In Isaiah, chapter two, verse three, “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” The primary concern of all who come to the Lord should be to know and obey God’s will as citizens of His kingdom. It is important that we who proclaim God’s message take care that our preaching and teaching are the Word of God, based upon the inspired Scriptures as revealed through Christ, the Old Testament prophets, and the New Testament apostles. All people, both the lost and the saved, need to hear God’s truth proclaimed from the lips of those anointed by the Holy Spirit and committed to the righteousness of God’s ways.
All believers and churches are true believers and true churches only so long as they agree with and sincerely strive to follow the New Testament teaching and revelation concerning Christ and the gospel. To reject the New Testament teachings of the apostles is to reject the Lord Himself. Believers and churches must continue the apostolic mission by communicating anew the apostolic message to the world and the church through faithful proclamation and teaching in the power of the Holy Spirit. They must not only believe the apostolic message but also defend and guard it against all distortion or alteration. The apostles’ original revelation, as found in the New Testament, can never be replaced or nullified by later revelation, testimony, or prophecy. To receive teaching of the Word and know the paths of righteousness is one thing. Believers must live it.