Here is a quote I found recently about evangelizing:
“Go forth for the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world. Let no two of you go in the same direction. Teach the truth which is beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle and beautiful at the end. Proclaim both the letter and the spirit of the holy life completely fulfilled and perfectly pure.”
It might come as a surprise but this is reportedly spoken by Siddhartha Gautama otherwise known as the Buddha. Sending out missionaries is nothing new… Every religion on earth has sent out evangelists and missionaries, some to share the truth and even some who converted others at the blade of the sword.
The word missionary comes from the Latin ”missio” word which means “to send.” In his ministry Joshua ben Joseph sent out 70 evangelists as well as his core of 12 apostles. But what were they teaching? According to most Christians the good news is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins but how was it possible for Jesus and his apostles to be teaching this message when Jesus had not died yet?
On more than one occasion Joshua was asked how to inherit eternal life. On one occasion he responded by reciting the parable of the good Samaritan and telling the inquiring scribe to “go and do likewise.”
Joshua also taught at least 25 parables about the kingdom of heaven and any careful examination of these parables might make one conclude that what Christianity is teaching and what Joshua taught are two different things. Nothing much has changed in 2000 years except we have a monolithic multi-denominational institution of over 2 billion followers instead of a nation of Jewish rabbis to contend with.
I had a couple people approach me recently and they insisted I had to join their church and read their book in order to be one of the chosen. Another fervent believer told me I had to speak in tongues to be saved and another said that one needed to be baptized to have salvation.
I am glad that I follow Joshua ben Joseph who taught that salvation is by faith. We believe in an invisible God and a future paradise in a place called eternity that is far beyond our comprehension and understanding. He taught that God is the Father of all humanity. Doesn’t that take a little bit of faith? Just some thoughts...Happy Saturday 👍❤️
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