By Kenneth F. Haney
It is time to sound the trumpet loud and clear as never before. The work must go forward with the sword kept close to us. The sword is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:17 declares: “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?
Our message is a very positive message. There are no ifs and ands; it is absolutely predicated upon the Holy
Scripture. The Scripture is so profoundly clear and sure that there is little room for error.
There is a difference! Many religious groups in Christianity take their message from the traditional church, which has been drastically altered through the years from generation to generation, perhaps before, but especially beginning with the Council of Nicea 325 A.D. From this time there was a radical change from the original New Testament church. Thus, what we teach and believe and preach is vastly different from traditional teaching of Christianity. Our message must always be predicated upon Scripture, never tradition. The Holy Scripture is our blueprint. The Book of Acts is our pattern. This message, if preached and obeyed, saves from sin, keeps one from sin, and delivers one from bondage. It is a supernatural message and produces miraculous results. It is a message the world needs. It is never to be watered down.
Living in a world that is infested with drugs, alcohol, and sexual perversion with demented and twisted minds, this message that we preach brings emancipation from those chains. Thus, our message is more than a social gospel; it is a gospel of deliverance from bondage.
Our churches, as a result of biblical preaching, should thrive with old-time Apostolic power and revival.
Just think, we have the most powerful gospel in all the world! Every morning when we wake up, we ought to thank God for this precious truth and for the wonderful Word of God which is so fresh and true.
As ministers of the gospel, we should earnestly seek God’s anointing upon our ministry so that we can deliver this sacred truth with unction. Every United Pentecostal Church, daughter work, and preaching point must become a hot spot of revival where the truth is boldly declared! Thus, let it be known and noised abroad that we have become revival centers boldly proclaiming the message of the Scripture.
It must be proclaimed without compromise that there is ONE GOD according to the Scripture: the ONLY GOD and that HIS NAME IS JESUS, and without Him there is no salvation, for He is the DOOR to eternal life! This ONE GOD manifested Himself as Father in creation, and Son in redemption, and the Holy Spirit in regeneration and empowerment.
Paul declared in Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” IT IS
THE POWER!
There are other religions that believe in one God: the Muslims and Jews. We, the United Pentecostal Church International, are a group of believers who have experienced Pentecost, and who follow the apostles and prophets of Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone. There are many religious groups who believe in one God, but they do not proclaim the name of Jesus as that
ONE GOD.
Degenerate men must be born again according to John 3:5. Peter gave the formula for this new birth experience in Acts 2:38: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
If we preach this profound truth with FIRE, LOVE, and ANOINTING, we will witness the awesome results.
- There is a difference in our message of salvation! We are a people of the name of Jesus! Jesus did not say that we would be hated because we speak in tongues or do miracles, but He said we would be hated because of His name. This is stated in Matthew 10:22: “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” (See also Mark 13:13; Luke 21:17.)
- There is a difference in our message of holiness! “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9).
Holiness is very important to God. There is biblical holiness that is different from worldly standards. The difference is not just holiness; the difference is we are set apart. We are the anointed ones baptized in His name and with Holy Ghost fire.
Sin must be dealt with. There are times when we deal with issues of holiness, but first holiness is a state of the heart. You can line up the outside, but sometimes people remain with “dead men’s bones” on the inside of their heart.
To be holy means to be separated from sin and consecrated to God and His ideas. It is being separated from the world system and being in harmony with God. The reason for God’s demand for men and women to be holy is that He wants them to be like Him. “Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).
II Corinthians 7:1 commands us to cleanse ourselves and aim at perfect holiness: “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
God has called His church to holiness: “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (I Thessalonians 4:7).
II Corinthians 6:17 commands, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”
Christians should avoid all appearance of evil instead of doing a balancing act on the line of demarcation between good and evil: ‘Abstain from all appearance of evil” (I Thessalonians 5:22).
If the heart is right, you have a good foundation to teach the outer standards: HAIR, MODEST APPAREL and SHAMEFACEDNESS and HOLY LIVING.
There is a right way to deal with it. What Hollywood has produced on television by its evils is destroying families, teenagers, and the souls of many. Television perpetuates evil and is a thief of time, helping to destroy the mission of the church.
Holiness is a spirit, and begins on the inside of a person. The cleanliness of Christ must begin in the heart. However, true holiness will certainly spread throughout the body, mind, and spirit, thus affecting the outer person, their talk, actions and dress.
The glory of God must rest upon every born again believer so that people would look upon them and say, “I want what they have!” This is portrayed in the holiness of our spirit, attitude, dress, and demeanor.
Let the world say as the Greeks said to Philip, “Sir, we would see Jesus” (John 12:21). LET US SHOW THE WORLD JESUS!
The above article, “Our Message” was written by Kenneth F. Haney. The article was excerpted from chapter five in Haney’s book, One Vision.
The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
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