The Gospel Voice

Voices instruct us; direct us; persuade us. We hear them in school, at work and at play. There is a voice we hear with our hearts; it is the voice of God. A voice has words. The Word of God is God’s voice to us.

Jesus taught about how different hearts hear the word of the kingdom, by way of the parable, The Sower Sows the Word. 

He explained that,

• some hear the word and do not understand it and the wicked one comes and snatches the word away
• some hear the word, but they have no root in themselves and endure for a while, but when tribulation or persecution arise because of the word, they are offended
• some hear the word, but the care of this world, the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and they become unfruitful
• some hear the word, understand and bring forth much fruit

Read Matthew 13

The Gospel voice and the Holy Bible

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to save the world.  The Holy Bible from Genesis to Revelation reveal that Jesus Christ is the One who would come to save the world. 

And he (Christ) said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things.

Read Luke 24

The Gospel voice and the Cross

Paul, an apostle of God wrote,

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:17-18

The Gospel voice and Love

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:16-17

The Gospel voice and Repentance

When this good news of salvation is preached to us, we have the opportunity to believe.  If we believe the word preached to us, we rest, because we understand that there is nothing that we can do to earn our way to heaven; we understand that the only way to the Father is by having faith in the salvation work completed in His Son, Jesus Christ. This can be a very humbling reality for many of us, for we have been in control of our lives, all our lives, but we can never control or fix our sin; only Jesus Christ can fix our sin. For some, the hardest thing to do is to confess that we are a sinner.

Read Hebrews 4

Jesus spoke a parable unto certain people that trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Read Luke 18

So, before salvation, we have to come to that place of repentance and it is with our hearts that we arrive there.  We have to come to the realization that we are sinners and need to be saved by God.  We need to be humble; we need to be truly sorry for our sins.  God helps us with this.  Whenever we feel drawn to follow God, or feel sorry for the things we have done, we should never, ever ignore it, we should submit to His calling; accept His invitation.  It is God calling/drawing us unto Himself by His Son; He wants to be, our Father.

Read John 6

It is with our hearts that we have thoughts of right and wrong; good or evil.  It is with our hearts that we are humble or proud; submissive or rebellious.  It is with our hearts that we forgive or hold a grudge.  And it is with our hearts that we repent.

After Job heard God’s voice/word, he repented.

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. Job 42:5-6

Read Job 38-41 – to find out what God said to Job.

Prayer. .  .what must I do to be saved?

Paul and Silas was thrown in prison for their faith.

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

Read Acts 16

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Read 1 John 4

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Read Romans 10