How Do We Receive The Gospel?
If you missed part one of this series, ‘What is The Gospel Really About’, follow this link. Click here for Part 2
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”[1]
Simple enough, isn’t it?
A person hears the Gospel, and this becomes the channel for that person’s faith to believe; and in believing they release the Spirit of God within themselves. Others who have the heard the Gospel and did not believe, do not receive the release the Spirit of God within themselves.
Can someone hear the Gospel, reject it, and come to receive it sometime later – Yes. I cannot recall how many times I heard the Gospel and rejected it. One day a person spoke to me about the meaning of the Gospel, under duress for my part. He told me I had to repent of my ways, asked me to pray saying I was going to follow Gods ways. I was mortally embarrassed and walked away, thankful to escape his words; but not before he stuffed a small bible into my pocket.
I went home and placed the little Bible on my desk, convinced I would throw it away the next day. I awoke the following morning and felt strongly drawn to read the little Bible. Something I had never done before in my life. I started reading and the words leapt off the pages and I knew my life was changed. That morning in my study, God was revealed to me personally.
This true story has never explained to me why I never met God personally in all the years after hearing the scriptures every single day (I went to mass every day). So, what should I have made of this?
The explanation was clear enough when the Spirit God revealed it to me. All those years I was taught about God, never coming to know God. When one man preached the Gospel, the key to knowing God was given to me. Why? Because the Gospel is not religion, it’s life. It separates the fleshly human way of living and introduces the fountain of living water – drink for eternal living. The Gospel cuts away all worldly deceit and presents the truth – the only lasting truth in the world.[2]
Without the Gospel we cannot come to know God.
In the previous two parts on the Gospel, you have had a concise description of what the Gospel is, why you need it and now let’s look deeper into the question of how do we receive the gospel. There are many scriptures that say the offer of the Gospel is given to all (by God), but few accept it.
You recall I stated in the previous teaching that Jesus came to join us on this earth in order to fulfil the law (of Moses) and introduce the Kingdom of God to all the folk in his day and forever. He promised to send his Spirit after he left.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will do as I command. Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you. The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit because they don’t see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you.”[3]
It was only after Jesus ascended that the Holy Spirit for the first time on Earth came to live inside those who believed in the works of Jesus. Up to this point the Spirit of The Lord only ‘came upon’ his anointed, in the Old Testament the Spirit did not dwell in but came upon God’s anointed.[4]
We can only receive the Gospel by the Spirit of God within us and this by faith in the word of God as portrayed by Jesus. Receiving the Gospel is not done by us or any human on Earth.[5]
So, you may ask, when do I receive the Gospel? Simple – after you hear it and accept it. What happens after that – you become born anew.[6] Being born anew is the process of being willing to change. Sight of the Kingdom is receiving forgiveness from God (you are ‘born of’ or cleansed by the water of God’s forgiveness)[7] and born of the Spirit is acceptance of God’s Spirit and applying God’s word in your life.[8]
Love and Blessings
Peter-James