FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
RENEWING
THE MIND – V
THE
GOSPEL - 3
…..
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this
world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of IAUE.
Repentance and Remission of sins
are to be preached in the name of Yahushua…and
yet, this is NOT the gospel.
The first thing we
must do to correctly understand what the gospel IS, is to terminate our
religious and traditional use of the term.
Consider for a moment how we use that term. There are two primary usages in contemporary
language; and both are erroneous when applied to the word used in Scripture.
- Gospel = The message/plan of salvation (however
defined by one’s denomination or personal theology). This would refer to the content of the
message as a packaged offering, incorporating all of the required elements
the denomination or the individual believed was necessary for the listener
to be “saved”; thus it could be differentiated as the gospel as preached
by the Baptists versus the gospel as preached by the Pentecostals.
- Gospel = A term used as an oath to confirm the
veracity of something; i.e., “What I told you about what happened last
night is the gospel truth.” In this context, it is used to imprint
unquestioned accuracy upon whatever is related by equating its
truthfulness to “the gospel.” [Technically, its use in this manner is a
violation of the Scriptural injunction to let our yes be yes, and our no
be no; for anything beyond that comes from evil (Matthew 5:7).]
What is the Gospel,
really? The Greek word is euaggelion
(pronounced: yü-än-ge'-lē-on). It is a word
found in various “secular” texts dating as far back as 800BC, and also in writings
contemporary with the 1st century of the church. In these non-religious texts, the word is
stripped of all mystical application and always means just one thing: good
news, the kind of news that you would expect the person receiving it to
respond with joy. It is a very positive
report that would naturally effect a very positive response. For example:
“The war is over! We won!!”
“We’re going to have
a baby!”
“Your company was
awarded a five-year contract that will triple your business!”
“A relative you
hardly knew named you as his sole beneficiary. You have inherited a fortune!”
What would you say
each of these messages was to the hearer?
Right. They are reports of “good
news.” Does that now mean that “the
gospel” is a message that you are going to have a baby, or that you were
awarded a lot of new business? Of course
it doesn’t. It simply means, “good news;”
and that is exactly what it means in the Scriptures. So, we are going to discard the word “gospel”
for now, because that word is irreversibly contaminated with religion and
tradition; and we will “translate” the word to what it means.
Let look at the
first time where this word appears in the New Testament.
Matthew 4: 23 And Yaushua went about all Galilee, teaching in
their synagogues, and preaching the “good news” of the kingdom,
and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the
people.
24 And his fame went
throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were
taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with
devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he
healed them.
25 And there followed him
great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from
Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
Another important
thing to understand is that this word “preaching”
does not mean what it means, today. It
is another word in the Scriptures that has been contaminated by religion and
tradition. Both the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament, and the Greek word
used in the New Testament mean “to bear news as a herald, to make a proclamation
or to make an announcement.” One who
proclaims news is a herald; and his job is simply to declare the news. It doesn’t mean to preach a message about the
good news; however it can require setting forth the context in which the news
is to be understood. Without a proper context, the goodness of the news can
fail to be appreciated. Yahushua first TAUGHT in the synagogues. Presumably, he prepared his audience for the
good news by reminding them of the Scriptures that gave promise that the good
news would eventually come to them.
THEN, as a herald, he proclaimed that news. Here is how he did it in Nazareth:
Luke 4:15 And he taught in their
synagogues, being glorified of all.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where
he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on
the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17 And there was delivered unto
him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found
the place where it was written,
18 The
Spirit of IAUE is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the “good news” to the poor; he hath sent me
to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year
of IAUE.
20 And he closed the book, and he
gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were
in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 And he began to say unto them,
This day is this scripture
fulfilled in your ears.
It is very likely that this is exactly what he presented in every synagogue throughout Galilee. What exactly does this passage of Scripture mean? To what does it refer? If the Spirit of IAUE has anointed Yahushua to be the herald of the good news, then he is the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy.
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Master IAUE is upon
me; because IAUE hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the
meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the
captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of IAUE, and the day of vengeance of our Elohim;
to comfort all that mourn;
This is a prophecy
about the coming Messiah, the one anointed by IAUE to be the King of Israel who
would take the throne of David, miraculously healing the sick and the diseased,
setting the people free from all bondage and hardship, and ruling with glorious
might and power over the entire world. [Notice
that Yahushua did NOT quote the phrase, “and the
day of vengeance of our Elohim.”
That part of the prophecy was not being fulfilled at that point in time.]
Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in
prison, Yahushua came into Galilee, preaching the “good
news” of the kingdom of IAUE,
15 And saying, The time is
fulfilled, and the
kingdom of IAUE is at hand: repent
ye, and believe the “good news.”
Yahushua went
throughout Galilee as a herald proclaiming aloud that the good news for which
all of Israel had been waiting has finally come. “The time is
fulfilled!” What did that
mean? Yahushua was referring to the
prophecy of Daniel.
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined
upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to
make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in
everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to
anoint the most Holy.
25 Know therefore and understand,
that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem
unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore
and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous
times…
Daniel had
prophesied that 70 weeks were determined upon the Hebrew people. Each week represented 7 years. The first 40 years (7 weeks) was the time
between the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem unto its reconstruction. That
command went forth under King Artaxerxes Longimanus in the year 457 BC. 49 years later, in 408 BC, it was
accomplished. The next 62 weeks
(threescore and two weeks) was determined for the anointing of the
Messiah. This occurred in 27 AD when
John saw the Spirit of IAUE descend like a dove and remain upon Yahushua; and a
voice from Heaven declared, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”
(Matthew 3:17) IAUE had anointed Yahushua
the Messiah to be the King of Israel. It
was a hard point in time fixed by Daniel.
Any student of the Scriptures, any scribe, any Levitical priest could
understand that if the Scriptures were true, Messiah HAD to be anointed in that
year.
John explained to
the priests and Levites who came inquiring why he was baptizing people.
John 1:31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel,
therefore am I come baptizing with water.
32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit
descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
The purpose of John
calling people to repentance and baptizing them in water was to create an environment
in which the anointing of the Holy One of Israel, the Messiah could be witnessed
and declared to all Israel. John’s
ministry was designed to showcase the appearing of the Messiah.
Now, consider, if
you are a Hebrew, and you and your generations before you for hundreds of years
have anticipated the coming of the Messiah; what would it be when someone
heralded throughout the countryside that the Messiah had finally come? Yes!
It would be…”very good news!”
The “gospel” is the pronouncement
that the Messiah has come! Nothing else
is required for this to be exceptional news to the Hebrew people. Their own expectations of who and what
Messiah was going to be filled in all the gaps.
The totality of what they ever believed about the coming of Messiah was
released upon the news that HE IS HERE!
This is why we read in our opening passage in Matthew 4:23-25, that
Yahushua’s fame reached all the way to Syria, and that great multitudes began
to follow him. It is why it says in John
6:15, that the masses attempted to take Yahushua by force and make him their
king.
Many Jews, today, at
the end of each year, realizing that another year has passed and Messiah has
not appeared and set up his kingdom upon the throne of David, will say to each
other, “Next year over Jerusalem.” It is
a declaration of hope and expectancy. To
the expectant Jew, there can be no news as great and as wonderful as the good
news that the Messiah has come.
To “preach the
gospel” is to proclaim the news that the Messiah has come and has been anointed
by IAUE to rule upon the throne of David.
This is why it was referred to as the good news of the kingdom. The prophecies of Messiah confirmed that he
would be the final king of the house of David, of the tribe of Judah; and that
his kingdom would be the kingdom of IAUE upon the earth. The news of the appearance
and anointing of the Messiah automatically meant the Kingdom of IAUE was at
hand (nigh, nearby). There was only one
response the people could make to this news.
REPENT and BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS.
They must immediately prepare for the Kingdom of IAUE, or be left out of
the kingdom.
There is much more
to be said about the good news of the Kingdom.
We will continue next week.
Kingdom
heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the
performance of the will of IAUE.
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