INTRODUCTION:
It’s about 2 yrs. have passed when I DENIED myself, CARRIED my OWN CROSS and FOLLOWED Jesus CHRIST! I encountered a lot of TRIALS that TESTED my FAITH, endurance, patience, self-control, humility & forgiveness. I learned to FOCUS in PURSUING my CALLING and not to ENTERTAIN my NEGATIVE thoughts and feelings. The Lord Jesus CHRIST DEFENDS me from my ACCUSER and CRITIQUES. “So I learned to TURN the other cheek when they STRIKE me.” Every TRIAL, I feel that I am so WEAK, NOTHING & USELESS. So I cry to God for help, “My God, I have had enough, I can’t do this on my OWN!”
“F-A-S-T” WAY to ATTAIN the FULL MEASURE of CHRIST!
F - FEAR of the LORD
A - ASK in FAITH
S - SUBMIT to God’s WAY
T - TRUST God’s PROMISES
FEAR of the LORD:
I learned that DISCIPLESHIP is not MANDATORY! DISCIPLESHIP should not be MOTIVATED by FEAR. Let me ILLUSTRATE my LIFE, when I was in the ENGINEERING, I was DOMINATED by FEAR! I wasn’t STUDYING to LEARN, rather I was STUDYING because of FEAR of FAILING, THINKING of what people SAY and UNEMPLOYMENT! It’s like this: “Get GOOD GRADE and TOP the BOARD exam, to SECURE a JOB.” This is the TRADITIONAL EDUCATION! "The MORE I FEAR, the MORE I FAILED!" It took 6 yrs. for me without even FINISHING my Engineering. I became a DELINQUENT student and an ULTIMATE DROP-OUT!
Then, I shifted to the world of TEACHER EDUCATION. We had a subject “Natural Science.” I found that, out of millions of GIGANTIC and BEAUTIFUL PLANETS in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE”, the CREATOR had CHOSEN this DESOLATE, CHAOTIC, DARK and TINY PLANET, called EARTH to CREATE MANKIND. Yes! I got the “FEAR of the LORD.” In other words, “REVERENT AWE for the CREATOR”. This is the POSITIVE FEAR, w/c literally means, REVERENCE, MARVEL, WONDER and AMAZEMENT! The“FEAR of the LORD.” gave me the HUNGER to SEARCH the CREATOR of the ENTIRE UNIVERSE in the Bible. Therefore, DISCIPLESHIP is for those who WILLINGLY RESPONDED to their PERSONAL CALLING in the KINGDOM of God, and those that are “OPEN-MINDED” and WILLING to LEARN.
In my PURSUIT of the KINGDOM of God, I SAW how the CHURCH was DIVIDED! They OPPOSE each other and CRITICIZE each other! But I found, they ALL MEET in ONE POSITION: “Jesus CHRIST is COMING BACK!” While I was enrolled in the TEACHER EDUCATION, I took the subject, “World Religion and Cults”. Then, God showed how Satan works in the LIFE of people, even to the BODY of CHRIST! Satan is busy in doing his work, injecting“VIRUSES”! Such as, NEGATIVE FEAR, WORRY, DOUBT, JEALOUSY, UNFORGIVENESS, SELFISHNESS, LUST, “LOVE of MONEY” and PRIDE in the HEARTS or MINDS of people. Satan is also busy in doing his COUNTERFEIT gospels! So, most people, even Christians, are still a PRISONER of DARKNESS, most of them are those with “INFERIORITY Complex”, “CRAB Mentality”, “COLONIAL Mentality”, “SLAVE Mentality”, “SUFFERING Mentality” and “POVERTY Mentality” Most of them are “PEOPLE PLEASERS!” Why? They are DOMINATED by FEAR.There is NO FREEDOM at all! This is a CURSE! The GOOD NEWS is, “We are REDEEMED from the CURSE! Jesus PAID in FULL!” Amen! We are the HEAD, not the TAIL! We ALL KNOW that Jesus CHRIST WON the VICTORY over SATAN, VICTORY over SIN and VICTORY over DEATH. IT IS FINISHED! Satan is a DEFEATED FOE! WE’RE FREE!
We ALL KNOW that NEGATIVE FEAR is for demons, they FEAR or TREMBLE w/ TERROR in the PRESENCE and JUDGEMENT of the LORD. Why does some Christians are still AFRAID of the COMING JUDGEMENT. I was once, ONE of THEM! Why? It is because of the CONTERFEIT gospels that were preached to us!
I remember the story of MARATHON, Phaedippas ran about 42 kilometers just to proclaim the word, “Nike” (which means VICTORY), and then he DIED. The word, “Nike” was so much VALUABLE for Phaedippas, even to the point of his DEATH. It was a GOOD NEWS to INSPIRE, ENCOURAGE and COMFORT the HOPELESS Athenians. And we know that the GOOD NEWS of Jesus CHRIST is summed as, “IT IS FINISHED!”, “PAID in FULL”, “He was RAISED from the DEAD”, “He is ALIVE”, “He is seated at the RIGHT HAND of God”, or “ALL AUTHORITY is GIVEN to Him” Remember Stephen? He DECLARED, even to the POINT of DYING, that he SAW the “Son of Man, standing in HONOR at God’s RIGHT HAND.” Surely, this caused Saul of Tarsus to have the “FEAR of the LORD.” This GOOD NEWS TRANSFORMED him, to what he became the GREAT Apostle Paul! Simple, but POWERFUL, But why do we COMPLICATE and CONFUSE the GOSPEL of CHRIST? And we, even CREATE DIVISION! We ALL KNOW, Satan is the author of “CONFUSION and DIVISION”. We also know that Jesus CHRIST is waiting until His ENEMIES will BOW under His FEET and SUBMIT to His SOVEREIGN RULE. This is the SUMMARY of the GOSPEL of the KINGDOM of God. This is more said in the book of Acts.
OPEN our HEART & MIND, so that we can RECEIVE the “NEW WINE!” Don’t be like the HYPOCRITES! Let’s HUMBLE ourselves and have the “DEPENDENT ATTITUDE” towards God, so that the FRESH DOSE of ANOINTING be POURED out! Then, “GREAT REVIVAL”, “SPIRITUAL AWAKENING”, “TIMES of REFRESHING” and “TREMENDOUS OUTPOURING” of the Holy Spirit will come! So that the people will SEE the GLORIOUS WORKS of the LORD and the RADIANCE of God’s GLORY will SHINE on us! Then people shall WITNESS that TRULY, our LORD is ALIVE! That our LORD is AMAZING, AWESOME, GREAT, GOOD & NICE God. So that the “FEAR of the LORD.” shall MANIFEST in every NATIONS! Then, EVERY KNEE shall BOW and EVERY TONGUE shall CONFESS that “Jesus CHRIST is LORD!”
2. ASK in FAITH:
Isn’t it that “Without FAITH, it is IMPOSSIBLE to PLEASE God?” And the Bible says“According to your FAITH, you shall RECEIVE?” “For with God, NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE.” Amen! But it is WRITTEN, “Don’t TEMPT the LORD!” Yes! God is able to do EVERYTHING, but EVERYTHING that is in AGREEMENT to His WORD. For “FAITH comes by HEARING, and HEARING by ‘the WORD’ of God.” According to the Scripture, “Jesus CHRIST is the AUTHOR of our FAITH.” “In whom are HIDDEN ALL the TREASURES of WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE, POWER and MYSTERY of God,” Amen! If Jesus CHRIST is “the WORD”, therefore our FAITH is not based on our FEELING, EMOTION, MIGHT and UNDERSTANDING, but FAITH comes from the LORD Jesus CHRIST, Himself, through the REVELATION of the Holy Spirit!
On October 27, 2010, God said, “Let there be LIGHT”, there was LIGHT! That day was the TURNING POINT of my LIFE! God’s UNCONDITIONAL LOVE and the PINNACLE OF GRACE were LAVISHED to a SINNER like me. Then after, I continued to SEEK Him until I SAW the KINGDOM of God! I was BORN AGAIN! My LIFE was TRANSFORMED! When God REVEALED His SON to me, I locked myself in my room, PRAYED in the SPIRIT, I ASKED God to give me a FRESH REVELATION of “the WORD” so that the PURPOSE and PLAN of God become CRYSTAL CLEAR. Indeed! My VISION became CLEAR! “MANKIND was RECONCILED in ACCORDANCE with the LAW of LOVE and ALL THINGS were GATHERED in ONE under the AUTHORITY of CHRIST.” Because, “LOVE, BINDS ALL THINGS together in PERFECT UNITY and HARMONY.” according to the Scriptures. So, our MISSION shall be, “GROWING in GRACE, and in the KNOWLEDGE of God’s LOVE through CHRIST: ‘To share the GOOD NEWS of Jesus CHRIST to the BROKENHEARTED; To proclaim the GOSPEL of the KINGDOM of God to the NATIONS; And to MAKE the NAME of Jesus CHRIST KNOWN to the ENDS of the WORLD.’ PREPARING the WAY for the 2nd Coming of CHRIST, SEEKING His FACE!”
Did you know that Jesus CHRIST is a NEWSCASTER? His NAME, “the WORD”, implies that the CREATOR of the ENTIRE UNIVERSE is focused on PUBLICATION. That’s why, we have the WRITTEN LAW of Moses, the Psalms, the Prophets and the Letters of the Apostles. Therefore, “The WORD” was made FLESH to PROCLAIM the GOOD NEWS, not to CONDEMN the SINNERS!
3. SUBMIT to God’s WAY:
On April 10, last year, during the PINNACLE of my EMOTION, I tried to WRITE my unforgettable EXPERIENCE of witnessing a plane crash at Camp John Hay and my WATER BAPTISM, on April 21, last yr. Praise God! I found myself WRITING! When I was in the ENGINEERING, I hated WRITING! Why? Because I can’t even construct a SINGLE SENTENCE in my OWN WORDS. But God’s GRACE is ABUNDANT, that He taught me to WRITE MY LIFE. Then on June 5, last year, I WROTE my 1st GREAT TESTIMONY on how God CALLED me to do His GREAT PURPOSE. Then, I continued to WRITE my GREAT TESTIMONIES on how I OVERCAME the Devil. Until I realized, that MY TRANSFORMATION is being RECORDED through the Inspiration & GUIDANCE of the Holy Spirit. No DOUBT! God has PREPARED a SUPERNATURAL MISSION for me to accomplish. As my name, “Armstrong” implies, God CHOSE me before I was BORN! What UNDESERVED MERCY that CHRIST DIED for a SINNER like me and GAVE me ETERNAL LIFE. In other WORDS, God WORKED it out for my OWN BENEFIT for the SAKE of Jesus CHRIST.
4. TRUST God’s PROMISES:
I and my dad decided to PREACH only the FINISHED WORK of CHRIST on the CROSS, His SUFFERING, the SHEDDING of His BLOOD and His RESURRECTION. Focusing to the UNCHANGING LOVE of God in CHRIST, His VICTORY over SATAN, SIN and DEATH. Yes! “We RECEIVED the GOOD NEWS for FREE, we want to SHARE it FREE!” God gave me HOPE by His PROMISES! So I SUBMITTED to the PROPHETIC MESSAGE of a “FATHER begetting a SON”. Such as Lamech, saying, “Noah will bring us RELIEF”, Terah, saying, “Abram will become an EXALTED FATHER”, King David, saying, “The Lord LOVED him… Solomon will COMPLETE what I STARTED”. And of course, our HEAVENLY FATHER, saying, “This is my SON, in whom I Am well PLEASED.” This shall be FULFILLED in CHRIST!
God had reminded the Apostle Paul, who is also “The THEOLOGIAN of the CROSS.”PLEADING his case for the GOSPEL of CHRIST to the Athenians. Paul continued to PRESS ON in spite of his SUFFERING, ANXIETY, DISCOURAGEMENT and TRIALS. He was a GREAT PREACHER/TEACHER but they called him a “babbler”. Athenians during his time were PHILOSOPHERS. They were UNTEACHABLE and PROUD. It proves that they didn’t LISTEN to him. It seems like, he was talking NONSENSE. They didn’t CARE about the GOOD NEWS of Jesus CHRIST. They didn’t CARE about the GOSPEL of the KINGDOM of God. They didn’t CARE about God’s Will. They DESPISED the WORD of God. They DESPISED WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE and REVELATION. They didn’t LISTEN to the VOICE of God. TheyREJECTED him! But why he still bothered? God SPOKE and said, “Continue to PREACH the GOOD NEWS even if FEW want to RECEIVE it. PREACH it, even if they will LISTEN or not. You must SPEAK my WORD even if they don’t want to HEAR about it. TELL the GOOD NEWS, for it is my POWER to TRANSFORM a LIFE. TELL it when you are UP! TELL it when you are DOWN! TELL it when you are TIRED! TELL it until Satan is TERRIFIED! Tell it! Tell it! Tell it! Go! Tell it!”This is the MESSAGE of God. Hallelujah!
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, it’s a SHAME for me if I will not PROCLAIM the GOOD NEWS of Jesus CHRIST. So I really need to OPEN my HEART and MIND to LEARN more, because the KINGDOM of God is VERY BROAD! The LORD says, “My people are DESTROYED from LACK of KNOWLEDGE. Where there is NO NEW REVELATION, my people PERISH.” Yes! God’s WAY is MYSTERY! “God’s STORY is still OPEN, don’t CLOSE the BOOK!” LEARNING and UNDERSTANDING the WORD of God never CEASES. Amen! To Him be the GLORY, for ALL ETERNITY! Praise the Lord!
