Thursday, April 10, 2014

Congratulations, Great Champion!


By now we know for sure, we fully agree, and we concur with the fact that, the moment we begin to seek God, God is there with us, leading us, and guiding us.  Psalm 9:10 illustrates that very fact in stating:  "Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."  With that firm assurance, we pray, we research, we inquire, we study the Word of God.  This is all great for it reveals our acknowledgement that there is a God, that we believe in Him, that we can do, achieve, and accomplish great things, that we can display and manifest altruistic kindness, that we can come up with great products, and so on.  Yet, it is still about the here and the now on Earth, as it is also about the earthly level, the earthly deeds, and the earthly legacy.

However, the ultimate, the absolute best, the preferred, the unique, and the greatest accomplishment ever is to have "God in us", and that is being achieved automatically when we become a Christian.  As part of the process and of the complete package, we repent of our sins, we believe in our heart, we confess with our mouth, and we declare solemnly that we accept Jesus Christ in our lives and in our hearts as our Lord and Savior, we get water baptized, we walk under the spiritual covering, upbringing, teaching, mentorship, and Leadership of a Shepherd, a Spiritual Leader (i.e., an Apostle, or a Pastor, or a Doctor of the Word, or a Bishop, or a Reverend, or a Chaplain, and so on).  We also become a member of a congregation, an integral part of a Church where the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ are being taught, where the Bible is the only authority, and where water baptism by immersion is administered.

Having God walking with us is great for we are being guided, mentored, and  groomed. However, having God inhabited in us, i.e., having His Spirit living in us, dwelling in perfect synergy, intimacy, and communion with us, is the ideal, the recommended, the greatest, and the highest achievement.  This is the state where we get the spiritual insights, the spiritual revelations, the dreamed status of a true God's Son and of a true God's Daughter by our obedience, our compliance, our acceptance, our resistance against the odds, our resilience, our perseverance, our strength, our activated ability to ascend, our willful decision to transcend, our elevated motivation to withstand, to move decisively, to embrace our worthy, our individual, and our personal cause of our Eternal Life in Jesus Christ and through Jesus Christ.

The Bible says "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."  (Matthew 7:7).  Through your seeking, your research, your meditation on the Word of God, and your pondering of your finding, you have finally come to know, to understand, and to be persuaded that God truly loves you, that He loves you so much that He has exchanged the life of His own Son for your life, that He has traded the life of His own Son to rescue you, to redeem you, and to save you.  You have also discovered that God has always had you in His mind and in His plans.

The good news is, during your grooming and your upbringing process by the Holy Spirit, since you are so serious about God, He (God) has allowed you, and has given you the ability to have some degree of insight.  Your heart has then become open and receptive to His Love for you, His Divine Word has begun to germinate and to take roots into your heart, your research has begun to bring forth fruit and to produce fruitful results, and darkness has begun to dissipate to make way for light.  You have come to realize and to be convinced that this is it:  you have found what you have been seeking and longing for all along.  And, in that “Eureka Moment”, since you were basically and practically ready, you have answered the Divine Call, you have crossed the line from confusion, doubt, and uncertainty to reality, illumination, and clarity.  You have come forward to the altar, and you have officially done it.  You have become a Christian.

You have decided to go from being a distant spectator, a confused by-stander, a sideline observer, and just a visiting guest to becoming an insider, an inner-circle participant in the Church with your full and your rightful Son and Daughter Status.

On a very encouraging note, you have decided not to procrastinate any longer.  You have made up your mind to do the life-saving thing, to take the life-saving step, to follow Jesus Christ wholeheartedly and boldly, to accept Him as your Lord and Savior, to break free from all forms of bondage, to lay hold of your personal, your uniquely-true, and your single-filed inheritance, i.e., your Eternal Life.  The Bible says:  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). By Faith, you have believed that verse.  You also have embraced “the way and the truth and the life” that Jesus Christ personifies. (John 14:6).

Proverbs 20:24 says that: “A person’s steps are directed by the Lord.  How can anyone understand their own way?”  Therefore, we can sincerely say, and honestly assure you that you have done the right thing.  It is Great, Beautiful, and Wonderful to be a Christian.  You can only win by taking that magnificent step.

Contrarily to wrongful misconceptions, to finger-pointing tendencies, to derogatory insinuations where Christianity may have been portrayed as unfriendly, boring, equated with joyless, no-brain people that display strange behavior, people with covert (or stealthy) hostility, and with double-faced hypocrisy, we can passionately reassure you that this is Totally, Flatly, and Bluntly a Fabricated Lie, and that this is the Absolute Opposite.  Christianity is rather Joy, Liveliness, Loveliness, Joviality, Happy Sharing, Healthy Exchange, Exceptional Caring, Being a Good Samaritan, Resilience, Steadfastness, Prompt Uplifting, Diligent Encouragement, Resolve, Matchless Philanthropy, Single-Minded and Genuine Giving, Altruistic Respect, Mutual LOVE, Loving Heart, Good Rapport, Kind Fellowship, Loving Interaction, Great PEACE, Mindful Endurance, Smart Mind, Sound Mind, Peaceful Spirit, Great Intelligence, Rich and Substantial Education.  It is Glorious Celebrations, Genuine Fun, Happy Rejoicing, and Joyful Dancing [like King David danced before the Lord when the "Ark of the Lord" was being brought from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David, as reported in the Bible (2 Samuel 6:14), (Full Context: 2 Samuel 6 /Whole Chapter; 1 Chronicles 15 /Whole Chapter)]. Christianity is also being Entrepreneurship-Oriented, Development-Inclined, and Business-Minded. It is being a Loving, Alert, Concerned, Prayerful, Peaceful and Respectful Citizen.  It is also being a Valuable and a Productive Asset for your Employer and for your Country. 

Christianity is also the embodiment of the willingness and of the readiness to go the extra mile.  It is the Joy of knowing that Wholesome, Progressive, Committed, Hard Work, and Conscientious Productivity are assured, maintained and guaranteed no matter what, without wavering, and without any compromise.  That is why your divinely-infused seriousness, your dedicated loyalty, your agreed commitment, and your delivered productivity to your job will naturally prompt your boss to be certain, to rest assured, to relax, and to sleep securely and peacefully on his/her feather pillow.  Why? You are there, you are constantly and continuously on the ball, you pull your weight with passion, you alleviate the burden for your fellow co-workers, and you contribute actively to keep your company profitable, competitive, and soaring.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."  (Psalm 9:10).  Therefore, out of genuine fear of the Lord, which in this case and context means "Reverential Respect for God” (that is a principle being taught, recommended, and good for you), and out of your awareness of the Lord’s omnipresence watching over you, over your heart, your thoughts, your behavior, your actions, your decision, and so on, you will be kept in check and on track with your job, and with your performance of the set, the assigned, and the mandated tasks even in the very absence of your natural Boss and of your physical Supervisor (or Monitor).  The Lord Jesus Christ is your Primary Boss and Supervisor in the Spiritual.  Therefore, you have to prove, to justify, to convince "Him First" that you are wholeheartedly serious, that you care, that you really mean business for the stability, for the strong standing, for the long standing, and for the profitability of the Enterprise that you work for in order for Him (Jesus Christ) to assure, to ensure, and to secure your longevity on the job where He has placed you, and your longevity in the position where He has promoted you to.  And, with that practical mindset coupled with your forward-thinking attribute and your proactive "modus operandi", you will surely contribute to the advancement of the Business and of the Enterprise that will naturally and strongly move ahead, forward, and upward. "Modus operandi" is a Latin expression used in English to signify: "manner of operating", or "way of doing things", or "method of functioning".

In the Lord's Prayer, it is written:  "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10).  Therefore, the immense and utmost value of your significant achievement, of your remarkable milestone, of your pro-activity, and of your great success is approved, accepted, appreciated, and sealed both by men and by God for now and for eternity.  Your ability and your decision to overcome the obstacles, the oppositions, the challenges, the adverse circumstances, and to persevere, make you the "Indisputable Champion" that you are.  Therefore, you are able and capable to undertake and to achieve “Greater Things” with God operating not only primarily with you, but now through you by your water baptism, and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Your equally-treasured ability to hear the voice of the Lord through your spiritual grooming and your upbringing by the Holy Spirit, and your wisdom to follow through, have carved you a preferred place of honor in the heart of the King, our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ.

Your guided decision to become a full-fledged Christian and to be water baptized has made you unique in your standing, because it is "not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord Almighty.”  (Zechariah 4:6).  The Spirit of the Lord has ushered you around and in.  That is why you are able to fly high above and to transcend all the temptations, to resist the devil, to avoid all the devil's baits, snares, enticements, and traps, to overcome those “hard-to-control” addictions, to be protected and shielded from the devil's further harmful and destructive setups, to be exempted from your own self-destroying habits, to stand firm, renewed, high, elevated, and to finish confident, bold, joyful, and strong.  You have achieved it!

You have conquered, and you have received your “Triumphant Trophy” that is solely yours as per your “divinely-free gift”, and as per the great evidence of your priceless embrace of the Divine Love that was specifically designed, securely stored, timelessly provisioned, jealously preserved, and “now” happily granted and handed out to you by our Lord Jesus Christ because of your readiness and your acceptance of Him.  Fortunately, "this time", your heart was ready, your womb was fertile, your mind was set, and you were able to capitalize on the occasion, to maximize on the opportunity, and to seize the moment because you have come to grip that coming forward to become a Christian was definitely the right and crucial thing to do, and the right way to go.  And, you have done it!  You have got it!

You have entered the realm of Everlasting Life through the death of Jesus on the cross for your sins, through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead for your redemption, and through your decisive acceptance, your enthusiastic adoption, your bold embrace of your heavenly inheritance.  It is Noble.  It is Priceless.

The growing number of local, in-house resources, the variety of teaching networks, the multiple delivery methods, formats, and media available with respect to biblical follow-up, Daily Inspiration, continuous study of the Word of God being delivered profusely for your spiritual growth, have prompted us to say with great confidence that you are safe, rich, covered, and set for your steady mentorship, and for your ongoing biblical education, training, strengthening, discovery, and greater insights.

As an imperative reminder, Christianity is: "diligently putting our hands to the plow, and decisively putting out our best efforts to get the job done."  Jesus said to His disciples:  “The Harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”  (Matthew 9:37).  Christianity is Divine Love, Mutual Sharing, and Healthy Exchange.  What you have inherited, and the person that you have become are too awesome, too beautiful, too glorious, and too uplifting to keep it all solely to yourself.  That is why you will be normally motivated and prompted to share, to talk about them with others, and to transparently help others as you are being led by the Holy Spirit.  This blog is a prime example of someone who is being motivated and led to perform a specific reaching-out and sharing task, and who obediently took the initiative to execute the command as directed.  Your sharing might take a totally different form, format, approach, in different settings, using different tool(s) that will be revealed to you by God.  Encouraging others, and inviting others to come to Church with you and to learn what you have learnt about Jesus Christ are also an integral part of your sharing, and of your reaching-out endeavor. Jesus, in Luke 10:20, exhorts us in the following terms: "Do no rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

We are Extremely Happy for you, Great Champion!  We are also Very Happy to say that we are Celebrating that Great achievement, we are Cheering that Significant Milestone, and we are Rejoicing over the fact that your Divinely-Granted Christian Status is well accepted by your Friends, your Fans, your Admirers, your Followers, your Supporters, your Family, your Team Members, your Club Membership Buddies, your Work Colleagues, your Business Partners, your Enterprise Associates, your Circle Folks, your Equally-Famous Peers, your Prominent Counterparts, and by an Army of Angels that are clapping you, applauding you, and rejoicing in Heaven, and all around you. Therefore, Be Uplifted, Be Happy, and Feel Good about Yourself, and about your Great Accomplishment. You are "Truly" our Acknowledged, our Victorious, our Full-Fledged, our Fully-Accepted, and our Triumphant Champion in our midst here on Earth, as you will be in your “Glorious and Timely Walk of Fame” in Heaven.  

Once again, Congratulations, Great Champion!  You Made It.  Therefore, Enjoy and Rejoice!
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