Go into all the world and preach [speak] the gospel to all creation.
Mark 16:15
Let me be clear: The churchβs primary objective is to preach the gospel, not to beautify the city, care for the poor, or renovate the ghettos. Thatβs because the gospel testifies to what God has done to save the world, not what we can do to patch it up. The gospel is an announcement about Christβs finished work. Acts of kindness apart from the gospel only make people more comfortable on their way to hell.
JD Greear, Gaining By Losing
Β βPreach the gospel; if necessary use words.β Quaint and tweetable, but very wrong. You cannot preach the gospel without words. The gospel is an explanation about an act that occurred in history once and for all.
JD Greear
God spoke, and it came to be.
Psalm 33:9
We understand that the universe was formed at Godβs command.
Hebrews 11:3
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the POWER of God for the salvation of everyone who believes β¦ Β For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: βThe righteous will live by faith.β
Romans 1:16-17
The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.Β But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
Β Acts 4:1-4
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: βRulers and elders of the people!Β If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed,Β then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.Β He is ββthe stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.βΒ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.βΒ When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Β But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.Β So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together.Β βWhat are we going to do with these men?β they asked. Β βEverybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it.Β But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.βΒ Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.Β But Peter and John replied, βJudge for yourselves whether it is right in Godβs sight to obey you rather than God.Β For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.β
Acts 4:8-20
While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, βYou are to say, βHis disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.βΒ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.βΒ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
Matthew 28:11-15
I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth.
Psalm 40:10
