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Jesus Christ, The Savior
The first & foremost aspect of the Foursquare Gospel is Jesus
Christ, the only hope of mankind. The salvation He brings
is set forth in His inaugural address, where He quoted the
prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He
has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent Me
to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty
those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the
Lord" (Lk. 4:18,19)
Jesus
Christ, the Healer
The symbol of modern medicine is a brazen serpent, a replica of
the very one Moses lifted to stay the plague on Israel.
Jesus said, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to Me." He
draws us to Himself in love, then touches us with healing power.
Jesus provided a double cure for a double curse. When man
fell in the garden, he opened himself up to sin and sickness.
Jesus paid for our sins on the cross and took stripes for our
sickness just before He was crucified.
Isaiah looked ahead and saw the Son of God as both Savior and
Healer: "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised
for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him;
and by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5) Jesus not
only fulfilled that prophecy, He continues today. "He cast
out the spirits with a sword and healed all who were
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Jesus Christ, The Baptizer with the Holy Spirit
While we
face a great challenge termed "The Energy Crisis," there is no
energy shortage in the spiritual realm! The early Church
was commanded not to attempt ministry in their own power, but to
wait in the city of Jerusalem, "until you are endued with power
from on high" (Luke 24:49). Jesus' last words to His
disciples concerned power. They were given the promise of
it, and the purpose for it: "You shall receive power... and you
shall be witnesses to Me..." (Acts 1:8)
You see, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, the all
powerful, Almighty God, confined Himself to a body when He came
to earth to die for us. Yet, as He ascended to the right
hand of the Father, He once again confined Himself to a body,
the Body of Christ. That's us! In baptizing us with
the Holy Spirit, He permeates every fiber of our being with His
presence, He calls us to do a task, but follows through making
the power available to do it.
Jesus Christ, The Soon Coming King
He's coming back! We live in a kingdom, a spiritual
territory with well-established boundaries. Jesus Himself
said, "The kingdom of God is within you." We have been
given the authority to do the Father's business, to take charge
of the affairs of the Kingdom. But one day soon, our King
is returning! "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and with the
trumpet of God." (I Thessalonians 4:16). He will rule from
earth and the government will be upon His shoulders.
As if that isn't enough to look forward to, Jesus is coming as
the Bridegroom for His bride! "The dead in Christ will
rise first, then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air;
and thus we shall always be with the Lord." (I Thessalonians
4:17). He fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament
concerning His first coming. Just as perfectly, He will fulfill
the more than 300 New Testament references to His second coming.
Our hearts echo the writer of
Revelation, saying, "Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus." |
Healing