There is No Other Gospel
You can turn your TV or radio on any religious station day or night and hear someone say they are going to preach the gospel to you. But the gospel is defined in I Corinthians 15:1-4 and also Romans 1:16. And knowing that, if you listen to them for any length of time you will see that they do not even know what the gospel is. What they are doing is preaching 'their' version of the gospel - which is not the gospel and they pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that - not me. Preaching any word of the bible is not the gospel. Do you believe the words of Jesus, or do you believe what a man or woman tells you. Don't even believe me - go see for yourself.
I had to come to the place to see that if what is being preached does not line up with the Word of God, it is a lie. Because God said let Him be true, but every man a liar. Those are hard words to a hard heart. But the only gospel there is is clearly defined in I Corinthians 15, so let's go there. And the only power of God there is, comes through believing that gospel.
Verse 1 - Paul started out saying, "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures." That is the gospel - THERE IS NO OTHER! And in Mark 1:15, Jesus told us to repent and believe the gospel.
So you might ask yourself, "Do I believe the gospel? Do I trust in, rely on and adhere to the gospel every day for everything in my life? Do I trust in, rely on and adhere to the power that raised Jesus from the dead to heal my sick body, cast out my devils, deliver me from fear, supply my money, give me a job, overcome my loneliness and depression, or whatever else there is that I might need?"
What is it that you trust in to bring you through all these things? Well, if it's not the power of God, then it's the arm of the flesh you're trusting in. And in Jeremiah 17 it says we are cursed when we trust in man, or the arm of the flesh. And this is not to put us down but to show us that there is a better way. And I used to trust in the arm of the flesh and not the power of God, because that's all I knew. And if there is any flesh I am still trusting in, God will reveal it to me, I know. God never condemns us, but the Holy Spirit will convince us of sin, righteousness and judgement. Amen.
One of the first scriptures I remember God speaking to me by His Spirit out of the Word of God was Jeremiah 17:5. There may have been others, but I definitely remember this one and the impact it had on my life. It was in the spring of 1987. But that day God started doing a real work in my heart about trusting in man, which is trusting in the flesh, and not the power of God. All my life I had been raised to trust in the flesh because we knew nothing about trusting in the power of God. But over the next couple of years, God started leading me to lay down areas in my life where I had trusted in physicians and dentists, specifically. I mean, I knew it was the Spirit of God in me. And this has applied to many areas of my life where God would open my eyes to see things in His Word, and then have me to start 'walking' them out - leading me by His Spirit.
One thing I have noticed in the church is that most people look at what the Word says, and then turn right around like, "Well, that doesn't apply to me." And that is not to say that I wished at times some things didn't apply to me, but God in His great mercy would open my heart to see and believe that it did. And if I was going to be honest about talking this walk, I would have to walk it. And what was happening was God was working His righteousness in me. And I'm not talking about taking the 'letter' of the Word and then going and applying it to your life. It says in II Corinthians 3:6, "(God) Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life." But what I am talking about is when God brings you face to face with the Word of God, and the Spirit of God starts working in your heart, preparing that heart to overcome and lay down these areas of the flesh that you trust in. You don't do something just because you see it written in the Word, or just because someone else is doing it. You do it because it is a work of the Spirit dealing with your heart. And until God brings you to that place, you had better just pray and keep doing what you're doing.
One thing I have learned, though, is that a person who honestly wants to obey God and walk upright in this gospel, God will take that person and start dealing with their heart. He will show them how they are - and that is blind and deceived, to what they will be - and that is complete in Christ. And even if you don't want God to deal with your heart, He can do it anyway. Go read about Paul on the road to Damascus. And Jonah in the belly of the whale.
As changes are being made in your life (in your heart) to conform you to His image, you will go through some painful and grievous times. No question about it. But the end result will be far greater than the pain and the grief. Thank God for that!
I also thank God that there is hope for us in every situation, and that hope is in the gospel - the power of God. Jesus loves us and He proved that when He died, was buried, went to hell and rose again. He did everything He is going to do for us when He did all of that. And all that is required of us is to believe it - trust in, rely on and adhere to that power. That is the gospel - and there is no other. And it is the love of God to tell us that, because love speaks the truth.
In Galatians 1:6-9, we are going to see what believing another gospel will do to you - which is not another.
In Verse 6, Paul starts out saying to the churches of Galatia, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."
People are cursed for preaching another gospel. And it says they trouble us when they do and they pervert the gospel of Christ. And anything we have believed and trusted in other than the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ has brought curses on us. Do you know why? Because it was rebellion against God. Jesus told us to believe, or trust in the gospel - not anything else.
You can read about blessings and curses in Deuteronomy 28. Verse 1 says that if we will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord to do all that He commands us to do, all these blessings will come upon us. And I believe there are either 14 or 15 blessings that are listed. Then in verse 15 it says that if we will not hearken to obey the voice of the Lord and do what He commands us, then all these curses will come upon us. And I believe there are fifty or so of them listed. Blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Which had you rather have? Well as for myself, I would rather have the blessings. But I have had to be delivered from and overcome the curses on my life for the disobedience I walked in all those years prior to hearing and trusting in the gospel. And if there are any left, I will overcome them by the mercy and grace of God.
God is going to do you like He did me 14 1/2 years ago. He is going to take the 'blinders' off your eyes so that you can see this Word just as it is written and open your heart to what is being spoken.
Acts 16:14 is exactly what happened to me in August 1985 after God brought us to Water of Life Church. "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul." God opened my heart so that I heard and attended to the things that were being spoken out of an apostle and prophet's mouth by the Spirit of God, that person being Doyle Davidson.
I will never forget it, but one of the first times after coming to this ministry, Doyle was reading something out of the bible, and I mean God took the blinders off my eyes and I said to myself, "I know I have read that many times, but I have never seen it like I do right now." I mean it was amazing what God did. I can honestly say that this bible was a sealed book to me for years. I could read it, but I could not even see what I was reading. And God is the only one who can open your eyes and your heart to see what is in it. But once you hear and see what is written, you will be held responsible for believing it. Satan will blind you to the truth because of unbelief. Go read II Corinthians 4:3-4.
So once the light of the glorious shines in your dark heart and exposes it, you can either suppress the truth in unrighteousness, or you can say, "Jesus, get this out." And you know what? He will. That is what this gospel will do - set your heart free from all of its deceitful lusts and wickedness.
I do appreciate the Lord for revealing this gospel to me. It is His desire to reveal it you. He died, He was buried and He rose again for you that you might serve Him with your spirit in this gospel. He is no respecter of persons. All that is required is a person that will do justly, and love mercy and walk humbly (or humble thyself to walk) with thy God - Micah 6:8.
God bless you!
