what's your story? are you a believer, born from above?
BELIEF and CONFESSION: your own plan of salvation
"Because if you would confess with your mouth the Lord Yeshua-Jesus and you would believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (and see a change in your character and nature), for he believes for himself in his heart unto righteousness, and confesses for himself with his mouth unto salvation. For the Scripture says, 'no one who believes in Him will be put to shame.' For there is no distinction between either Jewish or Greek, for the same One Is Lord of All, and He Is rich, abundantly blessing all those who call upon Him: for everyone who will call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:9-13)
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BIRTH FROM ABOVE: your own immersion in the Word of God; your own path to the Kingdom of God
Yeshua answered and said to him, "most definitely I say to you, unless someone would have been born from above, he is not able to see the Kingdom of God.... Most certainly I say to you, unless someone would have been born out of water and Spirit (both of physical baptism and spiritual immersion in the Water of the Word- studying the Scriptures of the Teachings of God), he is not able to enter the Kingdom of God." (John 3:3,5)
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BAPTISM: your own spiritual death, burial, resurrection, and ascension
"...because you were buried with Him in immersion (baptidzo- or, "baptism" in the Greek), by means of Whom you were also raised through your Faith in the working of God, the One Who raised Him from the company of the dead: and although you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive, together with Himself, when He granted forgiveness of all the transgressions in us. Since God wiped away the record against us in the decrees which were set against us, and He took each decree away, out from our midst, by nailing the record to the Cross with Him: when God disarmed the principalities and the authorities He made them an example, exposing them publicly, when He triumphed over them through Him, Messiah." (Colossians 2:12-15)
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BEGOTTEN SONS and DAUGHTERS: your own affidavit of heirship into Hope, Eternal Life, and Rejoicing
"God and Father of our Lord Yeshua-Jesus Messiah-Christ be praised, the One Who Has begotten us anew (caused us to be 'born-again' from above), according to His great mercy, into Living Hope through the Resurrection from the dead of Yeshua Messiah, into an incorruptible, pure, and unfading inheritance, which has been kept in the heavens for you, those who are guarded by the power of God through Faith into salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. In which you must continually rejoice, even if it must be for a short time now, you are grieved in various trials, so that the testing of your faith will be more valuable than gold, which perishes even though it is tested by fire, and your faith would be found in praise and glory and honor at the Revelation of Yeshua Messiah: Whom you love, although you have yet to see Him, in Whom now, not seeing but still believing, you are rejoicing with unspeakable and glorious joy, carrying off for yourselves the goal of your Faith: salvation of your very beings." (1 Peter 1:3-9)
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BEHOLD: your own call to ministry
"So if someone is in Messiah, he is a new creation (b'riyah hadashah- 'new creation' in Hebrew): the old things have passed away, behold he has become new. And all things are from God, the One Who reconciled us to Himself through Messiah and Who gave us the ministry of reconciliation, because God was reconciling the Universe to Himself by means of Messiah, since He does not reckon their transgressions to them, and because He placed in us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors on behalf of Messiah as God exhorts through us: we beg, in the Name of Messiah, that you must immediately be reconciled to God. He made the One Who did not know sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we ourselves would know the righteousness of God by means of Him." (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
To make the choice this day whom you will serve:
1) you can decide in your heart to turn toward righteousness in every area of Life.
2) you can ask The Lord: "Please, forgive and clean up the mess of every mistake thus far; please cancel any repercussions and replace them with blessings; and please make all things new by presenting Your Testimony of Redemption, Healing, Prosperity, Restoration and Reconciliation... on my behalf to our Heavenly Father, the Righteous Judge- by the 'proof of purchase' poured forth in the LifeBlood of Your Perfect Sacrifice."
3) you can voice Faith in Him, "Yeshua- Jesus, You Are the Way, the Truth and the Life."
4) you can invite, "Holy Spirit, please fill me with Your Wisdom to mend and guide my heart."
5) you can tell Yeshua-Jesus, "You Are Lord-King-Head of my Life; and I will learn and live Your Principles."
6) you can acknowledge Heavenly Father, "Thank You that You so loved the world that You sent Your only begotten Son to the Earth in the flesh to live a blameless Life and yet stand in place of me, to receive my Just punishments, to perform His Masterpiece on the Cross- to give me the chance to be counted righteous in Your Presence, because i have believed in Him and received Him into my heart... so it is only Him You see as I pray to You... standing in Him as one, by the Power of Your Holy Spirit. Thank You, Lord God Almighty Heavenly Father."
7) you can rejoice at being born-again from above in your spirit-man... into being a new creation, to live out Life as an instrument of God's will and purposes for the building up of His Body, His Bride and His Kingdom.
8) you can declare, "Lord, I am in agreement with all You Have written for my Life in my books. Help me, Holy Spirit, to be equipped to walk in all God Has for me to accomplish. Lord yeshua, let it be no longer me who lives, but You in me. And to You be all the Glory. amen."
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To all of us who have walked through the above steps wholeheartedly, we pray:
1) we start each day with Scripture- which Is Fellowship with Yeshua- the Living Word
2) we heed Holy Spirit- that still, small Voice within Who Guides, Comforts, and Helps us do our best to emulate the mind and ministry of Christ-Messiah-Yeshua-Jesus in our own unique Divinely-Designed Ways
and 3) we find a congregation of believers with whom to learn, praise, and grow in the virtues, victories, and joie d'vivre of the Lord!
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In the days of Perpetua:
disciples studied The Word of God throughout at least one full year to ensure that they were clear on the Instruction (the Torah- or, "Teaching" in Hebrew). They would learn and practice refinements to their lifestyles and thought patterns... to correspond with the change of their spiritual residence... to the Household of Faith... in the Kingdom of Heaven. Then, they would be ready to be baptized.
Are you ready to be baptized?
Lord, thank You for causing us to lie down in green pastures, for leading us by still waters to drink, for restoring our souls, and for Guiding us in the paths of Righteousness for Your Name's Sake. Lord, Help us to hunger and thirst for Your Word, being diligent to show ourselves approved to You, God, as laborers who have no cause to be ashamed, teaching the doctrine of the Truth correctly and directly. Lord, may Grace and Peace increase in us. Amen.
