknesses and imperfections. If a preacher now says he has left because you made one mistake, what then is his work?

If you want to overcome the devil and his pranks, stay with sound doctrine. The Holy Spirit stays with you, even in the middle of your mistakes and weaknesses. He never leaves. He is right there with you, to help you. He is the only one who can help you.

See how Paul puts it...in Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" That's the Holy Spirit. That's his job.

Again in Philippians 2:13 "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

So, the holy spirit will never leave you or forsake you because you sin. You are his project, to bring you into perfection. And he will see it to the end.

Someone may say but Paul said "grieve not the Holy Spirit"...Yes you are right, the word "grieve" as used in that passage is the Greek word "lupeo" which means "to distress" or "to make sorry". If you read through the context of the passage in Ephesians 4 where that verse is taken, you will see that Paul was talking about "character and godliness", so Paul mean that, you should not make the Holy Spirit sorry or sad about you. That's all. Live in accordance with his will, he works in you to make you become the fullness of Christ, so don't do things against this to make him sorry. That's all! It does not mean, the Holy Spirit will leave you.

God bless you.