Gospel Realm: Steps to salvation
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23).
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9).
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."(Romans 10:9-10). And Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20).
Jesus asked His disciples to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations in Luke 24:47, but to first wait to be endued with the promised Pentecostal power (Acts 1:8). It was after this experience that the disciples began to see real results in their ministries.
This power is essential for preaching the gospel of Christ globally with deep conviction, unquestionable wisdom, boldness and conversion of sinners. Ours is to preach, the Holy Spirit does the conviction and conversion. To receive this Power, you must be saved and purified; then pray in faith (Luke 11:9-13). Stephen, the martyr who preached with great boldness and Evangelist Philip who took the gospel to Samaria with wonderful results, all had the Holy Ghost power.
Purity in the realm before power:
It is popular saying that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is why power can be a dangerous thing if it is in wrong hands. God is Omnipotent, that is, “All powerful” and you cannot separate His power from purity. Isaiah 6:1-3. Purity is freedom from anything that contaminates. It is the quality of being faultless, uncompromised, or unadulterated. Purity is often used in Scripture to communicate holiness or perfection (1Peter 1:15-16; Matt. 5:8, 48). Like in electricity, power can only flow through a pure conductor. It is therefore reasonable that purity must precede power.
God wishes His children to be above always and be powerful (Deut. 28:13). This is why God is very strict about the purity of His children in total obedience to His will (Deut. 28:1). This is because the more powerful a Christian is, the more severe will be the attacks from forces of darkness on him or her (Dan. 6:3-5). It will, therefore, require the purity, as of light, to constantly frustrate the enemy (John 1:5). In any case, power of the divine type is the holy thing and holy things are the not for dogs (Matthew 7:6; Acts 19:13-17). Purity must precede power because God will only anoint (for divine Exploit) those the love righteousness and hate iniquity (Psalm 45:7; Acts 10:38; Mark 16:15-18). Demons will only submit to the authority of Christ through a believer that is pure (Acts 19:13-17). Hence, to be a vessel unto honour, a Christian must purify himself (2Tim. 2:20-21).
The goal of every Christian should be making it to heaven at last. It will be unfortunate to have used divine power to heal, deliver and bless other and still fail to make it to heaven. Hence, purity is crucial at all costs (1Corinthians 9:24-27). The Lord Jesus Christ warned of the possibility of a miracle workers being excluding from Heaven because of lack of holiness (Matthew 7:22-23). The bible did not say, “Without power no man shall see God” but “Without holiness no man shall see God” (Hebrews 12:14). Purity should define our thought-life, words and actions. Jesus said: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8).
Walking with God in the realm of power:
It is not possible for us to work successfully for God on earth without walking in holiness of life because He that calls us is holy and commanded us to be holy as well. Walking with God in the realm of power means to live a life that is guided by the power of God. Moreover, our working for Him on earth involves seeking His face continually, obedience to His word, relying on His strength, drench in God's power and presence, and wisdom in every aspect of life, rather than relying solely on one's own abilities. This includes seeking God's guidance in decision-making, trusting in His provision, and relying on His strength in times of difficulty. Meanwhile, walking with God in the realm of power can also involve operating in spiritual gifts, such as healing, faith, prophecy, or discernment, which are believed to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. It can also involve engaging in spiritual warfare (2 Corinthians 10:4-5), using the authority given by God to confront and overcome spiritual forces of evil.
Overall, walking with God in the realm of power is about living a holy life that is fully surrendered to God, relying on His power and authority, and being used by Him to accomplish His purposes like Enoch, Joseph, Jeremiah, and Elijah etc.
In the book of Genesis 5:22-24, “And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him”. This story of Enoch is one of the most interesting ones in the Bible. A man whose whole thoughts, words and actions in the day and night, outside and inside, pleased God. He was so close to God that God longed for his company from time to time. God then took him to heaven. His actions on earth qualified him to escape the power of death. Yet, the people who lived in his time were very bad and wicked in their thoughts and actions. There are many people who put the blame of their wicked actions on other people.
Some children put the fault of their ungodly lifestyle on their parents, and some people blame the society they are living in. But Enoch made a personal choice. So, it should be with you. We don’t go to heaven holding hands together. You must, by God’s grace and faith in Christ, ensure that your walk – your daily total activities in this evil world, pleases God always. You must choose to be a devoted reader and doer of the Word, a fervent prayer warrior, a lover of righteousness. You must be a cheerful giver, always telling others about the love of Jesus. You must have a heart that is thirsty for heaven. You too can walk with God in School, at home and everywhere. You will then experience heaven on earth and be qualified for the rapture. Prayer: I want to love You with all my heart wherever I go; therefore, help me, Lord.