A Gospel Message for Evangelists

Hard Questions and Simple Answers for Modern Christian Teachers

Executive Summary

Christian evangelists and teachers labor under serious

misconceptions that encumber the delivery of their most important
message – the gospel that Jesus taught and lived. This article
answers the primary question that all evangelists should ask
themselves. It provides an altar call, profession of faith, and
commitment to action that will bring new and old converts into the
new light of Jesus' Gospel.

by Bob Hurt
Copyright © 2007. All Rights Reserved
2460 Persian Drive #70
Clearwater, Florida 33763 USA
+1 (727) 657-3754
http://bobhurt.com

4 September 2007
A Gospel Message for Evangelists by Bob Hurt

Contents

A Hard Question for All Christians .......................................................................... 1

What is the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven?....................................................... 1
What Do the Scriptures Say about the Gospel? ...................................................... 2
Summary of the Main Teachings of Jesus.............................................................5
Spiritual Darkness and How to See the Light ......................................................... 6
Traditional Wrong Teachings............................................................................... 6
The Great Commission Versus the Atonement Doctrine......................................7
Philosophic Problems with Sacrificial Atonement ..........................................7
Divine Efforts to Eliminate Sacrifice .............................................................. 8
Obligation to Truth ..........................................................................................9
How to Bear Spiritual Fruit in Your Ministry ......................................................... 9
Our Nature Requires Us to Bear Spiritual Fruit .................................................. 9
How Can You Walk the Talk of Jesus?................................................................10
Answer the Call of the Gospel Today...................................................................... 11
Summary and Conclusion.......................................................................................12

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A Hard Question for All Christians

Do you know the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus taught and lived?

Would it surprise you to know that typical Christians do not?

If you fancy yourself an evangelist, perhaps you can see the sense in learning the
gospel before you decide to share it with others.

Yes, you hard-core teachers, preachers, evangelists, deacons, elders, and Sunday
School teachers out there, I address YOU.

What is the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven?

Learn the actual gospel Jesus taught. Then share it with others as he did..

1. What is the Kingdom of Heaven?

The kingdom of heaven consists in these three essentials:

a. Recognition of the fact of the sovereignty of God;

b. Belief in the truth of sonship with God;

c. Faith in the effectiveness of the supreme human desire to do the

will of God--to be like God.

2. What constitutes the Gospel, the actual “good news?”

a. By faith every mortal may have all the above essentials

of salvation.

b. In his teachings and his manner of living Jesus focused on the

above points of the Kingdom of Heaven, and on the importance of
“bearing spiritual fruit” in one’s life. He made it clear that eternal
life comes automatically to those who embrace the gospel, and that
high status in heaven comes to those who bear spiritual fruits. He
plainly claimed that we must love God and our fellows, and forgive
those who trespass against us.

c. Jesus worked throughout his public ministry to encourage people to

show our Heavenly Father’s wise and loving nature to others
through the way we live our lives and treat others. He openly
proclaimed that all of us have the status of “Sons of God.” He
revealed through his own life that Sons of God, through sincerity,
do grow spiritually ever more to resemble like their Heavenly
Father.

3. Jesus and his apostles taught the following gospel principles:

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a. The kingdom of heaven exists here and now.

b. By faith in the fatherhood of God you may enter the kingdom of

heaven, thereby becoming the Sons of God.

c. Love rules life within the kingdom--supreme devotion to God while

loving your fellow as yourself.

d. The law of the kingdom consists of obedience to the Father’s will,

yielding the fruits of the spirit in one's personal life.

What Do the Scriptures Say about the Gospel?

Recall these pivotal scriptures from the 1611 King James Bible:

Matthew 5:14-16. Ye are the light of the world. A city that

is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a
candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;
and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father

which is in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 6:9-15. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our

Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us
our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses.

Matthew 10:42. And whosoever shall give to drink unto

one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the
name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no
wise lose his reward.

Matthew 18:1-6. At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus,
saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus
called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And
said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the
kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble
himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the

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kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such

little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall
offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were
better for him that a millstone were hanged about his
neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 23:8-12. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your

Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your
father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And
whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall
humble himself shall be exalted.

Mark 9:33-40. And he came to Capernaum: and being in the

house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among
yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way
they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any
man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and
servant of all. And he took a child, and set him in the
midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he
said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such
children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall
receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. And
John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils
in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because
he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is
no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can
lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on
our part.

Luke 12:42-44. And the Lord said, Who then is that

faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler
over his household, to give them their portion of meat in
due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when
he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you,
that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

Luke 22:24-29. And there was also a strife among them, which of
them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The
kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and
they that exercise authority upon them are called
benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest
among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief,
as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that
sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at
meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. Ye are they

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which have continued with me in my temptations. And I

appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed
unto me;

Luke 10:25-28. And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and

tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest
thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as
thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this
do, and thou shalt live.

Matthew 22:35-40. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked

him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the
great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Mark 12:28-34. And one of the scribes came, and having heard
them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered
them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And
Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is,
Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:
this is the first commandment. And the second is like,
namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
There is none other commandment greater than these.
And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the
truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to
love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with
all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as
himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And
when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him,
Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after
that durst ask him any question.

John 13:34-35. A new commandment I give unto you, That

ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love
one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my
disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Matthew 7:15-21 Beware of false prophets, which come to

you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening

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wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather

grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good
tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth
forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and
cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know
them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the
will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 28:16-20 (The Great Commission) Then the eleven

disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had
appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but
some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world. Amen.

Mark 16:14-19 (The Great Commission) Afterward he

appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them
with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not
them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto
them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And
these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name
shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new
tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any
deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands
on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had
spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the
right hand of God.

Summary of the Main Teachings of Jesus

As you can see from the red words, Jesus’ theme consisted of encouragement to:

1. embrace one’s Sonship with God through childlike faith,

2. love God and one’s fellows, and

3. live loyally according to the Father’s will.

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Without question, Jesus commanded his followers in his “Great Commission” to

teach his gospel and commands, not those of any other person.

Spiritual Darkness and How to See the Light

Teachers, preachers, parents, and others try to help children form an
understanding of human life and the universe we live in. In other words, they
program children regarding their view of reality. If children behave as though
they refuse to accept that view, others punish them. As children grow up,
employers and governments continue programming them. By adulthood, a
person has suffered sufficient programming or brainwashing by influential
people so that they will reasonably fulfill society’s expectations.

Unfortunately, many influencers program children badly, and continue that bad
programming into adulthood. The new adults, badly programmed, then badly
program others around them, including children. Go back to the scriptures above
and read Matthew 18:1-6 several times, and ponder the meaning.

Every adult has personal responsibility to act according to fact and reason, not
according to bad programming. So, the angels do not let you off the hook if you
continue to follow bad programming or if you badly program children or others
around you. You must look to your own programming, and correct errors of the
past, no matter how difficult. You have no choice unless you wish to plod
through life like a robot or automaton doing the bidding of others without any
sense of responsibility for yourself.

What does this mean in the context of religious beliefs?

Traditional Wrong Teachings

It means your teachers taught you wrongly if they taught you anything that
differs from the above-rendered teachings of and by Jesus.

First of all, they taught you that every word in the bible constitutes the word of
God. But Jesus did not teach such an idea, and in fact, many times he rebuked
the faulty interpretation of scripture. Modern science also rebukes some of the
concepts about creation. Honest students will admit that the bible contains
numerous apparent inconsistencies, contradictions, and errors of fact, and most
of it reads like a collection of history lessons. Your teachers did not tell you to see
the bible as a banquet table laid with a feast, and that you should not eat the
plates and tablecloth or consume that part of the food prepared by ignorant,
superstitious, primitive cooks.

Second, they taught you that all of the authors of bible teachings had equal
authority. They did not teach you that as our creator, Jesus had more authority
than all of the other authors and teachers put together, and that you should
believe him over all others, particularly over his deluded followers.

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The Great Commission Versus the Atonement Doctrine

Read the Great Commission in the words of the last excerpts from Matthew and
Luke above. They command the apostles to preach Jesus’ gospel and Jesus’
commands to every creature in every nation. They do not order the apostles to
preach their own conflicting and conflicted ideas, nor those of people like Paul
who never heard Jesus preach or teach.

Unfortunately, many, if not most, Christian evangelists have forgotten the Great
Commission in their rush to save souls. They have a long way to go before they
learn to obey it. They tend to impress upon people the atonement doctrine - the
idea that people have a sin nature inherited from Adam and Eve. They stress that
only the blood of Jesus can wash away people’s sins if (and only if) people accept
on faith that Jesus died on the cross sacrificially to save them from their sins.

Most Christian evangelists fail to inform their flocks that the atonement doctrine
flies in the face of both logic and Jesus’ direct, unequivocal teachings throughout
his 4-year public ministry. Go ahead and search your red-word scriptures and
you will find only three amorphous, oblique, indirect references to any such
notions. The life and teachings of Jesus do not support the atonement doctrine.

Should evangelists ignore the crystal clear gospel message of Jesus so as to

embrace the pagan-origin atonement doctrine concepts of the efficacy of
sacrifice?

Philosophic Problems with Sacrificial Atonement

All such evangelists who have forgotten the real instructions in the Great
Commission would do well to stay mindful of these facts:

1. Authority - Jesus taught his Gospel on orders from the Father himself.

2. Chronology - Jesus started teaching the Gospel early in his public

ministry (see Matthew 5), but he did not mention his death till just a few
months before it occurred; even then he told his apostles to keep quiet
about it. Thus, the fact, nature, and manner of his death had nothing to do
with the Gospel.

3. Abhorrence - Jesus abhorred sacrifice. He rejected sacrificial meat at

his last Passover feast. He drove money changers and their associated
sacrificial beasts out of the temple. He agreed that love means more than
all the burnt offerings. And he instituted the bread and wine sacrament as
a substitute and symbol in order to wean his apostles off the practice of
sacrifice.

4. Logic and Consistency - Our immutable Heavenly Father would

contradict himself had he ordered his children not to murder one another,
and then ordered the murder of his own perfect son, a being nearly his
equal, for the paltry sins of his other, wayward children. Our Heavenly

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Father does not, never has, and never will murder or conspire in the
murder of his children. In spite of all tales to the contrary, our Heavenly
Father has a loving, not a murderous nature.

5. Bribery - Even though God needs nothing that man could sacrifice to
him, people have tended to sacrifice perfect, living creatures since before
the times of Melchizedek in order to appease God. Such sacrifices
amounted to nothing more than bold-faced bribes, for they served as an
effort to buy God’s favor and forgiveness when God only wanted
righteousness. No sacrifice ever could bribe God or stand as a substitute
for righteous behavior.

6. Money - The priesthood perpetuated the sacrifice and tithing rituals in

order to sustain priests who did no productive work, and to amass wealth.
At the end of Jesus’ life on this world, the Temple rulers had the equivalent
of 50 million dollars’ in the Temple treasury, and they used it to maintain
an iron-fisted grip on Jewish society. They could, would, and did ostracize
those who refused to pay tithes or Temple taxes and make ritual sacrifices,
and it ruined their lives.

7. Alienation - Rather than drawing people to the gospel and the love of
God and fellow man, the atonement doctrine alienates people and drives
them away from the religion of Jesus. It makes children distrust and fear
God. As just one example, the atonement doctrine and other practices that
grew up around the mysteries of Jesus birth and death contributed
mightily to the rise of Islam in the 7th century. For proof of this, Christian
evangelists should take note of the negative comments the proponents of
other religions offer about Christianity.

Divine Efforts to Eliminate Sacrifice

Most Christians seem to have forgotten (if they ever knew) the monumental
efforts made by great religious leaders to wean people from the practice of
sacrificing creatures in an effort to bribe God for his favor.

1. Abraham would have murdered his own son Isaac in keeping with the
pagan traditions of sacrificing the first-born son.

2. 500 years later, Moses finally eliminated the practice of giving up the first-
born son either to a sacrificial death or the priesthood. He did that by
instituting the Ransom program whereby the father could pay a ransom to
the priesthood in exchange for keeping the first-born son, and keeping him
alive.

3. 1500 years later, Jesus finally eliminated the practice of animal sacrifice by
replacing it with the bread and wine ritual.

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Obligation to Truth
Christianity has retained more of the gospel truths than any other religion, but
many Christians give the above “real” gospel short shrift because they have
instead embraced Paul’s personal religious philosophy (the above atonement
doctrine). The greatest imaginable benefit will come to the world if evangelists
abandon the atonement doctrine once and for all and give new life to the original
gospel of the kingdom of heaven that Jesus taught and lived. That act would
breathe new life into Christianity and open Christianity to the embrace of nearly
all religionists on this world. And it would constitute the only way to fulfill the
Great Commission.

Remember that the atonement doctrine frightens children and makes them think
of God as untrustworthy and disloyal. A good evangelist should never tell anyone
anything about the atonement doctrine, for it will only distract, confuse, and
mislead. Besides, if Jesus had wanted us to propound Paul’s atonement
philosophy, he would have clearly told us to do so.

And, as you know, he did not.

How to Bear Spiritual Fruit in Your Ministry

You can bear more spiritual fruit by focusing on the positive, ennobling, uplifting,
encouraging teachings of Jesus, both in how you live and in how you teach others.

“Spiritual fruit” means “demonstrate your nature as a Son of God through love,
mercy, and ministry.” We start as children interested only in our own physical
gratification. With proper guidance by adult associates, we mature into people
who show our Heavenly Father’s loving, wise nature to others through the way we
live.

Our Nature Requires Us to Bear Spiritual Fruit

Just as a tree bears seasonal fruit in its maturity, so must we. We have that
nature. Operating as a son or daughter of God requires bearing spiritual fruit. Both
John the Baptist, before Jesus, and the Apostle Paul, after Jesus, recognized this when
they said:

Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of
the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth
good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,

peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

And as to your obligations to bring forth spiritual fruit, Jesus said this:

Matthew 7:15-21 Beware of false prophets, which come to

you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening

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wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather

grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good
tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth
forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and
cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know
them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the
will of my Father which is in heaven.

Evangelists should have the discernment to recognize the importance of

spreading the good news of Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom of heaven even among
today’s Christians, and among non-Christians as well. A good evangelist will do
these things both in word and in personal living:

1. Remind fellow Christians of the sovereignty and love of God as our

Heavenly Father, and encourage them to love him and seek to be like him.

2. Remind fellow Christians of their status as “sons and daughters of God,”

and let them know that they have the obligation to show our Heavenly
Father’s love and wisdom to others as brothers and sisters should.

3. Remind fellow Christians that their effort to know, love, and become like
God amounts to a pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness, and that they
must manifest those principles through love, mercy and ministry, just as
Jesus did.

4. Tell fellow Christians that the more they strive to know, live, and become
like God, the more they do reflect God’s wise and loving nature in their
behavior and their relationships.

5. Tell fellow Christians of their single, most important purpose of life: to

develop a well-balanced and majestic personality.

How Can You Walk the Talk of Jesus?

To tell the truth, I suffered decades of twisted spiritual agony, unable to reconcile
the concepts of Jesus’ teachings about God’s love with my Baptist preachers’
teachings about God’s hate, hell fire and damnation, and everlasting torture
which I would experience if I did not believe Jesus died on the cross to save me
from my sins.

I had a hard time overcoming the prejudices jammed into my psyche by pulpit-
pounding preachers who exhorted me and others to accept the apostle Paul’s
religious philosophy in the name of Jesus. They made me fear I would burn in
hell, even though that idea defied the common sense teachings of Jesus.

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One day, I merely decided to start believing the direct, unequivocal teachings of
Jesus himself, rather than those alternate teachings of his followers, including my
parents, Sunday School teachers, preachers, and television evangelists. I re-
studied Jesus’s teachings. I took them to heart. I embraced them intellectually.

After decades of suffering the browbeating of ignorant men and women who
simply would not trust the red words of Jesus, I realized that I could live my
religion, the religion of Jesus, much more easily if I focused on the spiritually
delicious teachings in those red words.

You can do the same. And you should, even if it scares you half to death. Then
you should teach them to others with a new light of understanding.

Answer the Call of the Gospel Today

If you have a fundamentalist Christian background, you can in your own mind,
walk down the aisle of new understanding, and say to the Pastor of all pastors
standing before the congregation:

“Lord Jesus, I accept your original gospel as my own, and so with

full faith, I wholeheartedly embrace my sonship with God.

“I shall henceforth go about my life in devotion to our Heavenly

Father’s will.

“I shall let sincerity and devotion to truth, beauty, and goodness

guide my steps.

“I shall bear spiritual fruit by loving myself and others as our you
and our Father love me, by ministering unselfishly, lovingly, and
with common sense to my fellows, and by finding joy in every part
of life.

“I shall master self-restraint and propriety, and vigorously act when

I should.

“I shall grow in majesty and balance of personality. I shall grow in

spiritual power. I shall become my soul in loyalty to the principles
your spirit teaches me.

“I shall lead others to you and your salvation through love,

forgiveness, and unselfish, loving service.”

You can say those words and mean them without violating any vestige of your
Christian heritage or upbringing. You do not need to focus your attention on any
uncomfortable negative feelings. You simply focus on the gospel Jesus taught
and lived, and irreversibly decide to teach and live it yourself.

Can you think of any reason not to do that this moment?

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Summary and Conclusion

I have shown in this article, directly from the words of Jesus himself, the one
authority all Christians should respect and follow, the true nature of the Gospel of
the Kingdom of God, the spiritual danger of teaching the atonement doctrine as
though it constituted the gospel, and the importance of bearing spiritual fruit so
as to develop a well-balanced and majestic personality. I have encouraged you,
the Evangelist, to walk the talk of Jesus, and through your ministry to encourage
others to do the same.

I invite all feedback and comment, for the truths I have espoused herein can
easily withstand honest investigation. Send feedback through my contact form at
my web site or the mailing address on the title page.

Meanwhile, I wish our Heavenly Father’s guidance and blessings on your

ministry.

Bob Hurt

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