Gospel to the World Christian Persecution
www.churchofchristpreaching.com Welcome You our World Wide
Radio Audience Share our Easter Sunday morning Worship Service at
Main Street Church of Christ an inner-city congregation dedicated to
preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Whole World & feeding the
poor
Hindu Persecution of Christians and Missions Report
Islamic Persecution of Christians: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt …
I Corinthians 12:26
Introduce our missionary Brother Paul
Hindu Persecution
Burning Bibles
Forced conversions
Burned villages
Assaulting Preachers
Brother Paul’s Report from India
1. Large city Preachers Meet and Gospel Meetings, meeting at home
2. Rice, Bible and clothes distribution. Orphanage and Tribal
Preachers School Teaching Preachers and Gospel Meetings
3. Baptisms
4. Preachers School in small town - Teaching Preachers and Gospel
Meetings
5. Baptisms
Safety Talk … God is the strongest weapon we have … Pray safety
when I became a minister almost 25 years ago …
I took your safety serious. Burnett Wood, Fred Vaughn & I …
When I came up here to preach … Now we have a Dallas Police Officer
We are in the Hood here …
We minister to all who come … poor, homeless, drugs, alcohol …
Red … broken doors windows … bully … street talk … killed hooker …
2 of our Regulars froze to death … Shorty … JJ Sherman
2 OD’d on Heroin … fed years
RED ALERT Here since 9-11-2001 … we have been ready …
Cedar Valley Church Safety Seminar … William, Jordan, craft etc.
If you see something say something … to me, ministers or Deacons
Help us weed out trouble … see a threat tell us … most white young
Layers of security safety team … much muscle
Truck, Bonn, James, Rick, Bryan, Larry, John
Kelly … if you a threat I am all that is standing between you & death
Behind me are armed volunteers X Military, combat vets, retired
sheriff Department & Jail Personnel, Some Ministers, Deacons
Licensed to Carry Firearms Operate as Volunteer Church Security
section 1702.333 Texas Occupation Code
Some members have weapons they have strategically placed
Ordered me to “leave alone” …
In my 25 years here we have only had 1 incident that was a …
close call for the … BAD GUY …
If it walks like a DUCK I’m going to say something
I told you about making a fool out of myself
Luke 23:46-24:9 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a
darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 And the sun was
darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. 46 And
when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy
hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the
ghost. 47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified
God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. 48 And all the people
that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were
done, smote their breasts, and returned. 49 And all his acquaintance,
and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off,
beholding these things. 50 And, behold, [there was] a man named
Joseph, a counsellor; [and he was] a good man, and a just: 51 (The
same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) [he was] of
Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the
kingdom of God. 52 This [man] went unto Pilate, and begged the body
of Jesus. 53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in
a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was
laid. 54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed
after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. 56 And
they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the
sabbath day according to the commandment.
Luke 24:1-9 Now upon the first [day] of the week, very early in the
morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which
they had prepared, and certain [others] with them. 2 And they found
the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And they entered in, and
found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, as they
were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in
shining garments: 5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down [their]
faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among
the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto
you when he was yet in Galilee, 7 Saying, The Son of man must be
delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third
day rise again. 8 And they remembered his words, 9 And returned
from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to
all the rest
Mark 14: 50 And they all forsook him, and fled. 51 And there followed
him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about [his] naked
[body]; and the young men laid hold on him: 52 And he left the linen
cloth, and fled from them naked. 53 And they led Jesus away to the
high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the
elders and the scribes.
Acts 12:11-13 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I
know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered
me out of the hand of Herod, and [from] all the expectation of the
people of the Jews. 12 And when he had considered [the thing], he
came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was
Mark; where many were gathered together praying. 13 And as Peter
knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named
Rhoda.
Acts 12:24-25 But the word of God grew and multiplied. 25 And
Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled
[their] ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.
Acts 13:5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of
God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to [their]
minister.
Acts 13:13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they
came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned
to Jerusalem.
Acts 15:36-40 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go
again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the
word of the Lord, [and see] how they do. 37 And Barnabas determined
to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. 38 But Paul
thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them
from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. 39 And the
contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder
one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto
Cyprus; 40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended
by the brethren unto the grace of God.
II Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with
thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry
Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is
the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the
Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of
God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by
faith.
I Corinthians 15:1-8 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel
which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein
ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I
preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered
unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for
our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and
that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And
that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was
seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part
remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he
was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was
seen of me also, as of one born out of due time
Romans 6: 1-8 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that
grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin,
live any longer therein? 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were
baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore
we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his]
resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him],
that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should
not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be
dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
I Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel
which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein
ye stand;
When darkness falls upon the day of life, when death has come, and
when people gather around a grave, then it is that they turn to this
immortal chapter, where are recorded the title deeds of man's highest
hope, the Christian gospel's promise of eternal life. Light from this
chapter dispels the darkness surrounding the grave; its message
reassures the sorrowful, redefines the meaning of life itself and writes
upon the tomb the blessed words, "Asleep in Jesus." It speaks at
every funeral.
1 Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory
what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
Two clauses in this verse reiterate the principle that even for those
already saved, it is yet required of them that they "hold fast the
word," and that otherwise even their glorious beginning is a total loss.
Many commentators move quickly to soften the meaning here, saying
that "Believed in vain" does not indicate loss of salvation as a
possibility" … but it is clear enough that the passage cannot possibly
mean anything else but the loss of salvation for those who hold not
fast the word.
1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also
received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
First of all ... This means "First in importance, not in time, the
doctrine of the resurrection being primary, cardinal, central and
indispensable."
That which I also received ... Wesley was no doubt correct in the
conviction that this meant "I received from Christ himself; it was not
a fiction of my own." To be sure, Paul had contact with other apostles
whose testimony corroborated his own; but there can be no meaning
here to the effect that Paul was merely repeating what he had heard
from others.
Christ died for our sins ... Volumes of truth are embedded in this.
Christ's death was not a mere murder, designed and carried out by his
enemies; but it was a conscious laying down of his life for the sins of
mankind. The great atonement is in view here.
According to the Scriptures ... "The double appeal to the Scriptures in
I Corinthians 15:3-4 in so brief a statement is deliberate and
important." The magnificent prophecies of the Old Testament which
so accurately foretold the death of the Son of God are so important
that they deserved and received mention even ahead of the apostolic
testimony about to be cited. As to what Scriptures were meant,
Psalms 16:10; Isaiah 53:10; Hosea 6:2; Jonah 2:10 (see Matthew
12:40), Zechariah 12:10,13:7 are among them, besides all of the
typical things such as the sin offering and the Passover sacrifices.
1 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the
third day according to the scriptures:
This dogmatic declaration of the death, burial and resurrection of
Christ was written while the majority of that generation in which it
occurred were still alive (I Corinthians 15:6); and the presence of
many enemies who denied it but who were powerless to produce any
evidence against it, makes this an argument of eternal power and
dependability.
The apostolic witness of the resurrection in this passage by observing
that:
It is a complete summary.
It includes material which is not in the Gospels.
It appeals to ancient prophecies.
It shows the force of the evidence which convinced the apostles.
It appeals to many eyewitnesses still living.
It was written within 25 years of the events themselves.
And that he was buried ... This is one of three New Testament
references to the burial of Christ, except in the Gospels, the other two
being Acts 2:29 and Acts 13:29. "It blasts the swoon theory; he really
died; and it leads naturally to the empty tomb, a witness for the
resurrection which has never been effectively denied."
Hath been raised the third day ... The Scriptures which affirmed
Jesus would rise on the third day is compare Jonah 1:17 & Matthew
12:40. For discussion of the day Jesus was crucified and the related
question of "the third day," Read Luke 23:46- 24:3.
According to the Scriptures ... See under the preceding verse.
He was seen in due time
I Corinthians 15: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the
twelve:
Cephas ... is the name for Peter; and one significant thing is that the
Lord made a special appearance to the apostle who had denied him,
giving hope to all who fall, and showing that the Lord is tender and
merciful to forgive our sins (see Luke 24:34). Some have criticized
Paul for omitting the appearances to the women (John 20:14); but
those do not belong here, since they were "evidential to the apostles,
rather than to the world," and came at a time when the apostles
themselves were in a state of shock and unbelief.
Then to the Twelve ... This is a reference to the office of the Twelve,
and the fact of Jesus' appearances being to ten on one occasion and
eleven on another is a mere quibble of no importance at all.
I Corinthians 15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred
brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present,
but some are fallen asleep.
No infidel can get rid of this testimony. The generation that witnessed
this wonder could not deny it; and the subsequent objections of
unbelievers are refuted by the simple fact of their total ignorance of
what took place, except as attested by the eyewitnesses. Many
scholars, as Dummelow, identify this appearance to over five hundred
as identical with "the mountain appearance in Galilee (Matthew
28:16ff)." It could, however, have been another not reported in the
Gospels, just as the appearance to James, given a moment later, is
also not given in the Gospels.
The greater part remain ... This "is of the highest evidential value,"
because it was written by one who would rather have died than to tell
a lie, and who could not possibly have been guilty of making a
statement that could have been refuted by any enemy of the truth.
Some are fallen asleep ... Reference to death as a sleep originated
with Jesus himself and was quickly adopted by Christians when
speaking of the beloved dead.
I Corinthians 15:7-8 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the
apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out
of due time.
James ... This appearance is nowhere else mentioned in the New
Testament. Macknight identified this James as "James the less,
author of the New Testament book of James and a brother of our
Lord." As the apostle James was already dead at the time of Paul's
writings, it seems probable that Paul would have been referring to the
other James, who was also called an apostle in a secondary sense.
He presided over the church in Jerusalem, as recorded in Acts.
Jerome recorded a curious legend to the effect that James had made
a vow that he would neither eat nor drink until he had seen Jesus
risen from the dead, and that Jesus, appearing to him, said, "My
brother, eat thy bread, for the Son of man is risen from the dead."
Jesus' brothers did not, at first, believe in him (John 7:3).
Last of all ... does not mean that Jesus appeared to no other
afterward, because he also appeared to John at a much later time
(Revelation 1:16ff). It has the meaning of "last in this list which I am
giving."
Untimely born ... The word here is used of an abortion and "denotes
the violent and unnatural mode of Paul's call to the apostleship."
Although himself one of the witnesses of Christ's resurrection, Paul
here dissociated himself from the Twelve as being conscious of his
own unworthiness from having persecuted the church.
When darkness falls upon the day of life, when death has come, and
when people gather around a grave, then it is that they turn to this
immortal chapter, where are recorded the title deeds of man's highest
hope, the Christian Gospel's promise of eternal life. Light from this
chapter dispels the darkness surrounding the grave; its message
reassures the sorrowful, redefines the meaning of life itself and writes
upon the tomb the blessed words, "Asleep in Jesus." It speaks at
every funeral. The Gospel which the apostle preached to the
Corinthians; viz. that Christ died for our sins, and rose again the third
day, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. The witnesses of his resurrection, Peter,
James, and more than five hundred brethren.
