A note from our Pastor:

”And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

1 Timothy 3:16

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

The portion of this verse that makes up our study this week is directly dependent on the prior phrase. Jesus ensured his gospel was preached to Jew and Gentile alike (which made up all of mankind), thus, by the work of the Holy Spirit the gospel could be believed throughout the world.

Great is the mystery of godliness: believed on in the world

It is important with this particular aspect to take a step back and fully comprehend the miraculous nature of this truth. When it comes to the healings detailed in scripture or events such as feeding the masses with a few fish and loaves the power of God is clearly at work. However, this particular mystery of godliness is more subtle.

In terms of preaching the New Testament gospel in the world, it all started with a seemingly uneducated son of a carpenter. Jesus, the man, was not educated in the synagogue even as the Apostle Paul was and certainly was not in the hierarchy of the Jewish society. In other words, he had no leadership position from which to teach his gospel.

Furthermore, the original ones chosen to assist with the preaching of the gospel (the original apostles) were not from the rabbinical class nor were highly educated. Jesus chose men who were fishermen, tax collectors, and other working-class professions. Their preaching and developing a following among the people was not from a power structure but was an organic movement that spoke to the soul of mankind by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 7, Luke records the details of the stoning of the preacher Stephen. After his death, the persecution of the believers in Christ was extreme in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. As a result, the community of believers became refugees fleeing to all areas within the region. Purely for survival purposes, there was a need to suppress the gospel but yet it continued to grow in small pockets. Again, this could only happen by the power of God.

Today, some form of belief in Jesus Christ is the largest religion in the entire world. There are many variations and all of the views do not align with one another, but at the core a belief that Jesus Christ is real, he died for the salvation of mankind, and he is in heaven today is a widespread belief all starting with one man in a tiny town.

The progression and spread of the belief in Jesus Christ can only be by the power of God.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah