Which Gospel are You Following and Proclaiming?

Missing the Mark
Missing the mark (Hamartanein) is at the core of all problems of life and society. The Church that Jesus is building is made up of true disciples of Jesus Christ who live by His Word rightly divided. They live by and preach the "good news" of Jesus Christ, His kingdom, and His righteousness. They know that true righteousness exalts a nation! Carnal, immature, and false Christians live by a gospel of their own making, actually, it is the making of the devil. They yell about things being wrong, but they themselves are the problem. They are deceived and are deceiving others.

A Growing Contrast
As the day for the Lord's return draws nearer and nearer there will be a growing contrast between those who truly follow the Lord Jesus and His sayings and those who follow another gospel(s). There will be an evident group that is blatantly and flagrantly evil. That group will be obvious to most people; even some following other gospels will acknowledge and recognize their evil. Those following other gospels will speak of Jesus and the Bible, but in actuality they have created a Jesus and a Bible of their own making (delusions). They change the emphasis and exchange the truth for lies. Many will be drawn to them.

The ultimate end of those who are obviously evil, and the ones who follow another gospel will be the same—eternal separation from God—unless they wake up and repent. They will not wake up and repent unless there are prophets of truth shouting from the housetops. Most of those who are evil and/or follow another gospel will not only reject the true voices of the Lord God, but they will persecute them as well. But in the midst of it, there will be those who receive conviction and respond by true godly sorrow and repentance. They will spend eternity with Jesus Christ and His family! They will begin to bear true fruit for the Lord and store up true riches in heaven. Those who have ears to hear let them hear!

There is another group that hinders the work of the Lord and the truth of His Word. They know some truth, but they don’t know Jesus well enough to preach that truth in real agape love. They think they are bold and courageous followers of the Lord, but they are instead harsh, pharisaical people. They do more damage to the cause of God than the evil and other-gospel people put together.

True and Mature Disciples
Where are true and mature followers of Jesus Christ? They are bold and courageous but tempered by love, true love. They are as bold as a lion and as humble as a little lamb. They live by and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, His kingdom, and His righteousness. They strive to be holy as God is holy in all of their conduct. They preach the truth about sin, but are filled with love, compassion, and mercy. They fully realize what the blood of Jesus purchased for them. They speak against sin from a heart of love, appreciation, and understanding of what the Lord did for them. They reach out and help to restore their fallen brothers and sisters, but they will not follow the cheap grace gospel that causes people to make excuses for and overlook the sins of others because they, too, are living in unrepented sin.

Conclusion
The day of the Lord’s return is to be looked for and prepared for. Are you really prepared for His return? Are you really prepared for your going? Your going may take place before His return. Are you really following Jesus and His truth, or are you following other gospels that, in essence, develop another Jesus and another Bible? Your eternal state and possibly the eternal state of those you influence depends on which one you are following.