THE GOSPEL - and, what does it mean?

The great majority of Antilleans have heard the term “gospel” since they were children. But for most of us those words were only religious words, and we never bothered to find out for ourselves what the words: “THE GOSPEL” meant. But, today, many of us living on the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao at least have an idea of its meaning, though the majority of us even to this day have not accepted THE ONE , who is the source or foundation of the Gospel. ( I have to say this with deep sadness.)

To begin with, the word Gospel does not mean religion. As we all know, the majority of Antilleans are religious, and are fettered to one or another religion. In most cases, we were brought up in a religion our parents were brought up in, and they in turn by their parents.

We may ask: What in fact does the word the Gospel mean? My friend, we find the answer directly from the Holy Scriptures. To begin with let us read together in Luke 4:17-21 these words: The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him, and He began by saying unto them, “today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

According to this Scripture, friends, the Lord Jesus taught that He is The One that God, the Father, authorized to preach the good news of salvation to sinners throughout the world. How did He do that? The answer is in the Scriptures itself. For example, In Matthew 16:21 we read, the following: “From that time on Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Also in this same book of Matthew in chapter twenty, verses seventeen to nineteen we read: “Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will turn Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day He will be raised to life!”

If we compare these Scriptures here with Luke 4:17-21, we can see that in Luke chapter 4, Jesus was not speaking of the poor in material goods, or about those in incarcerated, nor about those who are blind and oppressed physically. But, instead He is speaking about such who were living at that time, and to all who are living today. He is speaking here to our spiritual lives in this world. He is speaking to us who are poor towards God, and are willingly prisoners of every kind of wickedness there is, and who are spiritually blind and serving Satan without even being aware of it.

In the light of the above Scriptures we learn that “The Gospel” is Good News of Glad Tidings that there is forgiveness and freedom through faith in Jesus, Who was betrayed and given over into the hands of men and was mocked, mistreated and crucified. But, God, the Father, gave Him life again on the third day, that we, you and I, may receive pardon and eternal life. THIS IS THE GOSPEL that we proclaim today in Aruba, in Bonaire and Curaçao and throughout the entire world. This is the GOOD NEWS the Apostles preached – that now there is eternal life available in the name of Jesus to everyone who repents from his or her sin and believes in Jesus Christ. Without repentance, God says, there is no pardon for sin.

Dear friends, the Scriptures teach us, that after Jesus’ resurrection and glorification, God gave Jesus the Holy Spirit, Whom He sent to convince men and women of sin, so that we can repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Read Acts 2:29-30, and Acts 20:21. Without repentance, friends, there is no forgiveness.
Written by Bicento Henriquez and translated by Betty Henriquez
You may communicate with us at: bbhenriquez@shaw.ca

DECISIONS

Decisions, decisions, decisions every day we make them! Will we go see so & so today. when? Will it be this morning or this afternoon? Is the weather cooperative? This morning we, Bicento and Betty, had a decision to make! There is going to be a Bible Study on the fourth floor of our building. Will we go? We have made the decision, that yes, we will go. You probably have also made some decisions this morning as well! We all know that some decisions are minor and others are more important. But these kinds of decisions are minor compared to one major decision we must all make in life. It is a decision that will determine where we will spend eternity?

During every human being’s life span, he or she has many decisions to make that are related to choices. Normally, from birth to our adolescence years, it is our parents that make choices for us. They choose what we eat, what we wear, where we go or where we do not go, etc. However, the day comes when each one of us begins to make our own choices. Sometimes we make wrong choices, and we realize it too late. What we are saying here is true for every human, no matter from what part of the world we are from.

In the Bible we read of a decision, of utmost importance, that every one of us must make sooner or later in our lifetime. In the Old Testament we read that Moses, a servant of God, led the nation of Israel over a period of forty years through the wilderness after delivered them from slavery in Egypt. It was then that God revealed to Moses that his days here on this earth were numbered. (Read Deuteronomy 31:1,2, 14, & 15). Since he was the one leading them over this long period of time, he learned to know them personally.
He then made this very important declaration to the entire nation of Israel, saying: “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction…..and he continues to say: This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live, and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life, and ..…” (Deuteronomy 30:11-20).

Dear friends, this solemn invitation and warning , though written more than three thousand years ago, was not only for the Jewish people living at that time, but it is also for non-Jewish people like us who are living today. It is so important for us to know the last words and actions of Moses towards the Jews is given to us in the New Testament. (Read Romans chapters 9-11, and also the complete chapters of Deuteronomy 30 and 31.)

In the book of Romans chapter ten and verses one to five, the Apostle Paul describes to us about how zealous the Jews were towards God, but that their enthusiastic zeal was not based on knowledge. And since they did not know the righteousness that came from God, they sought to establish their own, not willing to submit or subordinate themselves to God’s righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for all who believe. Then Paul continues with a portion (verses 5-13) where each one of us: whether Jew or non-Jew, Aruban, or non-Aruban, Antillean or non-Antillean, or from whatever other nation we are from – all of us are included.

It says this: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith that we are proclaiming : 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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scriptures say, “anyone who trusts in Him shall never be put to shame. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Dear friends, bearing in mind these words of the Lord , we put before you today life and death; blessing and condemnation. Choose life, so that you may live forever together with the Lord. But, as regards to this important decision, each one of us individually must make the decision. In this matter neither our parents , or anyone else can make the decision for us. Each one of us must make this decision for himself or herself. It is with our own mouth that we must call on the Lord Jesus; and with our own heart believe.

We beseech you in the name of the Lord, to choose TODAY and BE SAVED. Amen.