The Way
Welcome Home
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. NLT John 1:12
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. NKJV John 3:16
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. NKJV John 3:18
We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. NLT Romans 3:22
Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith. NLT Romans 3:27
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. NASB John 14:15
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. NLT John 13:34
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. NKJV John 3:16
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. NKJV John 3:18
We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. NLT Romans 3:22
Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith. NLT Romans 3:27
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. NASB John 14:15
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. NLT John 13:34
Salvation message
Jesus said that God's message of salvation is easy enough for children to understand. We adults have done a good job of making it difficult. The basics of belief is this.
God has a standard for the people he made. We are suppose to represent Him to the world. That is one of the things He made us for. Everyone has messed up somewhere in there lives in this purpose (Messing up is called sin.) But God so loved us that He did something to make it right. Our sins could be removed from us by a sacrifice. But the sacrifice had to take our punishment and it had to be a perfect sacrifice having never messed up. God the Father sent His Son into the world to be that sacrifice. By Jesus dieing on the cross he took our place and removed all our sins (past, present and future.) The penalty of sin is death; Jesus could rise from the dead because he had never sined. So death could not stop Him from coming back to life. This new life is offered to you too, if you believe. Do you trust God?
Jesus had said that we needed to repent and believe. Repent means to change your mind to agree with someone. That someone is God. So this means stop following your sinnful desires and start following God's Spirit, He will guide you. Start being a refection of your father in heaven. But the next part is an improtant part. You must believe God. That means trust that what God says is true. I have found that repentent behavoir happens when I fully believe what God has done for me or when I get a revalation of God as the LORD. If you believe, you will start lining up with God's will (this is repentance).
God has a standard for the people he made. We are suppose to represent Him to the world. That is one of the things He made us for. Everyone has messed up somewhere in there lives in this purpose (Messing up is called sin.) But God so loved us that He did something to make it right. Our sins could be removed from us by a sacrifice. But the sacrifice had to take our punishment and it had to be a perfect sacrifice having never messed up. God the Father sent His Son into the world to be that sacrifice. By Jesus dieing on the cross he took our place and removed all our sins (past, present and future.) The penalty of sin is death; Jesus could rise from the dead because he had never sined. So death could not stop Him from coming back to life. This new life is offered to you too, if you believe. Do you trust God?
Jesus had said that we needed to repent and believe. Repent means to change your mind to agree with someone. That someone is God. So this means stop following your sinnful desires and start following God's Spirit, He will guide you. Start being a refection of your father in heaven. But the next part is an improtant part. You must believe God. That means trust that what God says is true. I have found that repentent behavoir happens when I fully believe what God has done for me or when I get a revalation of God as the LORD. If you believe, you will start lining up with God's will (this is repentance).
Repent
Humble Yourself
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17 NASB
Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 NLT
Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." NASB Matthew 3:1-2
and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. NASB Matthew 3:6
"Tell me what you think of this story: A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, 'Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard'. "The son answered, 'I don't want to.' Later on he thought better of it and went. The father gave the same command to the second son. He answered, 'Sure, glad to.' But he never went. "Which of the two sons did what the father asked?" They said, "The first." Jesus said, "Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God's kingdom. John came to you showing you the right road. You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks and whores believed him. Even when you saw their changed lives, you didn't care enough to change and believe him. The Message Matthew 21:28-32
Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 NLT
Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." NASB Matthew 3:1-2
and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. NASB Matthew 3:6
"Tell me what you think of this story: A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, 'Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard'. "The son answered, 'I don't want to.' Later on he thought better of it and went. The father gave the same command to the second son. He answered, 'Sure, glad to.' But he never went. "Which of the two sons did what the father asked?" They said, "The first." Jesus said, "Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God's kingdom. John came to you showing you the right road. You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks and whores believed him. Even when you saw their changed lives, you didn't care enough to change and believe him. The Message Matthew 21:28-32
Def. - Repent - To change one's mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins. (Thayer's Lexicon)
Def. - Repentance - The action or process of repenting especially for misdeeds or moral shortcomings. (Websters Dictionary)
History of the word Repent - The word was used when a new ruler had overthrown another ruler at the time the gospels were written. A message would be sent out to the citizens of the country that had been conqured. You are now in the kingdom of the new ruler, repent of any allegiance you had to your old ruler. Follow the new ruler. If you don't you will be distroyed.
Def. - Repentance - The action or process of repenting especially for misdeeds or moral shortcomings. (Websters Dictionary)
History of the word Repent - The word was used when a new ruler had overthrown another ruler at the time the gospels were written. A message would be sent out to the citizens of the country that had been conqured. You are now in the kingdom of the new ruler, repent of any allegiance you had to your old ruler. Follow the new ruler. If you don't you will be distroyed.
Believe
Trust in the Lord
They replied, "We want to perform God's works, too. What should we do?" Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent." NLT John 6:28-29
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. NLT 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. NKJ Romans 10:17
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. NLT Ephesians 2:8-9
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. NLT 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. NKJ Romans 10:17
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. NLT Ephesians 2:8-9
What does it look like to believe in the one God sent?
Different thoughts come to each person when they start to believe. Some are awed by God's mercy and grace. Others are humbled by just how much God is in control, He is LORD. Some are filled with joy from the Father's love. Others may feel a new confidence and purpose to thier life. Whatever revelation the Spirit gives you, it softens our hearts towards God (the bible tells us that we are given new hearts).
To believe means to live life based on who Jesus is and what He has done and is doing (You need to trust Him). People say what they think but they do what they believe. If you believe, you will live the way that Jesus told you to live (Love God and each other). But it is only the start of our relationship with Him. The rest of the journey is the path of sanctification, or becoming more like Jesus.
Different thoughts come to each person when they start to believe. Some are awed by God's mercy and grace. Others are humbled by just how much God is in control, He is LORD. Some are filled with joy from the Father's love. Others may feel a new confidence and purpose to thier life. Whatever revelation the Spirit gives you, it softens our hearts towards God (the bible tells us that we are given new hearts).
To believe means to live life based on who Jesus is and what He has done and is doing (You need to trust Him). People say what they think but they do what they believe. If you believe, you will live the way that Jesus told you to live (Love God and each other). But it is only the start of our relationship with Him. The rest of the journey is the path of sanctification, or becoming more like Jesus.
Sanctification
Jesus, the Giver of Life
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. NLT Romans 12:2
So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. NLT 2 Corinthians 3:18
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; NASB Romans 8:28-29
So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. NLT 2 Corinthians 3:18
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; NASB Romans 8:28-29
We are not just sinners saved by faith. We are children of God, a relfection of Jesus Christ. We are not slaves to sin, we are free. To say otherwise is to devalue the blood of Jesus.
It is a process, not an automatic instant thing. But we stand in victory before the battle is over because God has told us how it ends. We are overcomers; members of the royal family that rules all of creation. Here is a big one, the bible refers to believers as saints. If you are a believer you are already a saint. God tells us who we are, not our life of sin we had before we knew Christ. That life has been put to death.
Don't get me wrong here, we still battle our sinnful nature and we can still sin. But, for the believer sin does not hold the pleasure that it does for the lost. It is as if we can feel death reaching for us and God holding onto us every time we fall to sin. This is a bad place to be for a believer and a believer that lives this way will not walk in the power of the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is a process, not an automatic instant thing. But we stand in victory before the battle is over because God has told us how it ends. We are overcomers; members of the royal family that rules all of creation. Here is a big one, the bible refers to believers as saints. If you are a believer you are already a saint. God tells us who we are, not our life of sin we had before we knew Christ. That life has been put to death.
Don't get me wrong here, we still battle our sinnful nature and we can still sin. But, for the believer sin does not hold the pleasure that it does for the lost. It is as if we can feel death reaching for us and God holding onto us every time we fall to sin. This is a bad place to be for a believer and a believer that lives this way will not walk in the power of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Kingdom of Heaven
The King of Kings
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. NASB Matthew 6:33
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. NASB Matthew 7:21
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." NASB Matthew 16:19
GOD STANDS in the assembly [of the representatives] of God; in the midst of the magistrates or judges He gives judgment [as] among the gods. How long will you [magistrates or judges] judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! Do justice to the weak (poor) and fatherless; maintain the rights of the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; rescue them out of the hand of the wicked. [The magistrates and judges] know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in the darkness [of complacent satisfaction]; all the foundations of the earth [the fundamental principles upon which rests the administration of justice] are shaking. I said, You are gods [since you judge on My behalf, as My representatives]; indeed, all of you are children of the Most High.) But you shall die as men and fall as one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth! For to You belong all the nations. AMP Psalms 82
"But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. NASB Matthew 12:28
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. NASB Matthew 7:21
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." NASB Matthew 16:19
GOD STANDS in the assembly [of the representatives] of God; in the midst of the magistrates or judges He gives judgment [as] among the gods. How long will you [magistrates or judges] judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! Do justice to the weak (poor) and fatherless; maintain the rights of the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; rescue them out of the hand of the wicked. [The magistrates and judges] know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in the darkness [of complacent satisfaction]; all the foundations of the earth [the fundamental principles upon which rests the administration of justice] are shaking. I said, You are gods [since you judge on My behalf, as My representatives]; indeed, all of you are children of the Most High.) But you shall die as men and fall as one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth! For to You belong all the nations. AMP Psalms 82
"But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. NASB Matthew 12:28
What is a kingdom? It is a region and people that are under the authority of a king. All of creation is part of God's kingdom, it all belongs to Him. Kings need to have enough power to hold their territory or someone else will become king. Satan does not have the power to take God's throne. So, he took the world from Adam and Eve; the ones God had given the world to. Jesus took it back at the cross and has given it to the church. The enemy is still in the promise land. We are to drive him out, but many are scared of the enemy and we don't know the authority we have been given. Psalms 82 was written to us, the children of God.
The Kingdom Come
'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation. Let the godly ones exult in glory; Let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand, To execute vengeance on the nations And punishment on the peoples, To bind their kings with chains And their nobles with fetters of iron, To execute on them the judgment written; This is an honor for all His godly ones. Praise the LORD! NASB Psalm 149:4-9
The gospel message is not just salvation, it is about the kingdom of heaven here on earth. God's will is to raise up a nation that brings glory to His name. He brings the blessings but we have to bring loving obedience to our King. If you read the bible you will find that many of God's promises are "if, then" statements. Without the obedience the blessings don't come.
People always ask why do the innocent or good suffer. If God is a loving God why does he allow this injustice. The truth is that it is not God's will for the innocent to suffer, but he has given dominion of the earth over to the church and it is the church that allows the innocent to suffer. But if we were living in loving obedience to our King, a way to end the suffering would be given.
We the church, the children of God, are called to do God's will on the earth.
For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation. Let the godly ones exult in glory; Let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand, To execute vengeance on the nations And punishment on the peoples, To bind their kings with chains And their nobles with fetters of iron, To execute on them the judgment written; This is an honor for all His godly ones. Praise the LORD! NASB Psalm 149:4-9
The gospel message is not just salvation, it is about the kingdom of heaven here on earth. God's will is to raise up a nation that brings glory to His name. He brings the blessings but we have to bring loving obedience to our King. If you read the bible you will find that many of God's promises are "if, then" statements. Without the obedience the blessings don't come.
People always ask why do the innocent or good suffer. If God is a loving God why does he allow this injustice. The truth is that it is not God's will for the innocent to suffer, but he has given dominion of the earth over to the church and it is the church that allows the innocent to suffer. But if we were living in loving obedience to our King, a way to end the suffering would be given.
We the church, the children of God, are called to do God's will on the earth.