GOD's Next

Salvation, as Jesus taught in Matthew 19, is far deeper than a verbal confession or a superficial acceptance of His name, which is what salvation often means in church today. When the rich young ruler asked, “What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16), Jesus’ response revealed that salvation is not merely about moral compliance but radical surrender. And I mean RADICAL.  Photo above by Margo Evardson on Unsplash . First, he pointed the man to the commandments, which shows that to Jesus the commandments matter a lot in salvation, specifcally loving the Lord our God with our all, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. But when the man claimed he had kept them, Jesus exposed the heart issue: attachment to wealth. Money and giving it up is a vital issue for Jesus in salvation and if you really love God with your all and your fellow as yourself. And this is what church fails to emphasize---because it will mean the church itself and its denomination should ...

Giving up everything for Jesus is not a popular salvation teaching in church today. I think no one sees salvation this way. We're used to Paul's by grace through faith doctrine, not of ourselves, not of our works, it is a gift from God, so no one can boast. Which is true because Paul got his teachings from Christ's revelations. But church misses what it means to be saved  by faith . Faith means we believe and obey all that Jesus did for us and all he taught---ALL he taught---among which is giving up everything to be a true disciple.  Photo above by Rapha Wilde on Unsplash . Non-Christians must see that receiving Jesus into their lives for salvation includes giving up everything they have for him, not just receiving Jesus. You see this principle in the Book of Acts and elsewhere in the epistles, like those who were persecuted and "joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions," [Hebrew...

Born of Water and of the Spirit: A Deeper Look at John 3 The first time I saw this passage was when I was born again in 1980. You cannot see, much less enter, God's Kingdom unless these experiences are genuinely yours. "Born again" connotes a re-start or "reboot" of your life and get a chance at living a brand new one. It's not a repaired or patched up life, or a mere change of lifestyle. It's getting a totally brand new life, which Paul the apostle describes as a new creation---the old is past, gone. The new has come. It is all new. It's not a combination of old and new. It's NEW. Photo above by Kirsten Frank on Unsplash . The phrase “born of water and of the Spirit” in John 3:5 has stirred much discussion across Christian traditions. Different denominations and faith persuasions have offered varying interpretations of what Jesus meant when He told Nicodemus, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” ...