Everlasting Life: In Progress

We are often confused, and even deceived, concerning the things we read in The Bible.
Don’t get me wrong. The scriptures themselves are in no way deceiving. They are always true. Certainly, we must properly understand and apply them in order to get the desired results. We must also make a conscious effort to keep things in proper order and perspective.
Let me give you an example of what I mean. In numerous situations, I have been in conversations with other Christians who say they believe in the power of God, yet when I encourage them to pray, expecting God to bless and heal them, their body language tells me that they have no faith along these lines.
Somehow, they have a multitude of reasons why God’s word doesn’t work for them. Either they don’t deserve God’s blessings, or perhaps they feel they should bear the “judgment” which others deserve. Some tell me that the kind of miracles and healings I describe are either “not for today”, or they simply place more faith in the facts than the truth of scripture.
After all, we have to face reality, right? If God wanted us to be healed, we would be! He has his reasons why he decides to bless some and not others. I challenge you to show me a single scripture, when rightly applied, will support that theology. If God never changes, how can we believe that he is so volatile and inconsistent?
Unless we push ourselves to do otherwise, we tend to believe the things we see and disregard those things yet unseen. That sounds like the opposite of faith, doesn’t it? Bingo! While we’re in the midst of our daily lives, it is all too easy to fall into this deception. That brings us back to my original premise.
We should not ignore the facts we see all around us, but we also must pay attention to the truths which are clearly taught in scripture concerning us. For example, I hear many Christians teaching, in great detail, the things they understand about The Shemitah. Although there are many applicable principles to be learned on this subject, such as allowing the land to rest every seventh year, in order to keep it healthy and thereby able to produce abundantly for the long haul, we must also remember the completed work of Jesus Christ.
Sadly, most Christians do not truly believe in the completeness of their salvation, nor do they believe that they are living in God’s favor. When we confessed Jesus as Lord, believing that God raised him from the dead, we received holy spirit. This event marked the beginning of our everlasting life! Eternity does not start when we die. For a Christian, it is already in progress.

In The Bible, there are different administrations (times and seasons). Because God is consistent, there are things which are carried throughout the ages, however, there are also those things which are superseded as we move forward in biblical history.
Lately, I have heard many discussions by Jonathan Cahn and others, regarding the Shemitah and God’s judgment. If you listen carefully to these presentations, you will usually find that they do state that for a Christian, these things have already been covered by the completed work of Christ. I must say, however, that they do a poor job of communicating. That is, they place so much emphasis on the gloom and doom, that the truth of our redemption becomes a mere afterthought.

We must be mindful of the fact that our thoughts and words have a profound effect on our results. God is not in control of everything. We have an enemy, who works tirelessly and skillfully to deceive us into behaving in a manner which is not conducive to receiving the blessings of God. I spend a great deal of time on this topic throughout the pages of my book. I truly believe this is one of the key factors affecting the quality of our lives as Christians.

Are you named in heaven?

I often hear people say that as long as we live decently and are good to others, we are on the road to heaven. The particulars really do not matter. After all, we are really all serving the same God. He just has different names and takes different forms for the various faiths in the world.

Indeed, some say that we do not even need to worship God, as long as we live ethical, honorable lives. First, pleaseknow that I am very thankful for anyone who lives in a peaceful and ethical manner. However, for the most part, I do not believe people live godly lives unless they truly believe in God.

If you have read any of my other posts, it should not surprise you that I believe in God and that I am a Christian. My standard for truth is The Bible. Because I believe that the bible is the written record of God’s will and testament, I strive to always base my beliefs on the proper understanding of the scriptures.

The closer you look at scripture, the more accurate it becomes. There are numerous accounts in The Bible which give amazing detail concerning events which occurred many years after they were written.

If the scripture is everything I believe it to be, then it should be our standard for truth. We should study it to learn who God is, if he is, and how to be a part of his goodness and life. The bible tells us that there is only one path to God, and that is through Jesus Christ.

Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
1 John 2:23 (KJV)

Many people oppose this doctrine. They stress inclusiveness and open-mindedness. While I respect the right of others to believe and live as they see fit, I am not the one who decides who is written in God’s book of life. That is God’s decision, and the scripture clearly gives us the criteria God uses to decide whether or not an individual makes the list.

This is not harsh or unreasonable. Rather, it is loving. None of us are good enough to earn the right or privilege to live a life with God. Nevertheless, he sent his only begotten son, who was pure and lived a perfect life. He laid down his life as a payment for us. We are corrupt and sinful. Nevertheless, if we surrender ourselves to be followers of Jesus, we can become partakers with him in the very life of God!

We do this by saying affirmatively that he is Lord and we believe that he died, was buried and was raised back to life after spending three days and three nights in the tomb. Then, we strive to line our lives up with the life of Jesus.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:9-10 (KJV)

There are some other details which you should learn and begin to understand, but these simple verses are enough to show you literally what is required of you if you want to become a part of the family of God.
My book contains a great deal of information on this topic. I invite you to read and enjoy it.

So are there many roads which lead to God? Well, if the bible is right, the answer is NO. But the path which has been paved for us is straightforward and clear.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:6 (KJV)