The Gospel That Is Committed to the Bride's Trust — Philip Powell

The Gospel Entrusted to the Bride

OK, well you all have your notes and our topic today is the gospel committed to the bride's charge. Now you know that in a marriage arrangement, if it works successfully, if the bridegroom takes over the work of the bride, you've got problems.

And likewise if the bride takes over the work of the bridegroom, totally, responsibility and so on, you've got problems. Now when we're thinking in terms of the fact that the church, the true church, is the real bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, then he is the bridegroom and we are the bride.

And he has entrusted certain things to our charge. It's his responsibility and he is the overall Lord, but he has committed certain things to the charge of the bride. And he will not replace the bride in that activity.

Now it's important for us to see that. So he has entrusted the preaching of the gospel to the bride. He has not entrusted it to angels. Now he could have done it that way. See, God can do anything in a sense, but he has limited himself to certain things.

And so angels do not preach the gospel. They bring messages, but they do not preach the gospel. But he has entrusted the preaching of the gospel to the bride. And so that is the theme that we are adopting today.

The gospel committed to the bride's charge. Now it has a certain thing about it, it has a nature, it has a power, and it has an appeal. And those are the three things that I want to address today. The nature of the gospel, the power of the gospel, and the appeal of the gospel.

And I want to see it in the context of the activity of the bride, because we're dealing with the whole issue of the bride of Christ in all of these messages. So I want you to look at some verses of scripture with me today as a starting point.

First of all there is Revelation chapter 22 and verse 17. Now we'll look at these in more depth as we go on, but I just want to announce these verses at this stage. Revelation chapter 22 and verse 17 says, "...and the Spirit and the bride say, come, and let him who hears say, come, and let him who thirsts say, come, and whosoever desires, or whoever in this version it says desires, let him take the water of life freely.".

Okay, then Romans chapter 1 and verse 16. Romans chapter 1 verse 16, Paul says,. "...for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek, for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith.".

And the other verses that I want to draw to your attention are from Luke chapter 4 where we'll spend quite a lot of time this afternoon, but in particular right now just verses 18 and 19. "...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.".

The Church’s Spiritual Condition and the True Bride

Okay, now let me quickly recap on where we've been so far with our series of talks. We have been dealing with the Church as the Bride of Christ, the pure Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in our first message, which is available on tape, we dealt with the topic when God calls for a drought in the Church.

Now I believe that's where the Church is at the moment. You may disagree with me, but I believe that generally that is where the Church is at the moment. God has actually called for a drought in the Church.

We're in that situation. If you actually examine the Church in Western civilization, there is very little Kingdom growth, real Kingdom growth today. It's only transfer growth. You're finding that one church down the road seems to blossom, but another several churches up the road diminish.

Now that's no real benefit to the Kingdom. The Western Church, largely speaking, you may disagree with this, but this is how I see it. The Western Church is engaged in rearranging the deck chairs as the Titanic is sinking.

Largely speaking. Now that is not so in the Church in Asia, or in China, or in certain parts in Latin America and so on. There is incredible growth there. God is meeting those people in a marvelous way.

I go, I've been to Singapore many, many times, and there are 20 of the university population in Singapore that is Christian. 20%. There is something like 16 -17 of the total population in Singapore that is Christian.

Now that's a Buddhist nation. And yet they are turning to Christ by the thousands. The same type of thing is happening in Malaysia. The same certain thing is happening also, incidentally, I believe, among the Maori people in New Zealand.

I believe that it's happening to a certain extent in the Pacific Islands, among the people there. It seems as though for the Anglo-Saxon, white, Western type of Christianity, that there is very little growth, very little kingdom growth.

And the big-time operators are kidding themselves. They're traveling the world as big operators claim, many of them, to be apostles. Now actually, an apostle shouldn't be at the top. An apostle should be at the bottom.

Right? Ephesians chapter 2 .20 talks about the apostles as the foundation. You're not a foundation if you're at the top. You're a foundation at the bottom, right? Get the point? And it says we're built upon.

Now personally, I think Ephesians 2 .20 refers only and exclusively to the apostles of the New Testament and the prophets of the Old Testament. And in essence, what it's saying there when it talks about being built upon the apostles and prophets, it's not new apostles of every generation, which is the modern idea that is put forward, but rather it's something that has been laid permanently and it really highlights the scriptures.

Because we've got the scriptures through the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles. Is that right? And it says Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. So we're not built upon personalities, but we're built upon their declarations in the Word.

And the only personality that we are built upon is Jesus. So we're not built upon the Old Testament prophets as personalities, nor are we built upon the New Testament apostles as personalities, only in their declarations.

But we are built upon one personality, hallelujah, and his name is Jesus Christ. And nobody can or dare try to replace him. And very often, because they do try, God calls for a drought in the church. Now we've dealt with that and we've dealt with it in different ways and it's on the tape.

So that's the first. Then the second, we have said, will the true bride please step forward? Okay, you're going to a room and all the girls are looking beautiful and dressed up, but you know when the bride arrives, don't you?

You can tell the bride, right? You can always tell the bride. And the real bride is sort of characterized by certain things. And we dealt with those in regard to the church. The true bride is characterized by four things.

By life, a genuine life, not hype, but a genuine life. There's so much hype in Western Christianity today. I don't know if you saw that terrible feature of Benny Hinn on television this week. That was sad, very, very sad.

And you know, this is the problem with people like Benny Hinn. Because when he's challenged and he says he'll change, the next thing you find that he hasn't changed at all. And even the media is picking that up.

And he's raking in two million dollars, American dollars, mind you, a month. Okay, hype. And I don't know who that old man was on the television. I don't know who he was. But he said, oh, God, save us from all this hype.

You hear the chap who takes his coat off and throws at somebody and somebody falls over. And the heavyweight champion, he zaps him. And he says he's healed. Well, we'll see. We'll see. I have a feeling that that's going to be the knockout blow for Benny Hinn, not for the world champion.

I'll tell you why. Because there is so much of this hype that is going on. And brothers and sisters, Christianity is not made up of that. Christianity is made up of a genuine life right down there, where the rubber hits the road.

And we've got to have that genuine life. Then holiness. That's the second characteristic. Then a sense of unity. Now, I'm not talking about uniformity there. The tape deals with it. I'm talking about a life principle, unity.

We illustrated about the unity in the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit. So it is there. That is a characteristic of the of the bride. And then the fourth thing is a love of the truth. OK, hello. I believe God's going to bring his church back to a real love of the truth.

Amen. And we're going to have some old time Pentecostal preachers coming back into vogue again and preaching the truth that the people want. Now, the third thing that we deal with is it's cleanup time in the church.

Christ is returning for a pure bride. That's our third message. Better get our act together. And we refer there to moral falls and cover up. Now, the moral fall is bad enough. But when the church engages in a cover up, that is very, very serious.

And it's happening all of the time. And I believe it's got to stop. And I believe that God is calling for the thing to be exposed. It's not just the fall in itself, but it's the hypocrisy that's associated with it, which is such a sad thing.

We don't understand any more about that. We've said quite a lot. The fourth thing is the leadership. Is that the doctrine of the Nicolaitans? And I have suggested that it is. Now, we've got to get back to the fact that God's people are all one.

We're all at the same level. We have different calling, but we are all the same. I'm no better than anybody else. And nobody else is any better than me. I am equal and you are equal. And I believe we need to see that.

And we've got to get away from this business of ministers lording it over God's heritage. Leaders who cannot be challenged are not worthy of the position. You know, Jesus gave an incredible illustration of this in Matthew chapter 20, verses 25 to 27, where you can get home, you can look at the scripture.

But as he was going in the way, and remember, he was going to the cross. He was going to Calvary. And as he was going in the way, these apostles of his were talking about who was going to be greatest.

Now, I don't know if he overheard their conversation or if by the spirit he knew what they were talking about. But he said, listen, you chaps, you've got it all wrong. He said, you are being influenced by the attitude of the world, where they are always vying for first place.

And he said, but let me tell you this. He that is going to be first in the kingdom has got to become servant. And it's a servant attitude which brings promotion. And that has to be all the way through.

And so he said, you don't know what spirit you are off. When they talked about calling fire down in judgment, let's judge the nations. And many of the modern day preachers are wanting to do that. I want to bring in judgment, all this sort of thing.

So you don't know what spirit you're off. He said, you've got to get your act together. And you've got to realize my nature and my character. And he says, the son of man did not come. To be minister to, but he came to minister and to give his life a ransom.

And he said, he that is going to be the chiefest has to be the lowest, has to be the servant. And we need to get back to that basic fact. OK, we dealt with that. Then number five, we dealt with perverted Christianity as being Satan's ultimate weapon.

If the devil can convert the message, then he's done everything. And this is what is largely happening. And the message that is sounding out in many pulpits, even in some of the biggest pulpits of the biggest churches in the world is a corrupted message.

Now, the devil doesn't mind if people gather to hear that corrupted message, because that message does not have power within itself. And so we have to examine this great issue of perverted Christianity.

Then we dealt with the song of the bride and we've suggested that it's not rock music. And you know all about that. Then we dealt with brides and goats, end time parables. Last week, we dealt with the millennium and God's covenant with the Jews.

Now, what we're doing in this next three messages where we're dealing with the gospel and the messages are basically the one today where we're dealing with the gospel that's committed to the bride's charge.

Then next Sunday, we're going to deal with don't replace the bridegroom with the bride. And then the following Sunday, which might be our last for a while, the gospel versus today's pop psychology. Self-esteem, self-love, self-image is part of another gospel.

What we have done is we have turned the penitent form into the counsellor's couch. And everybody becomes a counsellor. Now, people need counselling. But I tell you what, unless you lead them to the one who is the wonderful counsellor, you'll keep on counselling them.

And this is what is happening. And it becomes a trick of the devil. Lots of ministers that have failed morally have failed because they've gone too much into that area. Now, I've been in the ministry for 30 years.

And I could have fallen foul of some of the tricks. But by God's grace, I've been kept away from that danger. Because I believe that the gospel is the power in itself. Now, I'm not against counselling, but I am against too much counselling.

And the whole emphasis has come on to counselling. And it's man-related instead of God's word. And everybody's falling for the trick. And really, what has to happen is somebody's got to thunder out the message somehow to arrest the trend.

We're always grabbing, you know, what appeals to the world. And we can get crowds on that basis. I see it regularly on church placards around Hamilton. You know, come to church and have fun. Well, you know, church is not for fun.

Now, we enjoy it. I know, I know. And certainly, it's not a morbid place. But gradually, the whole thing is shifting. You know, the thing that causes me to laugh, actually. Perhaps you'll think I'm naughty by saying this.

But, you know, they talk about healing. And they say, healing teams will be operating this afternoon. Well, you know, I can understand medical teams operating in a theatre. Are you with me? But the very term is, you know, I mean, it conjures up all sorts of crazy ideas.

Of course, Christ is a healer. But are we going to have healing teams? You know, what is it all about? It's not New Testament. There's a man in the world, a man, a very famous preacher, who is noted for signs and wonders.

And I tell you, most of them, in my opinion, are phony. I tell you why. Because in his lessons in a very notable university in America, he taught people how to perform signs and wonders. Now, can you imagine?

I ask you, can you imagine the Apostle Paul and Peter saying, now, next week, we're going to put on a seminar on how to heal people. How to perform miracles. It's nonsense. And what has happened, through this methodology, a false manifestation has come into the church.

And I believe it's got to be purged out. I'm sorry if I offend people, but I'd sooner offend people than offend God Almighty. And I believe it's got to be purged out before we see a genuine manifestation of the power of God.

Before we see real revival. Now, the newest thing in is laughing. And it's no laughing matter, folks. Pardon me if I get annoyed. But I tell you what it is. I'm all for, you know, holy laughter. I've got no problem with that.

But when it's orchestrated from the platform, started in South Africa, went to America, picked up by Benningham and was popularized through him. And now the thing is spreading across the world. I don't accept it.

I don't accept it. It is, it's just like crying. We are emotional people. And so we get into a group like that, and you start to stir the thing up, and the thing spreads like wildfire. And all sorts of wrong living and wrong conduct springs out of that.

And they try and build it on scriptures which are nonsensical. They say, you know, what is it? Pardon? A merry heart. Do it good like a medicine. Sure. But you don't make your heart merry by just laughing.

Your heart becomes merry because it's in tune with the infinite God. And then a laugh just springs out of it. They've reversed the process. The whole thing is nonsensical. And they say, well, Abram laughed.

Yes, he did in private. He laughed when God gave him a revelation. And I've laughed many times. Hallelujah. And I've cried many times when God Almighty has imparted something to me. And there in my own situation, suddenly as a revelation comes from God, and God said to Abram, Sarah is going to give birth.

And he said, she's 90. But it was a laugh of faith. Because he saw that God was able to do the impossible. Hallelujah. She was rebuked because it was a laugh of unbelief. And you've got the two. They both laughed.

That's right. And most of the people who are laughing today are simply laughing out of copying others. That's all it is. And we need to face these issues, brothers and sisters. OK, so what we're doing now in coming back to this whole thing, we're really returning to the number five, which is perverted Christianity.

The Nature of the Gospel in Luke 4

And here, what I want to do is look now, particularly at Luke chapter four. Luke chapter four. And we'll read from verse 14. Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee. And news of him went out to all the surrounding region.

And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. So he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.

And he was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written. 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. Now, notice the word of preach appears twice here in verse 18. He has anointed me to preach the gospel yet in the actual Greek language. And I've given you a bit of a word study to help you there.

The word preach and gospel is the same word. In other words, it doesn't appear twice. So really, what he could have said was because he has anointed me to gospel the poor. Or he could have just put it the other way.

He has anointed me to preach to the poor. Because the word that is translated preach and gospel here is a very interesting Greek word from which we get the word evangel. And the idea is that both the messenger and the message are wrapped up together.

They are an integral part of the one thing. So that the declaration is linked with the gospel. Now, some people say, I don't preach the gospel, I live the gospel. Now, we certainly have to live correctly.

But it is impossible if you have the gospel not to preach the gospel. The two things are interwoven. The very act of preaching in this sense means that you are preaching the correct message. You see what I'm saying?

That it deals with the very nature of the message. And it is involved in a public declaration. I believe that people get saved through the preaching of the gospel. Right? So that when the gospel is preached in truth, it has saving content within it.

So, if a man gets up on the platform and he springs a few stories together and tells a few jokes and everybody goes away laughing, he hasn't preached. The message itself determines whether the man has preached or not.

Now, there's another word that is used preached here, lower down. It says, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel. So that's the word from which we get the word evangel. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach.

Now, it's a different word. To preach deliverance. And here, the word actually means to act as a herald. Like the town crier who used to go out and say, oh, yay, oh, yay, oh, yay. And immediately, you know that a very important announcement is going to be made.

It is announcing something. And this word is also used here. Now, the word gospel is a very powerful word. The actual term, the gospel, appears 94 times in the Bible. 95, I think, total. 94 in the New Testament and once in the Old Testament.

But not in the King James, but rather in the modern King James, the word gospel is used. When you come to the actual term gospel, it appears similarly, but just once more, 95. So in other words, it conveys the idea that gospel is the gospel, right?

There is no other. It is the gospel. And when we say the, you know, we're using the definite article. And we're isolating something. And we're saying, right, that's the gospel. It's the message. There is no other message.

Now, the first time it appears in the King James is actually here. Where he says, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. It appears in Mark and Matthew and Luke and so on, and John.

But in sequence, in time sequence. This is the first time it appears. You know, you have to study all the gospels to get the timing of the events. And this is the first time it appears. And so it's very significant.

And it's linked back to the only other time where it could have been legitimately translated in the Old Testament, the gospel, which is in Isaiah chapter 61. Now, in Isaiah chapter 61 and verse 1, we have the announcement where it says, the spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me.

And the old King James says to preach good tidings unto the meek. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.

The modern King James uses the word preach the gospel. It says the spirit of the Lord Jehovah is on me. And I've given you these in your notes. Bottom of page one. The spirit of the Lord Jehovah is on me because the Lord has anointed me to preach.

And the modern King James says the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted or proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Luke 418 says the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he's anointed me almost identical to the modern King James from Isaiah, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.

He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to them that are blind to set at liberty them that are bruised. So the basic essence of the gospel that Jesus brought is that it is good tidings or good news.

Hallelujah. We've got the best news around, folks. Hallelujah. So why change it? No other message is able to save New Zealand. Let the Heritage Party stand forward and stand for righteousness. And I certainly believe they should do that.

Let any political party stand up with its manifesto. And certainly we should support moral stance. But my dear friend, there is nothing that is going to save New Zealand except the power of the gospel.

The gospel. And that is not entrusted to a political party. That is entrusted to the church. Hallelujah. If God had called me into politics, I would have gone into politics. But God has called me to a higher calling.

And it's the calling of the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And brothers and sisters, it's going to break forth one of these days and there's going to be a declaration of the power of the gospel like we have never ever seen it before for many years.

And may God grant that he will speed that day. I like the way E. Stanley Jones puts this. He says, the gospel is not good views, the gospel is good news. And we're constantly putting forward our views.

They say, that may be your view, but this is my view. Listen, I'm not giving you a view, I'm giving you a news. It is the gospel and the gospel is good news. It's good tidings. And so once you see this, you begin to see the nature of the gospel.

So basically what I'm saying in concluding here, there are other things that I could say, but I'll probably be sidetracked and I won't get through. So let me say this, that basically the gospel deals with both the message and the method, right?

When we talk about preaching, that is the only way that the gospel will really get out. We may have our little skits. They're good, they're good to attract people and arouse interest. We may have our music, very good, very important, providing it's the right sort of music.

I'm all for the Maori type of music and the island type of music. And I go to Hawaii and when I go there, they sing to me their beautiful welcome song, which is almost as good as the Maori welcome song.

I love that sort of music. Music, beautiful, wonderful, but music doesn't save. The drama doesn't save. It's the announcing, the preaching of the good news of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. So with that in mind, I want us to look at three things which I have listed there for you.

First of all, the nature of the gospel that is entrusted to the bride. Then secondly, the power of the gospel that is extended to the bride. And thirdly, the call of the gospel that is echoed by the bride.

The Gospel as Christ’s, God’s, and Paul’s Gospel

And I want you to take you to these three passages of scripture, these three classic passages of scripture. First of all, Romans chapter one. Okay, where Paul, actually in his epistle, he defines the gospel.

He tells us, he defines man's condition. He tells us that man is a sinner. What all this business about, you know, self-esteem and all that. Paul deals with that right at the start. He says, you're all sinners.

So get that clear. You're all down there. That's where you are. It's not a question of building up your self-esteem. It's a question of recognizing that you're a sinner, that you're heading for hell, that you're wretched, vile, undone.

Nothing could be good about that. But thank God, the saving grace of Jesus reaches down and rescues us. Hallelujah. And so trying to improve my self-image is like pulling myself up with my shoestrings.

I can't do it. It's an impossibility. But what I do is have a good image of God. I get him clear in my focus and his saving grace, the cross and the message of the cross. And there I go, and I'm emancipated for all eternity by one look at Jesus.

Hallelujah. That's the gospel, friends. That's the gospel. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And so Paul deals with all of that. He deals with our wretchedness, our undoneness, our religiousness, everything.

And he says, look, that's where you are for all of sin and come short of the glory of God. But he says, something has been committed to me. And this is what he says in Romans chapter one, verse 16, which we've read.

He says, and I'm not ashamed of it. Fancy being ashamed of the gospel. The only thing that can save. He says, I'm not ashamed of it. I'm not ashamed. What are you not ashamed of, Paul? I'm not ashamed of what?

The gospel of Christ. Now get that clear. It is the gospel of the bridegroom. It's not the gospel of the bride. The bride does not preach herself. This is the problem. We'll deal with that next week in more detail.

But that's where we've gone off tangent. And so everybody's talking about the church. The church is important in regards to getting our doctrine straight. And the church is important in its function and activity.

But we don't preach the church. We preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. It's the gospel of the bridegroom. OK, and we've got to get that clear. Now, this term gospel of Christ appears 12 times in the New Testament.

Romans chapter one, verse 16 says, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Romans 15, nine says through mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God. So that from Jerusalem and round about unto Elycium, I have fully.

That's almost as bad as those Mary names, isn't it? I have fully preached the gospel. What has he preached? The gospel of Christ. Romans 15, 29. And I am sure that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

And down right through. I've given you all the references there. One Thessalonians is the last one. And it says, and sent Timotheus, our brother and minister of God and our faithful, our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith.

Now, basically, when the term the gospel of Christ is used, the emphasis frequently is on the blessing and the benefit that comes through it. Now, thank God there is a blessing and a benefit that comes through the gospel.

Jesus said his first announcement. I have been anointed by God to preach what? The good news, hallelujah, to the poor. And everything that he lists there is a benefit and a blessing. And so here in the blessing of the gospel, we are dealing with the gospel of Christ.

No other gospel will bless, only the gospel of Christ. The next thing I want you to notice in what Paul says, he says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For why? Because it is what? The power of God.

Now, just as the gospel of Christ as a term appears 12 times, so now the term the gospel of God appears 7 times. And every time it appears is very significant. The first time is in Romans chapter 1 verse 1, where Paul says, I am a servant of Jesus Christ.

Now, actually, that word is in the Greek doulos, which means a bondslend. He says, I am a bondslave of Jesus Christ. He doesn't start off by saying, I am the great apostle who has planted so many churches and traveled the world.

And I've got my multimillion dollars behind me to prove that I'm a good fellow. He says, I am a bondslave of Jesus Christ, a bondslave. I am joined to him by a bondage that nothing can break. I am a bondslave of Jesus Christ.

And then he goes on to say, called to be an apostle. Now, I've got no problem with the idea that some apostles and some are prophets and some are pastors and some are teachers and some are evangelists.

But all I'm concerned about is, look, let's get it in context. Why are they there? They are there for the building up of the saints. They are not there to line their pockets with millions of dollars. They are there to build up the saints.

I am sick and tired of men who trade their ministry for mammon. And I don't say that with any sense of, what's the word I'm looking for? Pardon? Jealousy. No, thanks, brother. I don't. I don't. God has blessed us incredibly.

We have a lovely home which God provided in a miraculous way. Far beyond our natural reach. Far beyond our expectancy. And God has supplied all our needs all through life. He has never ever let me down.

Hallelujah. People have let me down and I've probably let people down as well because we're human. But he has never let me down. So I don't say it with any sense of jealousy or envy or any of that. But I am sick and tired of the fact that men are making a prosperity doctrine and in so doing they are destroying the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now I don't for one minute doubt that God can bless people. And when God blesses people financially, he blesses them so that they can bless others. But money in itself is not a blessing. It's what you do with it that counts.

Men who have been incredibly wealthy have not been able to sleep at night. I remember as a young fellow reading about a man who was a multi-millionaire and he wrote, I am the most miserable devil in the world.

Some years ago we heard of a man who was one of the wealthiest men in the world and he was incubated because he was so scared of, I forget his name now, but he was scared of viruses and disease and all that sort of thing.

He died worse than a pauper. Nobody close to him and yet he had his multiplied millions because money in itself is not a blessing. It's how you use it, what you put it to and so on. And we need to get that absolutely clear.

Paul says, I am called to be an apostle. And there are some who count themselves as apostles who are not even called into the ministry of Jesus Christ because the message they declare is not a genuine message.

And brothers and sisters, God is bringing us back to the reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. So Paul says, I'm a bond slave, I'm called to be an apostle and I am separated unto the gospel of God.

Not the gospel of any man or any woman. Some are separated to the gospel of Catherine Kuhlman. And some are separated to the gospel of William Branham. And some are separated to the gospel of this one and the gospel of that one.