A.  How often we use this word, gospel
B.  Do we really understand it and its effect upon the world?

  I.  THE SECRET WORD THAT GOD REVEALS, 1:25, 26

A.  It is from God.
B.  It has been unfolding throughout history.
C.  It is good news for all men.

A.  It has the power of God.
B.  It has the power of truth.
C.  It has the power to bear fruit.

A.  The gospel must dwell in the Christian.
B.  The gospel must be put into action.

    God gradually reveals His truth, like a flower unfolding.  It is not like the night-blooming cereus that opens only in the darkness and is seen by few.  It is not like the century plant that opens so rarely and is seen so seldom.  It is not like the morning glory that opens at dawn and is shut by noonday.  God's revelation gradually unfolded; but it is now open for all to see.  You may read the Bible night or day.  At any time, in any place, you may look upon the beauty of God's opening of His heart to man.
 

    "The pen is mightier than the sword."  It's a familiar quotation.  History has proven that it is true. Communism rules half the world today. Communism was advanced by the pen.  Two documents, Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital, changed the world.   It was the writing of Marx, Engles, and Lenin that put Communism on the map.  If the written word of man is that powerful, how much more powerful must be the written Word of God!
 

    Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is one of the world's loveliest churches.  There are four stained-glass windows.  The east window is over the altar and depicts Jerusalem. T he north window gets very little sun; so it depicts the Old Testament, when there was only a little spiritual light from God.  The south window gets the most light; so it depicts Jesus, the Light of the world.  The west window faces the sunset; so it depicts the end of the world.  Notice that as we move from Old Testament to New, we move from darkness to light.  With each generation, God shed more light on our path till the New Testament was completed and we could truly "walk in the light."
 

    In commercial orchards, the setting of the fruit is no longer left to nature.  When the tree is in just the right stage of bloom, the orchard is sprayed.  The spray sets the fruit, and there is a better harvest.  We often wonder why our lives are barren and unfruitful.  We need God's Word in our lives to enable us to bear fruit.  Only the gospel can do it.
 

    He was an adult trying to learn Spanish.  Whenever he saw a new book on the subject, he bought it.  Wherever he found records on learning the language, he bought them.  He owned every book in print on the subject of learning Spanish.  He seemed to think that if he bought enough books, he would learn the language.  A minister visited once in the home of a spasmodic church attender.  He found scores of books on religion.  She brought them out by the armful.  Apparently, she thought that if she owned books about Christ, she would be a Christian.  Certainly, no one disputes the value of Christian books.  Still, it is not the books we own that help us, but the books we read.