Baptism by immersion followed by true conversion places one on the path to the Kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit, made available by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the power of God that enables the truly converted Truth seeker to remain on His path in spite of Satan’s relentless attempts to lure him/her to sin, thereby separating the seeker from God (Isa. 59:2) by forcing the Holy Spirit to leave him/her. As Second Corinthians 6:14-7:1 and First John 3:1-10 make abundantly clear, the Holy Spirit will not remain where sin is present. Sin causes God to remove His Holy Spirit when sin is present. King David made this clear in Psalms 51:11 after sinning with Bathsheba when he said: “Lord, please do not take your Spirit from me.”

Following true conversion we must grow up in the Lord to the point that we can withstand Satan’s “fiery darts” of temptation and remain in step with the Almighty through obedience to His Word (Eph. 6:16). Read Hebrews 5:12-6:6 where Paul is saying this to the Hebrew Christians. On the physical level we expect a young child to fall occasionally while learning to walk. However, there comes a time when we expect that child to walk without falling and to do so until death. But on the spiritual level, when eternity is at stake, the counterfeit church expects one to continue to “fall” until the moment of death and blame each “stumble” on Adam.

Jesus tells us in Revelation 3:21 that only those who become spiritual adults by overcoming Satan as He did will sit with Him on His throne in the Kingdom of God. Recall the Apostle Peter’s Spirit-inspired statements found in his first letter to the church (1:15,16; 2:5,9). I recommend reading these passages regularly, along with First John 3:1-10. This posting will focus the reader on the results of remaining on the path established by Jesus as He walked this earth as a man like all other men. Understand this: JESUS HAD NO ADVANTAGE OVER US RELATIVE TO OBEDIENCE TO THE FATHER. WHAT HE ACCOMPLISHED HE DID SO THROUGH THE EXERCISE OF HIS WILL, WHICH WAS TO OBEY THE FATHER USING THE FATHER’S SPIRITUAL POWER. WE HAVE THE SAME POWER AVAILABLE TO US AS DID JESUS OF NAZARETH–THE HOLY SPIRIT WHICH IS GIVEN TO US UPON TRUE CONVERSION. IF JESUS HAD FAILED (SINNED) HE WOULD HAVE HAD NO EXCUSE. THEREFORE, NEITHER DO WE.

The seminal problem is that the vast majority of conversions are false because the convert has no intention of overcoming temptation as Jesus did. Why? Because their false prophets have convinced them that they cannot obey God, and that Jesus died so that they could sin and get away with it by simply repenting. I had a missionary say this to my face without her face turning red.

What does the Lord command of one who has been converted and baptized? I will use a few verses found in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Colosse to answer the question. Let us now turn to Colossians 2 verse 6 and begin to see what the Holy Spirit led the apostle to write concerning the “walk” of true discipleship. We will focus on verse six because it speaks directly to the subject at hand, which is THE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST (THE HAND) BEING MANIFESTED BY THE SAINT (THE GLOVE) as the previous series was designed to make clear. Hopefully, it did. To evaluate it for yourself read Walking Together. Key word: Walking.

Verse six of Colossians two is a mini-Bible in and of itself because it summarizes in the briefest of terms the root and foundational “steps” one will take in one’s “walk” along the “way” that leads to eternal life. The verse states: “AS you have received Christ Jesus as your LORD, SO you must WALK IN HIM.” Nowhere can I find a more perfect description of the life the truly converted and baptized saint must live until his/her death. As Jesus said in Matthew 10, only those who walk the prescribed walk and endure religious persecution for doing so to the end of life will receive eternal life. Note especially verse 22. Now let us STUDY Paul’s Spirit-directed statement as recorded in Colossians 2:6.

The first words (“As” and “So”) are very significant. They assumes that one has done what the rest of the statement commands. If one has not done so, the rest of the statement is irrelevant. Here we examine some of God’s “fine print” without which His “headlines” are useless. The next vital word is “Lord.” Note that Paul did not use the Word “Savior” because Paul knew that Jesus will not become one’s Savior until His return to earth to resurrect His Very Elect saints. Read The Three Resurrections. Key word–Three.

Paul emphasized the Word “Lord” to make a statement that I have used several times over the years in reference to the “walk” of the true saint of God: “JESUS WILL BECOME THE SAVIOR OF THE ONE WHO HAS OBEYED HIM AS HIS/HER LORD THROUGHOUT HIS CONVERTED LIFE.” If Jesus is not one’s Lord in this life, He will not be one’s Savior in the next life. I realize from years of church experience that this is the exact opposite of what you have been told. I know because I used to tell people what you have been told. How I wish I could find those people and apologize to them. But as Paul tells us, we must lay aside the past and focus on the present and the future. I have often wondered how, following his conversion and call to God’s ministry, he faced people whose relatives and friends he fed to the lions for the Romans’ entertainment. Fortunately, when God forgives a sin He remembers it no more. It is not AS IF it never happened; in His eyes, IT NEVER HAPPENED. Period. Never forget how much you owe the Father and the Son, and how kind, loving and gracious They are. I try to make certain that a day does not go by in which I do not thank Them for the longsuffering, grace and patience They have expressed toward this most unworthy of souls. Praise their holy names. I can’t wait to meet them face-to-face.

The next word of particular importance is the Word “in,” as “in Him” (Christ). Jesus said: “I and the Father (plural) are one” (singular), meaning that, though they are numerically two, they are spiritually one, meaning one in spirit, character, will, etc. This is brought out in John 14:10,11 where Jesus states that He is “in” the Father and the Father is “in” Him. What an incredible statement. Jesus makes another incredible statement, noting that anyone who had seen Him has seen the Father. You can’t create a closer relationship than that. Dear readers, I have wonderful news: WE CAN ALSO BE ONE WITH THE FATHER AND THE SON. WE CAN BE “IN” THEM IF WE “WALK IN HIM” (THE SON) WHO IS “IN” THE FATHER. If, as we are told, the true saint is “in” Jesus, and if, as we are told, Jesus is “in” the Father, then the saint is “in” the Godhead as a spiritually adopted equal. “For in Him” (Jesus) dwells all of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9). In 3:3 we are told that the true saint is dead to sin and that his/her life is hidden WITH CHRIST IN GOD. Read “Ye are gods.” Key word–gods. Also read The True Trinity. Key word–True. These are “must reads” for the one who wants to know what a true saint actually is. Only a minutely few people know who and what a true saint is in reality.

Unfortunately, the typical churchite remains ignorant of some of the Bible’s most exciting Truths. Incredibly, when they are shown these Truths they shrug them off because the “cost” of embracing those Truths would to too great. The reason for rejecting them is that, because they are already saved and born again, why go to the trouble of walking God’s strait and narrow way and alienating oneself from the rest of professing Christendom? Jesus warns us that joining Him will make one’s family members one’s (spiritual) enemies (Mat. 10:36). Reminder: read all of Matthew chapter 10. Note specifically verse 22. Matthew 10 is one of the most rejected chapters in the Holy Scriptures. As one woman (an ex-missionary) said to me after hearing what a church Christian must do in order to become a true Biblical Christian: “Obeying God is just too much trouble.” And why should she put forth the effort when, as she has been told all of her church life–THE FIX IS IN? My heart yearns for those close to me to embrace the Biblical Jesus. But God has given me peace, knowing that I am doing all I can do. I am working night and day in this ministry, knowing that the time is soon coming when I will not be allowed to do this. He tells us to work while it is day, for night comes when no man can work. Please pray for this ministry.

There is a war being raged against what the world calls Christianity. I read just yesterday that the Biden administration is trying to pass legislation that would prevent Christian families from adopting children. I hope that this is not true, but it would not surprise me. Persecution of the so-called “church” is coming. Believing that Catholics and Protestants are Christians, the world’s governments will one day shut them down. The churches will bow to the God haters and join them in a one-world church written about in the Book of Revelation chapter 17 verses 1-5. Note that the future global church (spiritual whore) is depicted as being “drunk on the blood of the saints.” She is led by the “false prophet” whom I believe will be the reigning pope who will perform miracles to draw all Catholics (mystery Babylon–the great whore) and Protestants (her harlot daughters) into one global religious group that will persecute the tiny true church until God takes them to “her place.” Then the Great Tribulation will begin. Until then the world will be experiencing “the beginning of sorrows” as we see taking place on a daily basis.

For the present true saints must be “in” Christ and His Father and “walk as They walk” for the time is coming, and soon, when the Very Elect Church will be taken to “her place of safety” where she will rest in peace and plenty as the world around her goes up in flames. Let us be among the “few” who will be taken to that place (Mat. 7:13,14; 22:14). To get there we must, through strict obedience to God’s word, remain “in” Christ where “all of the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9). This command is repeated in Ephesians 4:13 where we are commanded to continue to grow spiritually until we “come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Let us be about doing exactly that. L.J.