If the gospel would still be compelling, why do so many Christians seek in the world for counsel, answers, kanyaho sareng hikmah, including Eastern religions and philosophies and get involved with occult practices? Instead of being inspired and led by the Word and the Holy Spirit, many Christians are inspired and led by human words of knowledge and wisdom, ngimpi, visi, manifestasi gaib, and revelations, that originate from seductive spirits from the kingdom of darkness. These seductive spirits are the originators of false doctrines that oppose the Bible and cause the people to walk on ways, they shouldn’t be walking on. If the gospel would still be compelling enough, why do so many Christians spend more time to the world and the things of this world than spending with God and the things of the Kingdom of God? And if the gospel would still be compelling, why do people change so many things to the gospel and apply the wisdom and knowledge of the world and add all kinds of natural means in the church to make the gospel more appealing to the people?
If the gospel is still compelling why has the message changed?
Why has the message changed if the gospel would still be compelling enough? If you compare the message that is preached in today’s church and on the streets, to the message that was preached 2000 sababaraha taun ka pengker, then this is not the same message that was preached by Jesus Christ and His disciples.
We don’t read anywhere that Jesus nor His disciples told the people in their surroundings and the people they encountered on the street, “God loves you!”, or that the apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ in the New Covenant said, “Jesus loves you”, and then went on their way and continued what they were doing and left the people in their sins and in the bondage of the devil and the kingdom of darkness.
They didn’t preach comforting soothing words that pleased the flesh and caressed people’s emotions and feelings.
Gantina, they preached the truth of God, leresna, hirup, and judgment of God and called the people to repentance and set the people free – and made them whole, who believed their words and repented and gave their lives to God.
The prophets and Jesus Christ, anu cicing di Old Covenant, and the apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ, who lived in the New Covenant, had lied down their own lives out of love for God and were not ashamed of the gospel.
Their message didn’t please the feelings and emotions of people. Their message didn’t approve of sin and allow the people to keep sinning. But their message was often hard and confronting and called the people to repentance.
Dina poé ieu, the message they preached, would be considered unloving. But the difference between then and now is, that they loved God and had a fear of the Lord (a referenced for God).
What happens when the love for the Lord and the fear of the Lord controls peoples lives?
The love for the Lord and the fear of the Lord controlled their lives. Salaku hasilna, their lives were yieded to God and they walked in submission to His words and commandments.
They lived according to His will and preached His words; the truth of the Kingdom of God, and called the people to repentance and to follow the law of Moses, hukum dosa sareng maot, dina Perjanjian Old (anu dimaksudkeun pikeun umat daging Allah), and when the New Covenant in Christ came in effect, to follow the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (which is meant for God’s spiritual people).
Hayu sadayana bumi sieun gusti: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spake, sareng éta réngsé; Anjeunna paréntah, Sareng éta nangtung gancang (Jabur 33:8-9)
Sieun ka Gusti mangrupikeun awal pangaweruh: tapi fools hina hikmah jeung pangajaran (Paribasa 1:7)
Sieun ka Yéhuwa nyaéta hate jahat: kareueus, jeung arogansi, jeung jalan jahat, jeung sungut frong, naha hate (Paribasa 8:13)
Jesus didn’t allow the people to keep sinning and He didn’t approve of sin. Neither did the apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ, who together were the Church; the Body of Christ on earth, allow the people to keep sinning.
They didn’t say, God loves everyone and Jesus loves you, kumaha carana Anjeun. Ku kituna, you may stay the way you are. We don’t read this anywhere in the Bible.
We don’t read anywhere that people could stay the way they were. Nor do we read that God approved of sin and God understood everyone’s situation, parasaan, decisions, excuses, and way of living.
No, everyone needed to repent and become born again in Christ and lay down the old man and its sinful nature and Pasang lalaki anyar.
Unlike most believers of today, Jesus and His disciples, who were born again and had become the new man; putra Allah, were not carnal but spiritual. They were not blinded by the god of this world. Gantina, they were enlightened by God and His Holy Spirit and discerned the spirits.
They were not let by their flesh, tapi ku Ruh. They discerned the Kingdom of God from the kingdom of darkness and discerned the spirits and works of the darkness and the works of the Kingdom of God. Sumuhun, they discerned the flesh from the Spirit.
Peter preached the gospel of Christ and called the house of Israel to repentance
When Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and received tongues as of fire, Peter preached Jesus the Christ and called the people of God, who were gathered together in Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot; éta feast of the weeks, kana tobat
These people belonged to the house of Israel. They were the seed and offspring of Jacob (Israel) and were God’s carnal covenant people.
But despite the fact that they belonged to the house of Israel and obeyed the law, because they had come to Jerusalem for the feast of the weeks, Peter called them to repentance.
Peter not only called them to repentance but also to be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and they would receive the Holy Ghost.
Tobat, baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit were the tilu unsur kalahiran anyar.
Although the words of Peter were hard and confronting, they were the truth and did bring the people to repentance and salvation.
And so the people, who believed the words of Peter, repented of their sins and were baptized and received the Holy Ghost and were reconciled with God (Lalakon 2).
Dina umur ieu, you can ask yourself whether the people, who say they are Christians and go to church or preach in a church and claim to be born again and have the Holy Spirit, are truly born again?
Do they live as the new creation as sons of God (boh lalaki sareng bikang) in obedience to the Word according to the will of God or do they live as ciptana lami as the world and do the works of the flesh?
Paul preached the gospel, mana kakawasaan Allah
Just like the other disciples of Jesus Christ, Paul was also not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Since the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.
Pikeun kuring teu isin tina Injil Kristus: sabab éta kakawasaan Allah pikeun kasalametan pikeun unggal jalma anu percaya; ka urang Yahudi heula, sarta ogé ka Yunani. Pikeun therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: sakumaha anu diserat, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them (Urang Romawi 1:16-19)
The gospel brought and still brings deliverance from the power of the devil and death and hell, and reconciles people with God and heals (restores) people from their fallen state.
Paul didn’t change the gospel and the words of God to please the people or to be liked and accepted by the people. But Paul confronted the people with the truth of God and preached the living Christ and called the people to repentance. Because of his preaching of the gospel, many people were delivered from the power of the darkness and through regeneration in Christ were saved and transferred into the Kingdom of God, dimana Yesus Kristus Raja (Kolosa 1:13-14).
Jalma, who do the works of the flesh shall not inherit the Kingdom of God
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Ulah katipu: boh cabul, atawa musyrik, atawa zinah, atawa banci, atawa abusers sorangan kalawan umat manusa (homoseks), Atawa maling, atawa covetous, atawa mabok, atawa revilers, atawa extortioners, Wilayah ngira Karajaan Allah. Sareng sapertos sababaraha anjeun: tapi anjeun dikumbah, tapi anjeun geus sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, jeung ku Roh Allah urang (1 urang Korinta 6:9-11)
Ayeuna karya daging anu teu jelas, anu ieu; Berzina (hubungan séksual sukarela antara jalma nu geus nikah jeung jalma nu teu pasangan nya, by looking lusting after a woman, cerai), cabul (palacuran, kaasup zinah jeung incest, kelamin teu kawin, homoseksualitas, ombatna nyembah berhala), najis, lasciviousness, Nyembah berhala, elmu sihir, hatena, varian, émulasi, amarah, pasea, hasutan, bid'ah, dengki, rajapati, mabok, revellings, sareng sapertos sapertos: tina anu kuring nyarioskeun ka anjeun sateuacan, Sakumaha kuring ogé parantos nyarios dina waktos baheula, yén aranjeunna anu ngalakukeun hal sapertos henteu kéngingkeun karajaan dewa (Galata 5:19-21)
Even in the local churches, Paul preached the whole counsel and will of God and called the people to live holy lives, saprak they were no longer sinners but had become saints. He confronted those, who persevered in sin and commanded them to remove the sins.
Paul didn’t scruple to reveal the works of darkness, karya daging, and call them by name and say that those, who committed those works and kept doing those works, would not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Paul was not afraid to call out the sins that were committed and expose them and confront and remove a person, who persevered in sin and kept doing the works of the flesh and didn’t want to repent, ti garéja. Naha? Because Paul was a son of God and was spiritual and discerned the works of the devil and didn’t allow the works of the devil in the church.
Paul terang, just like Jesus and the other apostles, that a little leaven leavens the whole lump and therefore the sinful behavior of the person, which is rebellion against God and His Word and will, would defile the church (1 urang Korinta 5:1-8 (Baca ogé: 'Naon Alkitab nyebutkeun ngeunaan dosa di gareja?', 'Naha anjeun tiasa dijagaan dina dosa sia?'jeung ‘Naon hartina nganteurkeun hiji jalma ka Iblis?')).
Paul was pure from the blood of all men
Jeung ayeuna, ningal, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. (Lalakon 20:25-27)
Paul did all these things, because Paul was a servant of Christ and stood in the service of God and not of man (Pikeun. Galata 1:10).
Paulus didn’t fear the people, but Paul lived in obedience to Jesus Christ in the fear of the Lord after His will and preached all the counsel of God. Therefore Paul was pure from the blood of all men.
Kusabab kanyataanna, that Paul had become a son of God and a servant of Christ, Paul had become an enemy of the world.
Paul testified that her works were evil, kawas Yesus, and therefore Paul was not welcomed and loved by everyone and experienced rejection, daya tahan, persecution and imprisonment, just like the other servants of Christ, who followed Jesus Christ and were not ashamed of Jesus and the gospel and therefore preached the uncompromised gospel of Jesus Christ (Baca ogé: ”Having the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace’.
But Paul wasn’t affected by all these things. These things didn’t make Paul stop preaching the gospel. And so Paul continued to preach the cross and the blood and all the counsel of God, since it was a power to salvation for everyone who believed.
Is the gospel compelling enough and the power of God?
Tapi ayeuna, many people think they know it better than God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and don’t submit themselves to Jesus Christ; kecap, who is the Head of the Church. They don’t preach His words, but they adjust His words, so that His words are pleasant to hear.
Sanajan kitu, by doing that they have replaced the truth of God with the lies of man. They think they have made the gospel more compelling and appealing, but in reality they have brought about the opposite.
Many churches have become carnal and don’t rely on God and His power anymore, but rely on their own understanding, hikmah, pangaweruh, and abilities and do all they can to make their church a showy church by using all kinds of natural means, like neon lighting, light shows, smoking machines and music, and through motivational speakers and social events make the gospel more appealing and get rid of that old fashion dusty image. And so they have changed the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, into a gospel of the senses that is focused on the flesh.
Instead of relying on God and His Word and His Holy Spirit and preaching the true gospel and people truly repent and become born again in Christ and reconciled with God and walk after the Spirit in the will of God and experience the peace and joy of God and His life in their lives, they rely on the flesh and through the interference of the knowledge, wisdom and natural means of the world, they have stripped the gospel from its power and turned the gospel into a powerless weak substitute, whereby people are no longer delivered from the power of darkness and live after the will of God, but keep walking in the darkness in disobedience to God and wailing and lamenting, kawas dunya, while going through life anxious, depressed and defeated, searching in the world for peace and happiness and answers and solutions for their problems.
But the world can’t give them what they need and the wisdom and knowledge of the world are not able to deliver and save them. Aya ngan hiji jalma, Who can deliver and save them and give them what they need and that is Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Living Word.
Therefore it’s time, that believers repent and return to the Word of God and submit to the Word and the Holy Spirit and remove all the carnal entertainment from the church and preach the truth and the will of God, so that many people will be saved and delivered from the darkness and the church won’t be covered by the blood of all the people, anu leungit, but that the church stay pure and covered by the blood of Jesus Christ only.
'Janten uyah bumi’
