WHAT IS THE TRUE GOSPEL? 

As I finished the teaching on ANOTHER GOSPEL, a brother asked me the question, What is the True Gospel? This indeed is a crucial question. Considering that the bible says that if any man or even an angel from heaven comes and preaches ANOTHER gospel which is different from the one preached at the beginning, then that man must be accursed.  

Even if the Apostles Peter and John and Paul were to come back again and preach a different Gospel, they must be accursed. Even if the angels Gabriel and Michael were to descend and preach another Gospel then they too must be condemned to hell.

 Galatians 1:8-9 (NIV) 

 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 

 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! 

This is serious, very serious. The apostle warns us that a different GOSPEL, does not mean that someone is now preaching something that is totally different, like for example preaching Bhudha or Preaching Allah. No. Even if you slightly distort the gospel of Christ, just a slight distortion is enough to make it another Gospel, and for that distortion you must be condemned to hell.

Why such a serious consequence? 

Because the gospel is what brings salvation to humanity, and it is what keeps them in that salvation and gives them power over the enemy. 

 Romans 1:16 (NIV)  

 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because  it is the power of God that brings salvation  to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 

Sin is bad, but a preacher who commits sin is still a child of God who has committed a sin. But a preacher who preaches another gospel, a wrong gospel, is taking away salvation from people.  Those who have believed another gospel, are not saved, because it is only the true gospel, the gospel of Christ that we are saved by, if we hold on to it firmly.

 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (NIV) 

 1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2  By this gospel you are saved,  if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 

 SO, WHAT IS THE REAL GOSPEL? 

 1.) IT IS THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST 

 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 (NIV) 

 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not  obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  

 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. 

 Philippians 1:27 (NIV) 

 27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy  of the gospel of Christ.  Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 

So what does it mean to say the Gospel of Jesus Christ? 

It means that Jesus Christ is the center and focus of the gospel. He is the beginning of it and the end of it. His work, His life, His teaching, His commandments, His Death, His resurrection, His gifts, His power, His authority, His grace, His salvation, His Spirit and all these are elements of HIS KINGDOM.

The gospel of Christ is divided into two sections:

 a) The first part is The life that he lived from the time of His baptism until his death. 

Mark 1:1-9 (ESV) 

 1  The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ,  the Son of God. 

 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” 

 4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 

 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 

 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 

The Baptism of John is the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is why when the apostle were choosing a replacement for Judas who would be a fellow witness of Christ, they needed someone who had been there from the His Baptism.

 Acts 1:21-22 (ESV) 

 21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 

John was the first person to preach Jesus as Christ, and therefore he was the first person to preach the gospel.

 Luke 16:16 (ESV)   16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it 

The miracles Jesus did from the time He was baptized and received the Holy Spirit, the teachings he gave, his instructions and his commandments for us, and the works he did for humanity are what make up His gospel.

 b) The second Part of the Gospel is actually the most important to know and understand. It is the Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. 

 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 (ESV)

 1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 

 3 For I delivered to you as  of first importance  what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 

The death and resurrection of Christ is of first importance for people to know and believe. Because it is faith in the death and resurrection of Christ that allows us to be born again and see the kingdom. It is the door, the entrance by which human beings can enter into the kingdom of God. It is how we receive salvation.

When Jesus died, he took our sins upon himself and died on our behalf. All God asks is for us to accept this sacrifice of Christ in our hearts, and by doing that, we receive atonement for our sins. This atonement makes us able to approach the presence of God to receive from him.

Whilst we receive remission of sins through the death of Christ we are then born again into God’s kingdom specifically through the resurrection of Christ. 

 1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy,  he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  

 Romans 10:9 (ESV) 

 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart  that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  

When Christ died, he died on our behalf, when he resurrected, he also resurrected on our behalf. If we deny the resurrection of Christ, we too can’t be raised to new life as he was.

 EXAMPLE OF THE GOSPEL BEING PREACHED 

We see an example of the gospel being preached to gentiles for the first time. After the gospel was preached, the gentiles received the Holy Spirit.

 Acts 10:34-44 (NKJV) 

 34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all 

 37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. 40 Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” 

 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 

 Denying the Gospel 

If people pervert the meaning and work of the death and resurrection of Christ, they are now preaching another Gospel. For example, in Corinth there were two preachers who were saying that there was no bodily resurrection of the saints. Scripture says that by denying that saints will raise again in the body, these preachers are consequently denying that Christ was raised again in the body.

 1 Corinthians 15:16-17 (ESV)  

 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 

There are churches today which teach that Jesus died for his own sins and not for the sins of humanity. There are some who teach that Jesus died for white people and for Jews, not for Africans. There are churches, big churches that teach that Jesus did not resurrect bodily, that he came back as a spirit. There are churches that teach that there is no future coming of Christ and resurrection of the saints, they teach that the resurrection is not coming. All these are preaching another Gospel, and the bible says, they are accursed. This is not my judgment or opinion, that’s what God himself says in his word.

 2.) IT IS THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM. 

 Matthew 24:14 (ESV)  

 14 And  this gospel of the kingdom  will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is also known as the gospel of the Kingdom of God. This is all that Jesus and the apostles taught about: The Kingdom. 

Every sermon of Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, James and the rest of the Apostles is about the Kingdom of God.

 Jesus 

 Mark 1:14-15 (ESV) 

 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the  kingdom of God  is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” 

 Paul 

 Acts 28:30-31 (ESV) 

 30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, 31  proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ  with all boldness and without hindrance. 

 Acts 28:23 (ESV)  

 23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them,  testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus  both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 

 Philip 

 Acts 8:12 (ESV) 

 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached  good news about the kingdom of God  and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 

You can’t preach Christ without preaching the kingdom of God, and you can’t preach the kingdom of God without preaching Christ.

When Jesus resurrected from the dead, he had only 40 days to speak to his apostles, and he spent those 40 days teaching about ONE THING: The kingdom of God.

 Acts 1:3 (ESV)   3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 

The kingdom is all Jesus taught about. And he instructed the apostles to teach the whole world what he himself had taught them, which is THE KINGDOM.

 Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV) 

 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 

There is only one thing that Jesus said we must seek, the Kingdom and His righteousness. It’s one thing as I will explain later.

 Matthew 6:33 (ESV)   33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

So we can summarize the Gospel by saying it is the message about Christ and His kingdom. 

 SO, WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD? 

In order to help people understand what the kingdom of God is, the bible starts by telling us what it is not. When you have seen what it is not, then you can easily receive what it is.

 i) The Kingdom of God is not of this world. 

 John 18:36 (ESV) 

 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 

Jesus said, if His kingdom was of this world, His servants would actually be fighting. But the servants of Christ do not fight even when he is persecuted and arrested, because the kingdom of Christ is not of this world.

So people who go to war, protest in the streets, create political parties saying they are defending the Kingdom of God, have no idea what the kingdom of Christ is. The servants of Christ, the apostles and early Christians did not organize marches and protests, they did not try to overthrow the Roman or Jewish leadership, they did not lobby for regime changes and such things. I am not saying being a politician is bad. Being a politician can be good, but it has nothing to do with the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God is not of this world and we do not fight for it using natural means. The kingdoms of this world, and all the world leaders of the nations of this world are under the Harlot Babylon.

 Revelation 17:1-2 (KJV) 

 1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

 Revelation 17:15-18 (NIV) 

  15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. 

 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.” 

It doesn’t mean that every president and politician is bad. No. They are just ruling over a kingdom of the world, not the kingdom of Christ. Israel, America, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Russia, Turkey, England and any nation you can think of, They are all world kingdoms and are all under the power of the evil one.

 1 John 5:19 (ESV) 

  19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 

If you want to know which nation is the kingdom of God, then its name is called THE CHURCH. The nation of Israel and the physical city of Jerusalem has a wonderful history, but it is not the kingdom of God. It is not the nation of God. The church which is headed by Christ is the chosen nation of God. Because it is the Church that is headed by the King: JESUS CHRIST. 

 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)  

 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,  a holy nation,  a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 

Preachers who say that you must send money to Jerusalem and Israel to be blessed, are in great error. That is a violation of the Gospel. The blessing is Christ. And Christ is in the church. 

It Is Israel and Jerusalem who must come to the church to be blessed, because it is the Church that is Christ’s bride and body.

 Galatians 4:25-26 (ESV) 

 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother 

 ii) The Kingdom of Christ is not about Material Things 

Houses, Money, Clothes, Cars and Riches. All these are important for life in this world, and can be used to bring good on earth, but they have nothing to do with the gospel or the Kingdom of God. Our mandate is to preach the Gospel of Christ and His Kingdom.

The apostle John tells us that all that is in the world is not of the Father. It will pass away.

 1 John 2:15-17 (NIV) 

 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 

To make it easy, you can think about it this way; anything that you know of which shall be destroyed at the end of the world, is not part of the Kingdom of Christ.

Jesus makes a clear contrast between the Kingdom and the things of the world.

 Matthew 6:31-33 (NIV) 

 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33  But seek first his kingdom  and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

Jesus says, Pagans seek after food and drink and clothes, material things, but We must not run after these things but instead seek the Kingdom. So the kingdom of God is not found or expressed in what you wear or eat. This aspect of seeking the kingdom and His Righteousness is not something you do before you are born again, and then after you are born again you say, now I have the kingdom, now I can seek the things of the world. That is error.

Seeking the kingdom and God’s righteousness is the daily lifestyle and attitude of people who are born again.

 Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV) 

 1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 

The Apostle Paul makes it clear that the kingdom of God can not be inherited by this flesh and blood.

 1 Corinthians 15:50 (NIV)  

 50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 

Preachers who say they are demonstrating kingdom life by showing big houses, and cars and bodyguards are gravely in error. Flesh and blood can not receive or inherit the things of the kingdom. So all things that we can inherit by flesh and blood, all things that are perishable, do not in any way reflect the kingdom.

Some preachers want to reflect Kingdom Dominion by owning lots of land and having political influence. That is error. Kingdom dominion is shown in having authority over sin, having people’s hearts changed all over the world to submit to Christ. 

THIS IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

i) The Kingdom of God, is not seen by what’s outside but by what’s inside your heart.

 Luke 17:20-21 (NIV) 

 20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” 

ii) The Kingdom of God, is found in The Spirit of God.

 Romans 14:17-18 (BBE) 

 17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but  righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  

 18 And he who in these things is Christ’s servant, is pleasing to God and has the approval of men. 

When you preach the Kingdom, you are preaching the eternal fruit of the Spirit: Righteousness, Joy, Peace, Love. 

 Galatians 5:22-24 (ESV) 

 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires 

 3.) IT IS THE GOSPEL OF GRACE 

Jesus himself brings the physical manifestation of the grace of God to us. When Paul rebuked the Galatians for following another Gospel, he says they had left the Grace of Christ.

 Galatians 1:6 (ESV) 

 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel 

In Galatia specifically, there are people who had come and preached that a man can not receive salvation until they have been circumcised, according to the law of Moses.

 ACTS 15:1 (ESV) 

 1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 

 Galatians 2:3-5 (ESV)  

 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment,  so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved  for you 

The Grace of Christ says that we are saved based on our faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, and not based on following or observing some ritual, or law from Moses. 

 Acts 15:10-11 (ESV) 

 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” 

 Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) 

 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

The moment you say that we have to follow the law to be saved, you are denying the power of the sacrifice made by Christ.

 Galatians 3:1-7 (ESV) 

 1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 

Paul warns that those who believe this teaching and start keeping the law in order to receive salvation, that they have frustrated the grace of Christ, and Christ becomes of no value to them.

 Galatians 2:21 (ESV) 

 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. 

So, the moment we seek to attain righteousness or salvation through works of the law, we are denying the death of Christ. We are denying the Gospel.

 Modern Pervasions of the Grace of Christ 

Hold on to your clothes because the word is about to hit you hard. I am coming into your territory. One may say, but no one is being circumcised today. So how does this affect us. Whilst most churches today do not circumcise, but the same perversion of the gospel of grace exists in different ways. I will focus on three Modern pervasions of grace.

One thing you must note is that scripture is not against circumcision, it’s against circumcision as a condition for salvation, or as a condition for righteousness.

 1.) Mandatory Sabbath 

 Galatians 4:10-11 (ESV) 

 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain. 

If you want to keep the Sabbath, that is fine for you. But the moment you preach telling people that they can not be considered as righteous before God unless they keep the Sabbath, then you are nullifying the death of Christ.

If you preach that people can not be saved unless they keep the Sabbath, then you are nullifying the death of Christ. Our salvation, our righteousness is not depended on our ability to keep a ritual, but our faith in Christ and the work he did on the cross.

 2.) Mandatory Tithe 

Believers must give to support the church of God because giving is an expression of love for one another. Those who preach the gospel must receive physical sustenance from those who receive the preaching of the word.

However, if you start preaching that you must tithe in order to go to heaven, then you are saying the sacrifice of Christ is not enough. You are now saying that we have to pay for our way to heaven. If you say that people who don’t tithe are not children of God, you are making the death of Christ of no value.

The salvation of Christ includes victory over sin, healing from sickness, deliverance from demonic oppression.

If you say that a person can not receive victory over sin, healing from sickness or deliverance until they pay tithe to God, or seed a certain amount, you are saying that the sacrifice of Christ, and his blood was not enough. You are saying that we now need to supplement with our own money, to receive salvation. This is the perversion of the gospel.

Giving money to the church is good and important; but giving money is not a condition for us to go to heaven, giving money is not a condition for us to receive salvation, giving money is not a condition for us to receive healing, giving money is not a condition for us to be counted as children of God, as righteous before God, or as worthy to receive his blessing.

The moment we put an amount as a mandatory condition for these things, we are saying Christ died for nothing. We are frustrating the grace of God. We are preaching another gospel.

Jesus never charged anything for healing, deliverance or blessing. He gave everything to everyone for free.

 Romans 8:32 (NKJV) 

 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 

Offering God money, for deliverance in your marriage is an insult to the cross.

Offering God money for healing is an insult to the cross.

Offering God money for prophecy or spiritual gifts is an insult to the cross.

  Acts 8:18-20 (ESV) 

 8 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 

 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him,  “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!  

 What About Abraham? 

After all of this, one may say, but tithe came with Abraham. Yes. So did circumcision. This is the same argument that the brethren in Paul’s day said in relation to circumcision. Circumcision came with Abraham.

 Genesis 17:14 (ESV)  

 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” 

Sabbath, Circumcision and Tithe all came before the law of Moses.

You can keep the Sabbath if you want, you can tithe if you want, you can be circumcised if you want. But the moment you preach these things as mandatory laws that must be kept by Christians in order to receive deliverance, righteousness, salvation or good standing with God, you have nullified God’s grace and denied the power of the cross.

 3.) Licence to Sin 

There are people who then go to the extreme of saying that since we are under grace we can now sin without consequence.

 Jude 1:4 (ESV) 

 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. 

The grace of God enables us to walk a life of godliness.

 Titus 2:11-12 (NKJV) 

 11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 

 Romans 6:15-16 (ESV) 

 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 

Everything that we do which is according to the flesh and not according to the spirit is sin.

 Galatians 5:18-24 (ESV)  

 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 

Everything that is done without faith, even if it’s good, but if done without faith, it is sin.

 Romans 14:23 (ESV)  

 23 …For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. 

IN CONCLUSION 

There is only one Gospel, which was first preached by Jesus himself then his apostles and then everyone else.

 Hebrews 2:3 (ESV)  

 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard 

Any Gospel that focuses on following and knowing the visions and acts of a church leader, who is not Jesus Christ as the condition for your salvation, is another Gospel. There is nothing wrong with knowing the history of your church and leaders. But if that becomes a requirement for worship and salvation then that is another gospel. 

The true gospel is the gospel of Jesus Christ, where Jesus is the beginning, center and end. It bases our salvation on knowing the ministry, death and resurrection of Christ. Christ and Christ alone is the saviour.

Any gospel that makes you focus on the politics of the day, using the bible to tell you who to vote for, and leading protests, is not the gospel of Christ. Those things can work for good, but they are not the gospel. When we make them the gospel, we have erred and are in danger of condemnation.

Money, houses and wealth can be used for good, but they are not the gospel. Any Gospel whose primary focus is to make you rich in this world is not the gospel of the kingdom, it is not the gospel of Christ, it is the gospel of this world.  The kingdom of God is not about food and drink and clothes and material things. The kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit. It’s not about perishable things, but about imperishable things.

A preacher who says I was called by God to make people rich in this world, is not a representative of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. The servants of Christ are called to preach Christ and his Kingdom. 

There’s nothing wrong with someone giving you good business advice. But it’s not the gospel, neither is it a calling in the body of Christ. It’s just good advice and if we make it the gospel, we are perverting the gospel of Christ. 

Any gospel that places the observance of a ritual or law such as circumcision, Sabbath or tithe as a condition of going to heaven is a perversion of the gospel of the grace of Christ. It is denying the  death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment to God. The true Gospel says we are saved by grace through faith, not based on works.

Any gospel that says you have to pay a certain amount in order to have right standing with Christ is in essence declaring that the blood of Christ is not enough to make you worthy, and to justify you through faith. It is a perversion of the gospel.

The only thing we are required to give to God as an act of worship is our bodies, so His spirit can occupy and use us.

 Romans 12:1 (ESV) 

 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 

The gospel of the kingdom of Christ teaches you how to grow in love, in peace, in joy, in gentleness, in faithfulness, in goodness and in self control. The kingdom gospel teaches you how to grow in truth, in the gifts of the spirit and in hearing God. It teaches you how to walk by the spirit, how to obey Christ, how to identify him, how to live and remain in him.

 Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV)  

 1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 

God does bless us with material things, and we can use those things for good, but let us never get confused on what the gospel of Christ is. The gospel is about Christ and His Kingdom: His death, His resurrection, His teaching, His commandments, His Spirit, His character, His miracles, and how as sons of God we can become like him.

Stay Blessed.