THE FIFTH GOSPEL
2 Cor 3:2-3
2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.
3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
2 Cor 4:1-3
1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
THE WORD “GOSPEL” HAS BECOME POPULARIZED IN OUR DAY. In fact, you might say it is used very indiscriminately. We hear of...
• gospel music
• gospel magic
• gospel truth
• gospel literature
• gospel meetings
• old-fashioned gospel
But what exactly is meant by the term, “gospel?” Coming from the Greek word, euggelion, it simply means, “good tidings” or “good news.”
Is there really more than one gospel? Some would say, “Of course not! There’s only one gospel.” And in a sense they are right when they are speaking of a body of truth. The Apostle Paul referred to this in I Corinthians 15:1-4:
1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Perhaps the gospel can best be summed up in the following acrostic:
Glad Tidings that
Offer pardon and
Salvation, with
Peace
Eternal Life and
Lasting Joy
But is this the only “good news” of the Bible? Of course not. The word “gospel” is found 101 times in the New Testament. Here are some examples:
❏ gospel of the kingdom (Matt.4:23)
❏ gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:1)
❏ gospel of God’s grace (Acts 20:24)
❏ gospel of God (Romans 1:1)
❏ gospel according to Paul (Romans 2:16)
❏ gospel of your salvation (Eph.1:13)
❏ gospel of peace (Eph.6:15)
❏ everlasting gospel (Rev.14:6)
❏ another gospel (II Corinthians 11:4)
And then there are the four Gospels that we have in the New Testament, written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Although these four writings differ considerably in detail, they agree on the general outline of Jesus’ career, the supernatural character of His life, and on the high quality of His moral teaching.
The first three (Matthew, Mark, Luke) are called synoptic gospels, which mean, to see the whole together. They present similar views of the life and teachings of Christ, and resemble each other closely in content and style.
The Gospel of John is quite different in structure and style. It doesn’t have any parables and only 7 miracles, 5 of which are not recorded anywhere else. Its called by some, the “theological” gospel as opposed to the “historical” gospels of the other three. It is far more personal than the others and deals with the nature of Christ’s person and with the meaning of faith in Him.
A NEW CONVERT TESTIFIED THAT HE HAD BEEN SAVED BY READING A COPY OF THE FIFTH GOSPEL.
No, it wasn’t Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. It was the Gospel according to Mike the butcher. Mike was an earnest Christian whose godly life and testimony had been used of God to save this man.
This is exactly what Paul is trying to say in the Scripture passage I read at the beginning of the sermon. We are letters which men read every day. There are thousands who never read about Christ in the Bible but see Him only in the lives of men and women like Mike the butcher.
Are you a walking letter for Christ?
HANDWRITING EXPERTS TELL US that they can discern a person’s character by his/her writing. Its called the science of “graphology” (from the Greek grapho, to write.
1. Used to determine vocational aptitude.
2. Used by some banks to determine stability and honesty.
3. Used by psychiatrists to understand one’s mental state with regard to such things as anger and stress.
4. Used by physicians to detect disease.
5. Used by the legal field in matters of counterfeit and identification.
SINCE WE ARE CHRIST’S EPISTLES, this becomes a solemn thing–that the estimate of the character of Christ is made known by us. Jesus is judged and estimated by the kind of lives we live.
THEN TOO, LETTERS ARE WRITTEN TO BE READ. But if people are going to get the message, the writing must be legible and readable. If the writer has poor penmanship, no one will be able to read it.
The Lost Sheep
‘Twas a sheep, not a lamb,
that strayed away in the parable Jesus told.
A grown-up sheep that had gone astray
from the ninety and nine in the fold.
Out on the hillside, out in the cold,
‘twas a sheep the Good Shepherd sought;
And back to the flock, safe into the fold, ‘twas a sheep the Good Shepherd brought.
And why for the sheep should we earnestly long
and as earnestly hope and pray?
Because there is danger, if they go wrong,
they will lead the lambs astray.
For the lambs will follow the sheep, you know,
wherever the sheep may stray;
When the sheep go wrong, it will not be long
till the lambs are as wrong as they.
And so with the sheep we earnestly plead,
for the sake of the lambs today;
If the sheep are lost, what terrible cost
some of the lambs will have to pay!
Source unknown
See then that your Christian life Is not reminiscent of “spiritual hen-scratching.” That is, it is unclear and therefore questionable. Be...
1. clear in your testimony,
2. pure in conduct,
3. steady in your walk
Snow Storms
Just getting out of the driveway was a major feat during last year’s snow and ice storms. One co-worker was relating how he used his seven-year-old son’s baseball bat to smash the slick coat of ice on his driveway. He got cold and went inside for a cup of coffee before attempting to clear the car. Several minutes later, his son, who had been outside with him, came in.
“Dad,” he said, “I got the ice off the car.”
“How did you do that?” his father asked.
“Same way you did,” the boy shrugged, “with the baseball bat.”
Contributed by Janine Jaquet Biden
Reader’s Digest, January 1996, p. 12.
EVERY CHRISTIAN WHETHER HE LIKES IT OR NOT, IS AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY. The honor of Christ is in the hands of His followers.
We judge a shopkeeper by the kind of goods he sells.
We judge a hospital by the kind of service it offers.
We judge a church by the kind of people it produces.
Men judge Christ by the way His followers behave.
JOHN WESLEY wrote a pamphlet to clarify who the “Methodists” were. He said, “A Methodist is a person who...
1. has the love of God in his heart
2. realizes that he belongs to God and not to Satan and is therefore happy
3. looks forward to seeing the glory of Christ one day
4. receives every happening cheerfully, declaring, “Good is the will of the Lord.”
5. has learned to be content, whether he has much or little
6. knows no paralyzing frustration or anxiety
7. never stops praying
8. has surrendered his will to God’s
9. loves and cares for other
10. knows how to forgive those who abuse or mistreat him
11. doesn’t let the customs of this world prevent him from full dedication to God
12. cannot follow the crowd when the crowd goes against the Word of God
Some may say, ‘Why these are only the common, basic, principles of Christianity!’ to which we answer, ‘This is what Methodism is–nothing more or less.”
The Gospel According To You
There’s a sweet old story translated for men,
But writ in the long, long ago.
The Gospel according to Mark, Luke and John
Of Christ and His mission below.
Men read and admire the Gospel of Christ,
With its love so unfailing and true;
But what do they say, and what do they think
Of the Gospel according to you?
‘Tis a wonderful story, that gospel of love,
As it shines in the Christ life divine;
And, oh, that its truth might be told again
In the story of your life and mine!
Unselfishness mirrors in every scene,
Love blossoms on every sod;
And back from its vision the heart comes to tell
The wonderful goodness of God.
You are writing each day a letter to men,
Take care that the writing is true;
‘Tis the only gospel that some men will read–
That Gospel according to you.
