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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