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This is my witness and testimony of the one true God, and invitation to the revelation of the worthy Lamb of God that takes away our sins (Revelation 12:11). You are invited to eternal life in the Kingdom of God where we will forever worship the almighty creator of every living thing. He is the only God that ever was or will be, and he is worthy of eternal worship from his creation. (Revelation 4:11)
Before the world began, God knew that his creation would make the wrong choices. He knew that even though he would prove himself time and time again, many would reject him and choose their own ways... even Adam. His plan of salvation also existed before he created the world. But of course you realize that you have a choice. No matter what it seems he has allowed each individual to choose what and who they love. Yes, he has proven himself time and time again and there is only one person who has proven to be this predestined savior. His name is Yahushua the Christ, the promise of God, and God himself in the flesh. God came to earth as a man in order to conquer death for us. To fulfill righteousness he lived a perfect sinless life but was tempted just as we are. He then offered up his life as a sacrifice for all mankind. He literally let his own creation beat him, spit in his face, and put him to death without retaliation. His resurrection from the grave allows us to follow him if we accept his plan of salvation. THERE IS NO OTHER SAVIOR BUT HIM!!!
The meaning of life is God. He has told us who he is and what he is about. When Moses asked God to reveal to him his GLORY, God answered, "surely I will reveal to you my GOODNESS" (Exodus 33:19). This means that being the all powerful creator of the Heavens, Earth, and every living thing in them is not the most glorious thing about him. God says that his glory is his goodness. He is the father of love and truth and he cannot lie. He is light and there is no darkness in him at all (1st John 1:5). God revealed his glory to us all in Yahushua Christ. This is what God was thinking of when he promised to show Moses his glory. Throughout the "Old Testament" there are many promises from God concerning our coming savior. It is also clear that he was going to be God himself in the flesh (Isaiah 9:6). Aren't you thankful that you exist and were created by a God who is absolutely perfect, and he promises us that we will never die (except for our earthly bodies), and we will live with him forever in his Kingdom of JOY. Surely the place where God dwells has to be the most wonderful place possible.
So how does a person get to know God and make sure that they will live with him forever? The answer is in the teachings of Yahushua Christ. He says we must stop sinning, be baptized by full water submersion, obey the Ten Direct Commandments of God, and follow the teachings of Christ (which is basically the Ten Commandments magnified to the extreme). Also, these are the days of Grace. We are commanded to love our enemies now. We have time to repent now, but there is coming a day, very soon, when time will be up.
Belief
The book of Isaiah was written about 800 years before Yahushua Christ came to earth and it's one of the most prophetic books in the Bible concerning Christ. After one thoroughly studies this book it becomes clear that it is the words of our creator - mainly because of chapter 53. The entire chapter is about Yahushua's purpose on earth and how much he would suffer for our sins. The most convincing thing about this scripture is that no one had any idea what this meant when it was written because the Jews were expecting the Messiah to come as a man of war and restore their earthly kingdom. In fact, it was his own people who betrayed him and had him crucified. So we can be even more sure that his life and death wasn't some sort of Jewish conspiracy to start a new religion. Perhaps even Isaiah didn't even fully understand what he was writing in this chapter.
Isaiah is a very powerful and heart grabbing book. Isaiah begins his book as God says, "even the animals - the donkey and the ox - know their owner and appreciate his care, but not my people Israel. No matter what I do for them, they still do not understand." How true that statement is. Can you imagine being there and witnessing the miracles that Christ performed? During the last three years of his life here on earth he went from town to town proving who he was by healing people of all sorts of sicknesses and diseases. He even rose the dead; including Lazarus who had been in the tomb dead for four days (John chapter 11). So what would you have done if you were there witnessing these things? It's hard to imagine anyone witnessing this and yet still refusing to repent and follow his teaching but that's what many people did. There were many who he healed and said they believed in him but in the end, when they realized his plan didn't line up with their plan, they also cried out - crucify him! In John 3:19-21 Christ explains why this happens by saying that it's because people like to sin and they don't want to stop.
But I love reading the words of the man who was born blind (John 9). After Yahushua miraculously healed his eyes, certain religious leaders tried to convince him that Yahushua was not sent from God and that he was a sinner. They insisted on him confessing the same but he said, "Why that's very strange! He healed my eyes and you don't know anything about him! Well, God doesn't listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Never since the world began has anyone been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man weren’t from God, He couldn't do it." Wow, what it must have been like for this man to be able to see for the first time in his life. Of course after he told them this they were furious because "he" was teaching "them", and they threw him out of the synagogue.
So knowing the facts about Christ is very important. It's these things that help us to stand strong when others come to us trying to disprove God and who Christ was, and is. Not only can we learn about God through the Old Testament prophets, we have eye witness accounts of the life, teachings, and miracles of Christ that were written by people who obviously experienced a dramatic change in their life. Because they truly obeyed him their teachings are like a mirror of his teachings and their is no exception for sin. When you read the books of Peter, James, and John it should be obvious to you that you're reading the words of someone who is telling you 100% truth. What a blessing it is to have these books! So start by reading John, 1st and 2nd Peter, James, 1st 2nd and 3rd John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Isaiah, Psalms, and Proverbs. Deeply meditate on what you're reading as you pray for insight and understanding and it won't take long for this truth to enter your heart and cause you to know beyond all doubt that Christ is exactly who he said he is. This is the first step.
Counting the Cost
Yes it's true, there's absolutely nothing you can do that's worth eternal life, and you can't buy your way into Heaven by your works. God is indeed, beyond our imagination gracious, and it's because he loves us so much that he sent his only begotten son into this world to be the sacrifice for our sins. His plan of salvation required grace. His grace is available continuously and as long as we are breathing we have the opportunity to be saved. So what does Christ mean when he says that we must count the cost, or that we will be judged according to our works? This really isn't that hard to understand. Just because nothing we can do is worth eternal life and God is gracious, doesn't mean we can keep on sinning. Christ couldn't have made this any clearer, but yet many still insist on twisting his words or even forgetting them, passing them by, and not giving it much thought.
Counting the cost means denying yourself. It's the exact opposite of pride. It's yielding to others and not getting upset when someone doesn't agree with you because you want to be right. It's waking up in the morning and making sure the first thing that hits the ground is your knees! It's not caring about what people think about you and possibly not having many friends. It's refusing to let this world corrupt us, and so much more. There is definitely a high cost to obeying Christ. If you study the teachings of Christ and you really want to repent then you'll understand because the Holy Spirit will teach you. The absolute most important thing a person can do is take the teachings of Christ to heart. What he says is not a joke and shouldn't be taken lightly. Everything he says is absolute truth, and believe it or not your soul is at stake. It's very important not to skip over anything he says no matter how it feels. You must love his discipline! The biggest downfall of most "believers" is that they don't take his teachings and warnings all that serious. As you read his teachings you will find alot of things he said is very hard to accept. For example, he says to not get married a second time, but there are many Christians who do it anyway. Can they be forgiven? Of course, but the reason they did it was because they didn't take that scripture serious and chose to overlook it. Things like that are extremely dangerous! It's definitely not loving God with all of your heart.
If you want to study the best sermon ever preached then read Matthew chapter five, through chapter seven, and take that to heart. You'll find out what the cost is real quick. I think the toughest cost for me personally was realizing I had to love my enemies. It's real easy to say, "yeah, ok God I'll do that," but when someone is intentionally testing you and trying to push your buttons it's tough. Don't be fooled though, unless you come to the point where you can actually say you feel God's love for them in the midst of that persecution then your not obeying God. The truth is, when your really born again the Holy Spirit will be helping you, because you made the choice to obey this with all your heart. You'll get to the point where you understand that there are powers of darkness who are at work inside that person and they want you to be mad at the one created in God's image. The real enemy is Satan and the powers of darkness. Christ is deeply concerned about you allowing God's love to work through you and help that person created in his image. Being angry with that person will only do more harm. So take the teachings of Christ to heart! learn from him, not me. He can open your eyes, not me!
Then he said, "I assure you, unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven."
(Matthew 18:3-4)
Repent and Be Baptized
Besides Christ, there's no one who can explain this as good as John the Baptist. You can read about him in Matthew chapter three. Christ said that of all who have ever lived there's no one greater than John the Baptist. That's a very bold statement. If John the Baptist was only allowed to say two words, it would have been - stop sinning! Of course he not only said that, he also told everyone that the savior had arrived, repent and be water baptized, and obey and follow Christ. That was his job. But if there's one thing that really sticks out about John's message it's his words against sin. No, it wasn't, "Praise God, its ok now! All you have to do is believe in Christ and everything will be ok, God's grace is here! It's man's nature to sin! But you won't be judged according to your works if you believe in Christ! We all fall short! Did God say you can be born again? Naaaaaa, you won't "really" be born again. God knows how sinful we are. The Lamb isn't "that" powerful." That's the exact opposite of what he was saying and I often wonder what it would be like if he were alive today.
Find a pastor who you believe is following Christ with all of his heart and let him baptize you by fully submersing you underwater. When you do this you should be thinking about how sorry you are for rebelling against God and all of the things you've done that has separated you from him. You should be deeply sorry for your past sins and when you come up out of the water you are committed to obey him. After this is done then cry out for him to baptize you into his Holy Spirit. He will come and live inside of you and teach you everything you need to know. You won't need any man to teach you anything.
Following Christ:
Following Christ means to fulfill God's purpose for your life here on earth. Once you remove the log out of your own eye, then you can begin to help remove the speck out of your neighbors eye. The only purpose for your life here on earth once you give your life to God, is to share him with others so they can live forever too! Christ said that no one would light a lamp and then hide it. God lights the lamp and then puts it on a lamp stand. There are many ways to be a light though and it's not just the outward things you can do or words you can say. It's your life that you live... along with the words. It's being a prayer warrior. Don't believe that certain people have the gift of being a prayer warrior. Every child of God is a prayer warrior and this is the greatest weapon that we have. There's nothing we can do that's more powerful than real prayer. Not saying some written prayer over and over either. That's useless. Realize that we are a created being that has the ability to communicate with God and this can be extremely powerful, especially when we have no doubt. Communication is key!!! Also, when we follow Christ we are to serve one another. This doesn't mean to go along with peoples games who are trying to test you and play with your mind, or control you. You don't have to go along with that witchcraft. You should however be looking for ways to serve your brothers and sisters, and even your neighbor whom you may not even know. Be careful though, Christ did say to not cast your pearls to swine. He also said to be as harmless as a dove, but wiser than a serpent. There is a lot of witchcraft these days, and you'll notice that people want to control you and play all sorts of power tripping games. Just pray for them and obey God.
Endure to the End:
Once you are on the right path you'll find that you are very much going against the flow and you will notice that there is in fact a spiritual war going on. Satan and the powers of darkness will do everything they can to snatch what you've come to believe away from your heart. This is proof enough that God is real and you'll definitely experience this. It's not all that tough though. It's just every now and then and God will help you out a lot, as long as you keep praying for his help and seeking him with all of your heart.
Even Yahushua Himself was baptized at the beginning of His ministry and He had no sin.
Matthew 3
The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Get water baptized. God said so.
Matthew 28 The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.
Yes get Water baptized by Christians who will pray for you is a must .Tell Jesus that I repent and need your help in resisting sin and the devil ...... And Jesus will witness your heart and as you continue to resist sin and love the Lord Jesus..... This is a witness to Jesus and to all Heaven , because as a Christian we don`t get baptized and then go back to the world and sin and welcome the devil into your life Christianity is a constant struggle of resisting sin to be a witness to Heaven...... after you prove that you can be trusted before Heaven and love the Lord , Jesus will trust you with his Holy Spirit who HE will send into your life ..........People and baptized Christian who may get sick and can not get healed should go and get re-baptized in water as a witness to the Lord believing to resist sin repenting and this sickness which is sin can be removed and healed as a point of contact to Heaven but these people must be sincere in their repenting for a gift of faith to be given, any unforgivingness must be rejected ...... Any Religious groups who reject water baptism will come up short, with lack of Holy Spirit
The book of Isaiah was written about 800 years before Yahushua Christ came to earth and it's one of the most prophetic books in the Bible concerning Christ. After one thoroughly studies this book it becomes clear that it is the words of our creator - mainly because of chapter 53. The entire chapter is about Yahushua's purpose on earth and how much he would suffer for our sins. The most convincing thing about this scripture is that no one had any idea what this meant when it was written because the Jews were expecting the Messiah to come as a man of war and restore their earthly kingdom. In fact, it was his own people who betrayed him and had him crucified. So we can be even more sure that his life and death wasn't some sort of Jewish conspiracy to start a new religion. Perhaps even Isaiah didn't even fully understand what he was writing in this chapter.
The Book of Isaiah Chapters 1-66: is like a miniature bible (map of the 66 books in the canon bible?)
The 1st 39 chapters are filled with judgment upon immoral and idolatrous men. But the final 27 chapters reflect the message of hope and forgiveness with John the Baptist being the forerunner of the coming of the Messiah.
The most salient markers:
Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our GOD. (This seem to signal the beginning of the NT...introducing John the Baptist.)
Isaiah 66:1-2,21-22 = The Book of Revelation?
Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? (Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God, walking in the garden in the cool of the day:...)
2 For all these things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed be and your name remain. (Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.) symbolically of course. aisi
Peace!
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