Therefore, I will share actual verse-to-verse concepts I use. The following is only a concept as I will not go directly down this line each time.
- Hebrews 2:14-18 is clear that Jesus came to help descendants of Abraham...not angels. We are no angels....he came to help us...and that's exactly what he does.
- Jesus came that we might have life....NOW....which will go for eternity. We want that life!
- Mt. 28:18-20 The last thing Jesus told his disciples to do was to go tell the whole world to be baptized. When the church began in Acts he first told them to wait in Jerusalem to get their instructions. Their instructions all through Acts was to tell them Jesus' closing comment....be baptized.
- Romans 6:3-5 insists that one is buried with Christ in baptism. This clearly supports his direction in Mt. 28 as well as the early church's action throughout Acts. Meeting Jesus in his death to be raised anew is the picture of the watery grave...see Act 8 where the Eunuch was being taught Jesus, saw water and said, Hey, here is water....why couldn't I be baptized?
- Acts 2:38 sins are washed away and the Spirit moves in. The Spirit moved in upon Jesus when he was baptized. Ponder the correlation.
- Galatians 3:1-3 our life is hidden in Christ because we were buried in him at baptism. The only safe place to be on this very threatening earth is to hide in Jesus. Jesus is the saving point of all life. He broke the bonds of death and we hide in that very place because in Jesus death cannot contain us (keep us).
- II Cor. 5:21...we do not get ourselves right with God. Jesus does; he became all of our wrongs so we could become all of his rights. We are saved, not on the basis of how right we get but how wrong Jesus became.
3 comments:
Mr. Rush, here is a comment. I use a lot of the same scriptures you've cited here, but often START with asking an inquiring soul to sit and read ALL of 1st John in ONE sitting. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes, and is packed with love, forgiveness, obedience, confession, grace, etc.
When the seeker does that, they are often blown away, and that leads to either a lot of questions, or real understanding.
The next stop for me, is often John 3:16-18. We all know 3:16, but often overlook 3:17 and 3:18 - i.e. that Jesus' purpose was to SAVE the world (not condemn it), and that we are condemned over UNbelief, not so much over sin.
Note that sin isn't really mentioned in John 3:16-18. I typically point out that we ALL sin (plenty of other scriptures make that point...uh...1st John, which they would have read by this point), but that our salvation (or lack of salvation) hinges on belief or unbelief in Jesus, and not the sin.
Seekers tend to "get" this for some reason. Perhaps b/c that IS the good news of the Gospel??
Oh, and a follow up to my last comment Mr. Rush. From 1st John and John 3:16-18, we move into a lot of the teachings you cite in your post, about sin, grace, baptism, etc. I often end up at 1st Peter 3:21 and the surrounding passages, about baptism as a "response", or "pledge" of a good conscience toward God.
Again, seekers "get" this, not that baptism is the act of salvation, but rather that baptism is their response that identifies them WITH the act of salvation that Jesus accomplished.
In plain and simple terms, I often tell folks that baptism is like telling God, "Sign me up! Count me in - all the way!", or the wedding ceremony, whereby we commit ourselves to Jesus for the rest of our lives.
Seekers really get it, and sadly, some do refuse the message and turn away. I commend them to the Spirit's leading and God's growing. But often, they do respond in faith and obedience, and it's a joy beyond compare!
This is awesome! I like the way you brought the scripture to light. You have a better way with words than I, and realize that this may not be a gift of mine, but I do want to share my faith. I was told in our tribe that any christian can share our faith which I do, but when it comes to a teaching session, this has been a stumbling block for me.
Because it pains me the people who have no relationship with Christ (or He does not recognize them because they refuse to follow his teachings/instructions), as I used to walk in darkness on purpose and knew I had to make my relationship right with God. Now, I can take these notes with me as an outline, based on your years of experience, to be prepared if/when family and friends will be God willing.
I plan to get a copy of your books also, because I have heard great things, and have been enjoying your teaching here very much. If you ever make a book form to the lost who are seeking based on your teaching style, I will definitely buy one and pray that God will use me in this way to share this blessing with others. j
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