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Posted on  Aug 27, 2008 at 11:19 a.m. EST

BEST OF

AUG 2007-JULy 2008

“Gospel Offers Savior's Precious Everlasting Life!" (G.O.S.P.E.L)”

SCRIPTURE:
“The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (Mark 1:1, NIV)

I would like to propose John 3:16 as the Gospel about Jesus Christ in a nutshell.

Once we understand this, all the other verses in the Bible will make sense because eventually everything in the Word of God points to Jesus Christ and what He came to do!

This means everything following Mark 1:1 will make that much more sense because we will understand the beginning of the GOOD NEWS about Jesus Christ, the Son of God since the Gospels were written after Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, was buried, and came back to life to save.

Let me share with you this Gospel in a nutshell as shared and taught by Bill Jones and Terry Powell but slightly revised by me. I thank Pastor Hugo of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland for introducing this to me during my training time.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16, KJV)

Observations:
I asked myself what do we learn from this most famous verse?
1. For God so loved the world
2. That He gave His only begotten Son
3. That whosoever believeth in Him
4. Should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Interpretation:
I asked myself why this verse is so famous?
The reason John 3:16 is so famous is because it summarizes the Gospel about Jesus Christ in four spiritual truths. If you understand these four spiritual truths, you will understand what the Gospel is about.

Observation/Interpretation:
POINT 1: FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

I asked myself what does ‘For God so loved the world‘ mean?
Three things stood out: “God“, “Loved“, and “World”

GOD created the world and all that is in it including MAN to have a personal relationship with Him. He wants this relationship to be one of LOVE where GOD shows His LOVE to the people in this WORLD and where the people show their love to Him by their obedience.

And yet we see that people of the WORLD do not always have a personal relationship with GOD in obedience. If this is not happening, there is always a reason. In this case it is a three letter word called SIN. SIN is disobeying GOD or missing the mark. When someone is offended, it causes problems in a relationship. In this case, SIN causes a separation between GOD and MAN. This separation can cause MAN to perish.

So I decided to look at the phrase ‘Should not perish”

POINT 4: “SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE”

I asked myself ‘why is PERISH even mentioned?’
What came to my mind is that MAN without having a relationship with GOD, will PERISH. The Bible says that if MAN dies physically while spiritually separated from GOD, MAN will spend eternity in a place called HELL. That is the bad news.

I asked myself, ‘why is ETERNAL LIFE’ mentioned?
What came to my mind is, even though there is bad news, there is also GOOD NEWS. The GOOD NEWS is that GOD does not want MAN to spend eternity in HELL. His desire is to have a personal relationship with MAN so that MAN and GOD can live together in a place called HEAVEN.

Now I know the BAD NEWS and I know the GOOD NEWS but how can the GOOD NEWS become a reality?
It is then that POINT 3 came to my mind.

POINT 2: “THAT HE [GOD] GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON”

The GOOD NEWS is GOD’S only BEGOTTEN SON.

Another word for GOOD NEWS is GOSPEL.
Another word for BEGOTTEN SON is JESUS CHRIST.

Mark 1:1 states, ‘The beginning of the GOSPEL about JESUS CHRIST, the SON OF GOD.

I asked myself, how did GOD give His only BEGOTTEN SON?
GOD sent JESUS CHRIST to the WORLD born of the Virgin Mary. JESUS CHRIST’S life can be explored in detail in the Gospel of Mark, Gospel of John, Gospel of Matthew, and Gospel of Luke.

I asked myself, ‘how did GOD tackle the SIN problem?’
Again, the answer is JESUS CHRIST. GOD took care of the SIN problem by sending His only BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST, to live a perfect life then die on the cross shedding His precious cleansing blood to redeem humanity so MAN'S SIN could be forgiven. The amazing thing is after JESUS was dead and buried, JESUS rose from the dead on the third day to save, proving GOD has the power to save people from a destiny of torment.

GOD did His part to show His LOVE for humanity and the WORLD by sending His only BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST so that MAN should not PERISH but have EVERLASTING LIFE.

I told myself that is great to know this GOOD NEWS but knowing the GOOD NEWS is not enough if it is not put into practice.

In this case, I asked myself ‘How can the GOOD NEWS be put into practice?

It is then that POINT 3 came to my mind.

POINT 3: ‘THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM’

I asked myself what MAN needs to do ‘not to PERISH’ but have EVERLASTING LIFE with GOD?

1. It is not enough to simply know that GOD loves MAN.

2. It is not even enough to simply know that MAN’s SIN will ultimately send MAN to HELL because a LOVING GOD cannot have SIN enter into His presence.

3. It is not even enough to simply know that ‘the beginning of the GOSPEL about JESUS CHRIST, the SON OF GOD’ or ‘the beginning of the GOOD NEWS about JESUS CHRIST, the SON OF GOD’

4. It is only when MAN BELIEVES in CHRIST to be MAN’S LORD & SAVIOR that MAN does CROSS over the separation caused by MAN’S SIN and begins a personal relationship with GOD. JESUS CHRIST becomes the BRIDGE for MAN to reach GOD where the CROSS on which JESUS CHRIST died became that BRIDGE to walk over to GOD.

JESUS CHRIST took away the SIN of the WORLD to those who accept His sacrifice on the CROSS and BELIEVE. Because they BELIEVE they have ETERNAL LIFE.

I ask you now dear friend, what does the GOSPEL mean to you?
Dear friend, you have seen the four spirituals truths explained based on John 3:16. You have seen the role of GOD, the role of MAN, the role of SIN, and the role of JESUS CHRIST. All of the roles have a part in imparting the Gospel about Jesus Christ to you. You need to understand each role to really understand the GOSPEL or GOOD NEWS. Once you have understood it, you have to act upon it.

In this case, friend, you have the opportunity to have EVERLASTING LIFE. This is exciting to know! Having EVERLASTING LIFE is not dependent on you first because GOD initiated the transaction. You have to receive it!

It is dependent on GOD and His willingness to send His only BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST to fulfill His role. GOD has fulfilled His role for you and so has JESUS CHRIST fulfilled His role. Now it is time for you to fulfill your role of MAN.

You can do that right now friend, whether you are a man or woman. The promise of EVERLASTING LIFE is for you. It starts with BELIEVING but it does not end there because once you BELIEVE, oh the transformation you see in your life when Christ touches the hearts of those who come to Him, will be real that others will notice too.

You will come to understand ‘the beginning of the GOSPEL about JESUS CHRIST, the SON OF GOD,’ has so much to it.

You will be excited and you need to look no further than the GOSPEL to KNOW about the ONE you BELIEVE in. The GOSPEL in a nutshell is JOHN 3:16 but the GOSPEL in its entirety is revealed by GOD  from GENESIS to REVELATION through inspiration. It is all about JESUS CHRIST.

Do you see anything keeping you from placing your faith in CHRIST and crossing over to GOD right now?

Jesus saves you by His grace so it is great news when you feel you are unworthy to come to Jesus Christ for none of us are worthy to come to Christ and yet Christ has chosen us by what He accomplished on the Cross at Calvary. In Christ alone can we find our true worth!

None of us on our own are worthy. If we were worthy to come to Christ then there would be no reason for Jesus to have told the Pharisees, ‘it is the sick that need the doctor, I have not come for the healthy but the sick’. In other words, Jesus is making a point that those who think they are righteous cannot experience His grace because He has come for those who are unworthy.

Honestly, friend all of us are unworthy to come before GOD because of our SIN. But GOD in His LOVE for MAN, sent JESUS CHRIST for us to die for our sin and come back to life to save.

This is exciting to know and believe friend. I am excited that Jesus accepts me as I am to come to Him and He will take care of the rest.

Your coach, Jesus Christ went up against the devil and defeated him by resisting his pitches of temptations and also conquering sin and death for us. Jesus who had no sin became sin for us to deliver us from this virus known as sin. His antidote has been His precious cleansing blood shed on the cross for the remission of our sins. Because of Jesus’ willingness to give us a transfusion of change through His blood we are saved when we accept what He has given us and totally surrender to Him.

Come to God as you are and receive what He offers to you through Jesus Christ. Pray the prayer below believing in your heart, for if you just say the words without belief then they are just words.

You have a golden opportunity to start this FALL of  2008  with the Lord Jesus on your side no matter what happened before. Let me assure you, the transformation you will see in your own life. When Christ touches the hearts of those who come to Him, there life will never be the same again, never be the same again. You will have a totally new perspective on life as you spend daily time with Him praying, reading & studying the Bible meditating on its precepts, and being plugged into a Bible believing fellowship of believers. Even as you face the storms of life, the winds cannot shake you for you will have a firm foundation on Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages!

Even in your sufferings and pain, He will strengthen you as He has our own family when our beloved dad and my mom's beloved husband of 38 years passed away before Christmas of 2007.

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ to come and dwell in your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray the prayer below, meaning it in your heart and believing. Yes, you can!

During my dad's illness, my mom and all of us have seen the Lord's wonderful miracles throughout and His grace being imparted upon our dad even before he passed away. Now he is in a better place in Heaven with Christ the Lord who offers His free gift of grace even to you. This means you don't have to earn Salvation but accept it as a gift of His love. Today excitingly, Savior's Truth identify following Yeshua!

In closing, the big inning did not begin when ace pitcher Curt Schilling of the Boston Red Sox courageously pitched against the New York Yankees for a victory with the help of his teammates.

It also did not begin when their team came back from a 3-0 deficit to win the American League Championship Series (ALCS) 4-0 against the Yankees or when Schilling pitched against the St. Louis Cardinals, whom they swept 4-0, to win their first World Championship Series in 86 years but “the big inning” began with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A big inning in baseball is when a lot of cool things happen: hitting a grand slam as Johnny Damon of the Red Sox did in the 2nd inning of Game 7 of the ALCS against the Yankees, stealing base after bases, or going to bat in the 9th inning with the game on the line and hitting a home run as David Ortiz did in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Yankees. However, the big inning will come to an end sooner or later in baseball as the innings do end as the World Series ended that year.

It is not so when it comes to “the beginning” of the Gospel about Jesus Christ.

A lot of cool things can happen with the Gospel about Jesus Christ, which we can learn as we look at our playbook, the Bible. This is the “big inning,” and it will not come to an end.

It starts with listening to our coach, Jesus Christ, looking at his playbook (the Word of God) and studying it where we learn about the Gospel about Jesus Christ. In other words, we will learn the GOOD NEWS to have Eternal Life as we spend time alone with Jesus Christ in the Word and prayer. This is sometimes referred to as QUIET TIMES or DEVOTIONAL TIMES or TIME WITH THE LORD.

It is also important to have a good supporting cast who are the body of believers in Christ to help us in training. This begins with the church being one of our training facilities as we go to condition ourselves frequently. But this training facility needs to be a Bible-believing facility where the entire Word of God from Genesis to Revelation is believed and applied. There should be no picking and choosing in the training which means we believe 'Bible is the Word of God', not 'Bible becomes the Word of God', or 'Bible contains the Word of God'.

The training can be solidified during cell group time where we nurture one another, worship the Lord together, pray to the Lord together, become a community of one in Christ, and have a mission outreach focus. With that in mind I would like to invite you to our cell group called LIVING ACTS which meets on Friday nights at 7:00 p.m. Our church Oakland International Fellowship meets on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. for prayer, 10:00 a.m. for worship, 11:30 a.m. for Sunday school, and 12:30 p.m. for lunch fellowship. Please call me at 412-720-4579 for more information.

The Gospel about Jesus Christ will remain the Gospel of Jesus Christ whether we like it or not! We need to condition ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit to face our fiercest opponent---Satan, the devil---when we are at bat. To do that we need to understand about the Gospel  about Jesus Christ.

"Gospel Offers Savior's Precious Everlasting Life!" (G.O.S.P.E.L)/"What does the G.O.S.P.E.L mean to you?"

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I am so excited that I learned today the beginning of the Gospel about you. I also learned the Gospel is the Good News.  I also learned the famous verse from John 3:16 that you shared with Nicodemus. Jesus, this verse shows how I can have Everlasting Life too. I want that life Jesus. So I come to you right now as I am and seek you with my whole heart believing in what you did for me. I believe that Father God sent you to earth for us, to die for our sin on a rugged cross where your blood was shed to save us! Then you came back to life and now sit at the right hand of the Father. 

I believe Jesus that my sin separated me from God and you became the bridge for me to cross over to God because of what you did on the cross for me. Thank you so much Jesus. Even when my sin made me so dirty on the inside and attacks of Satan have wounded me, you did not abandon me but came for me. I am never out of your love and never out of your reach. Thank you so much Jesus.

I do believe Father God for all that Jesus did for me. Jesus, I know  you care for me and laid down your life for me on the cross to give me new life as you shed your blood for me to wash away all my sins. Your Blood became the transfusion for those of us wounded by Satan. I accept the transfusion! Your blood heals all the wounded areas to give us a new life cleansing us of our sin. Thank you so much Jesus.

I want that new life that you offer so I turn to you now as a sheep that has gone astray and ask for your forgiveness of all my sins! Wash me in your precious cleansing blood. Thank you for washing me in your Blood.

Please come dwell in my heart and save me Jesus. Deliver me Oh Good Shepherd! Thank you for your free gift of grace! I know you can save me when I turn to you and ask you to be my Lord and Personal Savior.  I want you to stay with me Jesus in my heart and make my heart your home so I can always have you as my Lord and Personal Savior who will guide my path.  Please fill me with the Holy Spirit and lead me in the right paths when I go the wrong way so I can be led to green pastures. I love you Jesus! Thank you for making my heart your home, for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. 

I acknowledge you Jesus as my Lord and Personal Savior believing in my heart and that God raised you from the dead.  Thank you for being the Lamb of God. Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior and changing me. Thank you for filling me with the Holy Spirit and I believe you who began a good work in me will finish it to completion. I give myself to you, all that I am and ask you to make something of my life. Thank you Jesus so much. Thank you have heard my prayer and answered me. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Friend, if you have prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave you nor forsake you! Amen!

Spend time in His word and let the Lord speak to you! Start out in the Gospel of John! You can also check out the Gospel of Mark which are the devotionals I have been going through.  Learn from Jesus through study and prayer. Also find yourself a church fellowship and a college fellowship you can be part of where you can be part of a community of believers to supplement your own walk with the Lord. Let it be a Bible-believing and Bible-breathing church! Believe in Bible Live Eternally!

Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-720-4579

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

Love in Christ,
Ramesh

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.Click picture to read my dad's memoriam:

Nov 01, 1941 - Dec 17, 2007

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