the gospel starts with god
It’s very important to start with God when it comes to the gospel. We can't get a good understanding of His story without knowing who He is and what makes Him so amazing - that he's infinite, everlasting (without beginning or end), completely other than anything within creation which has made us in his own image and likeness!
We are all image-bearers. We each carry the distinction of being created in God’s own likeness and image, which means that we bear His stamp on us no matter who or where we come from; every person has an individual responsibility to represent Him well for himself before others through Christ-like living
Humanity is a work of art. When we look at the endless variety in humanity, this shouldn't surprise us; after all, it was God who created each and every one of our faces with His own hands ( Exodus 35:27). To use them as vessels on which He could paint more beauty for himself - billions upon billions of people living together so beautifully- must have been breathtaking!
The Imago Dei is a representation of the beauty that humanity holds. In order for Him to express Himself, God needed billions and trillions of humans which are being used as His paints on canvas in our frames; this represents what we see when looking at all these individual expressions made up by every person's unique qualities given them through The Image Of God (Genesis 1:27).
Starting with a right view of God should serve us to have a right view of man. It is in this place of the knowledge of God that we can begin to rightfully share the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to men and women who, little do they know, are longing to know who they are an image of.
A few questions for reflection:
What passages in the scripture have served me to have a right view of God?
What passages can I use to share with others that they are made in the image of God?
Today’s blog is written by our Director at GateCity Church, Billy Humphrey, and is a part of our series, NEIGHBORHOODS TO NATIONS. To watch our latest teaching in this series please visit our Youtube channel.
