June 11th. Day 11 of walking through “Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily” — Part 1 of “A Gospel Primer for Christians” by Milton Vincent.

Today’s reason — My Inheritance in the Saints.

About this reason to rehearse the gospel daily, Vincent says this...

“The gospel is not just a message of reconciliation with God, but it also heralds the reconciliation of all believers to one another in Christ. Through the death of Christ, God has brought peace where there was once hostility, and he has broken down the racial, economic, and social barriers that once divided us without Christ.” {Ephesians 2:14-16, Colossians 3:11, Galatians 3:28, Revelation 5:9}

He goes on to say...

“Also, when God saved us, He made us members of his household, {Ephesians 2:19} and He gave us as gifts to one another. {Ephesians 1:18} Each brother and sister is a portion of my gospel inheritance from God, and I am a portion of their inheritance as well. We are significant players in each other‘s gospel narrative, and it is in relationship with one another that we experience the fullness of God in Christ. {Ephesians 3:17-19, 2 Timothy 2:22, 1 Peter 4:10, Ephesians 1:22-23}

Vincent concludes with this...

“Hence, the more I comprehend the full scope of the gospel, the more I value the church for which Christ died, {Ephesians 5:25} the more I value the role that I play in the lives of my fellow Christians, and the more I appreciate the role that they must be allowed to play in mine.”

Let me just start by saying I LOVE these reasons to rehearse the gospel daily, and I LOVE the scripture Vincent shares to support each reason He gives. Today’s reason was FULL of “supporting evidence,” so please spend time reading all that was referenced. God’s Word is so much more powerful in proving a point than Milton Vincent’s or my words will ever be!

In yesterday’s post, I said, “I am fully convinced that believers ‘doing life together’ and ‘spurring one another on’ to live out gospel truths before a world desperate for truth is one of the most powerful and effective fruits of this practice of rehearsing the gospel daily.”

Well, today, I’m even more fully convinced (if that’s possible)! Jesus has broken down every dividing wall between us and the Father, and in so doing, He has established our right family standing as ONE in Christ, not strangers, but brothers and sisters. Our citizenship Heaven, this earth is only our temporary home, and these bodies our temporary tents.

Racial, social, and economic barriers lost their power to divide us once the power of God that raised Christ from the dead united us. We are found in Him, made new in Him, and have been reconciled to Him and to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

I’ll close with this quote from the third chapter of my Bible study CALLED, “Called to Need,” “When we need Him first in every moment of every day, our need for others and their need for us can flourish in a healthy way. His grace is sufficient for our neediness. His love covers our loneliness. His bruises mend our brokenness. His redemption fills our emptiness.”

Are you feeling a little needy today — a little lonely, broken, and empty? Just remind yourself of this reason to rehearse the gospel daily. It is your inheritance in the Saints. It is all sufficient and provides for your every need, according to His riches in Glory. {Philippians 4:19}

You are not alone. We are better together.

June 3rd. Day 3 of walking through “Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily” — Part 1 of “A Gospel Primer for Christians.”

Today’s reason — My Daily Protection.

“As long as I am inside the gospel, I experience all the protection I need from the powers of evil that rage against me. It is for this reason that the Bible tells me to “take up“ {Eph. 6:13} and “put on” {Eph. 6:11} the whole armor of God; and the pieces Of armor it tells me to put on are all merely synonyms for the gospel. Translated literally from the Greek, they are: “… the salvation… the justification… truth… the gospel of peace… the faith… [and the]… word of God.” {Eph.6} What are all these expressions but various ways of describing the gospel? Therefore, if I wish to stand victorious in Jesus I must do as the songwriter suggest and “put on the gospel armor, each piece to put on with prayer.” {“Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus,” written by George Duffield, Jr.}

Milton Vincent, author of this primer, concludes this “protective” reason to rehearse the gospel daily with these words...

“That God would tell me to “take up” and “put on” this gospel armor alerts me to the fact that I do not automatically come into each day protected by the gospel. In fact, these commands imply that I am vulnerable to defeat and injury unless I seize upon the gospel and armor myself with it from head to toe. And what better way is there to do this than to preach the gospel to myself and to make it the obsession of my heart throughout each day?”

For me personally, today’s reason is a powerful one, especially as the mom of four (very active and very adventurous) boys, and in light of the ever increasing and never ceasing corruption that threatens to take out their generation and those that will follow. It is a corruption fed by the enemy’s lies and led by evil in disguise.

Becoming a child of God by trusting in Jesus does indeed “save” us; however, waking with Him daily by spending time in His Word and then applying what we learn, keeps us “safe” (protected) while on the battlefield of this world.

It is a choice to DAILY be ready for battle — to “take up” and “put on” the FULL armor of God, each piece vital for protection.