“You belong to God, my dear children.
You HAVE ALREADY WON your FIGHT
with these false prophets, because the
SPIRIT WHO LIVES in you is GREATER
than the spirit who lives in the world.”
(1 John 4:4, NLT)
Who are we, but a DIRTY WORM from the dust of the ground? “I am a MAN OF UNCLEAN LIPS, and I DWELL IN THE MIDST of a PEOPLE OF UNCLEAN LIPS…” (Isaiah 6:5). We don’t deserve to ENTER the KINGDOM of God, Heaven’s Most Holy Place. ‘Lo, this hath touched thy LIPS; and thine INIQUITY IS TAKEN AWAY [Guilt is Removed, NLT], and thy SIN PURGED [Atoned, NIV].’ This was FULFILLED by the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the GRACE of God! UNMERITED FAVOR of the LOVING God.
The word "PURGE", literally means, "to WIPE OUT," "to ERASE”. It is often translated "to make ATONEMENT," "FORGIVE," "PARDON," and "RECONCILE." Through Christ’s DEATH on the CROSS, our SIN was PURGED. “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation THROUGH FAITH in His BLOOD, to declare His righteousness for the REMISSIONS of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.” (Romans 3:25).
Jesus “Was WOUNDED for our TRANSGRESSIONS [Disobedience], He was BRUISED for our INIQUITIES: the CHASTISEMENT of our PEACE was upon Him.” (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus served as ATONEMENT for our SINS. This was to FULFILL the Law of Moses. “For the LIFE of the FLESH is in the BLOOD: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an ATONEMENT for your SOULS: for it is the BLOOD that maketh an ATONEMENT for the SOUL.” (Leviticus 17:1). IT IS FINISHED.
Jesus’ came to SAVE HUMANITY! Our SOUL was SAVED from the “ENDLESS PUNISHMENT”. While we were still REBELLIOUS, SINNERS and an ENEMY of God, Jesus Christ came just the RIGHT TIME when we were UNABLE to SAVE ourselves (Romans 5:6-9)! “For if, when WE WERE ENEMIES, we WERE RECONCILED to God by the DEATH of His Son, much more [DELIVERED from ETERNAL PUNISHMENT, NLT], being RECONCILED , we SHALL BE SAVED by His life. (Romans 5:10). I repeat, IT IS FINISHED!
TRUE REPENTANCE:
By the GRACE of God, you are MADE RIGHT, JUSTIFIED, declared NOT GUILTY of your sins THROUGH FAITH in the BLOOD of Jesus. By FAITH in the BLOOD of Jesus, you are made HOLY in the EYES of God. Now that your sins are FORGIVEN, then what? REPENT and TURN from your sinful ways.
REPENTANCE is when you have the DESIRE to TURN from SINFUL WAYS and TURN to God. It is when you are WILLING to LOVE, OBEY and TRUST God with all your HEART. It is when you HUMBLE yourself and ACCEPT that you are a SINNER and God is HOLY. That you are WEAK and God is STRONG. “PROVE by the WAY YOU LIVE that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God. (Luke 3:8,NLT). How? John answered, “I indeed BAPTIZE you with WATER; but ONE MIGHTIER than I cometh… He shall BAPTIZE you with the Holy Ghost and with FIRE.” (Luke 3:16). Baptism of Water is a PUBLIC DECLARATION of showing REPENTANCE. It is the SIMPLEST form of SHOWING OBEDIENCE to God! Now, look!
“This is He that came by WATER and BLOOD, even Jesus Christ; NOT BY WATER ONLY, but by WATER and BLOOD. It is the SPIRIT that beareth WITNESS, because the SPIRIT IS TRUTH. For there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear WITNESS in earth, the SPIRIT, and the WATER, and the BLOOD: and these THREE AGREE IN ONE. If we receive the WITNESS of men, the WITNESS of God is GREATER: for this is the WITNESS of God which he hath TESTIFIED of His Son. (1 John 5:6-9)
So when we say, BORN AGAIN, it includes the BLOOD of Jesus [By FAITH], Baptism of WATER [Repentance], Baptism of HOLY SPIRIT [Conviction]. These three will OPEN your EYES so you can SEE the KINGDOM of God. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be BORN AGAIN, he cannot SEE the KINGDOM of God.” Remember, KINGDOM of God, not Heaven after death. Now that you SEE the KINGDOM of God, you are now a TRUE WITNESS of the KINGDOM of God.
After Baptism of Water, then what? John the Baptist was sent by the Lord Jesus Christ to PREPARE the WAY before Him. After John the Baptist preached REPENTANCE and FORGIVENESS of sins, then what?
RESPOND to the Word of God, follow His WAY of HOLINESS and obey His LAW. From this you can determine yourself if you are TRULY BORN AGAIN! “Being BORN AGAIN, not of corruptible seed, but of INCORRUPTIBLE, by the WORD of God, w/c liveth & abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:23).
On the other hand, what did Jesus mean when He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be BORN of Water [John’s Example] and of the Spirit he cannot ENTER into the KINGDOM of God.” (John 3:5)? Yes, ENTER the KINGDOM of God, not Heaven after death. We maybe die TODAY, but we have the HOPE of RESSURECTION! This was made CLEAR in the following chapter.
What did John the Baptist mean when he said, “He shall BAPTIZE you with the Holy Ghost and with FIRE. (Luke 3:16). Yes! With Fire, In Malachi’s Prophesy, look!
“I will send MY MESSENGER, and He shall PREPARE the WAY BEFORE ME: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall SUDDENLY COME… But who may abide the DAY OF HIS COMING?... who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is LIKE a Refiner’s FIRE and like fullers’ SOAP & He shall sit as a REFINER & PURIFIER of silver… that they may OFFER unto the LORD an OFFERING of RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Malachi 3:1-3).
What’s next after REPENTANCE? The answer is RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS. For the Lord shall be like REFINER’S FIRE and SOAP for CLEANSING, PURIFICATION, REFINEMENT, SANCTIFICATION, CONSECRATION, etc… So that we may OFFER to the LORD and OFFERING of RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS! This shall FULFILL Isaiah’s Prophesy,
“For, behold, the LORD will COME with FIRE,
and with His chariots like a WHIRLWIND [Quick],
to render His ANGER with FURY, and
His REBUKE with flames of FIRE.
For BY FIRE and BY HIS SWORD will
the LORD plead with ALL FLESH:
and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
(Isaiah 66:15-16).
Notice the Bible tells us that the Word of God like a FIRE (Jeremiah 23:29). Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) against Evil rulers and authorities of this world, against those powers of DARKNESS and against WICKED spirits. “For the WORD of God is QUICK, and POWERFULL, and SHARPER than any TWO EDGED SWORD, PEIRCING even to the dividing asunder of SOUL and SPIRIT… and is a DISCERNER of the THOUGHT & INTENTS of the HEART. (Hebrews 4:12). The WORD was LIGHT, so our dark THOUGHTS and INTENTIONS are EXPOSED.
The Word of God shall REBUKE UNCLEAN spirits, NEGATIVE thoughts, NEGATIVE feelings, NEGATIVE emotions, NEGATIVE attitudes and NEGATIVE words, LUSTFUL desires and SELFISH ambition that causes fear, pride, jealousy, greed, anger, self-pity, resentment, etc… These are IMPURITIES of the FLESH that will PASS through the “RIFENER’S FIRE” and be CLEANSED with “SOAP”. This makes CLEAR about the Baptism of Holy Spirit and with Fire.
TRUE WITNESS:
Being BORN AGAIN makes us a TRUE WITNESS of the KINGDOM of God. The Apostles UNDERSTOOD the KINGDOM of God, yet they didn’t have COURAGE to Preach the GOSPEL of the KINGDOM of God. In Acts 1:8, the Lord Jesus Christ ASSURED the Apostles saying, “But ye shall RECEIVE POWER, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, you will be WITNESSES unto Me…”
So during the PENTECOST, Acts 2:2, “SUDDENLY there came… a RUSHING MIGHTY WIND… And there appeared unto them cloven TONGUES like as of FIRE…” They were Baptized with FIRE, and so, they were led by the Holy Spirit and gave them the ABILITY to SPEAK in other TONGUES! Then EVERYONE who heard them WONDERED with AMAZEMENT. The Holy Spirit shall give us ABILITIES and POWER so that we might become EFFECTIVE, POWERFUL and CREDIBLE WITNESS of the KINGDOM of God. The Holy Spirit will LEAD and URGE us to PROCLAIM the Gospel of the KINGDOM of God.
Finally, the Apostle Peter took COURAGE and preached REPENTANCE and FORGIVENESS of sins in front of the CROWD. The Apostle Peter, who WITNESSED the Resurrection of Jesus, TESTIFIED that the Lord Jesus Christ, the MESSIAH, is RISEN, and is NOW EXALTED. The Lord said, “Sit in HONOR at my RIGHT HAND until I HUMBLE your ENEMIES making them a footstool UNDER your FEET”. (Acts 2:34, NLT; Psalm110:1). Just like the Prophet Isaiah WITNESSED, “I SAW also the Lord sitting upon a throne, HIGH and LIFTED UP….” Isaiah 6:1. Even his EAR was OPENED, so he HEARD the Lord and VOLUNTEERED, “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then said I, ‘HERE AM I; SEND ME.’”
Now, If you are TRULY Baptized with the Holy Spirit and with Fire, you should not be afraid to PREACH the Word of God. But COURAGEOUS SOLDIER of God to ADVANCE against the kingdom of darkness.
“God hath not given us the spirit of FEAR [Timidity]; but of POWER, & of LOVE, & of a SOUND MIND. Be not thou therefore ASHAMED of the TESTIMONY of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the GOSPEL according to the POWER of God; Who hath SAVED us, & called us w/ an HOLY CALLING, not according to our works, but according to His OWN PURPOSE & GRACE, w/c was given us in Christ Jesus BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN. (2 Timothy 1:7-9).
God has given us the Spirit of LOVE! NO CONDEMNATION. Meaning, the Gospel we should preach should not PRESSURE or THREATENS people. SALVATION of man is God’s work. The Apostle Paul says, “It was not I, But God…” (1 Corinthians 15:10). We are commanded to PREACH the Gospel MESSAGE of Christ, then God will do His work. Not by our OWN UNDERSTANDING, WISDOM, IDEA, OPINIONS, FORMULAS or PROGRAMS. Not by DOCTRINES created by some EARLY Christians. But by the Holy Spirit ALONE through the Gospel of the KINGDOM of God. The Holy Spirit is GENTLE. For the Gospel of the KINGDOM of God is the “Gospel of Peace”.
Remove the MENTALITY of “I should preach the Gospel so that they will be SAVED from an ENDLESS PUNISHMENT in a “Hell Fire”. Then when they don’t LISTEN to you, you will CONDEMN them. Never CONDEMN people! CONDEMNATION belongs to Satan, not man at all! Satan is the ENEMY!
Remove also in your THINKING that someone is on their way to the “Hell Fire”. You should UNDERSTAND that HUMANITY was SAVED from the PUNISHMENT of sins! IT IS FINISHED! The TRADITIONAL “gospel” of Heaven and hell doesn’t testify the UNFAILING and ENDURING LOVE of God.
They may accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior for the SAKE of not going to the “Hell Fire” then go to Heaven after death. That when TRIALS come, they are easily SHAKEN and LOSE their FAITH. They don’t even UNDERSTAND the IMPORTANCE of SERVING in the MINISTRY. Why? Because they have no STRONG FOUNDATION (Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:46-49). “Because of God’s special favor to me, I have laid the FOUNDATION like an expert builder. (1 Corinthians 3:10, NLT). This FOUNDATION is the GOOD NEWS or Gospel MESSAGE of Jesus Christ. This Gospel is the Gospel of the KINGDOM of God. But when a NEW BELIEVER UNDERSTOOD the HOPE of his CALLING, the “BLESSED HOPE”, which is in the PROMISED, MILLENNIAL KINGDOM, he will PERSEVERE towards that CALLING.
As a NEW BELIEVER (4 mos. after Conversion), God led me to study the KINGDOM of God. So I UNDERSTOOD that when I serve the Lord, I will RECEIVE REWARDS and CROWNS and REIGN with Jesus Christ when COMES BACK and establish His KINGDOM in Jerusalem. This GOOD NEWS gave me HOPE in times of TRIALS that comes on my way. “HOPE is when it seems that there is NO OTHER WAY, yet you still BELIEVE that you can REACH your GOAL. You BELIEVE because you have FAITH that God had already PREPARED a way.”
About the Baptism. If you BELIEVE that Gift of TONGUES is the EVIDENCE that you are Baptized with the Holy Spirit, you should TESTIFY and be a WITNESS of the KINGDOM of God. In other words, you should be a WITNESS of Christ’s RESURECTION. “And we Apostles would all be lying about God, for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave… If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has NOT BEEN RAISED, then YOUR FAITH is USELESS, & you are still under CONDEMNATION of your SIN.” (1 Corinthians 15:15-17).
TRUE CONVERSION:
Someone asked me with skepticism, if I REALLY WITNESSED Christ’s RESURRECTION. I answered, “If I didn’t WITNESSED HIS RESURRECTION, I would still be a Captive of Satan, I mean, "SLAVE of Sin", now I’m FREE and I want to help those still LIVING in DARKNESS by Preaching the Gospel…” So is it CLEAR now that our issue is not SAVING other’s from the “Hell Fire”? But to SAVE them from being a “SLAVE of Sin”. So that they will also have ETERNAL LIFE and experience the GOOD THINGS of HEAVEN! I mean, PROPEROUS, ABUNDANT and VICTORIOUS LIFE.
“We became Christians & were BAPTIZED to become one w/ Christ Jesus… For we died and were BURIED w/ Christ by BAPTISM [of Water]… Our OLD SINFUL SELVES were CRUCIFIED w/ Christ so that SIN MIGHT LOSE its POWER in our lives. We are NO LONGER slaves to sin. For when we died w/ Christ WE WERE SET FREE from the POWER of sin… We are sure of this because Christ ROSE from the DEAD… Death no longer has any power over Him. He died once to DEFEAT SIN... So you should consider yourselves DEAD TO SIN and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to its LUSTFUL desires. Do not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness, to be used for sinning. (Romans 6:3-4, 6-7, 9-13, NLT).
Jesus Christ died ONCE to DEFEAT sin, “For the WAGES of sin is DEATH.” (Romans 6:23). But we, who already RECEIVED an ETERNAL LIFE, our earthly BODY will die and decay but our BODIES will be different after RESURRECTION, and will NEVER die.
A TRUE CONVERT should have the desire to FULLY TURN from his OLD sinful acts and follow God’s LAW and WAYS of HOLINESS. “If we say that we have fellowship w/ him, & WALK in DARKNESS, we LIE, & do not the TRUTH: But if we walk in the LIGHT, as He is in the LIGHT, we have fellowship one w/ another , & the BLOOD of Jesus Christ His Son CLEANSETH US FROM ALL SIN. (Romans 1:6-8). The WORD is LIGHT. Jesus Christ is the WORD. If you say you’re a Christian, you should STOP from doing your OLD sinful acts. You might say, “But I have the GRACE.” Well, the Gospel of GRACE was MISINTERPRETED and it was used by Satan to DECEIVE us and make it a “License to Sin”. This was made CLEAR in the following chapter.
Now, if you are a WITNESS of Christ’s RESURRECTION, you should be BOLD to PROCLAIM that Jesus Christ is now SEATED at the RIGHT HAND of God, that He will COME AGAIN to SEAT at the VERY THRONE of the ETERNAL God. Remember, the Lord Jesus Christ is still SEATED at the RIGHT HAND of God until NOW! He will COME AGAIN to RESTORE the ETERNAL THRONE that was PROMISED to King David. The Lord said, “I will ESTABLISH the THRONE of his KINGDOM FOREVER… Your dynasty and YOUR KINGDOM WILL CONTINUE for all time before Me, and YOUR THRONE WILL BE SECURED FOREVER.’" (2 Samuel 7:13, 16, NLT).
The Lord confirmed this in the PROPHETIC PSALM, “I will establish your DESCENDANTS as kings FOREVER; they will sit on your throne from now UNTIL ETERNITY.” (Psalm 89:4, NLT). Notice, the THRONE was ceased during the time of king Zedekiah. What did the Lord mean I will establish your DESCENDANTS as kings FOREVER? Until ETERNITY? It was not yet FULFILLED! God is not a LIAR. He is FAITHFUL to His PROMISES. Yes the Lord Jesus Christ is COMING to FULFILL this PROMISE. THIS CANNOT BE DENIED!
If you say, “Well, the PROMISE is Spiritual. But I agree that Jesus Christ is COMING AGAIN then, He will USHER us to Heaven immediately.” If this be TRUE, then you are telling that the Prophets and the Apostles who PREACHED that the Lord Jesus Christ is SEATED at the RIGHT HAND of God, are LIAR! I repeat, He is not yet SEATED at the VERY THRONE of the ETERNAL God. Remember Joseph, “the Dreamer”? I hope his story would help. If you don’t mind, please go back to “The MYSTERY of God’s PLAN, REVEALED!”
Stephen is one of the MOST COURAGEOUS Apostle during there time. Even at the point of his death, he was not INTIMIDATED to PREACH the Gospel of the KINGDOM of God. Why? Because he SAW the KINGDOM of God and RECEIVED this BLESSED HOPE. And even the HOPE of RESURRECTION. Stephen was stoned to death. The dying man SAW the Lord Jesus Christ, “Behold, I see the Heavens opened, & the Son of man standing on the RIGHT HAND of God.” (Acts 7:56). This Gospel of the KINGDOM of God was indeed, the POWER of God to TRANSFORM a man named Saul of Tarsus, a Christian killer, into a GREAT Apostle Paul. Stephen was at the point of his last breath when he WITNESSED and TESTIFIED the Lord Jesus Christ positioned at the RIGHT HAND of God.
The Apostle Paul also a WITNESS of Christ’s RESURRECTION. He said, “I SAW Him too! Long after the OTHERS, as though I had been BORN at the WRONG TIME. For I am the LEAST of the Apostles, & I am not WORTHY to be called an Apostle after the way I PERSECUTED the Church of God.” (1 Corinthians 15:8-9, NLT).Now, who will GO FOR US? Now if you TRULY a WITNESS of the Lord, claiming Acts 1:8, you should be like Isaiah who WITNESSED the Lord “I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up….” Isaiah 6:1. Even his EAR was OPENED, so he HEARD the Lord and VOLUNTEERED, “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then said I, ‘Here am I; SEND me”
