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Christ-centred biblical alignment 

Christians discover that as we read the Bible the Lord instructs and teaches us from those pages.

We experience the same when faithful preachers and teachers instruct us as they expound and explain what is written in those Scriptures, helped by the Holy Spirit. The same happens when believers have healthy God-honouring conversations with each other, as we talk about God's Word together.

This is how God helps us to understand: 

• the truth of the gospel 
• the work of the Holy Spirit 
• the way Jesus wants us to live as his followers  
• the importance of life together as Christ's church 
• the need to spread the good news about Jesus near and far, in every way that is God-honouring 

It is a step-by-step process. 

There are also occasions when God, by his grace, impresses us with something that he wants to personally say to us individually. When he does this it happens in full agreement with the overall picture of his will, as revealed in the Bible. If it contradicts that we can be certain it isn’t God speaking. 

FOR FURTHER READING

Matthew 22:29 

Luke 24:13-32 

Luke 24:44-49 

Acts 8:26-35 

Acts 17:1-4 

Acts 17:10-12 

Acts 18:9-11 

Acts 20:17-32 

Romans 15:4-7 

Ephesians 4:1-32 

2 Timothy 3:10-4:5 

Hebrews 10:24-25 

1 Peter 1:1-3:18 

Matthew 4:1- 7:29 

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 OF FIRST IMPORTANCE 

Paul and those who worked with him brought the gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ, to various places throughout the Roman Empire. Planting churches, i.e. gatherings of believers in Christ, and raising up workers who would care for them. 

After moving on to new areas he would stay in touch with the new churches in various ways. Revisiting, sending colleagues and sending correspondence. 

One such group of believers was the church that was established in Corinth, one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire. 

Corinth was a multi-ethnic metropolis. It had two seaports and was well connected by road. Sailors and travellers often passed through. And the city was well known for its immorality, possessing a notorious reputation. 

Paul had reached out with the gospel there, to his own ethnic people at first. Then to the other people groups. “… many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptised. One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you ...’ So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God (ACTS 18: 8-11 NIV)."

The grace of God positively impacted many in the city. 

Later, in one of his letters that he sent there, Paul stated: "To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 CORINTHIANS 1: 2- 3 ESV)." 

Paul covers a lot of important matters in this letter that need attention. But the most important was this: “... I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures ... (1 CORINTHIANS 15.1-4 NIV). 

Of first importance! 

Christ's death for our sins! 

His resurrection! 

Bible based truth! 

The gospel, good news! 

Having received it, believing it! 

Which saves us! 

On which we have taken our stand! 

This is how our lives are transformed! 

It is the foundation on which everything else fits together! 

And it is the basis on which the empowerment of the Holy Spirit is available to us. So that we are enabled to share the good news with others, with our own ethnic group and other ethnic groups too. 

Please see earlier blogpost: CTG 055

FOR FURTHER READING 

Acts 18:1-21 

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 

1 Corinthians 3:11 

1 Corinthians 15:1-58 

2 Corinthians 13:5 

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 

Luke 22:1 - 24:53 

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DIVINE 

The writers of the gospel accounts, provided for us in the Bible, do not give us the date of the day when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Though they do place everything in their historical context. More importantly, they tell us who Jesus is. 

Luke (2:8-12 ESV) gives us this detail: 

[8] And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. [9] And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. [10] And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. [11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. [12] And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 

Saviour! The Christ! The Lord! 

In fact, it wasn’t that day or night that was divine. It was the baby that was placed in that manger who is divine, literally. The Lord! God in flesh! The Father sending his unique eternal Son into the world. 

Before they were married, when Joseph had been pondering what to do when he was told that Mary was pregnant, before they had intercourse with each other, an angel of the Lord told him that the child in her womb was conceived miraculously through the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:18-25. 

Mary had already been told by the angel Gabriel before she conceived: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35).” Luke 1:26-56. 

Centuries before, the Word of the Lord was declared through the prophet Isaiah that a virgin would become pregnant and give birth to a son who would be called Emmanuel, which means God with us. Matthew 1:22-23. Isaiah 7:14. 

John (1:1-4, 14 ESV) gives us this detail: 

[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. [4] In him was life, and the life was the light of men … [14] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

To Philip, in the hearing of his colleagues, Jesus said: 

“Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father … (John 14:9 ESV).” 

Normally, there had been nothing in his visual appearance that had indicated this (Philippians 2:5-11; Isaiah 53:1-3; John 17:1-5 & 24-26). Peter, James and John were given a brief glimpse of his majesty (Mark 9:2-9; 2 Peter 2:16-19), but even this took time to sink in. 

It had taken a while for them to fully understand. But they got there. 

Later, in one of his letters, John wrote, still full of wonder (1 John 1:1-3 NIV): 

[1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. [2] The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. [3] We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 

The one who God, the Father, sent into the world to save us from our sins, is the eternal Son of God. God miraculously provided him with a human body in Mary‘s womb through his Holy Spirit, the eternal Spirit of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is both God and human. Galatians 4:4-7. 

The importance of believing this cannot be overestimated. 

Consider the following words of Jesus: 

John 8:58 ESV 

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 

See Exodus 3:14. 

John 8:24 NIV

“ … if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” 

John 10:30 CSB

“I and the Father are one." 

Believing who Jesus is, is as important as believing what he accomplished by dying on the cross and rising again. 

God bless you with faith. 

FOR FURTHER READING 

John 20:24-31 

1 John 4:1-4 

2 John 1:7 

Isaiah 9:6 

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 

Hebrews 10:5-18 

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Continued from previous blog post: CTG 0073 

Present and future manifestation of God’s Kingdom

Jesus did not come into the world to set up a political party. 

And he said: “My kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36).” 

Nor is it based on the Old Mosaic Covenant. Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant. 

His kingdom is manifested by his presence, demonstrated through his preaching and teaching, through the miracles, healings and ministry of deliverance that he performed, and through his outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon those who believe and follow him. 

The gospel is referred to as being the gospel of the kingdom. Its continual transforming power is observable in the lives of those who believe the good news. 

Everyone who has been born again by the Holy Spirit through the gospel enter into everything that the atoning work of Christ secured for us. And its complete fullness will be revealed when Jesus returns. 

Even our present frail bodies will be swallowed up by life. 

No more tears, no more pain, no more suffering, no more death, no more trials and temptations, no more sin. 

Utter Joy. 

Forever with our Lord.

For all believers from every nation and ethnic group, who have put their trust in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

Please see these three earlier blog posts: CTG 0022, CTG 0024 & CTG 0052

FOR FURTHER READING 

Isaiah 61:1-2 

Daniel 7:13-14 

Matthew 4:13-25; 5:1 to 7:29; 11:1-6; 12:28; 25:1-46 

Luke 1:26-38; 4:16-21; 17:20-21 

John 3:1-21 

Acts 8:4-8; 8:12; 19:8-20; 20:17-32; 28:23-31 

Romans 7:12-14; 8:1-4; 15:15-21 

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 

2 Corinthians 3:1 to 6:2 

Colossians 1:13-14 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 

1 Timothy 2:1-6 

Hebrews 8:6-13; 9:15; 12:18-24 

1 John 3:1-3 

2 Peter 1:11 

Revelation 21:1 to 22:21