The Value of the Four Gospels -
by Pastor Kevin Sadler
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Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John were written to and for the nation Israel under
the law, in accordance with her earthly, millennial hope. It is in the
epistles of Paul that we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny
for us, the Church, the Body of Christ, today under grace. However,
there is great value in studying the four Gospels. They are "profitable"
for our spiritual lives.
When I was taking classes at Berean Bible Institute
in Slinger, Wisconsin, I took a Missions class. Pastor and missionary
Joe Watkins was my instructor. In one class, he pointed out what he
perceived to be a weakness in the grace movement: that we were too often
guilty of neglecting the four Gospels. He said, "That is our Savior
too. There is much we can learn from His love, humility, compassion, and
kindness." Then Pastor Watkins shared an example: the healing of the
leper in Mark 1.
"And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying unto Him, If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean" (Mark 1:40-41).
Pastor
Watkins pointed out that nobody touched a leper. But in healing this
man, the Lord was "moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and
touched him." He didn't need to touch him to heal him. All He needed to
do was say the word. But that man hadn't felt a human touch in years.
Thus, out of His great compassion, the Lord reached over, touched him,
and said, "Be thou clean."
Like Paul, we are to teach "all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). In my pastorate at Kettle Moraine Bible Church
in West Bend, Wisconsin, in both the Sunday School and Worship Service,
I taught series of messages from the four Gospels. I shared how the
Lord lived under the law and kept it perfectly, how He taught Israel in
light of the coming Tribulation and her hope of the earthly Kingdom, and
how the Gospels portray the Lord as Prophet, Priest, King, God, and
man. Most of all, as Pastor Watkins had shown me, I made sure to teach
about the love and mercy of our Savior. And as a result of a series on
the miracles of Christ, one woman in the assembly shared that, although
she had known about rightly dividing the Word for years, it was the
differences in the four Gospels that really helped her to see the truth
of grace for the Body of Christ today. There is value in learning the four Gospels!
Les Feldick Ministries
30706 W. Lona Valley Rd.
Kinta, OK 74552
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