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Mt. 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

After Jesus received the Holy Spirit in the River Jordan, the Spirit drove him into the wild to be tempted by Satan. Where Jesus was driven to could be the original site of the Garden of God. There must be a reason why God is so much interested in the land of Israel. Jesus being an Adam, was being tested to see if he would receive the fruit of Satan as the original Adam did.

For a Christian who has received the Holy Spirit, s/he will not be tested to see if s/he will receive the fruit of Satan because the fruit of Satan is already in her/him. The Roman Catholics invented this false doctrine that water baptism washes away the original sin. The born agains followed suite with the doctrine that once you receive Christ (the Holy Spirit) in your life, your sins are washed away and you become a brand new person. the reality is that what the Holy Spirit brings into a Christian is divine power and the authority to operate that power. What the Christian does with the power is up to her/him.

The test for the Christian therefore is to see if s/he will use the power in her/him to drive out evil spirits in her/him. As the evil spirits are driven out, the Christian grows in righteousness. I explained how to do this in this thread https://www.nairaland.com/4489388/purification-soul.

Mt. 4:10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’“
Mt. 4:11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Lk. 4:14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.

Jesus totally rejected Satan and his fruit. God sent His angels to raise Jesus to the next level of the Deity. It was in this new level that Jesus began to manifest as the Son of God. In the same way, when a Christian casts out all evil spirits in her/him, and pray for their replacement with the presence of God, God will promote the Christian to Level 2 of the Deity. It is at Level 2 that manifestation of the sons of God begins to take place.

The Journey to Becoming Like Jesus

Col. 2:9 For in Christ all the fulness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
Col. 2:10 and you have been given fulness in Christ, who is the Head over every power and authority.

All the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form in Christ. God has also given all who are in Christ fullness of the Deity. Note in Col. 2:9-10 how close we could approximate Jesus. There is a difference between all the fullness and just fullness. As i explained in this https://www.nairaland.com/4287136/getting-glory-god#64163310, there are different levels of the Deity.

The starting point in the process that leads to being like Jesus is to be baptized into Christ, in water and in the Spirit. As Apostle Peter described it:

Ac. 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This is how Apostle Paul baptized people into Christ, in water and in the Spirit:

Ac. 19:5 On hearing this, they were baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Ac. 19:6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues [Or other languages] and prophesied.

The person that i baptized into Jesus Christ, in water and in the Spirit, has received the first level of the Deity, just as Jesus received during his baptism in the River Jordan. the first level of the Deity cannot be called fullness (Col. 2:9). this is what 2Co. 5:5 calls it:

2Co. 5:5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

That which is to come is the fullness of the Deity. But it only comes to those who overcome.

Speaking only for myself. Cannot imagine what I would be like today without Christ. I know what I was like before Him, and it was not good.

Praise be to God for this testimony of your life. Many born again Christians have this kind of testimony. it is an indication of spiritual progress. However, we are still far away from the ultimate goal, which is to become really like Jesus.

1Jn. 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
1Jn. 3:3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

When Jesus comes to take his own in the rapture, he is coming for people who are like him. Born again Christians are saying that Jesus could appear today and take them home; how many born again Christians are like Jesus? If you are in doubt about the caliber of people Jesus will be snatching up to heaven, read Ep. 5:27.

Kei144:
Christianity is all about being christed or anointed, like Jesus Christ. It is about becoming like Jesus Christ. The big question though is, if Christianity is all about becoming like Jesus Christ, why are most Christians not anywhere near an approximation of Jesus?

Obviously, the answer to the above question is lack of knowledge. Christians haven't figured out how to practically become like Jesus Christ. Christian leaders have come up with different doctrines to cover up for not actually becoming like Jesus. one doctrine that is currently popular says that when God looks at a "born again" Christian, He sees a replica of Jesus, because the "born again" Christian is clothed with Christ's righteousness. God doesn't see the Christian's sinfulness, but rather sees Christ's righteousness.

The big problem with this great doctrine is that we human beings see the "born again" Christian's sinfulness; and the angels probably also see it.

Christianity is all about being christed or anointed, like Jesus Christ. It is about becoming like Jesus Christ. The big question though is, if Christianity is all about becoming like Jesus Christ, why are most Christians not anywhere near an approximation of Jesus?

Kei144:
Over the years I got to learn that God will not drive out evil spirit from us. Rather, it is up to us to drive out evil spirit by the power that God has given us.

Ph. 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Why wouldn't God drive out evil spirit from us?

Lk. 15:11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.
Lk. 15:12 The younger one said to his father, `Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

Lk. 15:22 “But the father said to his servants, `Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Lk. 15:23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.
Lk. 15:24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
Lk. 15:25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.
Lk. 15:26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.
Lk. 15:27 `Your brother has come,’ he replied, `and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
Lk. 15:28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.
Lk. 15:29 But he answered his father, `Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.
Lk. 15:30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
Lk. 15:31 “`My son,’ the father said, `you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.
Lk. 15:32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’“

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the older son represents the angels; the younger son represents mankind. In the beginning, when God decided to adopt man as His son and began the process that would lead to the adoption by putting His Spirit in man, one third of the angels rebelled against God. Since God began the process of bringing man back to Himself through Jesus Christ, angels are keenly watching to see if God is favoring mankind over them.

Evil spirits are fallen angels; the angels that rebelled against God. Even though the fallen angels rebelled against God, they are still sons of God (Job 1:6). If God were to attack the fallen angels for the sake of mankind, God's angels will definitely frown at God attacking one of their own for the sake of man, and they could rebel against God.

Due to the fall of man, man became powerless compared to the evil spirits. The evil spirits have therefore been bullying man. As elements of the younger son (mankind) go back to God through Jesus Christ, God raises their spiritual power profile, so that they could fight off evil spirits who bully them. Angels of God have no problem with this one since all that God has done is to raise the power profile of the younger son so that the younger son can fight off elements of the older son who bully the younger son.

How long does it take?

How long does it take to cleanse the soul of evil spirits by spiritual warfare?

It took forty days to test Jesus to see if he would accept the fruit of Satan like the original Adam did. After all the testing, angels attended to Jesus and clothed him with great power (Mt. 4:11; Lk. 4:14). I think that forty days is the minimum time required for complete purification of the soul. However, as the purification proceeds, the soul gets purer and purer. When the purification is complete, angels will attend to the person. The person will suddenly begin to manifest as a son of God, just like Jesus.

Casting out the Birds of the Air

How does a person who has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, by faith, purify her/his soul by driving out the evil spirits that came into mankind from the original Adam? God does not do it for any person; fasting and prayer will not move God to do it. All that God does is that if any person is redeemed by the blood of Jesus, by faith, He puts His Spirit (and hence His power) in that person. The person therefore has all it takes to drive out evil spirits.

In order for any person to cleanse herself/himself of all evil spirits, there must be solid faith both in the redemption by the blood of Jesus and in the reality of God’s Spirit and power being present in the person. The Holy Spirit of God that is present in that person is just a small deposit guaranteeing the fullness of the deity that is to come (2Co. 1:22; 2Co. 5:5). The fullness will come at the completion of the purification of the soul.

Re. 12:11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

You can cleanse your soul of every evil spirit if you are able to overcome Satan. Jesus has overcome Satan for us (Jn. 16:33), but you must make it your own through faith in what in what Jesus has done. Faith is all about believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth. Hence, in Re. 12:11, the people of God overcome Satan both by their belief in what Jesus did for us and by expressing this belief through word of mouth. Therefore, whenever you do the spiritual warfare to drive out evil spirits of Satan from your soul, you must begin by declaring that you have been redeemed the blood of that was shed for us on the cross of Calvary. You need to declare that, with his blood, Jesus purchased you for God (Re. 5:9). Your body is a temple that Jesus purchased for God with his own blood; it is no longer a den of Satan’s evil spirits.

Ep. 4:22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
Ep. 4:23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
Ep. 4:24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

The old self is ruled by evil spirits; the new self is ruled by the Holy Spirit of God.

In the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I drive out of my body every evil spirit lodging in it by the finger of God (or by the Holy Spirit of God)! Let the fullness of the Holy Spirit of God come into me and take total control of my life, in the name of Jesus!

Redemption of Mankind

Ro. 3:12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one.”
Ro. 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Ro. 3:24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Ro. 3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

He. 10:5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;

When it was time for the glory of God to come back into mankind, no human being was qualified to host the glory of God. God had to prepare a new man (an Adam) to host the glory (Christ). The new man is Jesus Christ. He became a substitute for the original Adam and died the death that was sentenced on the original Adam, so that Adam and his descendants could be recovered from the fall.

Re. 5:9 And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and
language and people and nation.
Re. 5:10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

The people to whom the redemptive work of Jesus Christ applies to are only those who have faith in the blood of Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement (Ro. 3:25). Those who have this faith submit themselves to a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ for baptism into the name of Jesus Christ, in water and in the Spirit. Ro. 6:3 says that this baptism, by faith, unites a person with the death and hence the blood of Jesus Christ.

In the beginning

Ge. 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Ge. 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

As soon as Adam and Eve ate the fruit of Satan, they opened their souls for evil spirits (idols) to flood in. They immediately became unsuitable to host the glory of God and the glory of God departed from them. The glory of God had been their clothing and shield. Suddenly, they noticed that the glory had left them, just as Jesus did on the cross.

Mt. 13:31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.
Mt. 13:32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.
Mt. 13:33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Adam was like a mustard seed that God planted on earth. Today Adam has billions of branches (descendants), but birds of the air (evil spirits) lodge in those branches. Eve opened the gate for evil spirits to flood all of humanity.

2Ti. 2:20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.
2Ti. 2:21 If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

In the temple of God, there are different articles; some of the articles are for noble purposes, while others are for ignoble purposes. In order for the glory of God to manifest in the temple, the temple of God must be rid of the ignoble.

1Co. 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

Back in 2001, I had a dream in which I apparently travelled to a very far place to meet a special man of God. I climbed to the top of a hilly terrain; there I stood face-to-face with the man I was looking for. But the man displayed an expression that showed that I was filthy and so he would not want to have anything to do with me. He told me that there were too many idols in my place. I woke up from the dream.

I began to analyze the dream that I had. I concluded that the man that I met in the dream represented Jesus. There were some evil spirits (idols) causing lots of trouble in my life. These idols came into my life through my mother. Then I thought to myself, “I go to Jesus whom I expect to help me drive out the idols in my life and all he does is to show me that he will have nothing to do with me until I drive away the idols in my life”. I felt like I was in a hopeless situation.

Over the years I got to learn that God will not drive out evil spirit from us. Rather, it is up to us to drive out evil spirit by the power that God has given us.

Ph. 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Purification of the soul is all about driving out the evil spirits that have been ruling our lives. As we do so, we notice that evil desires and sins begin to reduce in our lives.

Mt. 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

When the purification of the soul is complete, God manifests His glory in our souls—the manifestation of the sons of God.

Wow! My hostel in those days. I lived in B1 *** in my 200 and 300 levels; nd in B2 413 in my 400 and 500 levels.

Proposition Number 2

My second proposition will have to depend on the Bible truth that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Ph. 4:13). Ph. 4:13 says that Christians can drive out killer Fulani herdsmen from their land though the power of God. However, this is possible only if the Christians have the power of God in them. That is why it is really an examination. We have talked the gospel for too long; it is now time to walk the talk. The much-talked-about tithe and seed sowing has just been shown to be a failure. If the Christians in a community have the power of God in them, let them drive away killer herdsmen by faith. Otherwise, Christians need to find out how to receive the power of God in them.

If Christians have the power of God in them, how exactly will they drive out killer Fulani herdsmen from their land? It is purely by faith. Faith is calling the things that are not as though they were. I will give example with witchcraft attack. There is a witch who is closely related to me that has been trying to kill me. As the power of God grew in me, I am now in a position to deal with her; even to kill her. I attack her as follows: "In the mighty name of Jesus, I attack you evil witch that has been attacking my life with fire of the Holy Spirit of God (or deadly arrows of the Spirit) by the finger of God." I accompany this warfare utterance by imagining balls of fire (or deadly arrows) proceeding towards the witch. My short sojourn with MFM years ago comes to play in this warfare.

If a group of Christians that possess substantial level of divine power come together and wage this kind of warfare against their enemies, their enemies will see hell.

OkaiCorne:
Nope...

The option of tithing ( which relates to Judaism ) never averted persecution of the early church...neither was it one of the doctrines of the early church...

Be careful not to pour old wine (Mosaic Laws) in a new wineskin (era of grace)...

Thank you, my brother, for being the only one to respond so far. I agree with everything you posted. The great point in your post is that whereas tithe and sowing seed is so prominent in today's churches, now we are facing a crisis of monumental proportion and both tithe and sowing seed are useless.

Proposal Number 1

The first proposal that I want to make is that Christians in communities infested by killer herdsmen pay up every tithe they have been owing to their churches in the past ten years and then also sow huge sums of money as seed. They will then pray for God to intervene and drive out the killers from their land.

Do you think that this will work?

Re. 3:10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

We are in the end time. It is time for final examination or trial. Those who pass this final exam will be promoted from mortal to immortality. Therefore, trial is not really a bad thing, since trial leads to promotion. Without trial, there can be no promotion.

Ja. 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Here in Nigeria, we see bands of murderous Fulani herdsmen invading Christian communities, killing Christians, destroying their farms, houses and other possessions; and then taking over their lands. It is believed that ultimately they will forcefully convert Christians to Islam. The government of the day is aiding the Muslim killer herdsmen by disarming the Christian communities while even arming the herdsmen. What can Christians do in this kind of situation?

It is clear that the arm of the flesh is ineffective in this kind of situation. The only available option for the Christians to respond is to employ the arm of God. How are they supposed to do this? The exam is really very tough. If Christians fail the exam, they will be destroyed.

I will present few proposals that I can think of, for passing the exam. I ask for people to assess my proposals and also make their own proposals.

The Op doesn't seem to know the meaning of 'scores'. Scores in that bus?

paxonel:
Very confused human being!!

Nor go understand your bible first
You think it's by quoting scriptures alone?

What else is needed?

If You Make the Most High Your Dwelling

Ps. 91:9 If you make the Most High your dwelling — even the LORD, who is my refuge —
Ps. 91:10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
Ps. 91:11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
Ps. 91:12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Ps. 91:13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
Ps. 91:14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
Ps. 91:15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him.
Ps. 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

The way to make the Most High your dwelling is by living a life of faith in the power of God—living by the Spirit. Psalm 91 lists the benefits that kind of life.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Mt. 25:1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Mt. 25:2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
Mt. 25:3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.
Mt. 25:4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.
Mt. 25:5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
Mt. 25:6 “At midnight the cry rang out: `Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
Mt. 25:7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
Mt. 25:8 The foolish ones said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
Mt. 25:9 “`No,’ they replied, `there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
Mt. 25:10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

The ten virgins are Christians that have been baptized into Jesus Christ, in water and in the Spirit. The wise ones realize that being earthen vessels, they cannot achieve much. The heavenly treasure is right inside them; why not rather live by the Spirit of God in them? They therefore daily confess the weakness of their natural self to Jesus Christ and ask him to live his life in them through the Holy Spirit. They go about their lives always praising and thanking God, for they are not the ones in charge of their lives; God is in charge. They are always anxious for nothing, for they know that God is able to take care of everything. Because of this life of faith in the power of God, the divine power (oil) builds up in their inner being. At God’s appointed time, the divine power transforms them from mortal to immortality—the resurrection.

The foolish virgins do not bother to live by the Spirit; they live their self lives. When God’s appointed time arrives, they see the wise virgins transforming rapidly to immortality. They pray for instantaneous buildup of divine power in them; but this is not possible since nature abhors discontinuity. Even Jesus had to fast for forty days and forty nights before divine power could build up in him. The foolish virgins have to take some time to build up divine power in them. By the time they get it, it is too late!

Faith in the Power of God

Ga. 2:20 aptly captures what it means to have faith in the power of God or the Son of God. It simply means that I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. In order for this to happen, you have to come to terms with the reality of yourself. You are an earthen vessel; so weak, so vulnerable to destruction, prone to making mistakes, with so imperfect character, etc. Due to your baptism into Jesus Christ in water and in the Spirit, God put His Holy Spirit in you. The Holy Spirit connects you to God and Jesus; divine power can easily flow from God into you through Jesus Christ. To cap it all, Jesus loves you so dearly (Ga. 2:20). Jesus Christ is waiting for you to admit him into your life. Confess to him your weaknesses and your fallibility. Tell him that your weak and fallible self has been crucified with him on the cross so that your weak and fallible self will no longer live. Ask Jesus Christ to live his life in you through the Holy Spirit.

Lk. 9:23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

1Th. 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Admitting Jesus Christ into your life must be a daily thing. As you go through each day, no matter the circumstances that you face, give thanks to God, for you are not in charge. You have handed over your life to Jesus Christ. He is able to handle every circumstance that comes your way. He is not weak like you are; He has no shortcomings whatsoever. Just continually give praise to God as He pilots your life. That is what it means to have faith in the power of God. As you continue to live this way, God’s power will continue to flow into you. The divine power will continue to build up in you and be transforming you. You will begin to manifest as a son of God. As this build up continues, one day, you will transform from mortal to immortality.

Jesus Followed the Path

1Pe. 2:21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Mt. 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
Mt. 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

The path being discussed in this tract is the very one that Jesus Christ followed to attain resurrection from the dead, which was followed by his ascension to heaven. The path begins with a narrow gate and proceeds through a narrow road. Jesus’ journey began with baptism in water, followed by receiving the Holy Spirit; that is the narrow gate.

Col. 2:12 Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Ga. 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Baptism into Jesus Christ, in water and in the Spirit, is the beginning of the path that leads to resurrection. Baptism joins a person to the crucifixion of Christ. Col. 2:12 says that whereas baptism into Jesus Christ joins a person to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, it is faith in the power of God that joins the person to his resurrection. This means that faith in the power of God transforms a person to become like the resurrected Jesus. Ga. 2:20 says that having been crucified with Christ (through baptism), I live by faith in the Son of God, knowing that he loves me. That is the narrow road that leads to resurrection.

If you want to partake in the rapture of the saints, pay attention to the message of this thread. The reason is that just as Jesus ascended to heaven after his resurrection from the dead, in the same way, those that will partake in the rapture or ascension of the saints must first of all experience resurrection. A great number of saints will resurrect from the dead just before the rapture; but many saints of God will experience resurrection in the land of the living. Those who will experience resurrection in the land of the living will suddenly transform from mortal to immortality.

Conclusion

The journey to the spiritual Promised Land begins with baptism into Jesus Christ, in water and in the Spirit. Note that baptism in water and the Spirit should go together. The minister of the gospel who performs the water baptism should also pray for God to give the Holy Spirit. Don’t be bothered by whether you speak in tongues or not. Lk. 11:13 guarantees that God gives His Holy Spirit if we ask Him. Having been properly baptized into Jesus Christ, the child of God has been crucified to the world and the world to her/him. The child of God should no longer conform to the pattern of this world, which involves trusting in the arm of the flesh. Rather the child of God should live by faith in the power or Son of God. That is the narrow road that leads to the spiritual Promised Land. The spiritual Promised Land is to be raised with Jesus Christ; that is, to become like the resurrected Jesus. It is only people who become like the resurrected Jesus that will ascend to heaven like Jesus—the rapture!

Faith in the Power of God

How faith in the power of God or the Son of God works is that no matter what one is going through, s/he gives thanks to God because His divine power will always give everything that is needed for life and godliness (2Pe. 1:3). God is pleased by this kind of faith and this kind of faith is the handle by which a human being can move God’s mighty arm of power to act in her/his favour. I personally learnt this principle during times of tribulation. Indeed, it is through much tribulations that a person can enter the spiritual Promised Land. Seeking for shelter in worldly possessions only distances a person from the spiritual Promised Land. I have found myself in situations where some great needs existed in my family and I did not have the money to meet the needs. In addition, the chances that I would get enough money within the required time looked slim. I practiced faith in the power of God by giving thanks to God because I believed that He would not let me be put to shame (Ro. 9:33). God has always come to my rescue.

God said to the Israelites, “‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say.”(Nu. 14:28) The confessions of your mouth matter a lot. Always speak words that are in line with the word of God; especially in times of difficulty. The promises of God are spirit and they are life (Jn. 6:63). As you speak words in agreement with promises of God, you open the door for the Holy Spirit of God to bring life into your situation.

Crucifixion followed by Resurrection

Col. 2:12 Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Ga. 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

1Th. 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Baptism into Jesus Christ is the beginning of a spiritual journey to the spiritual Promised Land, just like baptism into Moses (1Co. 10:2) was the real beginning of the Israelite’s journey to their earthly Promised Land. The baptism joins the person to the crucifixion of Christ. The person is therefore crucified to the world and the world is crucified to her/him (Ga. 6:14). That is why Ro. 12:2 enjoins Christians to no longer conform to the pattern of this world. The most popular message in the churches today is about worldly prosperity or greed, which is idolatry. Why the hype on worldly possessions? Is it not because Christians trust in worldly possessions to save them from adversities? But that is trusting in the arm of the flesh, rather than in God’s mighty arm of power.

If a Christian is crucified to the world and the world to her/him, according to Ga. 6:14, and because of this the person is not rich in worldly possessions, what happens when adversities come to the person? This is exactly the dilemma the Israelites faced in the desert as they journeyed to their Promised Land. The Israelites resorted to grumbling and speaking against God and Moses; they received terrible retributions for that. The right way for a child of God to handle adversities is through faith in the power of God.

Col. 2:12 says that whereas baptism into Jesus Christ joins a person to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, it is faith in the power of God that joins the person to his resurrection. This means that faith in the power of God transforms a person to become like the resurrected Jesus. Ga. 2:20 says that having been crucified with Christ (through baptism), I live by faith in the Son of God, knowing that he loves me. That is how to get to and enter the spiritual Promised Land.

Journey in the Steps of Jesus

1Pe. 2:21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Mt. 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
Mt. 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

The journey to spiritual Promised Land must follow the steps of Jesus Christ in order to be successful; otherwise, it will end up like the journey by Adam and Eve. The journey begins with a narrow gate and proceeds through a narrow road. Jesus’ journey began with baptism in water, followed by receiving the Holy Spirit; that is the narrow gate.

The movement of Israelites from Egypt to their earthly Promised Land was a pattern of the journey to spiritual Promised Land (1Co. 10:1-11). They began their journey by passing through the Red Sea (a type of water baptism) and being covered by cloud—a type of baptism in the Holy Spirit. They drank water from the rock—divine life, and ate spiritual food—divine power. Yet, many of the Israelites were destroyed along the way because of four things: idolatry, sexual immorality, testing God and grumbling in difficult times. Idolatry is not just worshiping demons; greed, which is making worldly possessions your idol, is also idolatry (Col. 3:5). The most common problem that destroyed the Israelites was grumbling and speaking against God and Moses, in times of difficulty.

A New Adam

There is a lot of misunderstanding in the Church about what Jesus Christ really is. One understanding says that Jesus is the second person of the trinity that makes up God. One other popular understanding says that Jesus and the Almighty God are one and the same person; that the Almighty God came down to the world in the appearance of a humble and lowly human being. One thing to note is that these views of Jesus Christ were formulated by gentiles and not by Jews. The gentiles have serious spiritual limitation; and so, any doctrine they formulate must be taken with a pinch of salt.

God brought Jesus Christ into the world as a new Adam. When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, God gave him the first measure of His Holy Spirit—spiritual level 1, just as He gave Adam in Ge. 2:7. Whereas God put Adam in the Garden of Eden after Adam received the first measure of the Holy Spirit (Ge. 2:8 ), God moved Jesus into the desert of Israel after Jesus received the first measure of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 4:1). Both Adam and Jesus were tempted by Satan in the very place where God put them. Because Adam and Eve fell, the measure of the Spirit they had was taken from them. Because Jesus triumphed, God increased the measure of the Holy Spirit in him.

Lk. 4:14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.

Mt. 25:29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

Satan tempted Adam and Eve with being equal with God and they grasped for it following Satan’s way. To the contrary, the same Satan also tempted Jesus with being great like God, but Jesus chose a path of lowliness and humility and obeyed God even to the extent of dying on the cross. (Ph. 2:5-11) Jesus always held on to the word of God. God promoted Jesus to equality with Himself—all the fullness of the deity (Col. 2:9). In Re. 4:5, we see God possessing sevenfold Spirit—the highest spiritual level. In Re. 5:6, we also see Jesus possessing sevenfold Spirit. What Jesus is today is what Adam would have been if not for the fall.

Ps. 8:4 What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
Ps. 8:5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honour.

In the beginning, God placed man at a spiritual level that was a little lower than the spiritual level of heavenly beings (angels). Man was to occupy this spiritual level for a little while before being raised to the spiritual level of heavenly beings. Lucifer and one third of God’s angels were not happy with this arrangement. They therefore decided to prevent man from rising to the spiritual level of heavenly beings.

Ge. 2:7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Ge. 2:8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.

There are seven spiritual levels. God operates at the seventh level (Re. 4:5). When God formed man, man was at zero spiritual level. Then God breathed into man the divine life and man was raised to spiritual level 1. Angels operate in levels 2 to 6. In order to rise to higher spiritual level, man had to do a spiritual journey. The journey began when God put man in the Garden of Eden. What is the spiritual journey about?

Ge. 3:4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.
Ge. 3:5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The spiritual journey is all about whether the person on the journey will choose to live by God’s mighty arm of power or not. The word of God is the handle by which a person connects to God’s mighty arm of power. So, when Satan got Eve to turn away from the word of God, she totally disconnected from God’s mighty arm of power. Adam and Eve received Satan’s fruit in a bid to become great like God.

soberdrunk:
Did they consummate the marriage? . How will the virgins sweeping the floor help a man that is hearing 'strange voices' and having weird sexual incest feelings? Someone that is supposed to be on medication for 'Schizophrenia'. I just hope the voice doesn't make him commit mass murder before they realize he needs medical attention......

There is definitely a connection between the madness and mathematics.

Incidentally, 'kushi' comes from ancient Cush. Ancient Cush was pejorative to ancient Jews, but today's Africans have made themselves the scorn of the world.

To be born again means that you were born previously and want to be reborn. People make the mistake of thinking that the previous birth refers to a person's biological birth by her/his mother, but that is not really what it refers to. The previous birth refers to Adam being born of God in the beginning of mankind.

Ge. 2:7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

The moment man received divine life in Ge. 2:7, man became born of God. Unfortunately, the glory of God (the divine life) left man when man sinned against God. We were all in the loins of Adam and Eve when they were born of God, as well as when they fell from glory. That is why any person that receives the divine life is born again of God.

Mt. 13: 31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.
32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[b] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Adam was the mustard seed that God planted on earth. Adam has developed into billions of branches, but evil spirits (birds of the air) lodge in those branches. Evil spirits were brought into Adam's bloodline by a woman that brought in sin.

Jn. 12:24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

Jn. 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

God planted another human seed, in the name of Jesus. In order for him to become a tree with many branches, he died for the sins of the branches of Adam. Through the death of Jesus Christ, a branch of Adam can be grafted into Jesus' spiritual bloodline. Because Jesus is forever born of God, any person that is grafted into the tree or spiritual bloodline of Jesus is born of God. The way to be grafted into Jesus' spiritual bloodline is through baptism into Jesus hrist, in water and in the Spirit.

Jn. 3:5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.