Part Five of Five: The Gospel of Jesus Christ

Last week I asked a question that you might remember concerning the acceptance of Jesus Christ and His redemption for our salvation; “How do I accept Christ and receive His redemption and free gift of salvation, grace, and mercy?” You can find the Gospel in four verses of the Bible located in 1 Corinthians of the New Testament. In case you are unfamiliar with the Bible, I’ll use a contemporary version [1] so it is easier to understand instead of the Old English of the KJV [2]. After 57 years of my following Christ, I still refer to a contemporary version periodically. The “Good News” is contained in verses three and four but it’s exciting to read all four. We can pretend that we are there, listening to Paul [3], the author of over half of the books of the New Testament.

Below, we find Paul telling the Corinthians the Gospel [4] of Jesus Christ. We can transport ourselves back 2000 years ago and imagine that we are in the crowd and we can hear Paul shouting this over the people. Let’s go there now as he begins:

v1 Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it.
v2 It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.
v3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.
v4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. [1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NLT]

Then, after listening to Paul, if you want to take the next step and become a disciple of Jesus Christ. I prayed this same prayer when I was only eight years old. Just say this prayer to Jesus: Lord Jesus, I am a sinner and need a Savior. I believe in your Good News. Please forgive my sins and come into my heart and live within me. Please save me Lord, I want to follow you. In your name I pray. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer. Welcome into the fold brother or sister. Now to stay on course, read your Bible daily, pray (talk) to God daily, and get with a Bible-believing church for fellowship and worship. I will start a new series next Monday, “Staying the Course.” I hope to see you there. If you prayed that prayer, I’d be honored if you’d share your decision with me. If not me, please share with a friend or family member, but share with someone [5]. (James Lindquist)

Father, thank you for those who have prayed this prayer. And thank you for those who read my writing. Bless each one of them Lord. I also come to you in the spirit of thanksgiving, thanking you for sending the Holy Spirit via my mother, to tell me of the saving knowledge of your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you, Jesus for your propitiatory death on the Cross and for redeeming mine and other lost souls. Thank you, Lord for my personal salvation. I am nothing without you Lord. Help me Lord to squelch the old me of my former self, if I raise my ugly head to do what is unpleasant in your sight. I still choose to follow you Lord and want to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. I pray this in your precious name, giving you honor, praise, and glory – Amen.

God is not willing that one should perish, with all coming to repentance. [2 Peter 3:9]
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[1] NLT New Living Standard
[2] KJV King James Version
[3] WIKIPEDIA Paul the Apostle (Saul of Tarsus): According to the New Testament book “Acts of the Apostles” (often simply called Acts), Paul was dedicated to persecuting the early disciples of Jesus in the area of Jerusalem prior to his conversion. In the narrative of Acts, Paul was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus on a mission to “arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem” when the resurrected Jesus appeared to him in a great light. He was struck blind, but after three days his sight was restored by Ananias of Damascus and Paul began to preach that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God. Approximately half of the book of Acts deals with Paul’s life and works. Thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament have traditionally been attributed to Paul and 32% of the text. Paul was a Pharisee and was responsible for the persecution and deaths of many Jews.
[4] Gospel means The Good News
[5] Luke 9:26; Mark 2:38; Romans 1:16