A L M A C I A S

THE GOSPEL IN EARTHEN VESSELS

Of all the things that you possess in this earth, what would you consider to be your most precious possession? To different people, it would be different things. Some consider their jobs the most precious thing they have, while others their families, or perhaps their health. Even though all of these things should be considered as important, they are not the most precious thing that we have. In the second letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul writes, by inspiration, concerning one thing that all of us should value above all else ­ the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:7, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." As we study this passage of Scripture, we immediately find that the Gospel is so valuable that God considered it more important than our own physical bodies. Paul compared the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a treasure, while he compared our physical bodies to earthen vessels.

What was the apostle wanting us to learn from this passage of Scripture? One of the things that we find is that the Gospel should be viewed as something that is of tremendous value. We should all think of the Gospel as something that is to be shared with others. From many passages in the New Testament, how many times we find commands from the Lord or from some inspired writer as to the responsibility we all have in sharing the Gospel with all who are in need of it. The Lord commanded the apostles in Matthew 28:19-20 to "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Even though here the Lord was addressing the apostles themselves, we also, as disciples of the Lord, are commanded to do likewise. Otherwise, how will the world of today be able to learn the Gospel if we do not tell them about it? Are you doing your part in teaching the Gospel to others?