“I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you, which ye also received, wherein also ye stand, by which also ye are saved… The word which I preached unto you.” (1 Corinthians 15:1,2).

“I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which was preached by me.” (Galatians 1:11).

As it was in Paul’s case, from time to time, it becomes necessary to restate in precise and definite terms what the New Testament Gospel really is. What it was that the Apostles preached; what it was that the first believers received; what it was wherein they stood; and what it was by which they were saved. As then – so soon – so since, the Gospel may lose its distinctiveness; may be whittled down; may be confused by additions; may be subverted by distortions; may be sterilized by tradition; may be killed by misrepresentation.

We shall therefore embark upon a consideration of the original gospel; the gospel as it was in the beginning. One thing that we shall discover, or rediscover, in this consideration is that the gospel of the Apostles was an infinitely greater thing than is associated with the word or term today. That immense word needs redeeming from the limitation which common usage so much conveys. When such a phrase as ‘to preach the gospel’ is used, the idea limits the preaching to certain basic elements or features by which unsaved people can be brought to put their trust in Christ as their Saviour. It is sometimes called ‘the simple gospel’. The very use of such a phrase carries with it a fear and a precaution. Perhaps herein lies one of the surest explanations of the poor type of Christian that much evangelism produces, and why so many go no further than a first step, and then go back.

If we examine the preaching, the gospel preaching, of the Apostles, we shall see that it presented the most immense and humanly inexplicable and ununderstandable realities; and such presentation was based upon two essential factors: one, the preacher being endued and endowed with the mighty Spirit of God; and, two, complete dependence and faith that that same Spirit would give to the hearers ability to receive the truth. Apart from these two things the preaching was indeed ‘foolishness’. We shall come on this again as we proceed.

Of the many humanly inexplicable and ununderstandable factors, the all-inclusive one – in Apostolic preaching – was the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. As an example (and do note that this is what Paul specifically called his gospel) take 1 Corinthians 15. Having made the statement that this is what he preached as his gospel, he proceeded to this long, long discourse on resurrection. Read it carefully in detail and say to yourself: ‘This is the gospel.’ It is not some extra, detached, advanced teaching. It is not an ‘ology’; that is ‘Christ-ology’, ‘Church-ology’, ‘Theology’, etc.; it is the gospel! It is all gathered into and based upon resurrection, beginning with Christ and expanding and advancing until all believers are in a state of immortal glory for all eternity.

In the New Testament the resurrection of Christ is shown to proceed along many lines, touch many issues, and affect all situations, conditions, and needs of the individual believer’s life; the Church universal; the churches local, and so on. We are going to pursue some of these lines and issues.

In all the varied and many aspects and effects of Christ’s resurrection it will and must be recognized that, while it was an historic fact, it was more than that: it was, and is, a permanent and many-sided power and experience. Were this not the case there would be absent the essential of verification. It would be but a statement in history books, and something remotely in the past. The truth is that Christianity – the individual Christian, the local company of believers, the Church universal – has as the justification of their existence this alone: that they were intended by the Risen Lord to be the abiding, positive, effective vessels of “the power of his resurrection”. Not the doctrine alone, and not alone the historic (past) fact as a tenet of the creed. This is exactly as it was after Pentecost, and it is the only adequate explanation of Pentecost. So we begin there.

Pentecost and the Resurrection

Pentecost was the baptism of the Holy Spirit, prophesied and promised in the Old Testament and by Christ Himself. But that baptism has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. Its accompaniments have been made it, in part or in whole. The result is that we have statements and teaching – often categorical – that this or that particular accompaniment of Pentecost is the essential and indispensable proof and sign of the baptism in or with the Holy Spirit. In this, what may be incidental, related to a time, a situation, a phase in growth, a pointer to something which, when reached, will mean that the pointer fades away – these incidentals, we repeat, are made the whole and are detached from the inclusive meaning. While we do not brush aside the accompaniments as of small meaning, we do say very definitely that not any one of them is the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the absence of which particular feature is to constitute a verdict that the baptism itself is absent. “Whether there be tongues, they shall (sooner or later) cease.” The same with other sign gifts. So says the Scripture. But there is one thing which is basic to all, inclusive of all, everywhere, at all times, and beyond time, which is the seal, sign, and evidence of the advent and presence and work of the Holy Spirit, and that is “the power of his resurrection”. This may be independent of tongues, healings, etc. But nothing can be a substitute for, or alternative to, the power of His resurrection, and all other things depend upon it. This surely is the summing up of the Day of Pentecost. Peter’s address out of the baptism definitely affirmed that the accompaniments, the signs, pointed to one inclusive explanation – God had raised Jesus from the dead. Other things came out of that and would have no meaning apart from that. That power was going to work in many more and other ways in days ahead, as we shall see. We should never put the mighty power of resurrection into the limited box of particular and partial manifestations, however valuable and necessary they may be for the time and circumstance. In doing so, we limit the Holy Spirit.

That is a comprehensive view and statement as to resurrection in Christ. Let us pursue it along some specific lines of outworking. Firstly:

The Power of Resurrection in Morale and Character

In this connection let us place in parallel columns some relevant passages of Scripture.

“Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended in me this night… Peter answered, If all shall be offended in thee, I will never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter saith unto him, Even if I must die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples” (Matthew 26:31-35).“Jesus answered them… Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone” (John 16:31-32).

“Then all the disciples left him and fled.”“But Peter followed him afar off.” “…a maid came unto him (Peter) saying, Thou also wast with Jesus the Galilaean. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest… another saw him and saith… This man also was with Jesus the Nazarene. And again he denied with an oath, I know not the man. After a little while they that stood by came and said to Peter, Of a truth thou also art one of them… Then began he to curse and to swear, I know not the man. And straightway the cock crew.” (Matthew 26:56,58,69-74).

“And they all forsook him, and fled” (Mark 14:50).

Now for the other side of the dark story:

“Peter, standing up with the eleven, …spake forth… saying… Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God unto you by mighty works and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, even as ye yourselves know… ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay: whom God raised… Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified” (Acts 2:14,22,24,36).

“And… Peter… answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel… The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob… hath glorified his Servant Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied before the face of Pilate… Ye denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted unto you, and killed the Prince of life; whom God raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses” (Acts 3:12…).

“…their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest… and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest… Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them… be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in him doth this man stand here before you whole. He is the stone which was set at nought of you the builders, which was made the head of the corner. And in none other is there salvation… Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John… they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus… Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you rather than unto God, judge ye: for we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard… And with great power gave the apostles their witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 4:5…).

That is enough, although much more could be added. It has been said that, of all the miracles of Pentecost, Peter himself was the greatest. It is impossible to read the passages above without being deeply impressed with the immense change in morale which the resurrection, sealed and attested by the Holy Spirit, effected in these men.

We have to allow that the forces against them were very great and terrible. There is, of course, a great difference between physical and moral courage. Peter was a man who had battled with many a storm on the lake, and come through many a perilous tempest. Physically he would not have been without courage. But, however much there was of that, both physical and moral courage failed at the time of the trial of Jesus, and he, with the rest, was reduced to cowardice, fear, timidity and escapism. If we follow this Judaistic antagonism through the Gospels, the life, trial and crucifixion of Jesus, into the Acts, and right through the life of Paul, and note how murderous and venomous it was and what it could do, we are left with two impressions: how inhuman and diabolical were the forces against these men, and how devastating those forces could be to the best natural morale; and then, correspondingly, how great was the change in the same men later. Those forces were reduced to sheer impotence and weakness by what had happened in the erstwhile terror-stricken people.

You will have noticed in the records how they related everything to resurrection. For Peter, the resurrection meant deliverance from the torment of shame, self-reproach, and remorse over the weakness and failure which marked his former life. It meant deliverance from Satan’s power. Jesus had said to him: “Simon, Simon, Satan has desired to have you that he might sift you as wheat” – more accurately: “Satan has obtained you by asking” (Luke 22:31). (We are back in the Book of Job here.) So, Simon’s fall, though based upon pride and self-confidence, was a shaking and sifting by Satan. Christ’s assured intercession secured Simon’s salvation in and by the resurrection. No wonder Peter, and the others, made everything of the resurrection. To them it was not only an historic event, but an abiding and continuous power and personal experience. As such, it went on throughout the Book of Acts, and that Book was never completed. The testimony has gone on in numerous lives since. That word ‘testimony’ in the original language means more than verbal statements and declarations. It is the same as our word ‘Martyr’, which carries with it a life, and a life committed. The testimony of Jesus is the fact and the power of His resurrection. This testimony is first seen in the changed morale of those who took the first fierce onslaught of all evil powers, and Satanically-energised men and systems against that testimony. That will be the comprehensive evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and it will be called for more than all other features as the end of the age develops.

1 John 3:11-24

The word for love in 1 John 3:11 does not refer to a sentimental love but is a strong word that describes God Himself. It is the kind of love that recognizes a need and responds to that need.

An illustration of this contrast is seen in the case of Cain, who was of the Wicked One and killed his brother (v. 12). He killed Abel because his own works were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Cain did not have love in his heart because he was not a child of God. He had hatred, and for that reason he murdered Abel.

1 John 3:16 shows that true love is climaxed by our being willing to lay down our lives for fellow believers. This is the very opposite of being willing to slander and spread evil reports concerning God’s children. This kind of love is very practical, for John said, “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” (v. 17). God expects us to share the temporal and spiritual provisions that He makes for us. How can anyone, looking on this lost world, say that he loves the Lord and yet not seek to make known to the unsaved the unsearchable riches of Christ?

Because the Scriptures say that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him, we need not conclude that a murderer cannot be saved. He can be if he will come to Christ and receive Him as Saviour.

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).

A tree needs light, water and roots to live. We all have resources upon which we draw life. The question we need to ask ourselves is, Where are our roots? The person God can bless is planted by the rivers of water. We must be careful not to be like Christians who are dry and withered and depend upon their own resources. They are like tumbleweeds, blown about by any wind of doctrine.

To have the blessings of verse 3, we need to meet the conditions of verses 1 and 2. That is, we must first be separated from the world and saturated with the Word to be situated by the waters.

God desires to bless us, but we need to meet certain conditions to receive His blessings. We bear fruit only when we have roots, and we must draw upon spiritual resources to bring forth fruit in due season. To bear the fruit of the Spirit, we must allow the Spirit to work in us and through us.

In contrast to the believer, the ungodly are not like trees but are like chaff. They have no roots, produce no fruit and are blown about. The ungodly reject the Word of God and will perish without hope (v. 6). As Christians we must not reject the ungodly but try to reach them. God blesses us so that we might be a blessing to others. His Spirit helps us bear fruit that can help win the lost.

Are you like a tree or like chaff?

We need God’s resources to bear fruit. But where we place our roots is paramount. Only as we grow them deeply into the spiritual resources of God’s grace will we produce fruit. Make the Bible your spiritual resource. Delight in it and feed your soul with its truth. God can use you to help win the lost.

We may get help from one another, but I do hope that you are not going to build your position upon what I say now because I say it. Do not do that. I do not want you to do it. I do not ask you to do it. What I say is: listen, take note; and then go to your final authority Who is in you if you are a child of God, and ask Him to corroborate the truth or to show otherwise. That is your right, your birthright, the birthright of every child of God: to be in the light of the indwelling Spirit of Light, the Spirit of God.

By T. Austin-Sparks from: The Anointing: Light Within Our Dwellings

Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, ‘Thy will be done’;
And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say ’twas worth it all’;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

The Lord Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into His hands ­ that as a Man, all the illimitable resources of deity had been vested in His person. That is the first thing I would like you to notice, for although He was in the beginning with God, and was God, and is God ­ and although as the Creative Word, all things were made by Him ­ when He came to this earth, in the very fullest sense of the term, He became Man; but He became Man as God intended man to be, and behaved as God intended man to behave, walking day by day in that relationship to the Father which God had always intended should exist between man and Himself.

Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God (possessing the fulness of the attributes which make God God), did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained; but stripped Himself (of all privileges and rightful dignity) so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. And after He had appeared in human form He abased and humbled Himself (still further) and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of (the) cross! (Philippians 2:6-8 Amplified New Testament).

In all His activities, in all His reactions, in every step He took and in every word He said, in every decision He made, He did so as man, even though He was God. He knew that in His perfection as man, the Father had vested in Him all that God intended to vest in man ­ all things! In other words, man in perfection has an unlimited call upon the inexhaustible supplies of deity.

To put it another way, all the inexhaustible supplies of God are available to the man who is available to all the inexhaustible supplies of God; and Jesus Christ was that Man! He was Man in perfection – - totally, unrelentingly, unquestioningly available ­ and that is why there was available to Him all that to which he was available ­ all things!

See the infinite mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“At that moment the Lord turned and
looked straight at Peter.” Luke 22:61

There was a deep meaning in that look.

It was a sermon which Peter never forgot.

The love of Christ toward His people, is a deep
well which has no bottom! Let us never measure
it by comparison with any kind of love of man or
woman. It exceeds all other love—as far as the
sun exceeds the candle light. There is about it
a mine of compassion, and patience, and readiness
to forgive sin—of whose riches we have but a faint
conception.

Let us not be afraid to trust that love—when we
first feel our sins. No man need despair, however
far he may have fallen, if he will only repent and
turn to Christ. If the heart of Jesus was so gracious
when He was a prisoner in the judgment hall—we
surely need not think it is less gracious, when He
sits in glory at the right hand of the Father!

A very beautiful motto is hung up in our infant
classroom at the Stockwell Orphanage, “What
would Jesus do?” Not only may children take it
as their guide, but all of us may do the same,
whatever our age.

“What would Jesus do?”

If you desire to know what you ought to do under
any circumstances, imagine Jesus to be in that
position and then think, “What would Jesus do?
for what Jesus would do, that ought I to do.”

That unties the knot of all moral difficulty in the
most practical way, and does it so simply that no
great wit or wisdom will be needed.

“I have set you an example that you should
do as I have done for you.” John 13:15

“Christ, who suffered for you, is your example.
Follow in His steps.” 1 Peter 2:21

“Whoever claims to live in Him must
walk as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:6

Can we travail for a drowning child, but not for a perishing soul? It is not hard to weep when we realize that our little one is sinking below the surface for the last time. Anguish is spontaneous then. Nor is it hard to agonize when we see the casket containing all that we love on earth borne out of the home. Ah, no; tears are natural at such a time? But oh, to realize and know that souls, precious, never dying souls, are perishing all around us, going out into the blackness of darkness and despair, eternally lost, and yet to feel no anguish, shed no tears, know no travail! How could are our hearts! How little we know of the compassion of Jesus! And yet God can give us this, and the fault is our if we do not have it. Jacob, you remember, travailed until he prevailed. but oh, who is doing it today? Who is really travailing in prayer? How many, even of your most spiritual Christian leaders, are content to spend half an hour a day on their knees and then pride themselves on the time they have given to God!

We expect extraordinary results, and extraordinary results are quite possible; sings and wonder will follow, but only through extraordinary efforts in the spiritual realm. Hence, nothing short of continuous, agonizing pleading for souls, hours upon hours, days and nights of prayer, will ever avail. Therefore, “gird yourselves, and lament ye priests; howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God. Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and ‘all the inhabitants of the load unto the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord.” (Joel 1:13-14) Ah, yes Joel knew the secret. Let us then lay aside everything else and “cry unto the Lord”. We read in the biographies of your forefathers, who were most successful in winning souls, that they prayed for hours in private. The question therefore arises, can we get the same results without following their example? If we can, then lets us prove to the world that we have found a better way, but if not, then in God’s name let us begin to follow those who through faith an patience obtained the promise. Our forefathers wept and prayed and agonized before the Lord for sinners to be saved, and would not rest until they were slain by the Sword of the Word of God. That was the secret of their mighty success; when things were slack and would not move, they wrestled in prayer till God poured out His Spirit upon the people and sinners were converted.