Scripture References: John 12:32
Amazing to see how most people fail to understand what it means to lift of Christ and how to lift up Christ. If we don't know how this is done, then it stands to reason that nobody will be drawn to Christ who is the author of eternal salvation. Allow me to show you how nearly all ministers and preachers are not lifting up Christ for the sake of salvation for the soul. I would say that ninety some percent of people today think and believe that to lift up Christ means to go into all the world and preach about a man named Jesus, but are you aware of the fact that you cannot personally know Christ by just knowing certain things about him? Let me give you an example of what I am trying to show you. When I was a young boy in school my teacher taught me certain things about a man named George Washington. I was taught that he was the first president of the United States and that he was also a high ranking officer in the war during his time. I learned also that he was married as well as certain other things that he did and said. All this knowledge that I accumulated concerning this man named George Washington did not give me a personal fellowship with him. We may be able to know just about anything that concerns him, but still all this knowledge about him does not mean nor prove that we all had a personal relationship with the man. It was not possible to have a personal relationship with him simply because we in this certain century was not alive in the century that he lived in. So to know all there is to know about this man cannot possibly give us a personal relationship and fellowship with him as we all very well know.
Now consider the man named Jesus Christ. We can also come to know a lot about this man that lived on this earth many centuries ago. We can believe that he was the manifestation of God in the flesh. We can believe that there is only salvation through him. We can even believe that he was born into this world from the womb of a woman. And we can believe that he was the Word made flesh, as John 1:14 says. And we can believe that he performed all the miracles mentioned in the Bible, but are you aware of the fact that to know all these things concerning him that these certain things does not prove that you know him in a personal way? Now Christ was a man that was born into this world 2000 years ago and certainly none of us was alive in that century to possibly have some kind of fellowship with him, but this fact does not mean that we cannot know him personally. Christ is the only person that we can know personally without us being alive in that first century to personally know him. Now we cannot know any other person personally unless we have met them face to face and perhaps had some kind of companionship with them. But even though we were not alive 2000 years ago and saw Jesus face to face and perhaps could have had some kind of fellowship with him, we can still have fellowship with him and know him in a personal way. Now let me show you how that most of the people that lives on this earth today, as well as in times past, very few of them truly has come to know Christ in a personal way. The reason why ninety some percent of people today and in times past don't know Christ in a personal way is simply because what they are believing concerning Christ is only certain things about his person only. Knowing these things about Christ cannot give you a personal relationship with Christ no more than knowing the things about George Washington. You can know everything there is to know about George Washington and you know very well that knowledge of him will not give you a personal relationship or fellowship with him. So what preachers are preaching today are only things about Christ. In other words all the thousands of preachers today and in times past has only preached a Christ to you that cannot save you simply because they are not preaching his gospel, which are his many teachings found throughout the scriptures of the new testament covenant.
All that preachers are doing today is preaching about the person of Christ and that he is the Son of God, and that salvation is only through and by him etc,etc, but to preach Christ in this manner cannot possibly save anybody from sin and impart eternal salvation to them. To truly preach Christ means to preach the word of God. Is not Christ the way, the truth, and the life? To believe on the person of Christ and things about him is not believing his message of the gospel, which are his teachings. Paul did not tell us in Romans 1:16 that belief on Christ is the power of God unto salvation, but rather that scripture tells us that it's the gospel of Christ, which are his teachings, that is the power of God unto salvation. Can you not see the difference in believing on Christ and believing his gospel, which are his teachings? To lift up Christ means to lift up truth by preaching the truth that will save the sinner; not just believing on the person of Christ like millions of people think and believe. It's believing the truth of scripture that imparts eternal salvation to the believer. Paul tells us these words in II Thessalonians 2:13 that says, "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth."
And read what Paul says in the preceding scriptures of this chapter and find out what he has to say about those who fail to believe the truth that truly saves the soul. Read what Paul says in II Thessalonians 2:10-12 that says, "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." To believe the truth that does the saving of the soul is to believe the teachings of Christ, which are the many truths of his gospel; not just believing on his person like millions have been led to believe. Listen closely to the many preachers in the land today as they go from place to place only preaching and uplifting the person of Christ only and not his gospel or his teachings. Can you not see the difference in uplifting the person of Christ and to uplift the truths of Gods word? They fail to realize that Christ is the revealed truth of Gods holy word, and not just a person to preach and uplift. To preach Christ is to preach the word and not just his person and the things he did etc. This kind of preaching does absolutely nothing for the hearers of it simply because it's the teachings of his gospel that is the power of God unto salvation; not just to preach things about him. Most people believe on Christ only in a historical manner believing that he was a man on this earth, which he was, but it's the teachings of his gospel that imparts salvation to them that obeys his teachings. Sure we must believe on the person of Christ, but what about the teachings of his gospel? Read what the writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 5:9 that says, "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." Can you not see that the writer does not tell us here that he is the author of eternal salvation just to them that believe on him, but rather to them that obeys him? If we don't believe on him, then it stands to reason that we will not obey him right? But are you aware of the fact that you can believe on him and not obey him? Most are not obeying him simply because they are not being told the truth of the matter. They have been told only to believe on him and they have salvation, which is a statement that is as false as a three dollar bill. Revelation 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Amen