BRINGING  OTHERS  TO  JESUS

 

            We wish to bring others to Jesus because we know He can recreate lives through repentance and forgiveness of sin and deliverance from sins. His Spirit, (Spirit of Christ) baptizes us into His body (of Christ) and we are adopted as children of God. We are cleansed by His blood sacrifice and enabled then to receive the indwelling of the Holy Ghost of God as we invite Him to enter our lives for power to serve Him. If we resist the Holy Spirit’s desire to be the Lord of our life for Jesus’ sake, we will not have the power for “Bringing Others to Jesus”.

 

FORGIVENESS OF SINS:

            The Priesthood of the Old Testament was based upon the ministry of God- ordained priests, beginning with Moses’ brother, Aaron. This order provided many ministries to the people of God, including the assurance of their forgiveness of sins based upon God’s laws, which included the sacrificial shedding of the blood of certain sorts of clean animals approved of God. The sacrifices were to be performed at certain special times and in certain manners. Everything had to be exact in ceremony and the purity of the sacrifice, showing that God required perfection of service and purpose. The following verses show the manner and promise of the mercy of God and the required faithfulness of His priests.

              And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.” (Leviticus 4:20 AV)

              And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.” (Leviticus 4:26 AV)

              “And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.” (Numbers 15:28 AV)

            The priesthood of our Lord is not the same, since the Aaronic priesthood was only for the Jews, and was dependant upon a temporal system requiring repetitive services. Jesus’ priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek, the King-Priest of Salem. “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.   And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:” (Genesis 14:18-19 AV)

            “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.” (Psalms 110:1-5 AV)

            “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so

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also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.   As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” (Hebrews 5:1-6 AV)

 

            Jesus was ordained of God, the Father, to be high priest at His right hand for all people forever. He is not only the priest, but also the sacrifice, and as such could forgive sin, not just give assurance of forgiveness based on ceremony. Forgiveness of sin is based upon repentance and belief in Christ’s sacrifice for us. His priesthood is the ministry of His grace, but His power lies in His reign as King of kings, forever.

 

            As Jesus ministered on earth, He knew who He was and the power that belonged to Him, based upon the cross that still lay before Him. By faith He healed; by faith He forgave sins. The faith of Christ prevailed for people then and still prevails for us today. Our faith is empowered by His faith in us as we minister to those who are lost in sin and in need of healing. 

            “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:16 AV)    

            “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” (Philippians 3:9 AV)

 

            The ministry of our Lord has been passed down to His Apostles who proclaimed the faith of Christ in their epistles to the early churches they formed. Paul’s calling is recorded for us in his own testimony: Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:17-18 AV) 

           

Though Christ, Messiah, came to the Jews whom He would have empowered to do His work, they rejected Him. So, He extended His ministry to the Gentiles. We have a very great privilege as converted Gentiles, saved by faith in His grace, to serve our Lord. So we see that the ministry of the forgiveness of sin through the faith of Jesus Christ as with Paul is relevant for us today as we share the Gospel with others. Let us go into the world and preach the Gospel, the good news of Jesus, the Christ.

 

The Way, Truth, and Life Ministries,  June 2001

www.wtlministry.org