ACTUALITY

ACTUALITY

“gos´pel (τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, tó euaggélion): The word gospel is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word which meant “the story concerning God.” In the New Testament the Greek word euaggelion, means “good news.” It proclaims tidings of deliverance. The word sometimes stands for the record of the life of our Lord (Mar_1:1), embracing all His teachings, as in Act_20:24. But the word “gospel” now has a peculiar use, and describes primarily the message which Christianity announces. “Good news” is its significance. It means a gift from God. It is the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins and sonship with God restored through Christ. It means remission of sins and reconciliation with God. The gospel is not only a message of salvation, but also the instrument through which the Holy Spirit works (Rom_1:16).

The gospel differs from the law in being known entirely from revelation. It is proclaimed in all its fullness in the revelation given in the New Testament. It is also found, although obscurely, in the Old Testament. It begins with the prophecy concerning the 'seed of the woman' (Gen_3:15), and the promise concerning Abraham, in whom all the nations should be blessed (Gen_12:3; Gen_15:5) and is also indicated in Act_10:43 and in the argument in Rom 4.

In the New Testament the gospel never means simply a book, but rather the message which Christ and His apostles announced.”  From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia “Gospel”

  The gorilla, with all his mugging and antics was a favorite of children and adults at the zoo. The ape died . . . and attendance dropped off. The director decided that though expensive it was cost effective to hire the stunt man that played King Kong in the popular movie of that name. It worked! Attendance not only regained but exceeded past records as the actor was very creative in his role playing. One gimmick the actor added was exuberantly taunting and making furious the lion in the cage next to his.

  One day his exuberance surmounted his common sense and acrobatic skill. He fell into the lion cage. With a mighty leap the big cat was upon the terrified man and he began screaming for help. The lion put a paw over his mouth and whispered in his ear “You better shut up or we’ll both be out of a job!”

  Actuality is not always what it appears to be.

  In 2009 the USA taxpayer funded largest in the world diplomatic compound was opened; 104 acres equal to 80 football stadiums, about 10 times larger than any other USA embassy, a bit smaller than Vatican City. The purpose of the 750 million dollar investment and tremendous security and ongoing upkeep costs is establishing relationships with the people of Iraq. However, though some staff have been on-station for several years, they have never so much as been to a local marketplace.

  Actuality according to some visitors: FORTRESS AMERICA MEETS ALICE IN WONDERLAND; for many Iraqis a castle they are suspicious about and make fun of.

  Christian says and sings “I love Jesus.”, but doesn’t exemplify or speak the truth of God’s redeeming grace, the Gospel, to other than known believers.

  Jesus says “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." With one of those commandments being "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” [ESV Jn.14:12; Mk.16:15]

  What is our actuality past, this day, tomorrow? Does it involve a castle mentality?

EBB4   Sunday, January 10, 2016