Rom 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. (also see Rom 15:29; 1 Cor 9:12, 18; 2 Cor 4:4, 9:13, 10:14; Gal 1:6-7; Phil 1:27; 1 Thess 3:2)
Common sense would tell you that the gospel of Christ is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Would any ‘mid-Acts-er’ contest this?
2 Thess 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Interestingly, could the gospel of Christ and the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ be the same as the gospel of Jesus Christ? Of course, it is .... unless you’re a ‘mid-Acts-er’ .... then it can’t be, because they must maintain their paradigm .... even to the point of not being rational!
But surely, Christ is Jesus the Christ .... is Jesus Christ .... is the Lord Jesus Christ .... is Jesus Christ our Lord.
Not only is the gospel of Jesus Christ in Paul’s writings, and in the beginning of Mark, but gospel of Jesus Christ is also written in the OLD testament prophets:
Mark 1:1-2 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
John penned his gospel message so that people who read it would believe that Jesus is the Christ and be saved:
John 20:30-31 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Peter testified that the same Jesus who Israel crucified was their Christ:
Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Paul himself proved from the prophetic scriptures that Jesus is Christ:
Acts 17:2-3 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.
Here is the kicker for the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ .... ‘Messias’ is of Hebrew origin for the Greek word
John 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Paul had persecuted ‘this way’ unto the death (Acts 22:4, 26:11). He persecuted Jesus (Acts 22:8), not individually, but by persecuting His church (1 Cor 15:9, Gal 1:13). After Paul personally encountered Jesus (Acts 9), he preached in the Hebrew tongue (Acts 21:40, 22:2) .... the very same faith (Eph 4:5) that he had once destroyed (Gal 1:23):
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Thus, Paul preached Jesus, the Christ, the Messias.
He was not embarrassed of it, and neither am I, and neither should you be.
I am standing on the Word of God .... not just with Paul.
Will you even stand .... and if so, where?
This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"
