The ILLUSION of Choosing BELIEF: Unleashing the TRUE Gospel

We’ve been sold a counterfeit gospel—a flimsy tale of human triumph where faith begins with us. Ask someone when they met Christ, and they’ll point to a moment of personal resolve: “I chose to believe.” It’s a story we cling to, a trophy we polish—belief as our doing, our decision. But that’s a mirage, a hollow lid begging to be blown off. The gospel the apostles preached doesn’t start with man’s will. It starts with God’s decree, surges with the Spirit’s fire, and leaves no room for boasting. It’s time to shake the dust off our boots, let the Lion of the Tribe of Judah roar, and march to the Spirit’s tune.

The Apostolic Gospel: God’s Act, Not Ours

The apostles didn’t peddle a feel-good pitch. They proclaimed a fact: Jesus Christ, sent by God, died for our sins, was buried, and rose on the third day, fulfilling Scripture (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Peter thundered at Pentecost, “Jesus of Nazareth… God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death” (Acts 2:22-24). Paul hammered it home: Christ’s death and resurrection, witnessed and foretold, is the power by which we’re saved (1 Cor. 15:1-8). Philip unpacked Isaiah 53 to the eunuch—Jesus, the suffering servant who bore our iniquities (Acts 8:35). No “Jesus loves you; just believe.” No sentimental hook. They announced God’s victory—Christ crucified, raised, and reigning—and the Spirit took it from there.

Jesus Himself set the pattern when He sent Paul: “Open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18). Open their eyes—whose job is that? The Spirit’s, through an anointed vessel. Belief isn’t the root; it’s the fruit. Paul said it: “My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Cor. 2:4-5). The apostles waited for the Spirit’s move—Peter saw hearts cut at Pentecost (Acts 2:37), Philip discerned the eunuch’s faith after illumination (Acts 8:37), Cornelius’ household spoke in tongues mid-sermon (Acts 10:44-46)—the Spirit didn’t wait for their “yes.” “Believe” wasn’t a command tossed out solo; it came after the Spirit’s visible work. Belief came up few times, always after the Spirit’s visible work—“everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness,” Peter preached (Acts 10:43), but only as the Spirit fell. This is the gospel: God decrees, the Spirit moves, and dead souls rise.

The Lie of Human Initiative

We’ve twisted this into a man-made myth: faith as a personal decision, a rational flex we muster up. But Scripture torches that illusion. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). It’s Genesis 1 all over again—God speaks, light breaks in, and the Spirit hovers. That’s regeneration: the Word decrees, the Spirit acts, and a corpse stirs. Lydia’s heart? “The Lord opened it” (Acts 16:14). The Gentiles? Unlocked by God for the “incorruptible seed” (1 Peter 1:23). A dead man doesn’t choose life—it’s breathed into him first.

Romans 2:4 nails it: “The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.” Not your grit—His kindness. Galatians 6:7 warns, “God is not mocked”—we can’t sow faith and claim we plowed the field. If we wedge ourselves into God’s order, we steal leverage to boast. But Romans 3:27 slams the door: “Where is boasting then? It is excluded… by the law of faith.” Faith’s merit isn’t ours—it’s His. The elect soul doesn’t claw its way to Christ; it’s drawn by the Father, quickened by the Spirit, born anew by the Word. So when someone asks, “Do you believe?” don’t flex your choice. Ask: Who spoke light into your darkness?

The Cost of a Counterfeit Gospel

Without the Spirit’s power, men invent their own ways—fabricating ministries, preaching a “different gospel” (Gal. 1:6-7). It’s all noise unless the Holy Ghost drives it: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord” (Zech. 4:6). Jesus told them, “Tarry… until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). That’s the crucible—trying, sanctifying, breaking. You might lose, paying a price for the inheritance in Christ. But it’s easier to jump ahead, build your own stage, and peddle a hollow gospel. Today’s “Jesus loves you, just believe” is a shadow of what the apostles preached—a sales pitch dodging the Spirit’s fire.

How to Do the Gospel Work

The apostles didn’t wing it—they tarried, then proclaimed Christ’s victory, letting the Spirit open eyes. We can’t fake that power. Here’s how to bring the true gospel to every soul:

– Start with Prayer and Tarrying: Wait on the Spirit. No anointing, no impact—seek the fire that breaks yokes (Zech. 4:6).

– Proclaim, Don’t Plead: Declare what God did—Christ died, rose, reigns (1 Cor. 15:3-4). No fluff—just the fact of His lordship (Acts 2:24).

– Discern the Spirit’s Move: Don’t push “believe.” Look for conviction—cut hearts, lit eyes (Acts 2:37; 8:37). The Spirit leads; you follow.

– Tailor the Approach:

  – Idol Worshipper: Show Christ’s empty tomb over dead altars (Acts 17:24-31); pray the Spirit shatters their blindness (Acts 26:18).

  – Atheist: Hit with resurrection evidence (1 Cor. 15:6); let the Spirit pierce their denial (2 Cor. 4:6).

  – Backslider: Call them to the cross they knew (1 John 1:9); pray the Spirit reignites their fire (Rev. 2:4-5).

  – Moralist: Break their self-righteousness—Christ’s death saves, not works (Rom. 3:23-24); let the Spirit convict (John 16:8).

  – Seeker: Feed their hunger with Christ’s truth (Acts 8:35); trust the Spirit to plant the seed (1 Peter 1:23).

– Wait and Work: Some turn fast, some slow—stay Spirit-led, not success-driven (Acts 14:22).

– Seal with Baptism: When faith blooms, baptize them into Christ’s life (Acts 2:38)—the Spirit’s mark, not your win.

This isn’t a script—it’s surrender. The power’s the same for every soul: tarry ‘til you’ve got it, then go.

Let the Lion Roar

The church has slumbered under a diluted gospel, abused by falsehoods that rob grace and sideline the Spirit. No more. The time has come to put things right—to reclaim the apostolic thunder: Christ died, rose, reigns, and the Spirit sets men free. Let the Lion of the Tribe of Judah’s voice reverberate across the earth. Shake the dust off your boots, march to the Spirit’s tune, and watch the captives rise. When they ask, “Do you believe?” don’t nod to your will. Point to the One who woke you up.