Page 35 - GRACE
P. 35

GRACE, Exploring Its Riches


                                     “And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in
                                     Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of
                                     Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled
                                     which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
                                     “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
                                     By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee
                                     of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness
                                     have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in
                                     the  region  and  shadow  of  death  Light  has
                                     dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach
                                     and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is

                                     at hand.”

                               It  does  not  seem  to  be  by  chance  that  these  two  great
                               ministers  introduced  the  kingdom  with  a  message  of
                               repentance. It seems to be the starting point to something
                               new, the life in God’s kingdom.


                               iii.   When the Church Age Started
                               At the beginning of the age of the Church, which can also be
                               regarded as the age of the Holy Spirit and of grace, the
                               leaders of the early Church preached their first message
                               with the same emphasis on REPENTANCE. Peter rose on
                               the  day  of  Pentecost  and  preached  a  powerful  message,
                               prophetically using the Scriptures to affirm that the new
                               thing the religious multitude that gathered in Jerusalem
                               was observing was a strategic part of God’s plan to release
                               His Spirit of grace upon the earth. As the multitude listened
                               to his powerful and inspiring message they were convicted.



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