Being True to the Gospel

September 5, 2008


Dear Friend,

My friend, I have been reflecting on a Scripture verse that I heard Brother Kenneth Copeland speak about briefly at the Great Lakes Believers' Convention. You'll remember the words from Luke 7:22, "The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them." (English Standard Version) In this verse, Jesus is responding to a question from John the Baptist about whether He is really the Messiah…the One for whom they had been waiting so long.

As we think about and pray over this verse, the question comes, "What does it mean to say the poor have good news preached to them?" Some Bible translations say this phrase means the poor are evangelized. Historical commentaries from the early Church make it clear that the meaning of this important sentence of Scripture means the poor were influenced by the good news, they received it and they were changed by it. Great evidence of this comes when we look at what happened to people when Jesus preached to, spoke to or touched them.

Then the question may arise…"What is the good news?" The good news lies in three components, the Word of God, the blood of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Why does this matter to us at Believers Stand United? First of all, the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ is central to who we are and what we represent. Second, this good news gives us the mandate to stand up and speak out for religious freedom. In addition, Brother Copeland reminds us that as prosperity preachers are attacked, the enemy is using one of the greatest weapons he has to combat the prosperity of our nation. As he attempts to silence good-news preachers, the prosperity people receive from the knowledge of faith in Jesus Christ is potentially at risk as well.

C.S. Lewis once wrote, "As Christians we are tempted to make unnecessary concessions. We give in too much. We must show our Christian Colors, if we are to be true to Jesus Christ. We cannot remain silent or concede everything away." What a powerful statement from Dr. Lewis! Thank you for being an integral part of this ministry outreach as we stand together for faith and good news for all people.

I know you will especially enjoy the first link I've included in this email. It gives concrete evidence of how God is mentioned in the preambles of all 50 states in our nation. The next two links give us the opportunity to comment on the recent blog entry "Prosperity gospel" preacher—"IRS investigation into my church is 'politically motivated'" and the newspaper article "Know where donations go." Be sure to click on the appropriate link within each article to make your voice heard.

Thank you for your partnership in the gospel and may God richly bless you and those you love.

Until next time, remember…JESUS IS LORD!


Dr. Stephen Lowell Swisher
Kenneth Copeland Ministries
www.believersstandunited.com

Keeping You Informed

To read full entries, click the links below. Once you've read the blogs, feel free to interact with the blogging community by posting your comments about each piece.

"God and the States"—Read this excerpt from the Constitution Party of Washington state's Web site about how America's founders intended to pass down a heritage of faith thus carefully weaving it into our state constitutions. ("God and the States." The Constitution Party of Washington.)  

"Prosperity Gospel" preacher -"IRS investigation into my church is 'politically motivated'"—In this entry, Chris Ray outlines his opinions on the prosperity gospel and ongoing church investigations. (Ray, Chris. "Prosperity gospel" preacher -"IRS investigation of my church is 'politically motivated.'" http://theedger.org/. Aug. 30, 2008.)  

"Know where donations go"—Read this article published by The Muskogee Phoenix on financial accountability and how it relates to churches, nonprofit organizations and their donors. Comments may be posted in response to this piece. ("Know where donations go." The Muskogee Phoenix. Muskogee, Okla. Aug. 31, 2008.)  

Thank you again for joining us in this endeavor. Together we're making a difference!