Introduction to Epistles
The Introduction to Epistles Series
Many believe that the Gospel belongs only to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but the truth is, since the very beginning of life, the good news has been a part of God’s transparency to His created beings. We treat the Gospel as the love letter of God that needs to be preserved from its original message. Any addition or subtraction will make it difficult for the learned individual to interpret it rightly. God’s thought is higher than our thoughts, so we have to expect that there is a hidden message not revealed to all that seek the truth unless they fully understand that the holy message is for those who have a pure heart and loving hands that submit to the wholeness and richness of His glory.
The LORD is God, an all-knowing Father, full of mercy and grace. He understands our weaknesses which is why He is always open to forgiveness. He chastises us when we do something wrong, blesses us when we give blessings to others, and rewards those who made their bodies His dwelling place. He acknowledges those who acknowledge His existence in our lives. He already knows the outcome of an event even though we have not done anything yet. He knows the direction of our mind, where we are heading when we do not do anything, and when we are trying hard to fight the good fight of faith.
God gave us the Bible to know Him and even find Him. He is everywhere, and all we need is to feel His presence, and no one in the heavenly places can snatch you away from Him. The Bible is His testament, complete and without missing words to answer our questions. It tells us that if we are obedient to His will, Jesus, the chosen One He sent to save the world from sins, is our Brother. It also tells us that we are not servants but the children of His Almighty Father. He gave us not only the church but the kingdom as well to manage.
With all these beings said, the Gospel, which means the good news brought by the Lord Jesus, the message from our LORD our Father, there is nothing to fear but fear himself. Fear is the greatest enemy we will ever have; it dominates our minds if we give space to it. God gave us the power to defeat this fear; all we need is to use the word of God. He created us from His own shadow and gave us the breath of life. What more do we need when we have the LORD God, Almighty? We are protected and guided by His Spirit and should be aware of that.
We must remember that Jesus is already with the Father, and the Holy Spirit will help us manage our kingdom. The work of the Holy Spirit of God in believers is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control; outside these characteristics is the desire of the flesh, and nothing fruitful will come out of it. The good news of the fruit of the spirit is listed in Galatians 5:22–23.
While the exhaustive list of the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be found in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, Romans 12:6-8, and Ephesians 4:11 and many learned people before us made it clear that the church without these 5 God-given spiritual vision-ministerial gifts (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher) cannot be called a perfect church. The body of Christ has many parts, but one body, different spiritual gifts, and one spirit. The church consists of specific abilities granted to the individual Christian. A church is a person, not a building, that gathered together to form one body, the body of Christ—The Church of Christ.
We should be aware that a building without the presence of the body of Christ is just a building. The absence of supernatural gifts was due to our ignorance which leads to neglect of the most significant moment that every Christian should long for is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Believers may miss the experience of Filling with the Holy Spirit, which the Christians need to feel the fire of complete conversion. All Christians, by grace, have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. In John 15:26, Jesus says of the Holy Spirit: “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”
God is all in all.