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CD ROM Paradise Collection 4 1995 Nov.iso
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MESSAGE.DOC
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THE MESSAGE
Jesus' Being
Jesus himself is the greatest message of God to mankind:
In many separate revelations--each of which set forth a
portion of the Truth--and in different ways God spoke
of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets.
[But] in the last of these days He has spoken to us in
[the person of a] Son.... He is the sole expression of
the glory of God--the Light-being, the out-raying of
the divine--and He is the perfect imprint and very
image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and
propelling the universe by His mighty word of power.
.... (Hebrews 1:1-3, The Amplified Bible).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. The same was in the
beginning with God. .... And the light shineth in
darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
(John 1:1-2, 5).
Jesus is the incarnate message of God.
We also are to be the message of God in our re-created inner
beings:
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to
be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29).
Jesus' Word
Jesus taught the message of God in word also. He said,
... the word which ye hear is not mine, but the
Father's which sent me. (John 14:24).
Content of teaching as well as the teacher's motivation is
important. One can do as much damage with wrong doctrine as with
wrong motivation. We are commanded to teach as Jesus taught the
Word of God:
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew
28:19-20).
Jesus' Actions
Jesus also acted out the message of God. He said,
... the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear
witness of me. (John 10:25).
Whenever Jesus performed a miracle or healing, he was saying,
"God loves you, and wants you to be whole and happy."
We are to act as Jesus acted:
As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who
sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. (John
9:4, New International Version).
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on
me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater
works than these shall he do; because I go unto my
Father. (John 14:12).
We are to do greater works than Jesus did. Jesus healed the
sick, cast out demons, performed miracles and raised the dead.
He helped people in this way. As the body of Christ, we are to
do more than Jesus did.
Every believer is a teacher (Matthew 28:19-20), even though
Jesus does not give every believer the MINISTRY GIFT of teaching
(Ephesians 4:11). Every believer is to teach others the good
news that Jesus died, was buried, and rose so that all who trust
in him might be justified. We are then to disciple young
converts, and this includes teaching all that Jesus taught. As
the believer becomes more Christlike, he becomes a "living
epistle" (2 Corinthians 3:2). In other words, THE BELIEVER
HIMSELF BECOMES THE MESSAGE. He then speaks and acts out the
message as Christ did.