Seven Steps to the Kingdom of Christ
Pastor Jerry Wilhite,
author
Before you start this study understand that it is up to you to be sure you are at peace before you continue so you can get the most from this study. Any study you read while in offense, strife, frustration, etc… will only blur the truth and keep you from gaining all you can. So take some time to clear your mind and try to be at peace before starting.
This study is meant to help all who read it to learn how to overcome all the attacks and trials in this life. We must learn that being blessed is up to us and that the only thing God does now is listen and advise us. If we fail it is our fault not His. If a child dies or is murdered or some other horrendous act happens it is not due to God but due to our lack of faith and obedience in this life that allowed the act to happen.
The following sturdy it written under the presumption that you have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior in your life and are at the very least reading the New Testament daily.
2 Corinthians 10
5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
The first key to success in Christ is "casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God." This must be done first before we can even do the second part of II Cor 10:5, "bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" because until we cast down the imaginations we can not control the thoughts. Once we have cast down the imaginations then we should not have to do it again as long as we are "bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." In so many words we cast down the imaginations - that is the first attack from our side to get control of our thoughts. Then we must keep our thoughts, all of them, in obedience to Christ.
This last part can only happen if we are not just reading the word of God but hearing the word from God.
John 14
26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
You see there are a lot of people who claim that we can not hear from God, that all we need is in the Bible. How ridiculous can we be to believe God can hear us (prayers) but He can not talk to us especially when the Bible says in so many places that we are to hear from Him.
Those who teach that we can not hear from God or that the spirit or faith ended in the first century church do so because of laziness, being agents of Satan (some do not realize they are because they never have done II Cor 10:5). Some are just ignorant and are in the religious field for money, power, etc.
What I have found is most of those who teach as stated above have told me they tried faith or hearing from God and it did not work. When I asked them how long they tried, on average, it was less than a month and nothing good comes overnight unless it is a miracle and needed to save a person’s life.
Remember God's main concern for us is in the next life and getting us there. He has already done all we need in this life for us and left us all we need to do it all in this life. It is based on faith, anointing, and hearing from God.
Jesus died to save us from death, Hell, and the grave, but He also died to reunite us with God so we could have a one on one relationship with Him as Adam had in the beginning before Adam threw it away with his sin.
So we must do the following:
The above seven steps are truly the best steps you can follow to grow and become all God wants you to be and overcome this world.
For those of you who still do not believe we are to hear from God answer this question "why would we be told to test the spirit we are hearing from to verify it is God and not Satan if we are not to hear from God"?
1 John 4
1. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
If you have read many of our studies you may think we judge and even condemn. Example above I John 4:1-3 we have stated in studies that the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe Jesus came in the flesh only as a Spirit. So based on I John 4:1-3 that would make them of the spirit of the antichrist. It is not our judging or condemning, but facts based on what they have told us they believe and what the word states.
Catholics may think we are judging them because of our statements about Catholics, but the truth is we only state what we have learned as fact about the religion and what the word says about it.
We/I do not believe people of most religions/denominations or non-denominations are evil or bad, just misled. The masses of the believers are not bad people but are misled.
What we teach is very simple:
All I can do is give you what I have learned so you can take it to God and verify it with Him as true or not. So there is the bottom line. All I can do is save you time, because the hour or so it may take for you to read and ask God if it is true is a lot less than the 40,50, or more hours I put into learning it in the first place.
Understand Adam sinned and Adam was told when he ate of the fruit he would die. We know he did not die physically but he died spiritually. Jesus came to fix what Adam broke and that was a spiritual life for all who wanted it plus more in the physical as well as persecutions.
Mark 10
29. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
30. But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Below is a look at one last little fact that it is all up to us and not God. To many blame it all on God or expect Him to do it all when He already has done His part. Now it is up to us to do the rest.
Jesus said on the cross, "It is Finished." He meant just that. At that point God had (through Jesus) left us with all we needed to do the rest. Not for us to depend on God to do it for us but we have to do it for ourselves.
Proof of this is in Jesus’ own words when He said we would go forth and do as He did.
John 14
12. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
John 4
34. Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
John 15
7. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Most Christians do not realize that once they are saved the work then begins on their part more than ever before. Most believe once saved they are then of the church and of Christ.
But nothing can be further from the truth; the church and Christ are two separate areas from salvation.
We are saved by grace through faith in what Jesus did at the cross. Our salvation is based on believing and professing as stated in Romans 10:9-10.
The church is not the same as salvation. In Matthew 16:15-18 we are told that once God reveals to us who Jesus is as the Christ and true son of God then we are a piece of the rock (Petros in Greek also called Peter). In verse 18 "That thou art Peter (Petros), and upon this rock I will build my church." Why "Petros" was translated as "Peter" instead of as "piece of the rock" has to do with the Pope and the Catholic Church to help prove their claim. They state the shoes of the fisherman are being passed down from one pope to the next. But the sad thing is no matter whether you believe in the Pope or do not, the truth is "Petros" should have been "piece of the rock". If that had been written instead so many would not be confused today about the church and how to become a piece of the rock (church).
The church is a group of individuals and a lot of people get that, but they do not understand that it is only when one HEARS from God about who Jesus is as the Christ and the Son of God.
"Christ" means to be anointed with the Spirit of God. In Luke 4:18 Jesus states that He is anointed with the Spirit of God. Since "Christ" means "anoint" in English and Jesus is THE CHRIST. When He said He was anointed with the Spirit He was stating what we all need in order to be of Christ. We all must be ANNOINTED in the SPIRIT.
Saturate yourself with the Spirit, the Word, and the very presence of the Lord and you will be part of the Kingdom of Christ here on Earth in this life as well as the next.