How to enter the Kingdom of God?
You must be BORN-AGAIN
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3;
Man is a sinful creature; therefore, no man is born without sin. Yet, God proved to us and showed us just how much he loves us; in spite of our sins, by giving his only son in order for us to have eternal life. The purpose of this chapter is to explain the importance of being born-again. You will learn that being born again is the only way to enter into the Kingdom of God.
God wants us to have a personal relationship with Him. Although sin separates us from the relationship that God desires of us, we still have a choice to develop a personal relationship with God, by receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. We must also repent and ask God to forgive us for our sins.
Upon, reading this chapter, you will also learn the importance of water baptism as well as why we should fellowship in a church. I will explain the initial step that must be taken in order to become a citizen of the Kingdom of God. In order to get the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, one must be born-again, and on the following pages the purpose and plan of God will be revealed on how to be born-again.
1. God loves you and created you to know Him personally.
God's Love - "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
God's Plan – “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3; NIV). What prevents us from knowing God personally?
2. Man is sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love.
Man is Sinful - "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his own stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin. (Romans 3:23).
Mankind is separated - "The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23). “... (Those) who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus...will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord..." (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)
3. Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin. Through Him alone, we can know God personally and experience God's love.
He Died in Our Place - "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
He Rose From the Dead - "Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..."(1 Corinthians 15:1- 6).
He is the Only Way to God - "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6). It is not enough just to know these truths...
4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love.
We Must Receive Christ - "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12)
We Receive Christ through Faith - "By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:6-9). When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth (Read John 3:3-8.)
We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
Christ speaking "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20).
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough.
Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will. You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith through Prayer (Prayer is talking with God) God knows your heart and is not as concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive you as my saviour and Lord. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me the kind of person you would have me to be.
If you pray this prayer right now, Christ will come into your life, as He promised.
How to Know That Christ Is in Your Life
Did you receive Christ into your life? According to His promise in Revelation chapter three and verse twenty, where is Christ right now in relation to you? Christ said that He would come into your life and be your friend so you can know Him personally. Would He mislead you? On what authority do you know that God has answered your prayer? (The trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word)
The Bible Promises Eternal Life to All Who Receive Christ
The witness is this that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:11-13).
Thank God often that Christ is in your life and that He will never leave you (Hebrews chapter thirteen and verse five). You can know on the basis of His promise that Christ lives in you and that you have eternal life from the very moment you invite Him in. He will not deceive you. An important reminder... Do Not Depend on Feelings.
The promise of God's Word, the Bible - not our feelings is our authority. The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word. The moment you received Christ by faith, as an act of your will, many things happened, including the following:
- Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20 and Colossians 1:27).
- Your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
- You became a child of God (John 1:12).
- You received eternal life (John 5:24).
- You began the great adventure for which God (John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Can you think of anything more wonderful that could happen to you than entering into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Would you like to thank God in prayer right now for what He has done for you? By thanking God, you demonstrate your faith.
Suggestions for Christian Growth:
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. "The righteous man shall live by faith" (Galatians 3:11). A life of faith will enable you to trust God increasingly with every detail of your life, and to practice the following:
- Go to God in prayer daily (John 15:7).
- Read God's Word daily (Acts 17:11) - begin with the Gospel of John.
- Obey God moment by moment (John 14:21).
- Witness for Christ by your life and words (Matthew 4:19; John 15:8).
- Trust God for every detail of your life (1 Peter 5:7).
- Holy Spirit - Allow Him to control and empower your daily life and witness (Galatians 5:16-17; Acts 1:8).
The Importance of Water Baptism
The view of most evangelical Christian scholars is that salvation is by grace through faith alone. This is especially indicated by Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16; and 1 John 5:1. It is important to understand that baptism is a result of salvation, not a cause.
The professing believer should be total immersed under water (Greek: "Baptismo" = to immerse). The procedure of immersion is scriptural. The example that we are to follow is found in Matthew 3:15-17.
When we do, we find that there is absolutely nothing we can do as humans to earn salvation. Romans 6:23 tells us that salvation is a "free gift."
We come to Christ though grace by faith, Ephesians 2:8-9 and, our public baptism bring glory and honor to God. Baptism is an act of obedience, and identifying with the death burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The motivation to pursue baptism should originate from a desire to show to the world an outward demonstration of the person's decision as well as the inward work the Holy Spirit has already begun in us.
An unsaved person would not likely want to be baptized, because he would not have the Holy Spirit indwelling him to prompt his desire to follow Christ in obedience (unless a sect or cult group has erroneously taught him or her otherwise.)
The fact that one even wants to be baptized (being assured that only faith alone in Jesus Christ saves) is evidence that the Holy Spirit already indwells that person, a result of being born of the Spirit by faith alone.
In the book of Acts, baptism is typically the outward response to coming to faith. It was seen as part of a process which includes:
- Hearing (or reading about) the gospel,
- Being convicted and led by the Holy Spirit to confess one’s sins (Greek: "Homologeo" means to agree with, to speak the same),
- Coming to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior,
- Beginning the progress of growth (which includes repenting from known sin),
- Joining a group of believers in a local church fellowship, Being baptized. The last two parts are where there are many different opinions among believers and churches.
- Fellowship in a Good Church
God's Word admonishes us not to forsake "the assembling of ourselves together..." (Hebrews chapter ten and verse twenty five) Several logs burn brightly together; but put one aside on the cold hearth and the fire goes out.
So it is with your relationship with other Christians. If you do not belong to a church, do not wait to be invited. Take the initiative; call the pastor of a nearby church where Christ is honoured and His Word is preached. Start this week, and make plans to attend regularly. In order to Yoke Up with Jesus and Kingdom of God Government, you must become a citizen of the Kingdom of God and that is done through receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Lord and Savior, and by doing this you become born again and a citizen of the Kingdom of God. This is step one in Yoking Up with Jesus and Kingdom of God Government.
Summary
We as humans entered into the world as sinners; but, Glory Be to God, we can all be delivered from our sin right here on earth. We must be born-again and have a personal relationship with God. And the only way that is done is to receive Christ into our heart. We receive Christ through Faith and through prayer. Faith believes and prayer is talking to God with a sincere heart.
You can pray this prayer with a sincere heart and Christ will come into your life. Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord.
Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be." .And never leave you alone, and heaven becomes your home!
The Bible has four spiritual laws that govern our relationship with God, just like there are physical laws that govern the universe.
The Spiritual Laws are:
- God’s love you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. (John 3:16, John 10:10)
- Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life. (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23)
- Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin. Through Him, you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life. (Romans 5:8, 1 Corinthians 15:3-6, John 14:6)
- We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives. (John 1:12, Ephesians 2:8,9 John 3:1-8, Revelation 3:20).
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(07) Yoking up with Jesus and the Kingdom of God Governmen
