Paul's
commission to preach the Gospel was given to him by the Lord as he traveled
on the road to Damascus ,
note:
Acts
26:17-18 "I will deliver you from the Jewish people,
as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18
to open their eyes,
in order to
turn them from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness
of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified
by faith in Me."
Paul
stated that he had preached this plan of salvation to the ultimate purpose
of God in Christ, note:
Ephesians
3:8-11 "To
me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given,
that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9
and
to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created
all things through Jesus Christ; 10
to
the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by
the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,
11
according
to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,"
The
simplicity of the Gospel's message can be seen in Paul's commission,
note:
To Open Their Eyes.
As
Paul describes the words of Jesus, we must first recognize a specific
state everyone is in; and that in this state they are serving a master
as a slave, note:
Romans
3:23
"for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
1
John 3:8
"He
who sins is of the devil,
for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son
of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."
To Turn Them.
Acts
17:30
"Truly,
these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere
to repent"
The
very understanding of repentance is found in a journey back to God.
This journey begins when we come to ourselves (open our eyes) in regard
to our present state. We throw off blaming others and accept that we
are to blame for our condition (Luke
15:17-18).
With
these first two points, let's look at a chart that we can use in teaching
the entire process!
It
doesn't get any easier than this! The Gospel (good news!) is inclusive
and universal to every person! This is why it is called the Great Commission!
Its scope is world wide and for everyone.
The
Lord gave it to His chosen to bring to the world, and its message exists
continually to men in the world through God's word in the doctrine of
Christ.
Matthew
28:18-20 "And
Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given
to Me in heaven and on earth. 19
Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20
teaching
them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with
you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Mark
16:15-16 "And
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature. 16
He
who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe
will be condemned."
Luke
24:47 "and
that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name
to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem
."
Acts
2:38
"Then
Peter said to them, “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."
2
John 9
"Whoever
transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have
God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and
the Son."
MAY
GOD OPEN EVERY EYE!!!