"NEGLECTED BY TODAY'S MINISTRIES"

        The foundation scripture for this study is from 2nd Timothy 1:10 "but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.: 2nd Timothy 1:9,10. The common practice among members. of the clergy, male and female, and various age groups, is to assure the congregation that "we all must die one day." Have you heard that recently? Seemingly, we accept that saying without even thinking about its ramification when aligned with the scripture verse. Speaking in practical terms and with a good conscience, after announcing that Christ has abolished death and brought live and immortality to light through the gospel, it would be an insult and a contradiction to solemnly tell the congregation that, "We all must die one day." This goes on from one worship service to another probably while no one connects with the contradiction. Either the truth is that Jesus did actually abolish death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. But even at this juncture, have you noticed the disconnect? No one in good conscience can announce the fact that Christ abolished death, then with the next breath assure every one listening that "we all must die one day."

While trying to be honest in my critique, I am forced to conclude that many preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ are willing to embrace and practice terms that are less objectionable and are more apt to satisfy the taste buds of one and all. It seems to me that each minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ is commissioned to preach and teach the "Whole Gospel (The Good News) to the world at large. With that in mind, we should still recognize those who are called to the ministry of healing, soul saving, the operation of the gifts of the Spirit, etc. This is meant to turn the spotlight on one particular ministry that has completely been ignored, even though it was the ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ. I am a strong supporter of the "Life Message" In August 1968, while in Kingston, Jamaica conducting a crusade, I met two bishops from America. One was from Baltimore, Maryland, and the other from New Jersey. In short order both bishops invited me to visit the United States. All the big ministries that usually visit Kingston are from America, and immediately I began to wonder what sort of ministry I would bring to America.

I became engrossed in seeking to understand more about the idea that Jesus Christ actually abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. I concluded within myself that the idea that we all must die one day did not enhance the truth being taught by Paul in his letter to Timothy. In the letter, Paul introduced (the gospel). This was not a gospel that endorsed the idea that we all must die one day. Rather, it was a gospel that would tell the world that Jesus in fact, did abolish death and brought life and immortality to light through (this gospel.) I visited Hope Botanic Gardens overlooking Kingston. With my bible and notebook, I settled among the tall grasses seeking to hear from the Lord. While this process continued, I kept evangelizing around the country parishes of the Island. Gradually, the salvation of our body came into my spirit as a vivid ministry that was lacking among the people of God. I finally came up with the term "Body Felt Salvation. This concept was likened to the baptism of fire which is ministered to the saints much like what is done in ministering the holy Ghost baptism. The only difference is that instead of seeking to speaking in tongues the candidate receives the baptism of fire with the reality coming as heat all over the body.

After ministering this in Baltimore for weeks, I had to return to Jamaica to submit my immigration papers. After two or three months I was able to obtain another visitor's visa that allowed me to enter the US again. Once again, in Baltimore, while ministering around the altar, as I laid hands on a certain saint she whispered to herself, "O it is so good to feel the fire again." I just could not accept how ministers quote Matt.3: 11 saying that John would baptize with water but he would come after would baptize with fire. Yet this part of the verse is neglected or simply mentioned in passing. Are we ministering the full gospel of Jesus Christ? I am fully committed to the "life message" which is the message that Jesus brought to earth. Listen to Jesus as he presents his credentials!

"I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." John 10:10. Throughout the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, he never once said people had to die. Yes, he told some that they would die in their sin, but it was not a part of man's eternal destiny. Many years ago, a young man in England (UK) got saved and began to set his eyes upon the ministry; but he wanted to study only one verse in the scriptures and that was John 3.16. After a while he set off for Africa and over time, he built himself a little flock of followers. They were brim-full of life and seem to flow with a blow in their bumble life. After a while the minister decided that he needed more ministerial training other than John 3.16. He decided to take a four-year college course and left for England. After completing his training, he returned to Africa and found the group still doing great and they all enjoyed his return. They were still beaming and seemingly full of joy.

Before long when they began to refer to John 3:16, the way the minister had taught it years ago, he strongly objected to the old version. He began to teach that "shall not perish but have everlasting life" does not mean what we think it means. In fact, he insisted that it cannot be so, and he inserted the concepts he had learned in his four years at college. Slowly, the people lost their joy, their faces ceased to shine with the glow they once had, and they began to die first in small numbers. This brings us to a closer look at the neglected ministry of our day. I think it was said that years ago a group came along that were called "The overcomers" because they were considered to have overcome death. As they say in the movies, let us cut to the chase! Now we will tap into the message itself that calls us to answer to our oversight or negligence of so vital a ministry. Speaking of God's redemption through Christ, Paul wrote:

"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, (either he did, or he did not) and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles." 2 Timothy 1:10. Let us assume that this scripture is meant to be the title of an upcoming sermon.

The speaker could not in good conscience offer as part of the opening remarks "we all have to die one day." Whether we like it or not, the truth stands firm in the act that Jesus did abolish death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel... This means that it has to be a gospel of eternal life without death—and not after death. We have to arrive at a conclusion of the subject. Either Jesus did abolish death, or he did not, and in this second belief it would mean that the apostle Paul had it all wrong in his letter to Timothy. This process was put in place by God in Christ, before the world began, but as Paul also wrote:

"But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ." 2nd Timothy 1:10. I do love the part of a Christmas Carol that says: "Man shall, live forever more, because of Christmas Day." Jesus was not afraid to argue the matter of physical death. He put the subject under scrutiny as it applied to Moses.

"Then said Jesus unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. John 6:32,33. At this stage of my salvation and my understanding of the pending redemption of my body, upon what foundation does it stand? Each time Jesus came face to face with death, he applied what can be called "the law of transmutation" where one item (one reality) is changed into another. So now, what sort of future am I anticipating and actually embracing with my whole being? Do I have biblical assurance for my belief? This belief of mine is currently serving countless numbers of saints the world over.

"For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit (the first fruits of the Spirit refers to the Holy Ghost baptism when we first got saved). Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. Romans 8:22,23. Let us look a little closer at the truths that Paul shared with the Ephesians concerning our full and complete redemption that comes to us in two stages. (I call them, the buying back done spontaneously at Calvary) and the bringing back which continues for the past two thousand and twenty-three years. Paul wrote: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed (marked or stamped) with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our redemption until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:13,14. The word earnest means (down-payment—first installment) on a binding contract until the purchase is complete in which the buyer is obligated to follow through with the contract until the purchase is complete. So it is that by giving us the Holy Spirit as his first installment or token down payment, God has obligated himself to honor his part of the contract and must remain in good faith until the purchase is complete, the result, which is the redemption of our body—which shall be to the praise of his glory.

So, in Romans 8, Paul again refers to the redemption of our body. I like to explain the difference in the word redemption in one scripture against the same word in another scripture. In Romans 8: 23 we see the term, "the redemption of our body" and in Hebrews 9:12 we read: "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." So, we have the same word (redemption) used in two different places and they come with two different meanings. In Romans 8:23, the Greek word for redemption is apolutrosis meaning riddance or the loosening away of all restrictions. (With our new glorified bodies, we move like the wind) and that is what being born of the Spirit really means in its full application. But the word "redemption" in Hebrews 9:12 is lutrosis or ransom. (The price that Christ paid upon the cross of Calvary for the sins of the whole world.) Our redemption will not be totally realized or appropriated until along the corridor of time, we approach the designated time which God, before the worlds were framed had all of this outlined in his blueprint for the ages— (until the fulness of time is come.) For the time being, until then, we see through a glass darkly. What we see, at times, is with puzzling reflections and we are left with only partial answers and partial understandings. (But then, face to face, we shall know, as we are known.) To God be the glory, great things he has done, and continues to do towards man's total redemption into the glory that was prepared for us before the worlds were framed.

The full gospel of eternal life must be preached worldwide before the end comes. Death must be removed as a feature of the gospel of life, for it is in total contradiction of the "gospel of life" that Jesus taught and ministered to those who followed him to learn of the life that he offered and ministered Jesus did actually set the example in the years of his earthly ministry by facing death face to face, and even before Calvary and the grave, followed by the majestic resurrection) He made an open show of the failures of his enemies, the prince and power of the air, the power that rules the darkness of this world. While living in London, UK one Thursday I went to the "little boy's room" and the Lord spoke to me with a question that went like this. "What was Jesus teaching, in that after he said, I am the resurrection and the life, he that believes on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." He then proceeded to bring Lazarus back from the dead, and how would a child understand it. A child, hearing what Jesus said and the fact that he brought Lazarus back to life, and with the same breath said he that lives and believes in me shall never die.

The child goes home all excited saying: "Mumy, Mommy, we don't have to die." Hush child! We all have to die! But Mommy you don't understand! Jesus just came back to the village a few hours ago and he went to the grave of Lazarus saying the dead person who believes in him even though he dies, he will live again, and the living who believes in him shall never die. So you see, we don't have to die. That is how a child would understand it and believe it. The voice said to me, "that is exactly what Jesus meant and the child would be correct to believe it that way. But the clergy and the seminarians came along saying, yes, Jesus proved his word by raising Lazarus from the grave. But you see, all men beyond that must die.

The voice said that the child would be correct in her/his understanding. We cannot forget that Jesus said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. "John 8:51. The old man in Jerusalem was told that he would not see death, until he had seen the Lord, Christ. He lived until he held the Christ Child in his arms and declared: "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to  lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." Luke 2.29-32. The Lord had said that this man would not die until he had seen the Lord, Christ. And sure enough, he lived long enough to hold the Christ Child in his arms, at which point, he was then ready to pass on in death. In the midst of death during forty years of wilderness sojourn, two men refused to embrace the sentence of death and lived to enter the land of promise. In the midst of national wickedness when death was rampant in the land, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord thus, saved himself and his family.

Be blessed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Brother Kennedy.