Romans 1:16
Romans 1:16 talks about the gospel of Jesus Christ being the power of God unto salvation.
Let’s focus on this scripture today and let it soak into, become a part of us. Here in this word Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. He was proud to proclaim the good news of the Anointed One and what He has done for all mankind. It was his privilege to declare the word of the Lord.
And what is this word of the Lord that Paul was not ashamed to declare, to proclaim? He went about declaring that in this Jesus, in this word, the righteousness of God is revealed from one level of faith to another to another to another. He was declaring God’s kingdom----the way God does things, the way He operates. Paul was revealing God’s plan for man to walk in a place of love and joy and peace in the middle of earth’s temporal conditions with the eternal understanding of the word of God. Paul was showing us a way to live that was greater than we had known before.
He goes on to state that this declaration, proclamation of the good news of Christ, The Anointed One, is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes—to the Jew first and then to the Greek, or all of mankind.
The word of God is the power of God. It is God’s dunamis power in operation. It is His miracle-working power in operation, unto salvation. What does this word salvation mean? Does it just mean being born again? Is that the exclusive meaning of this word? No, it actually is not limited to being born again. Being born again is part of a package of benefits that the Anointed One has purchased for every one who believes in Him. It is the word “soteria” which comes from the word “sozo.” It is one of my favorite words. It means deliverance, rescue, safety, health, healing, preservation, safety, protection, wholeness, wellness. It means all of these words to him who believes.
Every one who believes in the Christ, the Anointed One, Jesus, has access to these benefits. They are not exclusive for just a select few. They are for whosoever will come and partake, come and believe.
We make it so hard to believe for anything other than being born again. People even make it hard to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Exactly what is believing? Believing is a decision you make, based upon what you know, that what you have heard is true and it is true for your life. When you decided to get born again, you didn’t base it upon whether you felt born again or not. You based it upon the information you had been given. That was it.
Then why do we make the rest of the receiving of this package so difficult? It is difficult because we have to contend with pain and we have to contend with symptoms in a medically oriented society in the United States. If you have a pain, you take a pill. If you have a sickness, you can go to the doctor and get a cure. So there is not the focus on believing the word of God for healing or trusting that what His word says is true and will work for you personally. Then if there comes a time when you need healing because the doctors can’t do anything, you panic and run in fear and grab everyone you can to pray for you. And when it gets worse, you really get into fear and you are asking people all over the country to pray for you. I know. I have been there with my first husband’s diagnosis of cancer. He died, even with everyone all over the country praying for him.
Why did he die? He needed to believe that he would be well himself. Everything with the Lord comes down to a personal decision. It starts with a personal decision to take Him as our Savior. It is also a personal decision to take Him as our Healer. It is a personal decision to take Him as our Prosperity. It is a personal decision to take Him as our safety. It is a personal decision to take Him as our Baptizer. It is a personal decision to take Him as our Deliverer. In every instance, it takes a personal decision of our believing that it will work for us.
Today you and I need to make some personal decisions and stick to them. Only believe.
Let’s focus on this scripture today and let it soak into, become a part of us. Here in this word Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. He was proud to proclaim the good news of the Anointed One and what He has done for all mankind. It was his privilege to declare the word of the Lord.
And what is this word of the Lord that Paul was not ashamed to declare, to proclaim? He went about declaring that in this Jesus, in this word, the righteousness of God is revealed from one level of faith to another to another to another. He was declaring God’s kingdom----the way God does things, the way He operates. Paul was revealing God’s plan for man to walk in a place of love and joy and peace in the middle of earth’s temporal conditions with the eternal understanding of the word of God. Paul was showing us a way to live that was greater than we had known before.
He goes on to state that this declaration, proclamation of the good news of Christ, The Anointed One, is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes—to the Jew first and then to the Greek, or all of mankind.
The word of God is the power of God. It is God’s dunamis power in operation. It is His miracle-working power in operation, unto salvation. What does this word salvation mean? Does it just mean being born again? Is that the exclusive meaning of this word? No, it actually is not limited to being born again. Being born again is part of a package of benefits that the Anointed One has purchased for every one who believes in Him. It is the word “soteria” which comes from the word “sozo.” It is one of my favorite words. It means deliverance, rescue, safety, health, healing, preservation, safety, protection, wholeness, wellness. It means all of these words to him who believes.
Every one who believes in the Christ, the Anointed One, Jesus, has access to these benefits. They are not exclusive for just a select few. They are for whosoever will come and partake, come and believe.
We make it so hard to believe for anything other than being born again. People even make it hard to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Exactly what is believing? Believing is a decision you make, based upon what you know, that what you have heard is true and it is true for your life. When you decided to get born again, you didn’t base it upon whether you felt born again or not. You based it upon the information you had been given. That was it.
Then why do we make the rest of the receiving of this package so difficult? It is difficult because we have to contend with pain and we have to contend with symptoms in a medically oriented society in the United States. If you have a pain, you take a pill. If you have a sickness, you can go to the doctor and get a cure. So there is not the focus on believing the word of God for healing or trusting that what His word says is true and will work for you personally. Then if there comes a time when you need healing because the doctors can’t do anything, you panic and run in fear and grab everyone you can to pray for you. And when it gets worse, you really get into fear and you are asking people all over the country to pray for you. I know. I have been there with my first husband’s diagnosis of cancer. He died, even with everyone all over the country praying for him.
Why did he die? He needed to believe that he would be well himself. Everything with the Lord comes down to a personal decision. It starts with a personal decision to take Him as our Savior. It is also a personal decision to take Him as our Healer. It is a personal decision to take Him as our Prosperity. It is a personal decision to take Him as our safety. It is a personal decision to take Him as our Baptizer. It is a personal decision to take Him as our Deliverer. In every instance, it takes a personal decision of our believing that it will work for us.
Today you and I need to make some personal decisions and stick to them. Only believe.
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 5:36 AM
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