Key to Lesson No.4
1). Please define "the gospel of Christ" in your own words on the basis of the Word of God.
Answer:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (Rom.1:16). It is the power of God unto salvation for those who believe. When we preach the gospel, we exhort sinners to repentance. When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Mark 2:17)
“And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).
“Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31)
“. ….despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Rom.2:4)
By proclaiming the gospel, we lead the people to repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21)
Repentance leads to salvation (2 Cor.7:10). People should be exhorted to repent of and confess their sins to Jesus and to turn to God through faith in Jesus Christ for salvation through His precious blood. We have to preach repentance and remission of sins in the Name of Jesus Christ.
2). How the false gospel is defined in this Lesson?
Answer:
The false gospel is not very clearly defined in the New Testament books. But Paul calls it “another gospel”. It is a gospel which exhorts the people to observe certain dos and don’ts. During the days of Paul, Jews preached that for salvation, people should also undergo circumcision. Today, in a similar manner, some preachers exhort us to observe the Jewish feasts like Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles by quoting some old testament scriptures. Let us note that Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us (I Cor.5:5). We have to remember Christ the Passover daily in our lives and to seek sanctification of our sins through His blood. Similarly, Pentecost is a fait accompli. We have to be filled with His Spirit daily. In other words, the Holy Spirit should possess more of us and then completely control and possess us so that we become Christ like. The feast of Tabernacles is also fait accompli. Today we have to abide in fellowship with the universal body of Christ, the Tabernacle of God. We are not supposed to live together in tents made with human hands.
A false gospel is one sided - weighed more in favour of grace and love and not in favour of righteousness and judgment.
3). A poor saint visits your church. Nobody notices him or her and tries to talk to him or her just to find out her/his welfare. Your pastor is busy meeting the other congregation members. What are you supposed to do?
Answer:
You should not bother about what your pastor does. You have to speak to him, and minister to him.
4). Is poverty is an accursed thing? Justify your answer with reasons.
Answer:
It is not an accursed thing. Many saints of God lived in poverty. Even Jesus Christ also lived in poverty. He had no money to pay tributes.
5). Is sickness always caused by the Devil? Justify your answer with reasons.
No. It is also caused by our disobedience to God’s commandments. People became weak and sick and many died when they partook in the Lord’s table unworthily without examining their lives (I Cor.11:27-30).
Secondly, God allows the sickness in our mortal bodies to glorify Him. When we feel weak, His power is manifest in our mortal bodies.
6). Can you name two servants of God whom God used mightily when they themselves were not physically well? Will you please write a few words about their biographies?
Answer:
Charles Cowman was bedridden after suffering a stroke. But God used him mightily during his period of sickness. Emi Carmichael, the great missionary from England to India, was confined to bed for about 15 years after an accident. She glorified God through her sickness.
7). What is basically wrong with the prosperity gospel message, in view of the fact that some people of God really received material blessings after they had sown their seeds in the ministries of the preachers concerned?
Answer:
Many people received blessings because they placed their offerings at the altar of God and God did bless them though the offerings placed at the altar of God were not used by the ministers concerned for helping the poor saints or for edifying the body of Christ. The people who gave to God are not at fault because they believed God and expected great things from Him.
8). How will you counter this false gospel?
(i) I will name and expose these preachers publicly condemning them.
(ii) I will intercede for them with a real burden so that they may come to the knowledge of the truth.
(iii) I will write to these preachers personally through letters (Most of these popular ministers do not read their emails) after much prayers.
(iv) I will warn the elders in the churches about the consequences of believing in such a false gospel in a similar manner as Paul warned the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:29-32.
Please arrange the above in an order of priority as you feel and justify the points at the first two orders of priority as set by you.
(iv), (iii), (ii) and (i)
The first and foremost thing is that I should warn the elders or the servants of God concerned about the consequences of preaching such a false gospel. I should prophesy to them. Warning the other members of the body of Christ, especially the elders, is very essential.
Secondly, I should write to these preachers personally through letters after much prayers. I should always prefer to ministering to them personally after much prayers.
9). Please elaborate how the message of Paul to the Ephesian elders is relevant today.
Answer:
It is very much relevant to day. It is the responsibility of the overseers whom the Holy Ghost has appointed over the sheep of the Lord to take heed and to feed the church of God with the sound doctrines. It is for them to discern the voice of the grievous wolves which do not spare the flock. A grievous wolf is one who seeks the purse of a child of God through his ministry for promoting his own ministry which is self-centered and not Christ-centered. The minister concerned may perform miracles or divine healings in the Name of Jesus Christ. But if his motive is to entangle the sheep of the Lord in his own net just to promote his own kingdom, he is a grievous wolf.
10). Is tithing scriptural under the New Convenant? To whom you are supposed to give? Justify your answer with reasons.
Answer:
It is not scriptural under the New Covenant. You are supposed to give to the poor saints, the widows of the house of God, and to those who live by the gospel.
Home