What are God's expectations for each believer who comes to faith? Here we set out the basic criteria to follow for every believer who wants to understand and obey the Word of God and consequently be a true follower of Jesus the Messiah.
Obeying the Good News of God about Jesus
God the glorious Father and his divine Son Jesus the Messiah created us in their image and likeness to have close relationship and communion with them, as long as we obeyed them, since they gave us free will from the beginning. (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:15-17; Colossians 1:15-17)
But despite the wonderful life we were given, we were tempted by the evil one and disobeyed, and were therefore separated from the glory and presence of God. (Genesis 3:1-19)
However, out of His goodness and love, God the Father saved us, not because of the righteous actions we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed us away from our sins through the shed blood and death of his Son Jesus on the cross, and he gave us new birth and new life.
God poured out his Spirit upon us abundantly through Jesus our Savior. By his grace he made us righteous in his sight and gave us the assurance that we will inherit eternal life. (Romans 3:21-26; Titus 3:3-7; Hebrews 10:19-22; 1Peter 1:3-5)
Jesus suffered, died, and rose again out of love for us to redeem us from our sins and the power of sin over us that we inherit when we are born. (Galatians 3:13-14; 1Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 2:14-18; 1Peter 3:18)
That is why the Word of God teaches us that to be healed and freed from the curse of sin, we must first repent and turn to God. We must then be washed from our sins by dying to self and being resurrected to new life in Jesus through water baptism. And lastly, we must receive in prayer the filling of the Holy Spirit, who is the glorious nature, the holy presence and the miraculous power of God our Father and of Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:9-11; 1Corinthians 2:10-11; 2Corinthians 3:16-18; Galatians 4:4-7). (Acts 2:37-39; Romans 1:16-17; 6:1-11; Galatians 3:26-29; Colossians 2:11-15; 1Peter 3:19-21)
Being born again to see the Kingdom of God
Jesus said that to enter the spiritual dimension of the Kingdom of God, we must be born again through water baptism when we repent and turn to God, and also by being filled with the very life-giving Spirit of God. (Matthew 3:11; John 3:1-8; Romans 8:1-4; Titus 3:3-7; Jeremiah 31:33-34; Ezekiel 36:25-27)
However, not many believers understand what the word REPENTANCE truly means. Jesus and the Apostles made it clear that we must repent first before being baptized in water in order to wash away our sins.
Jesus was baptized in water, as we believers do when we die and bury our sinful ego, and we receive Jesus and make Him the Owner and Lord of our lives. But unlike us, He had never committed any sin. So why was he baptized? Just to give us an example? He did it for a deeper and very precise reason. In fact, just before being baptized by John the prophet, He had to ‘repent” of something. Of course he did not have to repent of any sin, since he had been born without sin.
But the word REPENTANCE does not only mean that one turns away from all sinful actions, but also that one surrenders and consecrates himself entirely to doing the will of God the Father. In fact, the original biblical word of repentance in Greek is METANOIA, which means: a complete change of direction or trajectory.
So Jesus was willing to consecrate himself to leave behind his good reputation in the eyes of men. He had been a person of integrity and respect for his parents, an excellent carpenter, as well as a great expert on the Holy Scriptures and a faithful practitioner of the Mosaic Law. He had to give up his good reputation before men. (Luke 2:45-52; Matthew 13:53-58; Mark 6:1-6)
In water baptism, Jesus completely renounced being simply the son of Joseph and Mary. He renounced being a carpenter respected by his relatives, acquaintances and fellow citizens. At that moment he dedicated himself to revealing the truth about his identity as the Son of God, openly declared by the audible voice of his Father in heaven; and also as the Lamb of God who was to shed his blood at the end of his ministry, openly declared by John the prophet. (Matthew 3:13-17; John 1:29-34; 1John 5:6-8)
In water baptism, Jesus decided to fulfill his role of revealing his true identity, through teachings and the power of miracles, that He was truly the Messiah and the Son of the One who had sent him-God the Father of him. He knew that he was going to suffer great and constant persecution–for declaring that He was the only Truth and the only Way to reach the Father–and that he was going to die cruelly on the cross for the sins of humanity. (Luke 4:1-30; John 5:16-30; 14:6-11)
Jesus submitted to obey and fulfill the will of God his Father, accepting the challenge of suffering and feeling anguish for us, since he had to be martyred and die cruelly three years later at the end of his ministry. What an example for us to give everything without qualms or conditions for love of his Father and of us! (Hebrews 5:7-10; 10:3-10)
Being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to serve God
Just after Jesus was baptized in water, his Father sent him the Holy Spirit to receive the anointing and power to carry out his mission and ministry of preaching the Kingdom of God and healing the sick and making disciples and dying for our sins. The Father completely filled him with His Spirit and power for having dedicated himself to revealing the truth of the Word and will of God, and being willing to suffer and die for humanity. (Matthew 3:16-17; Luke 4:14-22; Acts 10:38)
This is the price Jesus had to pay in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit: complete repentance, death to self in water baptism, and total submission and complete obedience to serve God his Father.
The disciples of Jesus also gave themselves completely and were willing to suffer persecution and even die as martyrs for his name and for sharing the Gospel. And because of this, they received the filling of the power of the Spirit of God to be able to be witnesses of Jesus, and thus continue the work and ministry that He had begun. (Acts 1:4-5,8; 2:1-21,37-41; chapters 9 and 10; 19:1-7)
In the same way, if we want to receive the power of God to be authentic followers and ambassadors of Jesus, we must fully surrender to him and be willing to suffer persecution, and even die, for his name and for announcing the Gospel, from the moment we are baptized in water. (Mark 8:34-38; Romans 6:1-11; 2Corinthians 5:14-21)
Having intimate communion with God and Jesus
Jesus showed us by example about the importance of sanctifying himself by spending daily time in communion with his Father in worship and prayer, and listening to the voice of his Word. (Matthew 6:5-13; 22:36-38; 24:35; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; 6:12; 10:38-42; 11:1-13; John 4:23-24 )
The devil tempted Jesus to interrupt his prayer and fasting, and turn the stones into pieces of bread. But Jesus rebuked him with a Scripture saying that man will not live on physical food alone, but on every Word that comes out of the very mouth of God. (Matthew 4:1-4; Deuteronomy 8:3)
Jesus told the crowd that He is the Bread and the Word of Life that came from Heaven, and that He would pour out the Living Water or the Holy Spirit of Life to all those who believed in Him and followed Him. He said that if we eat the spiritual food of His Word and drink the spiritual drink of His Spirit continually, we will then abide in Him and He in us, and so we will live forever. (John 1:14; 6:26-65; 7:37-39; 8:31-32; 15:1-8; 17:1-3, 13-19)
That is why we must also have daily communion with Jesus and with God, so that we can be sanctified and know them both personally. And the way to sanctify ourselves and renew our minds that God has shown us is through prayer in his Spirit–showing gratitude, singing and praising and worshiping, praying in tongues–and meditating on the wonderful promises of his Holy Word recorded in the Bible. It is recommended that we spend a minimum of two hours daily in intimate communion of praise and prayer to God, and meditation on His Word, preferably early in the morning. (Joshua 1:8; Job 23:12; Psalm 1:1-3; 37:4-5; 119:11, 89, 105; Jeremiah 15:16; Romans 8:1-17; 12:1-2; 1Corinthians 1:9; 2:9-16; Philippians 2:14-16; 2Timothy 2:15; 3:14-17; Hebrews 4:14-16; 10:19-22; 1Peter 2:1-2; 2Peter 1:19-21; 1John 1:1-3; Jude 1:20-21; Revelation 3:20)
The goal is to be filled with God's Spirit each day in prayer (as Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 7:7-11 and Luke 11:1-13). We must ask God daily to receive more of his glorious nature (as described in Exodus 34:6 and Psalm 86:15, and Isaiah 11:2). Furthermore, we must seek Him in order to find Him and walk in His holy presence displaying the fruit of the Spirit (as described in Galatians 5:22-23). And last but not least, we must knock on the doors of His miraculous power to receive the gifts of the Spirit and release them upon others (as described in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11). (Acts 4:23-31; Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:14-19)
We have to let the Spirit of Jesus fill us and take control of us as we begin the day. We have to put on every day the armor of the Light and the Living Word, which is Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Romans 13:11-14; Ephesians 5:20-24; 6:10-18)
As children of the Light we must live in holiness, because God is holy and without holiness no one will be able to see the Lord. (1Thessalonians 5:1-11; Hebrews 12:14-17; 1Peter 1:13-21)
Jesus is now our life and will help us turn away from all sinful thoughts of the old human nature, as long as we abide in Him by praying in His Spirit and absorbing His Word recorded in the Bible. Furthermore, He will fill us with His light and compassionate love so we can love, share our faith, and even heal the people around us. (Colossians 3:1-11; Ephesians 4:17-31; Philippians 2:12-18;1John 3:1-10)
Obeying the call of Jesus as his followers
Jesus dedicated and sacrificed his entire life during his ministry to healing the sick, liberating the oppressed, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God, and teaching the multitudes who followed him. (Matthew 4:23; 8:16-17; 9:35)
He faithfully prepared his disciples to do the same thing that he did in life, so that they could continue the work once they had received the filling of the Spirit of the resurrected Christ. (Luke 9:1-2; John 4:31-38; Acts 1:8)
He showed all of us his followers the true purpose of his sacrifice, death and resurrection. He did it not simply to save us from sin and damnation, but also so that we would be a light in this world–preaching the Kingdom and the Gospel, healing the sick and freeing the captives with power, baptizing and making disciples at all times and place. (Matthew 5:14-16; 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; Luke 10:1-18; John 14:12-13; Romans 15:17-21; 1Corinthians 2:1-5)
We believers, and not only the apostles and evangelists, have a responsibility before God to share our faith with others and lead them to Christ. We must take advantage of every opportunity to individually evangelize everyone around us. This is the call for every son and daughter of God who wants to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. (Acts chapters 6-8; 9:1-19; 11:19-26; 21:8-9; Philippians 1:12-18; 1Thessalonians 1:2-10)
Following the MODEL of Christ
Jesus is not only our Lord and Savior, but also our MODEL to imitate and to follow as our ELDER Brother, since He is the ELDER Son of God our Father. (Romans 8:28-29)
Just as the Father was in Jesus through his Spirit and revealed Him to others, now Jesus is in us through the Holy Spirit and wants us to reveal Him to others around us at every opportunity. (John 12:44-45; 14:10-11; Galatians 2:20; 2Corinthians 3:16-18; 4:5-6)
God sent his Son Jesus into the world so that through his message and sacrifice we could be reconciled to God. Now we, as ambassadors of Christ, must announce the Gospel to others, in order to reconcile many to God. (Romans chapter 5; 2Corinthians 5:14-21)
Doing the will of God of following Jesus
Are we consecrating our lives to love and obey God following the MODEL of his Son Jesus, who was a true example of love, submission and obedience to God his heavenly Father?
Have we understood the true meaning of the word REPENTANCE, which means a complete change of direction?
Are we willing to give everything and without reservation to the Lord to follow him and obey his commands of sharing the Gospel with everyone around us, healing the sick, baptizing those who repent, and preparing them in the faith and for the work of the ministry?
Are we willing to sign a blank sheet of paper to commit to following the precise steps and instructions of Jesus, our Owner and Lord, and thus fulfilling the perfect will of God, our heavenly Father?
Jesus taught us to follow in his footsteps, because He is the true example of love, submission and obedience to God our heavenly Father. He taught us to love the Father with all our hearts and to love others as we love ourselves. In fact, we love God and His Son when we have daily communion with them both, and also when we have communion and help each other as believers. And of course, when we also love and help non-believers around us at every opportunity. (Matthew 22:36-40; 25:31-46; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 10:25-37; John 13:34-35; 14:23-24; Colossians 2:6-7; James 1:22-25; 2:14-20; 1John 1:1-3; 2:3-6; 3:16-19)
The church is the spiritual family of God and Jesus
The church is not a building, nor is it just a weekly meeting. The church or "Ecclesia" are the members of the body of Christ, those called out of this world. The true church is the Family and Temple of God made up of living stones who worship God in unity, and show the true Light of Jesus to others at all times and places. (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1Peter 2:4-12)
The church is also not an institution or social club in which believers gather simply to hear a leader speak and to fulfill the tradition of meeting weekly. Of course, gathering together is good and necessary, but it is not enough to be able to fulfill the requirements and commands of Christ. (Hebrews 10:23-25)
In fact, the church is the community of believers born again of water and the Spirit, who at the same time have an intimate and personal relationship with God and Jesus, and live as a family. They see each other very often, relate with genuine love, and help each other both physically and spiritually, with the aim of advancing the Kingdom. The church is actually God's spiritual family, made up of followers who wholeheartedly obey Jesus' call to love God and their brothers and sisters, and to share the faith with the lost at every opportunity. (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37; Romans 12:9-21; Ephesians 2:19-22; 4:11-32 ; 5:15-20; Colossians 3:12-17; 1Timothy 3:1-13; 1Peter 5:1-11)
Loving each other as the Lord loved us
Jesus taught us to act with sacrificial love and compassion towards brothers and sisters in the family of faith.
Elder brothers and sisters in Christ with leadership gifts, who work together with one another, must never be superior or exert control over others. Instead, they must be servants and trainers who equip others with true love and humility, so that all believers may draw closer to the Lord and His Word, and thus be able to do the work of God, for only Jesus is our true Leader and Lord and Master. (Matthew 23:8-12; Mark 10:41-45; John 13:34-35; 15:9-13,16; Romans 12:3-21; 1Corinthians 3:1-11,21-23; Galatians 6 :9-10; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 2:1-11; Colossians 3:12-17; 1Peter 1:22-25; 5:1-7; 1John 3:11-18)
The Lord's Supper and fellowship among believers
Jesus is the Head of the church, and consequently He is our true Shepherd and Savior. Therefore, we must remember the sacrifice He made for us every time we gather and eat together. Eating together is necessary and vital when we congregate, so that we can experience true communion with the Lord and with each other as believers. (1John 1:1-3)
As the Apostle Paul received from the Lord and taught us in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, we are to break the bread, which represents the body of Jesus that was given in sacrifice to give us life, and eat it together as members of his body in honor and memory of Him. And at the end of the meal, we must drink from the cup that represents the new covenant between God and us, an agreement confirmed by the blood and death of Jesus.
Something very important to keep in mind is that every time we break and eat the bread and drink from the cup, we commit to eating the body or spiritual flesh of Jesus who is the Living Bread and the Word of Life that came from Heaven (John 6:47-51; 1John 1:1-2). We also commit to drinking his spiritual blood which is the Living Water and the Spirit of Life that emanates from Him (John 7:37-39; Romans 8:1-2).
When we meditate on God's Word, we are actually eating his spiritual flesh. And when we pray in the Spirit of God, we drink his spiritual blood. If we do this daily, then we remain united with Him and obtain eternal life (John 6:53-58).
When we celebrate the Lord's Supper, we also commit to literally suffer persecution and die for the name of Jesus and to share the Gospel, if push comes to shove, until He comes. Hallelujah! (Luke 22:19-20; 23:28-35; John 6:26-65; Acts 2:42; 1Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:17-34)
The purpose of House Church meetings
Once we have eaten the bread and drunk the cup together, we must then pray and give thanks to God with songs of praise and worship. We must pray interceding for the lost and for our brothers in Christ. We must also receive prophetic guidance in prayer, and share His Word with one another for edification. And most importantly, we must pray and plan together how to advance the Kingdom of God, preach the Gospel and heal the sick during the week, because this is the call of every follower of Jesus. (1Corinthians 14:26; Ephesians 5:18-20; 6:18-20; Colossians 3:16-17; Hebrews 10:23-25)
House church meetings should be vibrant gatherings where brothers and sisters in Christ, who are filled with the light of the Holy Word and the fire of the Holy Spirit, come together, eat together and celebrate the Lord's Supper, edify each other, pray for each other and also for lost souls locally and worldwide.
If each believer connects daily with the Lord and is a doer of the Word and not just a hearer, then when he gathers with the church, that meeting will be a true explosion of life and a revival filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 5:11-14; James 1:22-25)
The purpose of having fellowship is so that the light and fire of the Lord does not remain only in four walls, but that each member of the church spreads it everywhere around.
The size and reproduction of house churches
It is recommended that the number of members in a church or community of believers not exceed twelve. The reason for decentralizing and not expanding the community is so that believers can still actively participate in the meetings and become worker leaders. If the community exceeds the number of twelve members, then it is advisable to divide into two house churches, which are united in Spirit and work together to advance the Kingdom in the region. In this way, believers will encourage one another to evangelize and heal the sick at every opportunity, and to make new disciples to include in their community, and so on.
It is also advisable that believing followers of Christ not engage in work projects and activities for daily sustenance that do not exceed more than 20 hours a week. The reason for this is so that they can dedicate another 20 hours a week to seek and advance the Kingdom and share the Good News of God about his Son Jesus.
Communal Life
To the extent possible, it is essential that believers agree to live together in the same home to share the expenses of rent, utilities, food and transportation, as the believers of the Early Church used to do (see Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-37). Likewise, in this way, the disciples of this community home will be able to help each other with daily chores (including child care). And above all, they will be able to pray together for the harvest of lost souls, and also organize to go out to evangelize two by two, in order to reach the lost and pray for them everywhere and at every opportunity.
Following Jesus to receive the crown of righteousness, eternal glory, and life
The crown of righteousness, eternal glory, and life (see 2 Timothy 4:8, 1 Peter 5:4, and Revelation 2:10) is actually the glorious resurrection body, and will be given only to the overcomers, to the believers who sanctify themselves and faithfully obey God's commands, when the Lord Jesus returns. (Galatians 5:16-26; Hebrews 12:14-17; 1Peter 1:13-20; Revelation 21:5-8; 22:10-15)
It will be awarded to those who personally relate to and know God the Father and the Lord Jesus, by faithfully meditating on the Scriptures and praying intimately in the Spirit of God on a daily basis, and therefore being faithfully filled with the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 25:1-13; John 17:3)
It will be awarded to those who renounce everything, including fruitless family ties; to those who are faithful announcing the Gospel, without shame or fear, to lost souls and at every opportunity; and also to those who suffer all kinds of rejection, persecution, prison, torture and even martyrdom for being active and faithful followers of Jesus. (Matthew 10:16-39; 25:14-30; Mark 4:1-20; 8:34-38; 10:17-31; Luke 14:33; John 12:25-26; Romans 10:5- 15; 2Corinthians chapter 4)
It will be awarded to those who selflessly love and help their needy brothers in Christ at every opportunity with food, drink, hospitality, sustenance, healthcare, prison visits, fervent prayers, and much more. (Matthew 25:31-46; 1John 4:7-21)
Only the victors, that is, those who completely abandon the sinful appetites of the flesh and recognize their new divine nature and identity in Jesus, and obey Him until the end of their lives, will have the right to the first resurrection. Only the victors will obtain the reward of the crown of life or glorified body that God has promised to those who truly love him and wait for the coming of his Son. Only the victors will reign with Jesus over the entire Earth for 1000 years! (1Corinthians 9:24-27; 15:12-58; Philippians 3:7-21; 1Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2Timothy 4:6-8; James 1:12-15; 1Peter 5:1-4; Jude 1:17-23; Revelation 2:7,10-11,17,26-28; 3:5,11-12,21; 20:4-6)
Let's all give our all to God, and thus fulfill our legacy of following Jesus wholeheartedly! Amen.
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