By Believing In God's Power
Salvation
The majority of people do not know that they need to be saved. Those people only know and understand about this earthly life. Hence, they are struggling and working only for their physical life. They are not at all worried about the life after the current one ends. For them, the next life is not something worth thinking about. The Lake of Fire is a place of eternal suffering for these people. Even though it is a very sad thing, they cannot be convinced, and nothing can be done except feeling sorry for them. Are you such a person who does not think about the next life? Because he has mercy on man, God had done everything from the beginning to end without the need for man to do anything else for his salvation. The work of the salvation has already been completed by his Son Jesus Christ.
Forgiveness of sin
Only God can condemn and forgive. But when a person does not know that, he blames himself at times and forgives himself on other times. The Bible says, "Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit." (Psalm 32:1-2) God is the only one who can put the blame on and forgive a man. The reason is because God is the judge. (Isaiah 33:22) The judge is the only person who has the right to put criminals in prison, and the one who has the authority to release them. No sinner has ever imprisoned himself nor released himself from prison.
The Almighty God is the one who could find fault on people of the world. Therefore, the one who is able to forgive sins must be the Lord himself. The scripture says, the wages (price tag) of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Because man could not pay back for his sin (note: man is born a sinner), God himself allowed his only Son to become human and die on behalf of mankind (1 John 15:3, 1 Peter 2:24). If you believe that, you are free from condemnation (John 3:18). The truth is that Christ was not punished only for believers, but he was punished for every human being in the world. John said, "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2) But because many people do not know the forgiveness of God, and even if they know, they do not believe and do not care, they will unnecessarily be heading to the eternal lake of fire. Do you believe in the punishment that Jesus had taken on your behalf? If you do, do you thank him? If you are grateful, how will you repay him? Paul said, "For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."(2 Corinthians 5:14-15) Therefore, the proper thing for you to do is not to live the life the way you wanted, but to live for Jesus who died for you.
Being righteous
Righteousness means free of sin. Man thinks that in order to be a righteous person, he must follow the commandments; must live a sinless life; do good deeds, and be religious. However, according to the following verses, it is clear that a person cannot become a righteous person through the above activities. Paul said, "However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness." (Romans 4:5) " but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. (Romans 4:24)
Paul wrote the following about those who tried to be righteous and those who did not. "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone." (Romans 9:30-32).
Regarding the zealous (strong-willed) Israelites, Paul wrote, "Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and pray to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness."(Romans 10:1-3). Let us not follow what the Israelites had done in the past. Being zealous is good, but if it is not right, it is bound to end in defeat. Therefore, rather than trying to be righteous on our own, let us accept by faith the righteousness that God has given us through Christ.
Eternal life
Man values his earthly life rather than the next life. The reason is that he does not know the value of the eternal life. The life here on earth lasts only seventy or eighty years for the most. Eternal life is never ending. But most people are spiritually blind and do not care about the eternal life. Paul writes that the eternal life is a gift; " the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23). The gift must not be bought. It must only be accepted. Moreover, it is not necessary to try to get the gift. If the giver gives, the recipient is responsible to receive. It is an insult if you try to buy the gift from the giver.
Jesus said the Israelites tried to get the eternal life through the scriptures. "You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, (John 5:39). Eternal life cannot be obtained through the Bible. It is only available through Jesus. Therefore, let us come to Jesus by faith who gives us the eternal life.
John writes that God gives people eternal life. "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. Concluding Affirmations 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:11-13)
Even though it is simply written that God gives us eternal life, it's strange that people are trying to get it on their own. Not only that, instead of taking it from the giver, people are thinking that the eternal life cannot be received. God put eternal life in His Son, and whoever receives His Son has that life. But he who does not receive the Son does not receive life. If you don't have the Son (Jesus), no matter how good your deeds are, no matter how hard you try, you cannot get the eternal life. Therefore, it is necessary to get the Son first. How can you get it then? You must invite and receive the Son into your heart. The Son said, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." (Revelation 3:20). The Son is knocking at the door of your heart. Do you hear that knock? If you open the door of your heart, He will come into you as he promised. Invite him with a simple prayer. "Jesus, I open the door of my heart. Come in as you promised." He will enter into your heart. If he enters, you have the eternal life. It's not that complicated. Isn't it?
Second birth
"Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again" (John 3:1-3)
Even though Nicodemus recognized Jesus by calling him 'the one who came from God' by observing the miraculous signs that he performed, why did Jesus gave a response to him with the second birth instead? It is good to believe as a result of seeing the miraculous signs Jesus performed. Some people today profess to believe in Jesus by observing the miraculous signs, but if they are not spiritually born again, there is no benefit. It is necessary to be born again in spirit. Unless one is born again by the spirit, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. If he cannot even see the kingdom of heaven, he cannot enter the kingdom. Therefore, being born again in the spirit is very important. But when man is spiritually blind and does not think about the next life, he is not worried and is not afraid of the consequences. The question now is, "Have you been born again in the spirit?"
Man cannot do anything to be born again. “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[a] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[b] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:4-8) Jesus said that what is born of the spirit is not the same as what is born of the natural birth from the mother. The spiritual birth is like wind. However, Jesus did not explain how to be born again. The reason is because to be born again in the spirit is the work that must be done by the Spirit. (Note: if you were to undergo an open-heart surgery, would you need to know how the surgery would be done? Would it not be absurd to even try to understand it? It is the task that should be left to the surgeon. But read on!)
Paul said every person born from a mother's womb is "the old man." That old man did not know God's will; He cannot follow God's will; and he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. God put that old man in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). The reason God put him in Jesus is to put him to death along with Jesus Christ. "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin" (Romans 6:6) Therefore, we need to accept that when Jesus died on the cross, our old man has also died along with him. Now, a dead person has to be buried. Strangely enough, that is called baptism. Paul said, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:4) Therefore, when we rose again with Jesus, we no longer rose as the old man, but as a new man. That is how the new man was born again in spirit. We come to an understanding about this through the bible. James said, "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." (James 1:18) And Peter said, "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." (1 Peter 1:22-23) How was the second birth brought through the scripture? God made us know the process through his Word that he made us die through Jesus and resurrected us with him. Therefore, we simply have to accept by faith that God allows us to have the second birth. So what it takes to be born again really is to accept (believe) that you died and rose from the dead along with Jesus.
Living Christian Life
The same way the salvation is the work of God from beginning to end, living a Christian life must also be achieved only by the power of God. However, the majority of Christians try to live the Christian life in their own effort because they do not know the work of God and his intented purposes, and so, they fail to live a successful life.
Livelihood
"Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:25-26) Although every Christian is familiar with the above verse, it is unfortunate that they cannot use it in their practical life. This verse is not to know, nor to be memorized. It is to be lived or be used in practical life. God wants to feed his children just as any parents are responsible for taking care of their children. However, the children do not want it. How would you feel if your children did not want to be cared for by you?
"So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:31-34)
Christ tells us not to worry about food and clothing, but believers still do. Moreover, believers are not looking for the kingdom and righteousness, but only the things of this world. While spending time seeking worldly things, the believers live a life of failure. In the end, when the life on earth comes to a halt, they will go down into the lake of fire in the next life, just to be burn for eternity.
Problem solving
"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” (Psalm 55:22) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Everyone is burdened with their own life challenges. Because they are tired and burdened, they are uninterested in the things of God. Because he knows us so well, Jesus told us that he will carry our heavy loads. The problem is we do not allow Jesus to trade our burdens with his. To allow him to carry our heavy burden means to rely on him. It means we trust him to solve our problems. But do we trust him? It doesn't seem like it. The reason we're not trusting in Jesus is because we do not have close relationship with him.
Joy
Man also seeks happiness through material things and life achievements. The joy the world gives would end in sorrow, but the joy that God gives is something that will last forever. Jesus said, " I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (Luke 15:7) If you want to be joyful, repent and come to the Lord. If you are the person who already have the assurance of salvation, introduce others to God. You will be overjoyed.
Peace
Everyone wants peace. True peace is found only in Jesus. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:2) However, believers do not take the peace that Jesus gave. They rather want the peace provided by money and other material things of the world. These things last only for a moment and they cannot bring everlasting peace of mind.
Love
Not only humans but even animals have love. Even though mother chicken knows that she could not defeat a big dog, she would spread her wings to protect the chicks and attack the dog because she loves them. Because mother dog loves her children, she would not allow strangers to come near them except her owner. Because mothers love their babies, they could spend the whole night holding their sleep deprived and fussy babies. Men and women get married because they love each other. That love is natural human love, the kind love that should be labeled as "love for a reason." That kind of love might be associated with good physical appearance, material riches, having high position and social status. But that love will fade when the person being loved is no longer beautiful, becomes poor, or unemployed. Human love has limitation, is selfish, and not the kind that gives.
When a person is born in spirit the second time, God gives him his love. "And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (Romans 5:5) "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7) The reason why God give the born-again person His love is because only through God's love can one truly love. God's love is the kind of love that "gives up everything" for the one he loves. It is an EVEN THOUGH kind of love. It is the kind of love even though not beautiful, even though being poor, even though not healthy. Enemy yet still loves, is another example. The Bible says," For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" (Romans 5:10). God gives His love freely to anyone who is born again in spirit.
"Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself."(Matthew 22:37-39) Can Christians really follow this teaching? This kind of love cannot be achieved through human love, but can be through God's love. How can you love someone with God's love? You must allow God to rule your heart completely. It's natural for man to want to have a say on his heart desires. But you must deny yourself and let God rule over you. If God reigns in your life, it will bear spiritual fruit. The Bible says, " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.". (Galatians 5:22-23)
If you want to know a life ruled by the Spirit, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit," (Ephesians 5:18). If a person gets drunk with wine, his conscious mind is gone; A shy person would no longer be shy because the power of wine has taken over; A person of few words often speaks more; And a timid person tends to become a fierce fighter. All because of the power of getting drunk. Likewise, a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit will automatically bear the fruit of the Spirit. There is no need to try to live a Christian life.
Serving God
The same way salvation and Christian life are the work of God, serving God must also come as the result of God's power. Because the majority of Christian ministers are serving God by human wisdom, money and man effort, they are not as successful as they should possible be. Rather than doing God's will of sending people to heaven, they are sending people to hell, which in reality is against God's will. But because they do not fully understand God's purpose, they are very satisfied with their performances. Many people measure success of the ministry by being able to fill the worship hall, achieving financial goal, being able to use modern equipment, firing up the congregation with excitement, dazzling the worship service with the best musical instrument and sound system, and being able to perform miraculous signs. These are not the genuine signs of successful ministry according Jesus because he said:
"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matthew 21-23)
The people whom Jesus said that to are not ordinary people. They are those who teach by the authority of Jesus or in the name of Jesus; They are those who cast out demons; and those who perform many miraculous signs. Those are Christian ministers and ministries. Jesus said to them clearly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" If you are such a minister, it is time to examine yourself carefully. If you are the follower of such ministers, you might want to put careful thought about this. There are many people who misuse the name of Jesus to lie and cheat. But that is nothing new as it has existed since the beginning of the church.
John said," Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." (1 John 4:1-3)
Even though the apostle John warned us not to accept every spirit but to examine them, believers are accepting spirits without questioning. Therefore, it is sad to see them following after the deception of evil spirits. People are taking every miracle and strange occurrances as having come from the Holy Spirit. There are many people whose lives have been ruined because they accepted such evil spirits. But because they do not have anybody to warn; they do not read the bible, and they do not do their due diligence (by examining the root cause of the activities), they follow the wrong leaders or entities. When that happens, the glory of God cannot shine and people end up living the life of failure.
Jesus said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). It is not for human power to carry out the work that Jesus asked us do. No worker performs the work of the company at his own expense. Only if you are a contractor who bid to secure a contract would you be using your own money, and bring your own tools. Even then, that is a short-term lost because you would later recover your lost and gain a lot more when you finish project. Serving God is not a contract needed to have a bidding. It must be carried out by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, "Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?" (1 Cor. 9:7)
When God asked Zerubbabel to build the second temple, the angel said to Zerubbabel, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.7 “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’” 8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. (Zechariah 4:6-9)
King Solomon had enormous power and wealth when he built the first temple. His father, David, also collected a lot of gold and silver and necessities for the construction. There was also abundant of manpower in those days. However, when the Second Temple was built, the manpower of the Jews who had returned from exile was lacking. They did not have much possessions at their disposal either. They did not have the essential power and authority. Yet, the construction was successfully completed in the midst of many disturbances. They were able to complete it because it was built by the Spirit of God.
Today, God's ministers are to build the temples of the Holy Spirit. Here, the temple is the believers. So, they must go and proclaim the salvation extensively. The majority of ministers do not even know what God is asking them to do. They are only working for their lifelyhood and to grow their side businesses. Instead of building the temples of the Holy Spirit, they only want to collect the paycheck and possess the things of the world that belong to Satan. They do not use the power given by God, and they do not do what God has asked them to do. That is why they are living the life of failure. May they understand what God has asked of them to do, and may they serve God with the power that He has given them.
