The world defines a Christian as one who 'attends church', 'knows Christ', 'professes Christ' or 'having been baptized'. But Romans 8:14 makes it very clear that a true Christian is one who has the Holy Spirit leading him/her. Otherwise, he/she is none of His (Christ). All those who are truly converted have the Holy Spirit in them, not just with them.
But how does one receives the Spirit of God? Receiving God's Spirit comes upon real repentance and a correct baptism through immersion. The Apostle Peter proclaimed in Acts 2:38, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit' . But is 'salvation now finished' in the baptized believer? There is more...much more as conversion is a gradual process of learning, growing and overcoming.
Chapter 13 of the Gospel of Matthew contains seven parables about the Kingdom of God. The first is the 'Sower and the Seed'. Sowing some seed in different locations and types of soil will yield different results. In one case, some seed fell on the wayside and the birds (devil) came and devoured them. Some fell on stony ground, did not take root and withered away. Others fell among thorns and got choked by the cares of this world. Those that fell on good ground yielded good character growth of some thirty, sixty and a hundred fold.
The next parable is the 'Wheat and Tares'. This signifies the 'fruit' of Christian growth and maturity prior to the Lord gathering them into his Kingdom (barn).
The third parable typifies the Kingdom starting off as a 'grain of mustard seed' that grows into a huge tree. This is followed by the parable of leaven, showing God's Kingdom as a leaven spreading until it encompasses all the nations of the earth (dough) . The fifth compares the Kingdom to 'hidden treasures' found in the field. It is so precious that the finder sells all that he has to buy the field.
The parable of the 'pearl of great price' depicts a person sells all that he has in order to raise funds to buy it. The final parable in this chapter describes the Kingdom of God as a 'net' gathering all kinds of fish - both good and bad. The 'good fish' are those who will enter the Kingdom of God while the'bad fish' are those who will be destroyed in the lake of fire.
The message for each of these parable is the same - there is a price to be paid for being a true disciple of Jesus Christ with the ultimate goal of entering the Kingdom of God and be a member of the God Family, ruling and reigning with Him (Rev 3:21). Others like the Parable of the Talent (Matthew 25:14-30), Parable of the Minas (Luke 19:11-27), Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matt 22:2-14), Parable of the Ten Virgin (Matt 25:1-13), Parable of the Fig Tree (Luke 13: 6-9) and many more besides - all depict a Christian entering the coming Kingdom of God into the God Family at Christ's Second Coming.
The Lord Jesus in Matthew 6:33 admonishes all His called disciples to 'Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness'. The first priority of a true believer is seeking the Kingdom of God. However, he/she must develop God's righteousness, which is the divine character. The Sermon on the Mount goes on to emphasise on character building through obedience to God's law.
John 14:2-3 has been one of the most misunderstood passages of the New Testament gospels as eulogies have often being given at Christian memorial services based on this text - albeit with wrong analogy! "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:2-3).
The literal meaning of these two verses is simply this: there are many offices (positions) in God's Kingdom. Christ is going to heaven to prepare these positions for His disciples before He comes back again (Luke 19:12-27). That is where He will be - on earth (after His Second Coming), not in heaven. And this (earth) will be where His disciples be also. One chapter later in John 15, Christ tells His disciples to bear fruits...and much fruits. He identifies His true disciples by whether they bear fruits in this life so as to qualify them for inheritances (rewards) into the Kingdom of God.
Likewise, the prophet Daniel wrote, 'But the saints (resurrected spirit-beings) of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.' (Daniel 7:18). This reward is again reiterated in verses 22 and 27 of the same chapter. Revelations 3:21, 5:10 and 20:4-6 make it unequivocally clear that the resurrected saints of the first resurrection shall become 'kings and priests' who will reign and rule with Christ on earth for a thousand years! The converted true believers are to be trained to prepare for such 'high positions' in the coming Kingdom of God. Proper understanding of the Word of God, coupled with 'trials and tribulations' are part and parcel of the 'training regimen'. No wonder the Apostle Paul warned, 'We must through many tribulations ENTER the kingdom of God.' (Acts 14:22b). And in the early centuries of the history of the true church, thousands of true believers were martyred for their belief in the kingdom of God with no compromise. Some were burned at the stakes, others were thrown to feed hungry wild beasts and many were immersed in boiling oil. Little wonder the Lord Jesus Christ warned in Matthew 11:12, 'And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven (God) suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.'
A truly converted Christian keeps God's law, for sin is the transgression of the laws of God (1 John 3:4). Hence, God will only give His Spirit to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Those who don't understand God thinks that His laws and commandments are cumbersome. But God's law is necessary for our own good; and if we have the love of God in us, we will manifest it in our heart and mind in all aspects of our life (Romans 5:5). The repentant mind, under the guidance of God's Spirit, will turn from the 'get' way of life to the 'give' way of life. His/her entire thinking and value system will be transformed to the new way - God's way instead of Satan's way who is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4).
The converted Christian can grow in truth and grace through abiding in Christ (John 15:5). This involves regular bible study and prayer. It is important to ask God for a greater anointing of His Spirit on a regular basis to help in overcoming one's 'trials and tribulations'. However, I must add that this must be done God's way and not those 'Holy Ghost' meetings where 'gibberish tongue' and 'people being slain by the Spirit' are a common occurrence. This is partly due to a mistranslation of 1 Corinthians 12:13. The preposition in the original Greek means 'IN' and not 'by' (Derek Prince - Baptism in the Holy Spirit, page 12). Hence, it should be translated as, 'For IN one Spirit we were all baptized into one body'. All true converts are to be baptized by Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:11). The Holy Spirit is the MEANS through which Jesus Christ baptizes them for the Holy Spirit cannot baptize anyone. There was no record in the history of the true church of such practices for ' getting converts to speak in tongues' - other than those recorded in 1 Corinthians which many failed to understand the reasons why they happened and is not meant to be a precedent for the church!
All these are important because the believer is called out of this world's 'value systems and way of life' to be different and to fight and resist 'Satan's value systems and way of life'. Ephesians chapter 6 provides us the 'spiritual tools ' to do so, 'Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.' (verse 11). It is a warning to us that we are not fighting against 'flesh and blood', but aginst the 'wicked spirits in high places'.
Basically, the converted believer has to 'wage spiritual war' on three fronts. First, Satan wants to defeat every potential son of God who will become a member of God Family if he overcomes. Satan is like a 'roaring lion seeking whom he may devour' (1 Peter 5:8). But we can 'resist him and be steadfast in faith' (verse 9). We must always check our mindset, attitude and intention to resist such attack from the devil and his demons. Second, the glitter and glamour of SOCIETY is indeed the temptations and rewards that cause the downfall of many great people - both within and outside the church. Always remember that this world in this age is still Satan's world and we have to tread very cautiously not to 'fall into his world'. Third, the SELF is oftentimes the greatest 'culprit' of one's own undoing. The lust of the flesh and the pride of life often come in the way of pursuits that are right, honoring and pleasing to the Heavenly Father. Because they that are 'in the flesh cannot please God' (Romans 8:8).
The building of God's divine character is the main reason why you and I were born into this world. For there is no other way to learn and develop divine character than in real life's experiences. The converted true disciple of Christ is to 'put on' the character of God and Christ and to 'put off' the fleshly pulls of human nature (Colossians 3:8-13). I know it is never easy, but for those who overcome the reward is 'way out of this world'. This verse in 1 Corinthains 2:9 rings loud and clear of God's eternal plan for those who love Him, 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard. Nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' For indeed, He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
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