Chelsea church of Christ . . .
                                                                             undenominational Christianity
The most important question of your life . . . HAVE YOU OBEYED THE GOSPEL?

    
Paul told Christians enduring the persecution at Thessalonica that God would "give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints . . . " (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).

     Look at the underlined portion of the passage again.  It says, Jesus, when He returns, will take vengeance on those who do not obey the gospel.  If the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), that's simply a historical event, right?  So how do you obey a 2,000 year old, historical event?  Excellent question!  The same apostle (Paul) tells us the answer in Romans 6:3-4". . . do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized in His death?  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

     Here is a visual illustration of the Gospel of Christ re-enacted:
HAVE YOU OBEYED THE GOSPEL IN THIS WAY?

    
If not, what will happen to you when Jesus returns?
    
     Have you been "saved" in a different way—different than obeying the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus?  Many today make claims of salvation by "asking Jesus into their heart", or "finding Jesus".  However, these claims are very different than God's instructions found in the Bible.  Paul wrote, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than we have preached to you, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8).

     Have you responded to Jesus like the first followers did?