Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
In Mark 13:10, Jesus provides this pithy promise regarding the future: “And the gospel must first be published [preached] among all nations.” In the midst of ongoing hatred and extraordinary persecution, the Gospel message of salvation through faith in Jesus will continue to be presented. Romans 10:13-15 emphasizes the necessity of preaching (which has been minimized in some modern churches): “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in Whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!’” Verse 17 succinctly concludes, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Thus, Biblical preaching is an essential aspect of Christianity and will be until the very end. Even at this end, the Gospel will be preached in a most unusual manner to everyone in the world: “And I [John] saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people (Revelation 14:6). May our churches remain faithful in preaching the Gospel – the only message that can bring lost souls to eternal salvation.