| God's Plan of Salvation and Discipleship |
God's Plan of Salvation
and Discipleship of His People
To the body of Jesus Christ
To the Leadership in the Body of Jesus Christ
To the Prophets, Apostles, Pastors, Evangelists, and Teachers in the Body of Christ:
The foundation of the Christian faith is rooted and grounded in the words which our Lord Jesus Christ said to His disciples. in St. John, the 14th chapter. In verses 5 through 6, we read,
"Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the way? Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me".
It is more than the birth, life, death and ascension of Jesus Christ that give us hope as believers in Jesus Christ. The primary reason for my complete submission, loyalty, dedication and commitment, is the "Resurrection of Jesus Christ." Simply put, the "Resurrection" proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is God and is therefore, every Christian's hope of eternal life.
The Lord God of Hosts, that is the Father, Son and Holy Ghost has ordered me to remind you to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to His flock whom He has entrusted to you as His leaders here on earth. He has instructed me to tell you to stop furthering your own personal agendas at the expense of His only begotten Son, Jesus. He has told me to convey to you to preach the entire gospel of Jesus Christ. That is, the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. He said that if you obey this message, it will be well with you and the people of God, but if you do not, to put it another way, the Scriptures say
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31)
He told me to say to you that His wrath is real and it is for the sake of those whom He loves who are His in the Body of Christ. His wrath demonstrates His unconditional love for His people (the Elect) in the Body of Jesus Christ.
There are two redemptive parts in the plan of God's salvation for mankind and these are found in the Holy Living Word of God, that is, the Bible. The first part is found in the Holy book of Acts the 16th Chapter from verses 25 through 31. It explains how the Philippian jailer is converted. The Philippian jailer said to Paul and Silas, "Sirs, What must I do to be saved?"
So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."
According to the conclusion of the story, the Philippian jailer and his entire household were saved. While the Philippian jailer and his household will go to heaven if all died the next moment, but without tarrying and asking for the gift of the Promise (The Holy Ghost), the jailer will not be endued with power as the apostles were, to live a successful Christian life with signs and wonders following them as believers of Jesus Christ.
The second part is found in the 19th chapter of the book of Acts. Here we read how the disciples of John received the gift of the Holy Spirit. In verses 1-7,
"And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus and finding some disciples He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said "Into John's baptism." Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now the men were about twelve in all."
The above Scripture reveals what one must do to be saved. Secondly, it explains that without the additional asking for the gift of the Holy Spirit, there can be no successful journey in our discipleship on earth for our Lord and King Jesus Christ. To be absolutely clear, the two part plan is listed below:
1) Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (This is being born of the Holy Spirit).
2) Ask for the additional gift of the Holy Spirit after being born of the Holy Spirit (the infilling, or baptism in the Holy Spirit). Part two enables you to successfully live the Christian life.
Jesus clearly says,
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned." (John 15:1,5-6)
Jesus proclaims openly to His disciples that His Father is the vinedresser and He is the vine, and without Him, we as His disciples can do nothing. It is time for the Church to start preaching that it is not about depending on your human strengths or abilities to win souls and make disciples, but that the only way to be successful in this endeavor is to seek the strength and direction directly from our Lord Jesus Christ through constant and consistent prayer, reading the Word, fasting, and fellowshipping in small bible study groups.
He also proclaims that if you do not abide in Him, you will be cast out as a branch and will be withered, and they will gather you up and you will be thrown into the fire and burned. Jesus Christ is explaining that those who deliberately reject Him will be cast out, withered, and thrown into the fire in Hell. It is also important to note that Jesus Christ spoke about Hell in the New Testament far more than it appeared in the Old Testament.
Jesus Christ commands His disciples in St. Mark 16:15-18, saying,
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Obeying God's commands is the key to having His favor in your life. Another way to describe God's favor is to trust and put your entire hope in Him. The Scriptures say, "
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out it roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."
The Holy Scriptures also say, "Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in the salt land which is not inhabited." (Jeremiah 17:5-8)
The above Holy Scriptures clarify or confirm that the Christian life is about making choices. If you obey God's Holy Word, you will be blessed beyond your own comprehension, but if you disobey His Holy commandments, you will be cursed with a curse directly coming from God. As leaders in the Body of Christ representing Jesus Christ, it is imperative that we not only believe God's Holy commandments, but also live them as an example to His people here on the earth.
Jesus gave us the following commandments while He was with us, born of a woman. That is, flesh that dwelt among mankind:
-- If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:31-32)
-- If you love Me, keep My commandments. (John 14:15)
-- If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:23)
He told me to remind the leadership of what he instructed Joshua. The 1st chapter from verses 5-9 reads,
"No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life;
as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
Be strong and of good courage,
for this people you shall divide as an inheritance
the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
Only be strong and very courageous that you may observe to do
according to all of the law which Moses My servant commanded you;
do not turn from it to the right hand or the left,
that you may prosper wherever you go.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,
but you shall meditate in it day and night,
that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.
For then you will make your way prosperous,
and then you will have good success.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage;
do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
In conclusion, as the disciples of Jesus Christ, we must proclaim openly to the world that Jesus Christ is our Lord and God, and without Him we can do nothing. As His disciples, we know that the Church is composed of the wheat and the tares. The wheat are the "Elect", God's chosen people in the Body of Christ. The tares are Satan's evil agents planted in the Body of Christ to wreak havoc on the Saints of God. The tares in the Body of Christ cannot be detected or revealed by human ability.
The Holy Living Word of God says "We have not because we ask not."
Only the Lord God of Hosts, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost can reveal who is the wheat or the tare in the Body of Christ. Asking God in prayer is the only way He will reveal who is His and who is not His. The parable of the wheat and the tares can be found in the Holy book of Matthew the 13th chapter from verses 24 through 30.
The 4th chapter of Acts describes Peter preaching to the Sanhedrin and how they commanded Him not to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Lets look at verse 4. It says,
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus."
It was the gift of the Promise, the Holy Spirit, that enabled the disciples to have confidence, power, and especially boldness to preach the gospel of Jesus even if it cost them their natural lives here on Earth. For too long, the Church has only taught the first part: that is, one should believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (this is being born of the Holy Spirit).
The second part: that is, asking for the additional gift of the Holy Spirit after being born of the Holy Spirit is the infilling or baptism of the Holy Spirit.
This TEACHING AND EXAMPLE are largely missing.
Without them, there can be no power, confidence,
or boldness to win souls and make disciples.
Without the infilling of the Holy Spirit
the Church can not produce disciples that fulfill
Jesus' statement:
"These signs will follow them that believe."
In His Holy and Awesome Presence,
St. Wisdom