What they responded to in obedience was “the true message of the gospel.” Three weighty words: “word/message,” “true,” and “gospel,” and translations vary.96 One can translate literally “in the word of the truth of the gospel.” In this instance, we take the words backward because all the weight rests on the word “gospel.”97 Because church folks today understand “gospel” more in terms of how to get saved or simply the saving message, it is especially important for us to refocus our energies on the