Just what do you believe? If you ask the general population of proclaiming Christians this question, then you would more than likely get a variety of similar answers. Answers that can be summed up by this statement: I believe Jesus died for me and one day I'll go to heaven – the message of salvation. While these statements are true, they are only concepts of the whole truth. Unfortunately, half-truths seem to find a way to manifest themselves in our lives as no truth at all. This is why those same proclaiming Christians come across so often as a defeated entity that is forced to just hold on to this horrible life until Jesus returns. If that is your concept of Christianity, then sadly you may have missed the Gospel.
It's important to take a look at what Jesus spoke so much about during His ministry on Earth. Jesus didn't go around preaching salvation, He spoke about a kingdom. Keep in mind that during this era of life that one nation was always going to war with another in order to take a rule over that area and in effect bring their kingdom to that land. This is important because although the story does include an ending where we get to spend eternity with the Father in His place of rest, it is preceded by Heaven’s rule here on Earth via our lives – the original plan for creating man.
God told Adam to not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil because he would surely die if he did. Now we all know that Adam and Eve didn't croak over and physically die after they disobeyed God. So what died? Because after all, God isn't a liar. It was their human spirit that died, which was their connection line to their Creator. The human spirit was what God pulled out of Himself and blew into Adam’s nostrils to actually make him come alive. That's what Adam lost by disobeying God – his source of life through fellowship with the Father. This in turn disrupted the original purpose of man’s life to be fruitful (of God's image) and multiply so that God’s rule would fill the Earth and subdue it. Instead Sin came in and began to rule through mankind. All of Adam's descendants would be born under a curse that had them entering this world dead to God and alive to Sin (noun).
But from the moment that this took place, God already had a remedy set in place. This remedy was the coming of Jesus Christ. His purpose was to take away or remove the sin of the world, so that God's Spirit could move back into our lives to restore the connection that was lost by Adam. But this could only happen by way of the Cross and the resurrection; first in Jesus’ life and then in ours.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. --Romans 6:5 ESV
So once our dead human spirit is crucified and then resurrected brand new and alive, God adjoins His Spirit with ours. This means we are reunited back with our Creator in such a way that He may began to exert His rule and dominion on Earth through our lives. Not only that, but it also means that every need we were created to have is once again fulfilled by the only one who can satisfy them. So what exactly does all that mean to us? Very simply put – in Christ you lack nothing!
So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. --Colossians 2:10 NLT
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. --Ephesians 1:3 NLT
This is where a lot of Christians miss the glory because they fail to recognize the process. That verse above says “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms”, so that raises the question of how do we access that here on Earth. Look what Jesus said during His ministry here on Earth.
He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." --Matthew 13:31-32 ESV
When our spirits were regenerated it was just like a seed being planted into the ground. Everything needed in order to become a giant tree is packed inside that tiny mustard seed. But it doesn't just “poof” and become a tree, nor does time alone ensure it becoming a tree. It always requires proper nourishment and a proper environment. Which means if we want to mature into that giant tree, experiencing Heaven ourselves and being Heaven to others, then we must renew our minds with God's word while remaining planted in a community of believers that are living by the power of the Holy Spirit. If your Christian Life seems to come across as feeling defeated all the time, then we encourage you today to align your belief with the full Gospel.
Are you feeling defeated in your Christian Life? Or maybe you would just like to have a deeper understanding of what it means for God’s kingdom to rule in your life. Give us a call at 864-224-5557 or click on the counseling button below. We would love the opportunity to walk alongside of you on your journey.