A Different Gospel

This is a message that was given at Fountain of Life Christian Fellowship on September 29, 2025. As one of the watchmen Father has placed on the wall of this fellowship, my job is to watch for dangers, threats, or events that might cause harm. I am also called to listen intently to the Holy Spirit for directions and instructions concerning what Father is doing. The final aspect of my job is to warn whenever I have seen or heard anything I need to report, and I was given this word on September 21, 2025: a different gospel is being preached in the land and many are believing and accepting it.

In January of this year, I was instructed to give a message that stated that “the judgment has already begun; the mark is everywhere.” A few weeks later, I reported a vision I had received of a mechanical spider with ten legs that would reach into every aspect of life as we know it. Those blog posts have already been published on this website. I believe these things are already occurring.

Today’s message or warning is very similar to one that Paul issued in II Cor. 11:3-4 where Paul warns the Corinthian believers about accepting a different gospel other than the one they originally received. He was concerned that they would “put up with it easily enough.”

This different gospel that is being preached in our nation today, which has been readily accepted by many, is a gospel that emphasizes our differences instead of how we are alike. It is a gospel that values exclusivity instead of inclusion, a gospel of superiority, of being better than others, instead of considering others more highly than we do ourselves, and a gospel that exerts authority over people and programs rather than showing compassion and meeting the needs of the less fortunate.

Some folks have greeted this new gospel like a bitter medicine that must be swallowed. It is not what they want, but they feel that it is something that must be ingested because they have been told it is the right thing. Others have embraced it as if it is the best thing that has come down the pike in a long time. Tired of feeling put down and overlooked, these folks embrace this new gospel because it offers attention and influence in ways never seen before.

And then there are people like me who have trouble with it and rebel against the whole concept. Resisting every attempt to force this new paradigm down our throats, we cling to the gospel we received when we first believed.

Now, I realize that societies change, that priorities change, and that people change. But the Gospel of Jesus Christ does not change. The Word says in Matt. 4:23 that as Jesus began his ministry he traveled throughout the towns and villages in Galilee preaching the good news of the kingdom. He   taught in their synagogues and healed every disease and sickness among the people. This was the focus of Jesus’ ministry.

What was this gospel that he preached? At the outset of his ministry, he stood in that synagogue in Nazareth in front of his family, friends, and neighbors knowing full well the impact his words were going to have. He quoted from Isaiah 61 where the prophet foretold of one coming to preach good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to those held captive, and to restore sight to the blind. His ministry was to bring freedom to the oppressed, and to usher in time of Jubilee where debts and forgiven and the slaves are set free. We read this account in Luke 4:18-19.

If we examine the 3-year earthly ministry of Jesus, we will find that his focus was multi-faceted. Jesus came preaching the Kingdom of heaven. He was introducing the Kingdom of God as it should be to mankind. He was teaching people the ways of God and moving them away from merely aa mere religious observance into a personal relationship with God…. This was a new concept in his day.

Jesus revealed the heart of the Father in every word he spoke and every action he took. Rather than viewing God as being a terrible and awesome deity who wrought destruction and vengeance on people from on high, Jesus revealed God as a Father who loves and cares for his people. A Father who wants to interact and be involved in even the smallest details of our lives.

Jesus’ ministry also focused on meeting the needs of people. He was concerned about their health and well-being, their spiritual condition as well as their physical condition. He called attention to needs of the poor, the downtrodden, and those forgotten by society.

Another important focus that we see in Christ’s ministry is that he modeled self-sacrifice. Looking at his life, we see Jesus actively denying himself and any latent ambitions that comes with being human. He demonstrated daily how to lay aside the desire to go his own way and do his own thing, and he did this even to the point of giving his life as a ransom for mankind.

After considering these primary focus points of Jesus’ ministry, there is a big question that begs asking: what are the focus points of Christianity in America today? How do we line up with such a high standard? Does the Church focus on preaching the Kingdom? Is one of our primary points of focus on revealing the heart of the Father? What about meeting the needs of the downcast and downtrodden? Do we emphasize and model self-sacrifice? There are likely a few isolated ministries throughout the nation that may touch on one or two of these things, but as a whole how are we doing?

There are a few more thought-provoking questions that we need to consider as well. As we listen to or read the news online, are we hearing about these things that Jesus focused on? As we listen to the fiery orations of those invoking the name of Jesus in their speeches, are these the things that they espouse and encourage? What about this question: is the “Christian” message that is being spread on talk shows, podcasts and blogs today anywhere close to what Jesus focused on?

Jesus came preaching the Kingdom of God with power. He preached with a power that changed lives, power that healed and delivered people from their afflictions, power that stood against the evil and hatred that existed in his day, and power that called out judgment, superiority, and pride.

Jesus made an interesting comment in Matt. 11:12. In this verse, Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and that the violent take it by force. This is a verse that has been interpreted in any number of ways over the course of time and usually in a negative sense. It could even be one of the rallying cries of the current Christian movement in our nation, but Jesus didn’t mean it in a negative sense. Such an interpretation wouldn’t be sensible based on the context.

John the Baptist’s ministry was a call to repentance, a call to return to God, and the people flocked out into the desert to hear his unorthodox message and to be baptized. The people were eager, excited, and stirred up. That is what the word “violence” means in the original language, but that is not the meaning that we typically attach to that word.

Jesus, in his statement, used the word “violence,” which is a word we naturally equate with damage and destruction. But, again, the word used here means to eagerly press in, to crowd in, and become a part of what was happening. The Strong’s concordance uses the term positive aggressiveness when defining the term. This definition reminded me of the rush in the 1980s to get a Cabbage Patch doll or the newest Beanie baby in the 1990s. There was an excitement, an intense desire, and a desperate need to obtain what had become available. The old things weren’t what they wanted anymore. The people wanted something new, original, and fresh.

That is what we see in Matt. 11:12. The people crowded in eager to embrace what John was preaching, and the same thing happened when Jesus came preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. Jesus stated that the violent take it by force, but again “violent” means fired up, energetic, and eager not harmful or destructive. The phrase, “take it by force” simply means to grab hold of, to snatch up with intent, or to eagerly gain possession of an object. There was a positive purpose and intention in the action.

In those days when Jesus was introducing the Kingdom, the people were hungry for something meaningful in their religious practice. The old ways weren’t working for them anymore. They would do whatever it took to gain, to embrace, and to possess this new relationship with God. Do we see this level of excitement or commitment today?

That is a very interesting question, and our response is very telling. Yes, there is a clamoring toward this different gospel, but is the excitement for the Kingdom principles that Jesus focused on? Is there an eagerness to reveal the heart of the Father, to meet the needs of others, or to lay down our rights for the sake of others?

I have two more thought-provoking questions for us to consider. The first one being, “Is the gospel we preach or have received a cultural belief or a personal faith?”

Ponder that for a second, and then consider this question, “Has Christianity become more of a cultural identity rather than a counter-cultural revolution?” That is how it began, you know.

The coming of Jesus and the subsequent introduction of the Kingdom of God to this earth was paradoxical to the ways of man. The main tenets of Jesus’ teaching were contrary to man’s thought process and practice. It challenged everything we had known to that point, and it changed the course of history. Those early believers turned the world on its ear. Are we effecting that kind of change? Can we? Should we? These are certainly questions to ponder. Questions we should take before the Lord and ask our Father.

The second focus of Jesus’ ministry was to reveal God as our Father. John 1:18 says that no one has ever seen God except the Son and those to whom he has made the Father known. This was Jesus’ mission. In Matt. 11:27, Jesus make a similar statement. Jesus reveals the Father to those he chooses, and we have seen, witnessed, and experienced this truth as the Father has been revealed to us through the teaching of Christ and as a result of our interaction with the Holy Spirit who is leading us into this truth.

Jesus revealed the Father’s heart in all his everyday interactions with those he encountered, through his teaching the multitudes and individuals, through the miracles he performed, through his simple lifestyle, through his caring for people regardless of their station in life. He cared for their needs whether they were important or overlooked, powerful or downtrodden, healthy or diseased, religious or reprobate.

Through his words and his actions, Jesus has revealed the Father to be approachable, affable, enjoyable, loving, merciful, and full of grace. What about the message being spread about Christianity in America today? What does that message show? That is a difficult question to answer.

Let’s go a step deeper. What do our personal words and actions show?  What message are we as individuals broadcasting? Do our words and actions reveal the heart of the Father? Do they reflect Christ? These are tough questions, but they are necessary questions that we need to consider.

Paul writes in Phil. 2:5 that we need to have the same mindset as Jesus has in our relationships with one another. As we have seen, Jesus’ focus or mindset was to reveal the Father in both word and deed. He did not consider himself too good to do that. He did not feel that it was beneath him to draw attention away from himself toward the Father. We need to have the same mindset. Now, that is a tall order, but with Jesus’ help we can do it.

Another part of his ministry was meeting the needs of those who came to him. What kind of needs did Jesus meet? As we read through the gospels, we see that Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, and taught the multitudes. We see in Matt. 9:35-36 how Jesus went through all the towns and villages of Judea teaching the people, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every manner of disease and sickness. It says that Jesus had compassion on the crowds when he saw them.

The Greek word for compassion is splagchnizomai. It speaks of being moved on the inside, to be affected deep within, and then moved to action. What would this kind of compassion look like for us? Matt. 25:35-36 gives us a good idea. This is the parable of the sheep and the goats where Jesus lists the kind of things that we should be doing to meet the needs of those we encounter. Things like feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, providing clothing, caring for the sick, and visiting the prisoners. If there isn’t a prison nearby, we all know people who are unable to leave their homes for various reasons or people for whom it is difficult for them to get out often. These are the ones in nursing homes or in hospitals. These are the lonely and the forgotten. These are the ones who need remembered. These are the ones Jesus cared about.

It’s really not that difficult to do these things. It is simply a matter of thinking more highly of others than yourself rather than thinking only of those who look like, act like, or believe like you do. That is the way of the world. It is not the example of the self-sacrifice that was a focus of Jesus’ ministry.

Self-sacrifice is an unpopular message today. No one likes to hear about being self-effacing, self-sacrificing, or self-denying. It is inconvenient and contrary to popular culture. Such a notion flies in the face of what our self-centered, self-gratifying, and self-interested society accepts as normal, but it is what Jesus modeled and taught. It is Christ’s mindset, and it should be ours as well.

We read in Mark 10:45 that Jesus himself did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. In Luke 9:23-24, Jesus says those who wish to be his disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow him. Then, in Matt. 10:38-39, Jesus says that if we refuse to do so, we are not worthy of him.

None of us like the idea of a cross except perhaps at Easter, and we aren’t the ones carrying that cross. But each of us have a cross to carry. Inevitably, we will face the cross that comes into our lives. These are those times that try our souls. It will be a tailor-made cross to remind us of how insufficient we are in and of ourselves. As Gene Edwards wrote in his book, The Inward Journey, the cross that enters our lives is “tailor-made to do the deepest possible work at the most inconvenient time, in the most vulnerable spot.” (p.113)

Jesus said that we would have trouble, face difficulties, and sometimes even face life-altering circumstances in this world. This tailor-made cross is a place where our self-will and independence must go to the cross and die. It is important to understand that the power and purpose of the Kingdom of God are inextricably entwined in the cross. They are impossible to separate from each other. If we want to live and work in the Kingdom of God, we must be intimately acquainted with the work of the cross.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus often retreated to quiet, remote places? Was it just to get away from the crowds? Was it to have the ability to think? Or maybe he just needed some alone time? I believe that Jesus went away by himself to deal with the cross in his life which was the denial of self and self-motives. We need to remember that Jesus was a man, a human being just like the rest of us. I am certain that he struggled against the same things that we all do except that he did it without sinning.

Jesus kept himself centered. He was centered on his mission, centered on communing with his Father, and centered on the cross that he carried daily. We need to be centered on Christ. After the events of the past few weeks, there is an increased emphasis on the differences between the right and the left segments of our society. There has been a hardening of positions, an amping up of harmful and hurtful rhetoric, and a widening of the chasm between the different political factions in our country. But, folks, this is not a left or right issue.

This is a spiritual issue – a center issue. It is about having our lives as believers centered wholly and solely upon Jesus Christ and his teachings as individuals and as the Body of Christ as a whole. Here is something that the collective Church in America needs to seriously consider: what is our message centered around? What are the people invoking the name of Jesus right now centered on? Are we centered on the same things that Jesus was centered on?

Here is what the Spirit is saying to the Church at large: anything other than Christ is off-center. Unless our lives are centered on Christ and what he taught, our lives are off-center, out of balance, and in danger of falling and accepting a different gospel that the one we first received.

Now, we are left with one final question: what are we to do then? You might be thinking, “I’m just one individual, nobody noteworthy, nobody important or influential, and nobody of any consequence. What am I supposed to do?”

Well, there are a few things that we all can do. First of all, we need to listen carefully to the words that are being spoken. There are many people – those in leadership, in the media, online, and just about every other place – people who invoke the name of Jesus but are saying things that do not line up with the red words printed in our Bibles. Listen to their words and ask yourself, “Would Jesus be saying this?”

Then, having listened to their words, exercise some discernment. Critically examine what they are saying. Weigh it out. Does it line up with the Word? Does it promote and extend the Kingdom of God? Does it reflect the ways of God? Do their words reveal the heart of the Father? Do they meet or encourage meeting the needs of poor and the destitute, and are these people modeling self-sacrifice like Jesus did?

Critically examine their words and actions. In Matt. 7:15-16, Jesus warned us about listening to false prophets and said that we would know they by their fruits. We may be discouraged from judging, but we can certainly inspect the fruit of their lives. If the message they are proclaiming, if the words we are hearing are not centered on Christ, do not listen to them. You need to discard them, throw them away, do not ingest them any longer, and certainly do not accept them as truth.

It is a different gospel that is being preached out there right now, one that does not match the words of Jesus, the actions of Jesus, or the gospel of the Kingdom. Instead, we need to be listening carefully for the words of Christ, the message of the cross, and embrace what we know to be right.

We have not yet been forced to swallow this false gospel. Let us stand firm on the tenets which we have been taught. Let us hold tight to the truths that we have embraced from when we first believed. As individuals and as local fellowships, we need to dedicate ourselves to studying the Word rather than merely listening to what those in positions of leadership or those who host popular podcasts are saying.

Let’s return to the Word, and pay very close attention to the words written in red. These are the words of Jesus. These are words that lead to life. These are the words that will keep us centered during these difficult days.

Let us be obedient to what the Word says. Not only hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word, embracing the Word, applying the Word, living the Word, and hiding the Word in our heart so that we do not fall prey to a different gospel.

As a watchman, I have been instructed to bring this warning. As the people of God, we need to be diligent and wise, watching and listening, critically examining what we hear. We need to carefully and prayerfully evaluate the messages we hear to see if it aligns with what Jesus would say and do. (That would include this message as well.)

Above all, stay true to the gospel you received when you first believed and remain faithful.