APOL 104 The Gospel Message The Apostle Paul said, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,

for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek (Romans 1:16). Paul should know, since his life was radically transformed when Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9, 26:418). Once he knew Jesus and His power, nothing held him back from telling others about the risen Christ. He shared this gospel, the good news, with anyone who would listen to him, regardless of their religion or moral background. Paul once wrote to a group of Christians telling them about this gospel. He said: Moreover, brothers, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to youunless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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 (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Be assured, this same gospel that changed and motivated Paul is for you and me today. In understanding the gospel message we find out that: Jesus paid the price for our sins (I Peter 3:18). Our sins can be forgiven (Ephesians 1:7). We can have eternal life by trusting in Him (John 3:15).

The word gospel is mentioned over 100 times in the Bible by Jesus and His disciples. Jesus was the source and subject of this good news. Jesus began his ministry by sharing this central truth, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15). Jesus personally shared the gospel with those who listened to Him and today He is sharing it through the Bible and those who know and follow Him. He wants everyone to believe this gospel. But why is the gospel needed and how do people come to understand clearly what it means to become a follower of Christ and believe this gospel message? The Problem The problem is that all people are born sinners and sin separates them from God. Your [sins] have separated you from your God (Isaiah 59:2). The problem started in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were given clear instructions by God. They were free to eat of any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told them, Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17). Being deceived by Satan (the serpent), Eve ate the fruit of the tree and gave the fruit to Adam, who willingly (rebelliously) ate it (Genesis 3:1-6). So what is the big deal? This is a very serious matter. The God of the Bible clearly states that He cannot tolerate the least amount of sin in His presence. Psalm 5:4 says, You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You.

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APOL 104 Also, Adams choice affected the entire human race. Because of Adams rebellion, all people are born sinners (Psalm 51:5) and since then everyone willingly chooses to sin. The Apostle Paul explained, Just as through one man (Adam) sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12), and all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Everyone is a sinner and this sin separates each person from a holy God (Isaiah 6:3). So, what is the solution; how can sinful humans ever hope to inhabit a holy heaven with a holy God? The Solution Throughout human history people have attempted to solve this problem on their own. Religions have been developed which require people to do good works in order to earn eternal happiness and rewards. This solution is really an issue of pride. Salvation is all about God and His grace. Salvation is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:9) Salvation cannot be earned through good works. So what is the real solution? The solution comes from God Himself. God knew that humans could not achieve heaven by good works. That is why Jesus Christ, the Son of God came to die for our sins (John 3:16; II Peter 3:9). The Apostle Peter explained, For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God (I Peter 3:18). Even though this sin had separated people from God, Jesus willingly bore our sin in His own body on the cross that He might bring us to God (2 Peter 2:24). God loved us and demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice so that mankind could receive forgiveness of sins and have eternal life in heaven. What a deal! Jesus paid the sin debt that we could not pay so that we could receive His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Choice God does not force anyone to accept His Son, Jesus Christ. It is a free choice, a gift that He offers to everyone. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). So what is the choice we need to make to receive forgiveness of sins and life eternal in heaven? Again, the Bible is clear. A person must repent of their sins and must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15). The word repent means to change ones mind. A person first needs to change his or her mind about God. Many concepts exist about God in our world today, but to make an informed choice we must have a biblical understanding of God and Christ. Jesus did not say He was a way to God; He said He was the only way to God. Jesus excludes all other ways when He says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). The disciples said the same exact thing, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the only way to God.

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APOL 104 A person also needs to change his or her mind about sin. It is not about trying to be good person and living life the way she or he wants to live it. Rather, it is making a conscious choice to become a follower of Christ and His Word. Jesus said If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Matthew 16:24). The word believe means to trust or have faith in. It also has the idea of being persuaded. Biblical faith is not a blind leap. It is based upon the Bible, reason and evidence. Faith is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Thomas, one of Jesus disciples did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead unless he was able to put his fingers into Jesus nail pierced hands and side. Jesus did not rebuke him for a lack of faith. He let him feel the nail prints and what was Thomas response; Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God! (John 20:28). The resurrection of Jesus Christ is an essential fact of history and the gospel message. If Jesus did not rise from the dead then Christianity is just another man-made religion. The apostle Paul understood this when he said, If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! (I Corinthians 15:17). What must a person believe in order to become a follower of Christ? First, that Jesus is who He said He was. If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins (John 8:24). Here, Jesus placed our eternal well-being entirely on the issue of getting what we believe about Him correct. One must also believe that He died on the cross for his or her sins; that He was buried; and that He was raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4). The Apostle Paul spelled it out when he said that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). It is a personal choice. Hopefully, it is your choice. The Invitation If after reading this gospel message you understand what it means to be a follower of Christ and you would like to receive Him as your Savior you can do that today. "Whoever will call on the name of the LORD shall be saved (Romans 10:13). Your personal relationship with God can be begin right now through praying a prayer from the heart. You could pray a simple prayer like this: Heavenly Father, I know that You are holy and hate sin. I know that I am a sinner and I cant get to heaven by my own works. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, was buried, and that He rose again. I repent of my sins and believe that Jesus alone can save me. I want to be a follower of Jesus and His Word. Come into my life and save my soul. Thank you for saving me! In Jesus name, Amen. Although this article was designed for Discussion Board Forum 1, if after reading this you prayed to receive Christ as your Savior, please contact your APOL 104 course instructor so they can celebrate your decision with you.

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APOL 104 After reading "The Gospel Message" article in the Module 4 Reading & Study folder, answer the following questions (250 - 300 words). These questions are to be answered in separate paragraphs.
1. What are some ways the Christian gospel is perceived in our culture? The Christian gospel is perceived in todays culture as offensive and exclusive instead of the inclusive gospel that it is because of the sin nature of man. As simple as the gospel message is, it seems to be the hardest to accept because to be honest it is hard for people to view themselves as sinners in the sight of God. I was once one of those people that believed I was saved, because I gave my life to Christ at the age of five, but then strayed away as I got older. I thought I was a good person, I didnt steal, hadnt killed anyone, so I was good in my own eyes, but to the standards of our Holy God, I was sin sick and needed saving. It was not until, I decided I could not live by my own strength, my own wisdom or by my own desires any longer and I cried out to God, God, I cant do this anymore, please help me, tell me what to do, what you want out of my life, I cant figure it out!. At that moment, I pick up my bible and actually opened it and began to read it, but I understood nothing so I prayed, Lord help me to understand what you are saying to me, give me understanding of your word, I kept reading and praying that until the scriptures opened up to me in the book of revelation and I saw myself, how filthy I was. I feel to my knees and cried and asked God to forgive me, told Him, I didnt know, I didnt know. God please help me to live for you, how you have called me to be! I gave my life to Jesus right then and was filled with the holy ghost, when I got up off the floor in my bedroom, eyes were opened, the bible was my best friend, and I could not stop telling people about what Christ did for me, in my bedroom that day! I have found that until people are ready to give it all up (the worldly pleasures, their own will) they view the gospel sometimes as Judgmental instead of forgiving, hopeful, saving, redeeming, transforming and loving. What are some specific moral reasons people may reject the Christian gospel? People reject the gospel, because they dont want to stop what they are doing, they are only doing what the rest of the world says culturally and socially is acceptable, they see nothing wrong with the way that they are living. I use to think the same way. Look at the world today, people basically do what they want to do, living together without being married, fornicating, drugs, same sex marriages, murder, theft, deception, Adultery, Idolatry, child abuse, pornography, there is nothing new under the sun. They enjoy what they do, the flesh is satisfied, and they are selfishly looking out for what #1 wants and needs. The world is in moral corruption and has been taken in and deceived by the prince of this world, and unfortunately we have not been such good examples of Gods compassion, forgiveness and unity because of the self inflicted wounding that we have done to each other in the body of Christ. Christ said, By this they will know that you are mine, if you love one another. This is what makes it so important for us as Christians to show the Love of Christ, the Character of Christ and the Forgiveness of Christ to the world in all we do, that if I be lifted up, Ill draw all men unto Me! What are some specific emotional reasons people may reject the Christian gospel? A person would emotionally reject the gospel of Jesus Christ because they would have to admit they are a sinner in need of saving. people in general, do not like to admit they are wrong in their thinking. What they were taught or how they were raised then becomes questioned and it can be a scary reality for a person to realize they had been living a lie! In Acts the 2nd chapter when Peter was preaching to the devout Jews gathered for Pentecost, he told them that they had crucified the Messiah, and they needed to repent, and the bible says, they were cut to heart at his words. but they, 3000 of them came to a decision to give their lives to Jesus and be baptized. Most of them, I am sure had nothing to do with the crucifixion of Christ (literally had a hand in it or were even in the crowd that day) because these Jews came from all over to worship, but what Peter was saying was what God said from the beginning, that He was sending the promise seed, that would give His life to save them from their sins.( John 3:1617) What are some specific intellectual reasons people may reject the Christian gospel? People of other religious beliefs or even those at times that are undecided (Just dont believe) have questions of whether Jesus even existed or whether He was who he claimed to be?, raising from the dead?, dying for the sins of the world? I have heard people say it was, a fairytale scheme devised to deceive man, and that whoever believes it is crazy! Well I often share the prophecy of the Messiah which is a bible study the Lord gave me to do with a young lady that had questions about the bible and how the Old Testament and New Testament come together. Prophecy of the Messiah starts in genesis and ends in Revelation about the promised coming, the birth, the life, the purpose, ministry, death, burial, resurrection and return of the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. People dont believe that Jesus could have naturally raised from the dead, but that is because they dont understand the supernatural power of creator God and that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above. People often times do not want to believe

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APOL 104
what they cant see, or touch, but that is why we have so many serving idols. They would rather pray to a person, a statue, a rock, the stars, moon or sun, getting no results, wisdom, guidance of peace, than to pray to the God of peace. What can Christians do to address these objections and better communicate the Christian gospel? Christians, with the Love and compassion of Jesus can better communicate the message of the gospel by the way that we conduct ourselves, socially, morally (thinking) and how we live. It is very affective in the spreading of the gospel to preach without words until it is time, because people are always watching you, even when you least expect it. We must allow the Holy Spirit to discipline us in the molding of our character so that we exemplify the love, forgiveness, compassion, humility and power of Jesus, being ambassadors for him in the earth. The bible tells the wife, if your husband is not saved, be careful to have your conduct holy, for his soul may be won. (paraphrase) I am a strong believer that the proof is in the pudding and that if you can show Christ has changed you, especially around your family, than they will want that same type of relationship with the savior. I asked Inmates in the prison where I once worked that were of the Muslim faith, How has your god changed your life since you have been praying to it? Or since you have been serving it, how many times has it answered your prayers? The answer was always the same, their life had not changed, for the better, their mind set had not changed, they felt no different. They had not received any answered prayers. So I would tell them about My God, and My Savior and what He has done for me and how my life has changed since I have been in relationship with Him, and souls have been won through that method, and others as well.

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Post your thread by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of Module/Week 4. 1. What are some ways

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