Debrecen Messages #1 – Before the Beginning: The Eternal Christ Revealed

We will barely look at the New Testament. We will meet twice, sometimes three times a day. But in my judgment, what we’re getting in the next two months will equal any seminary education. To my knowledge, I am the first person in church history who has a seminary education, who is also outside the organized church, and who has gotten into a position of leadership. I am also the only person I know in church history who ever became popular as a writer and was outside the organized church.

I mean popular. I don’t mean they were simply read. And I really don’t know what to do with that fact—it bothers me a great deal that this has happened.

But maybe what you hear during these next few weeks will help to undo that popularity. I will give you everything I can to show you the Lord Jesus Christ.

And then I’m going to curl up my toes and die one of these days, and all that’s going to be left is this funny-looking video with two hands showing and a beard. By the way, that’s just one day’s growth.

A little louder, fellas—don’t let me get away with that. This waits for some young man I’ve never met, maybe some young lady I’ve never met, someone who’s not even born yet. It waits for you to see. But quite frankly, I’m hoping that what’s done in this little room in the next two months will someday be part of a motion that will cause—not a reformation, maybe not a revolution—but a revolt that will bring us back to first things.

Where do you begin, brothers? If we were going to do a commentary, we would begin with Genesis—and that would be a terrible, terrible mistake. If we were going to do a life of Christ, we would start with John 1:1, which says, “In the beginning was the Word”—and that would be a terrible mistake. If we began with Genesis 1:1, it would be a terrible mistake.

“In the beginning, God.” By the way, if we began in the epistles, we would begin with Romans, which would be a  disaster, and you’re going to understand what that means before these weeks are over. 

If you were going to start talking to new believers, where would you begin?

And I’ve asked that question myself many times. I came up with words like, well, to believe, to do this, to do that. To introduce them to something called “life,” because it’s used so often in the New Testament.

I’ve wrestled with these questions. Now we’ll just come to a departure here. 

I don’t know if any of you will ever minister—this brother will, I’m certain of that. Unless he gets hit by a truck—or something else, like going off drinking booze. I’m not giving this to you in the way that I’m hoping someday you will preach it. Or teach it. Please don’t ever do what I’m doing. I’m going to give you places to go, directions, and you have the privilege of a lot of personal discovery for yourself.

On the other hand, what I’m doing is not a bad way to go at it. I just – I never have. I hope you never will. I’m not sharing what I’m sharing for you to repeat. I’m sharing what I’m sharing for you to understand where you begin. All of you heard me give that answer right here in this room two years ago.