METAMORA PATTER'S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

LET THE LIGHT OF THE GLORIOUS GOSPEL SHINE
BY PAT GULLEY

2 Cor 4:4
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (KJV)


The Apostle Paul warns the Christians at Corinth about one of the ways the god of this world keeps people stuck in the muck of sin. He blinds their minds to the truth of Jesus Christ and the love of God that sent Jesus to this earth. The Devil likes to mess with the thoughts and emotions of all human beings and loves to keep them in the dark regarding the Cross of Calvary. God paid a high price to ransom the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve from their human bondage. He not only wants to cover their sin with the shed blood of Jesus, but He wants them to have new life and to live in perfect peace with their Maker.
Yet the god of this world knows that if he can keep the Gospel of Jesus Christ from being spread throughout the land, then the light will not shine in the hearts and minds of those who are hungry for answers and for a life of purpose and meaning.

Jesus is the explicit image of God, His Father. (Heb 1:2-3) And it is amazing to me that even today people have one impression of Jesus and His gentle nature, and an entirely different impression of God. They actually believe that God is out to do them harm. They have a picture of God just waiting for them to make some little mistake so that He can call the wrath of Heaven down on their heads. That is because every mean and evil thing that the Devil does, he blames on God.

Even insurance companies call many natural disasters "acts of God". What they do not tell you is that it is not the God of Heaven they ignorantly blame, but the god of this world that is doing the killing, stealing, and destroying.

Listen to the words of Jesus as recorded by the Apostle John.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (KJV)

I doubt if any of us would call Jesus the thief; and He sure certainly didn't call himself the thief. Yet we continue to retain this mental image that bad things happen to people because it is God's will for it to happen. That is so turned around from the Truth. (Mt 12:24-28) God's will was Jesus to die on the Cross so that we could be delivered from the power of the Devil and his lying, destructive ways. (Col 1:13)

We should not be ignorant of our enemy nor of the fact that he is as a roaring lion stalking each and every one of us with the desire to do us harm. (1Pet 5:8) It does not matter if you are a born again believer or a Christian in waiting. The Devil hates you because God loves you. I believe that when the light of the good news that Jesus died for you, was buried and raised from the dead the third day shines in your heart, you will understand the reason Satan wants you kept in the dark. It is the Lord's will for you to have life and to have it abundantly.

LET THE LIGHT OF THE GLORIOUS GOSPEL SHINE DOWN ON YOU.