Gospel Tract
Gospel Tract
How pleased I am to have met you! I hope I get the opportunity to {{know you}} better.
Please read this about the God I love, the God who {{rules}} from heaven. He is real and alive, not like the gods we humans make. He created all things, even you and me. His love is amazing. He has changed me into His child and promised me an inheritance. {{He wants to do the same for you}}.
I did not deserve for God to do this. In fact, like all other human beings, I was rebellious; I was God’s enemy. But He had a plan to save such enemies, make us like Himself, and live with us.
God’s plan to save us is revealed in the Bible. Its first book, Genesis, tells how God created everything but how we humans became disobedient. He created us to be rulers, but we became slaves to sin and to each other. The world got so bad that God destroyed it with a flood. Yet, He spared some animals and Noah’s family, which repopulated the earth. Later, He chose one man, Abraham, and from him made the favored nation of Israel.
The next Bible books tell how God made Israel His kingdom on earth and ruled over them. What a privilege they had! But they were so rebellious that God put an end to that kingdom. Through it, however, He (a) revealed His own character and His plans for the future, (b) gave and preserved His Word, the Bible, and (c) prepared the way for the Savior to come.
The Bible often {{describes a future}} world God will create from this one. In it there will no longer be suffering, death, or injustice. Nations—and even animals—will live together in peace. In short, {{heaven will come to earth}}; God’s kingdom will be restored. Those who live in that world will no longer be slaves. Instead, they will rule forever as God designed them to do.
{{Good news}}! We know who will rule above all others in God’s coming new world. His name is Jesus. He was given to Joseph of the royal family of David in Israel. He was born by the Virgin Mary. His title Christ means that {{God has "anointed" Him with His Spirit to rule}}. He is described, so that we will believe in Him, in the Bible books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The things Jesus said and did {{show He can create and govern the promised new world}}.
Often Jesus promised to {{come again and rule in glory}}. But first, as He said, He had to be rejected and die nailed to a cross. His death made it possible for God to free us from our slavery and make us His children and heirs. In triumph Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to His followers. Then He ascended to heaven until the time comes for Him to return and rule.
Turn to Jesus. God has ordered us to turn from our paths of sin to believe in Jesus the Ruler (the Christ). Those {{who follow Him}} receive forgiveness and eternal life in God’s family. When Jesus returns, they will get everlasting bodies and will rule with Him. I pray that you too will be one of His followers.
John Hepp, Jr.
[[know you]]I often hand out a printed copy of this tract to people I meet in person. If you are reading this tract on the Internet, I hope to meet you some day![[know you]]
[[rules]]You will notice the term “rule” several times in this tract. God’s Kingdom—His rule and realm—is the central theme of the Bible. It has two aspects: (a) His universal rule from heaven, which never changes; (b) His rule on earth, in its past form over Israel and its predicted future form under Messiah. See my course on the kingdom.'[[rules]]
[[He wants to do the same for you]]The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)[[He wants to do the same for you]]
[[describes a future]]Some of the many prophecies describing that coming world are Psalm 2:8–12; Isaiah 2:1–4; 11:1–10; 35:1–10; Daniel 2:44–45; 9:24; and Revelation 21–22.[[describes a future]]
[[heaven will come to earth]]See my somewhat technical article “A New Heaven and A New Earth”[[heaven will come to earth]]
[[Good news]]Here I follow the lead of the gospel presentations in the first three Gospels and throughout the Book of Acts. See my “Evangelistic Sermons in Acts” and “Is the Deity of Jesus Essential to the Gospel?” Evangelism should start with His rulership, soon followed with His deity (seen more in the Gospel of John and some epistles).[[Good news]]
[[God has "anointed" Him with His Spirit to rule]]He is described as “anointed” (Christ or Messiah) in Isaiah 11:1–2. See my “Matthew, Self-Study Guide” on Matthew 1 and the introduction and commentary on 16:13–20.'[[God has "anointed" Him with His Spirit to rule]]
[[show He can create and govern the promised new world]]Jesus is divine, but that is not the point of His miracles. Instead, they are designed to attest that He is Messiah, the One who can bring and rule over the promised kingdom. In Hebrews 6:5 they are called “miracles of the coming age.”[[show He can create and govern the promised new world]]
[[come again and rule in glory]]For example, “At the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne” (Matt. 19:28). “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory” (Matt. 25:31).[[come again and rule in glory]]
[[who follow Him]]Since Jesus is first and foremost the Ruler, saving faith involves more than merely acknowledging certain facts about Him. See my “Belief in John” and “What Is Saving Faith According to John’s Gospel?”[[who follow Him]]