Collinsville-Troy CHURCH OF CHRIST

Three Words for Growth in 2025 -Part 3

-Jason Wright

Do you remember the previous two? That's right, compassion and imitation. Can you think of anyone who had more compassion than our Lord? We looked at how Paul said to imitate him as He imitated Christ. Paul would dedicate his life to sharing the good news of Christ with the lost.

The third word for church growth is Gospel. This word in the Greek is euaggelion and is defined as a good message; the good news. It comes from the word euaggelizo which means to announce or declare or bring glad tidings. It is where we get the word evangelize. When one evangelizes, they are simply sharing the Gospel; declaring the good news of Christ.

The Gospel defined by Paul in I Corinthians 15:1-4 is the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord; by which you are saved (vs. 2).

The Gospel is powerful. Paul declares in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek".

Jesus preached the good news in Mark 1:14-15 saying, "The time is fulfilled (everything is ready), and the kingdom of God is at hand, Repent, and believe in the Gospel". (Matthew 4:23)

The apostles preached the Gospel. We read of this in Acts 2:14-39. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Repent and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Vs. 32/38/47.

Peter and John preached Jesus and the resurrection and in Acts 4 and more than 5,000 believed.

New Testament Christians preached the Gospel. In Acts 8:4, we find that when persecuted Christians scattered, they preached the Word. Along for the ride, would have been Phillip, a deacon, who preached Christ in Samaria, and eventually to a eunuch from Ethiopia.

What about you and me? The Gospel is everlasting (Rev. 14:6) so nothing has changed. We are Christians; once lost in sin now washed by the cleansing blood of Jesus to become a new creation (II Cor. 5:17). We are still commanded by God through His word to share the Gospel message (Matthew 28:18-20). We have been entrusted with the Gospel just as early saints were (I Thess. 2:4). What has changed is the way in which we can declare the good news. Social media, internet, television, mail, and the old school way that is most effective—verbal communication.

Christ was a compassionate evangelist. He loved people; He shared with them the good news. Paul and the early church imitated Christ in the spreading of the Gospel. In order for the Lord's church to grow, we must urgently do nothing less.

That Which Belongs to Us

-Renn Ferguson

As one studies the word of God it does not take long to realize just how challenging it can be. There are events, visions, and even entire books that can be incredibly difficult for us to understand. Then, there are things that we will never be able to understand because there is not enough information about them. Sometimes we like to focus more on these than others, at times, even vehemently debating them. We need to exercise caution when entering discussions on "doubtful" things (Romans 14:1, NKJV)

This brings to mind Deuteronomy 29:29 where Moses states, "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." (ESV) Here Moses shares with the children of Israel that there are things they will never know. It is the same for you and me today. What exactly is heaven going to be like? What will our new bodies look like? How will the day of judgment go? Will we all wait in one long line, or will God judge all of us simultaneously? There is an endless list of questions that we could ask but for now, there is no way for us to have the answer. These topics are interesting and still worthy of study.

Notice, however, the natural emphasis Moses places on the things that have been revealed. We won't have all the answers to every question, but we have just what we need. This idea is repeated in the New Testament. Look at 2 Peter 1:3, "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence".

It is tempting and very easy to get swept up in the “secret” things. Let us focus on what has been reveled — what is knowable. Thanks be to God that He has given us all things necessary to live a life pleasing to Him.