The Gospel Is The Power Of God

Romans 15:29

And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

1 Corinthians 4:15

For though ye have ten thousand instructers in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

1 Corinthians 9:16
For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

 

What gets a hold of a person that causes them to come to Christ? 

The conviction of the Holy Spirit.

One touch of the Holy Spirit will do more to change a life in seconds then years of seminary can do.

The preaching of the Gospel is the power of God.

 Not gimmicks or watering down of the truth.

 The apostle Paul is distressed that the church at Corinth is deceived by “super-apostles” preaching “a Jesus other than the Jesus [I] preach.”

He is fearful that these Christians are believing “a different gospel from the one [they] accepted” and that they may even be receiving “a different spirit from the one [they] received.”

 These apostasies disturb Paul.

He worries about the minds of the Corinthian Christians, who have a “sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”
 
2 Corinthians 11:3-5 (King James Version)

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

 He’s concerned that the church at Corinth is not concerned.

Why aren’t they as distressed as he is at their confusion?

Why can’t they see that they are “being led astray?”

 How is it they are deceived?

 “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:8)

The true gospel is simple. 

Nothing can be added to Christ’s redemptive work on the Cross.

 There Christ bore our sins in His body, and through His shed blood He made us clean, holy, righteous in the sight of God the Father.

 He offers this redemption as a free gift. 

We either accept the gift of salvation or leave it unopened, so to speak. 

 If we open His gift, the Holy Spirit enters and lives in us so that over time we reflect Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world.

Yes, Jesus died for the ungodly.

 Paul reminds that rarely will someone die even for a good man, but Jesus died for us while we were His enemies.

 How much more will He save us!