Our Grace Commission Part 1 of 2 By Gregg Bing One of the - TopicsExpress



          

Our Grace Commission Part 1 of 2 By Gregg Bing One of the reasons many assume that Mark 16 is our Great Commission today is because they believe these were Jesus last words. While these may have been some of the last words Jesus spoke while here on earth, they were not the last words He ever spoke to men. Jesus ministry was not limited to the time He spent here on earth. With Israels rejection of the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the twelve apostles during the Acts period, the Lord Jesus spoke again, this time from heaven, this time to Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-16). Saul, who became known as Paul, was called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God (Eph. 1:1), but his commission was distinct from that of the Twelve. Paul was chosen to be the apostle to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13) and entrusted with a different gospel, the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24). Though Paul often referred to it as my gospel (2 Tim. 2:8), it consisted of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 6:3) for he received it by direct revelation from Him (Gal. 1:12). Christ also revealed to Paul a new plan and purpose of God for this present age, the dispensation of the grace of God (Eph. 3:2). This truth was a mystery kept secret from men of other ages until made known to Paul. Today, God is no longer dealing with a nation (Israel) but with individuals without distinction as to nationality, race, religion, or social status. All men who put their trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are added to a new body of believers, the Church, the Body of Christ. As members of the Church, we have a new commission from God, distinct from the commission Jesus gave to the Twelve. Our commission as believers in the dispensation of grace is found in the writings of the apostle Paul whom God established as the steward of this present age. As we examine the letters he wrote under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we find that our commission consists of two different ministries, ministries that are brought into focus by the fact that God, according to 1 Timothy 2:4, desires two things for all men: (1) that they be saved and (2) that they come to the knowledge of the truth. Our commission is to reach out to all men in the area of these two needs. The first part of our commission is to Preach the Gospel Grace believers (those who recognize the distinct ministry of Paul for this present age) are often accused of focusing too much on doctrine (teaching) and not enough on evangelism (preaching the gospel). Some of these detractors seem to think that preaching Jesus Christ should be our only concern. What they dont seem to realize is that doctrine and evangelism cannot be separated. Doctrine is, in fact, vital, especially in the area of evangelism. It answers critical questions such as: What are we to preach about Jesus Christ? and What is required for a person to be saved? The twelve apostles preached Jesus Christ, but in accordance with the gospel of the kingdom. He was proclaimed as the Son of God, but the emphasis was on the fact that He was Israels Messiah (Christ), the One anointed by God to be their King. If you carefully examine Peters preaching in Acts, chapters 2 and 3, you find that he never mentions that Christ died for our sins. When the Jews asked Peter what they must do, he responded: Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38) In Acts 3:19-21, Peter further proclaimed the good news that if Israel, as a nation, would repent, then times of refreshing would come from the presence of the Lord, and He would send Jesus Christ back to earth to establish His kingdom and bring about the restoration of all things spoken by Gods holy prophets.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 20:17:31 +0000

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