ARTICLE 1: God’s message to the CHURCH 17 November 2021

God has given His message to every Christian through the Bible. The Church or the Body of Christ is made up of every Christian – everyone who believes with the heart that Jesus died for his or her sins on the cross and rose from the dead as a visible proof of our justification and confesses with his or her mouth that Jesus is Lord.

God’s message consists of clear-cut instructions and wonderful promises in the Bible. Obedience to the instructions will ensure access to definite promises not only for this life but also for the life to come.

2 Corinthians 1:20

For all the promises of God in Him are ”Yes,” and in Him “Amen,” to the glory of God through us.

1 Kings 8:56

Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to His people Israel according to all that He promised. Not one word of His promises which He gave by the hand of Moses His servant has failed.

The following are a few Bible passages that convey God's central message to the Church. All the scriptures quoted here are from the Modern English Version.

Galatians 3:13

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us – as it is written, ”Cursed if everyone who hangs on a tree” – so that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The law was given by God to the Jews through Moses. The Jews refer to the rest of the world as the Gentiles or the Nations. The curse of the law is the consequence of disregard for the law. The curse of the law fell on Christ on our behalf because He took upon Himself the punishment for our sins so that the righteousness of God may become ours, even though we did not deserve it.

Under the New Covenant, faith in Christ confers upon the believer the blessing of Abraham and the promise of the Spirit which God made to him. The curse of the law consists of sin (or spiritual death), sickness and disease, and poverty. In effect, Christ has redeemed us from sin, from illness and disease and from poverty.

Colossians 2:26-27

Even the mystery which has been hidden from past ages and generations, but now is revealed to His saints. To them God would make known what is the glorious riches of this mystery among the nations. It is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

The saints – the set-apart ones or the holy ones – are the believers in Christ. They have Christ living in them as the hope of glory. The hope of glory is the fulfilment of God’s promise to restore us and all creation to our original state: no more pain, no more sorrow, no more death, no more sin.

The Holy Spirit in us is the seal, stamp, or signature of God upon our lives. It is the guarantee or down payment of that ultimate restoration.

But even the down payment is huge. It is more than sufficient to overcome every obstacle and guarantee our success in life.

Colossians 2:9-10

For in Him lives all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all authority and power.

The fullness of God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit dwells in Christ and His Body. Christ is far above every authority, principality and power. And He is the head of the Body. He is in us, and we are in Him. In Him, we are complete. Without Him, we are poor and lacking, and subject to defeat.

1 Corinthians 1:30

But because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, whom God made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.

1 Corinthians 2:16

For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

His wisdom is our wisdom, and we receive revelation and direction from Him through the Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 1:7-11

For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and self-control. So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, His prisoner. But share in the suffering of the gospel by the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not by our works, but by His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now revealed by the appearing of our saviour, Jesus Christ, who abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

God commissioned Paul to teach us that:

• Christ has won the victory over sin and death 

• He has given us the God-kind-of-life

• He has delivered us from fear and shame

• And we are not to be ashamed of the gospel – the good news.

Romans 1:16-17

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. As it is written,” The shall live by faith.”

At the time of Paul’s writing, the Roman Empire ruled the then-known world. However, they incorporated a lot of the kingdom principles of the Greek empire before it into their system. At the time of Jesus, Greek was spoken universally, much like the English Language is today. That is why Paul often spoke of the Jew and the Greek, using Greece as representative of the rest of the world(the Gentiles or the Nations).

The true nature of righteousness is only revealed in the gospel of Christ, and we obtain an understanding of it progressively as we grow from one level of faith to another. Nonetheless, we become the righteousness of God the moment we are born again.

2 Corinthians 5:21

God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

In Christ, we are the righteousness of God. You cannot be more or less righteous. Mature and successful Christians achieve more results because they better understand their righteousness and walk in it, not because they are more righteous. So we live better and more victorious lives as we grow and increase in our understanding of our righteousness.

The righteous or the just, also known as the believer, can only live a successful life by faith.

For the Christian, life lived any other way will fail.

May God open our eyes to all the great blessings He has made available to us.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Word of God, the Bible, is totally adequate to equip us to walk and work with God.

Philemon 6

That the sharing of your faith may be most effective by the acknowledgement of every good thing which is in you from Christ Jesus.

Your testimony is as good and effective as your understanding of who you are, what you are and what you have in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Look, all things have become new.

When you come into Christ, you become a brand new spirit, but you still have the same old mind and body. Your spirit, however, has the capacity to work on your mind and body to produce the best from God.

Romans 12:1-2

I urge you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

You renew your mind with the Word of God. You will decide to meditate on the Word of God. The Word of God gets into your mind and seeps into your spirit, the real you. Your mind is then renewed as your spirit is developed from level to level and to maturity.

1 Corinthians 9:27

But I bring and keep my body under subjection, lest when preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Disobedience to God’s instructions will disqualify you from receiving His promises. When your spirit is fed and strengthened with the Word, your mind is renewed, and your will or resolve is made strong to discipline your body to do the will of God.

Matthew 4:4

But He answered,” It is written,’ Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

The Word of God is to your spirit what natural food is to your body, and mental learning is to your mind.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

May the very God of peace sanctify you completely. And I pray God that your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it.

Man is a spirit; he has a soul (which consists of the mind, the will and the emotions), and he lives in a body. Your spirit is the real you; you possess a soul; your body is the house or tent you live in. God will preserve all three parts of your humanity blameless till the second coming of our Lord if you put your trust in Him.

2 Thessalonians 3:16

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Total peace is yours. In the name of Jesus. Amen!

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

Philippians 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with gratitude, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Our hearts and minds need protection from incessant spiritual and mental assaults from the enemy in this world. God has promised to protect us and to answer all our prayers if we trust Him and come to Him with thanksgiving for all He has been doing for us.

In conclusion, we look at God’s message through the Church to the world. We were all in the world until His grace saved us. God then commissions us to take the same message of grace that saved us to the people still in the world.

 1 Timothy 2:4-6

Who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all. This was the testimony given at the proper time.

Titus2:11-14

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, righteously, and in godliness in this present world, as we await the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for Himself a special people, zealous for good works.

Mark 8:35-38

For whoever will save his life will lose it. But whoever will lose his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Whoever therefore is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with His holy angels.

John 3:14-21

Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned. But he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the verdict, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that does evil hates the light lest his deeds should be exposed.

The world is passing away with all its beauty and ugliness, and Jesus is coming soon. The gospel message has come at the right time, according to God, our maker. It is time for everyone to repent and seek the Lord.

Romans 10:8-13

But what does it say?, ”The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.” This is the word of faith that we preach: that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, ”Whoever believes in Him will not be ashamed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is generous toward all who call upon Him. For  “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Physical meetings resume on Sunday, 31 October 2021. Online meetings will continue alongside. Thank you.

Sunday meetings

Time: 11:30 - 13:30

Venue: Peggotty Road Community Centre, Peggotty Road, Great Yarmouth, NR30 3EF

House fellowships 

Time: 18:00 - 19:00

Venues:

17 Crome Drive, Great Yarmouth, NR31 0HN

28 Buttermere Way, Carlton Colville, Lowestoft, NR33 8FF.”

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Article 1: God’s message to the Church 

17 Nov 2021