Yes, it is true that if one has their sins forgiven they will spend eternity with the Lord Jesus. But following Jesus is much more than being forgiven. Jesus is looking for faithful followers that will carry on His work on earth. Being forgiven through faith in the finished work of Jesus the Christ opens the door to God the Father, but is just the beginning point. As a matter of fact there is much more than having sins forgiven that a perspective follower should be informed of before making a decision. Regretfully, many modern Christian churches only emphasize forgiveness of sins and going to heaven. Many others don’t even do that much.
The word teaches us that the people of God perish for lack of knowledge. One can be born again without all the knowledge that God would like for them to have at that point, but they will often remain babes in Christ for a long period of time. Thank God for the few churches who teach sinners that Jesus is Savior, Lord and King of kings, and when they make a decision for Jesus they are committing to a life of forsaking all to follow Him. They are also taught that they cannot live a victorious life on this earth without the Holy Spirit which necessitates not only being born again by the Holy Spirit but being baptized in the Holy Spirit by their new Savior, Lord and King.
Just because there are problems with ministers and in
churches that believe in the baptism in the Spirit does not justify an
individual Christian, a local church or a denomination from having the baptism
in the Spirit. The Lord Jesus commands all of His followers to wait on the
promise of the Father (Luke 24: 49; Acts 1: 4)) which is the baptism in the
Spirit, not salvation. It is not a matter of opinion or argument; it is a
matter of rightly or wrongly dividing the word of truth. These ministers and
other Christians that add to and take away from the word may spend eternity
with Jesus, but they are opposing His work on earth in some key areas. He is
not pleased and will address them at the judgment seat of Christ.
Today, we have wild fire in many churches and denominations
and no baptism in the Spirit in many others. Will you become one of the few who
not only knows Jesus as Savior but continues the work that He did because you not
only know Him as Savior but as the One who baptizes in the Spirit and fire (Matt.
3: 11)? If you only know Him as Savior, His command is to still wait for the
promise of the Father. After you receive that promise go into the harvest
fields that are white for harvest. There
are people all around you who are oppressed by the devil! Don’t let some
preacher, even though He knows Jesus as Savior, talk you out of what the Lord
Jesus has said. Be like Aquila and Priscilla and explain to the preacher the
way of God more accurately (Acts: 18: 24-28). The preacher can then go and
greatly help those who have believed through grace (Acts: 18: 28).
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1 comment:
Baptism occurs by fire and water. See Genesis, Noah, Nicodemus, John the Baptist, etc. However that is but the first step. The second is to live the life that shows you have accepted the spirit. Sin separates us from the spirit. Hence when the spirit came after the ascension, the first charge of the apostles was the confession and forgiveness of sins even unto death (see James) Without this forgiveness we are still separated from the spirit by our sins. Thus the need for frequent confession.
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