Mere Missions

T he G ospel : E vangelize • 105

And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” ~ Mark 9.47-48 . . . in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. ~ 1 Thessalonians 1.8-9 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name. The battle between God and Satan is ultimately for souls. Souls are the currency of the universe. Souls from every nation, people, tribe, and language. From God’s perspective the family lineage that matters most is the spiritual one. According to John the Apostle, every individual is either a child of the devil or a child of God, “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother” (1 John 3.10). God is claiming back souls bound in the domain of Satan and adopting them into His family line to be His daughters and sons, and the power that God uses, the only power to rescue, claim, redeem, reconcile, restore, and adopt, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ His Son. It is God’s way, His truth, and His life (John 14.6). Jesus is the demonstration of God’s love (John 3.16; Rom. 5.8). There is no other way to be saved except in name of Jesus (Acts 4.12). There is no Plan B; no back up. ~ Revelation 14.11