Pastor J. R. Wilhite Yes, that is right, Life Starts Here. It does not matter if you have been a Christian 1 day or 50 years. It does not matter how much you know, we all need to learn more. What you are about to read will open many areas of the mystery of God and His kingdom to you. I am not any more special than anyone else, but I did have some things happen to me that do not happen to everyone. Plus I made choices that most never do. First thing was I died in 1985 for somewhere from 28 seconds to 4 minutes. I have seen the next life and can tell you it is real and it does exist. Also, about 6 years later in 1993 my wife and I decided I would stay home, she would work, and I would grow for both of us in the Lord. I would spend many hours learning to be able to teach her in less time. After 2 years 7 days a week and almost 24 hours a day I learned so much with God one on one that, I can say this, God is always talking, and it is like a radio; if you tune into one frequency you may hear about life and its mysteries. Another will be more of a general open discussion or teaching from God to all who will listen. Then another will be one on one, for a persons personal growth. This last one is needed and a must to learn all one can on the other stations. The idea is there are many walls the world has helped place in us and we need to remove these walls to grow, Now if you will open your mind and ask God for help in this study you will grow in ways you never imagined. It does not matter if you have been born again 1 day or 100 years, everyone can grow. Hosea 4 If you think the above verse deals only with priests read this next verse. Revelation 1
6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
6. And hath made US kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
3 Steps to Life
As you understand that there are 3 elements to God - Father, Son, Spirit or Soul, Body, Spirit also understand that we have 3 elements as well, body, soul, and spirit. The number 3 in the Bible means unity.
We go through 3 lives:
In the womb our universe is small - about the size of a basketball. In this life it seems that the universe is huge - it is so much larger than the last, but infinitely smaller than the next.
Our life spans:
| Size of Our Universe | Life - | Outcome |
|
1st Womb about the size of a basketball | 9 months | Male or female |
|
2nd Present universe seems unlimited | 120 yrs | Born again or not |
|
3rd Next life with or without God | Eternal | Heaven or Hell |
Step 1 - Salvation
In this life there are 3 steps as well, that is if we are born again.
But what is born again?
John 3
3. Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.4.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?5. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.7.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.8.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10. Jesus answered and said unto him,
Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?11.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.12.
If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?13.
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.14.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:15.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.16.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.17.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.18.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.So once you are born again you are saved, but you are not of the church or the body of Christ yet.
Before you get your tail feathers ruffled over what I just said, take a moment open your mind and read what I have to show from scripture. Then take it to God and ask Him, if ever you hear anything that God says is not true do not walk away, but run away from the source of the lie. Do not try to change them by debate, email, etc, but take it to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to handle it. He is much more capable to do this than we, plus He will not make mistakes, but we can and in making a mistake we may push a person even further the wrong way.
So before you do anything you MUST be hearing from God. Yes, that is right, YOU MUST be hearing from God. In the Old Testament there were men and women of God that the majority would go to, to learn the truth. Now we are ALL to be men and women of God.
John 2
21. But he spake of the temple of his body.
I Corinthians 3
16. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
So understand that when you are saved you have the Spirit of God in you (you are a temple of God) but you do not have the Spirit on, and through you yet.
The name Jesus in Hebrew means salvation, and through the name of Jesus you are saved.
Romans 10
9. 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.
10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
This is necessary for all to grow and become solid in their salvation to the point nothing can ever take it from you or confuse you or make you doubt it.
Romans 8
16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
You can only hear this when you are hearing the voice of God. That comes from your taking the time to listen and hear His voice.
Now imagine if you wanted to learn to read and write but you did not want to invest any time in it. It just would not happen. How much more is the blessing that comes from knowing God on a one on one basis. From this one on one relationship with God you will be blessed with all the fruit of God.
Galatians 5
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Jesus even said we would be known by the our fruit>
Matthew 7
20.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.21.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.22.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?23.
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.So many take "faith without works is dead" as meaning they have to go out and work but the actual truth is that when faith works IT goes out and works. When we do it, it is not faith, but us that is at work.
Hebrews 11
1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2. For by it the elders obtained a good report.
3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
4.By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Both offerings in appearance would have been good, but only one was of faith, something that only God could see.
5. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
6. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
How does faith come?
Romans 10
17. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Now as you grow from the moment of your salvation to the revealed knowledge of Who Jesus is as the Christ and true Son of God your growth is into being a part of the church. A church is not buildings, or people, but individuals with personal relationships with God. A relationship that He reveals unto all and first who we are and who Jesus is. Romans 8 16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Step 2 - Church
Matthew 16
15.
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
16. And Jesus answered and said unto him,
Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.17.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.In verse 16 the name Peter in Greek is Petros. Petros means Peter, but mostly they both mean a "piece of the rock". The word rock is Petras or bedrock. In verse 15 Jesus tells Peter it was REVEALED knowledge of the Father about Who Jesus is as the Christ and Son of God that made him petros.
So when God reveals to you Who Jesus is as the Christ and The Son of God you are then a piece of the rock or church.
Now you have gone two steps in your growth here, 1st salvation through Jesus, 2nd becoming a part of the church via revealed knowledge. Remember Hosea 4:6 God said His children are destroyed due to a lack of knowledge. Are you starting to understand the importance of knowledge?
Step 3 - Body Of Christ
"Christ" is a Greek word that means "The Anointed One and His Anointing". Anointed means being rubbed in and on. Jesus told us that being anointed was having the Spirit of the Lord upon Him:
Another way to look at it is think of a dry sponge placed in a bowl of water. We would be the dry sponge and the anointing is the water.
Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD {is} upon Me, Because He has
anointed Me To preach the good news (gospel) to {the} poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to {the} captives "
And in I Cor. 1:24 "but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, The Anointed One and His Anointing (Christ) the power of God and the wisdom of God." we are told that Christ, or the Anointed One and his Anointing is the power and wisdom of God.
In Is. 10:27 (KJV) we are told that the anointing removes burdens and
destroys yokes. A yoke is anything that weighs you down, like sin,
sickness, debt, etc...
All through the old testament times the Jews were told of a coming of the Anointed, and how, when the Anointing came, it would bring yoke destroying, burden removing power. Remember what
I Cor. 1:24 says, "Christ (The Anointed) the power and wisdom of
God." Who else could destroy yokes? God, of course! So the Jews were
looking for the Messiah which is Hebrew for the "Anointed One". The Jews
admit Jesus was a prophet and a teacher and that He did great works; they just don't admit He was the Christ (the Anointed One).
So what do we know so far;
Christ (Greek) and Messiah (Hebrew) in English mean The Anointed One.
To anoint is to rub on and in, so Anointed is already rubbed in and
on. The Spirit of God comes to us from and through His Spirit
(Anointing). What it brings are the power and wisdom of God. So
Jesus did what He did via the Holy Spirit because He was anointed
(rubbed in and on) with God's Spirit (power and wisdom of God).
Some call the anointing being "in-filled" with the Spirit of God, but the anointing comes after one is saved, of the church and asks for it, but they have to be hearing from God on a one on one basis to be anointed.
I John 2:20-27
20. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
21. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
22. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
23. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
24. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
25. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
26. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
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.Jesus is the word become flesh John 1:14, God is the soul (mind, will and emotions) of the trinity. Christ was the manifestation of God on Jesus. If we are of Christ we are of the manifestation of God on, in, and through us.
Understand your growth in the kingdom of God is based on the time you put in. The more time now, the sooner you will be blessed in all ways.
Below I have scripture to show you just how blessed you can be.
Mark 11
22. And Jesus answering saith unto them,
Have faith in God.23.
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.24.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.25.
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.26.
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.Mark 5
24.
And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.25. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26. And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27. When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
30. And Jesus, imediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said
, Who touched my clothes?31.
And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?32. And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
As stated in I Cor. 1:24 the power of God is in Christ, and it states in the same verses that those of Christ is of the power and wisdom of God. Not the church, not those of Jesus (salvation) but of Christ only.
And as above Mark 5:24-34 Jesus felt power leave, and the power is that of Christ. And the same power is in, on and through those of Christ. Even though someone calls upon Jesus and is saved and does have the Spirit of God in them and connected in them to their spirit they do not have the Spirit in, on and through as in Christ.
There are many verses dealing with the power in Christ, and as Jesus name means salvation, and professing as it is stated in Romans 10:9--10. As shown in Matthew 18:15-19 we become part of the church when God the Father reveals to us who Jesus is as the Christ and the true Son of God.
1 Corinthians 124. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
To start understand you need to replace judging (Matthew 7:1-5) with forgiveness. If you have truly forgiven then you have also forgotten what was needed to be forgiven.
Other studies Faith, Who Cause Bad Things In Our Life, Monthly Bible Studies, over 390 Bible Studies.
Life Starts Here, Next Stage For more on faith, Click Here
Before Doing Anything Else Make Sure "You Are Saved!" Click Here.
Preparation
Read these few studies before you start.
Before You Start Part I "Born Again"
If you take your time and read this study and read it over, you will understand more about being saved, why, and what it benefits you to be saved and what happens if you are not, if being "born again" is accurate wording for what we are talking about, and more.
Before You Start Part II "Basics"The basics are actually for all of us, something we should always review once a year or so.
Before You Start Part III "Breaking the Mold"
Breaking the mold is what we have to do with our children to stop, or at least try to control, the runaway prejudice and violence in our comunities.
Before You Start Part IV "Verifying What You Hear!"
Before You Start Part V "Judging"
If you take your time and read the studies below, re-read and re-read until you see the blessings you want to start happening in your life. And no this is not "Blab it Grab it" or "Name It Claim It". Even though I understand and agree for the most part with what those who do teach it say. There is just one problem and that is knowing the truth you need to be able to do what is said in Mark 11:22-26. Basically they are right, except they left out one thing, and that is knowing and understanding the truth.
"Truth We Need"
Truth I "The First, Last & Best Lies Ever Told"
Truth Part II "Truth or Comfort"
There are many who get hung up on a verse or two and try to make a whole new theology out of it; this is wrong.
Truth Part III "Truth in Thought"
This is part of series of studies Called "I am blessed with of God". I never write anything before I verify it in the word and by God via the Spirit of God.
Truth Part IV "Truth is Really Out There"
The truth is out there! We have heard that before on TV, people say it, and others, but it is out there.
Truth Part V "Your Thoughts & Words Judge You"
What thoughts do you have and what words come out of your mouth?
Truth Part VI "Debt is a Sin"This study will deal with one of the biggest lies we have been told and believed to be true
Truth Part VII "Problem Solving"
Problem solving is something we all have to do from time to time.
Truth Part VIII "Word & Power"
The truth is needed to speak the words of the Spirit and have them connect with the power of God.
Truth Part IX "You Can Be In Control"
Words out of your mouth start as a thought and you can control both.
Truth Part X "Seed Part II"
All thoughts were seed planted either of the Spirit of God or Satan.
Truth Part XI "Healing Is For All"
Anyone who is not 100% sure about life, here, past (in womb), present and future (eternal) need to read this study.
Second Part "Truth We Need"
Truth Part XII "Anger and Frustration"
Everything from anger to frustration is controlled by the person who is angry and/or frustrated.
Truth Part XIII "Forgiveness or Not"
Forgiveness is the key to salvation, truth, healings, prosperity, and more.
Truth Part XIV "Spirit, Blood and The Word"
Power together or apart and needed.
Truth Part XV "Knowledge, Understanding vs. Interpretation"
It is told to us in Hosea 4:6 we are destroyed due to a lack of knowledge.
Truth Part XVI "Wasted Thoughts vs. Vain Imaginations"
I know you think we have covered this well enough, but what if I told you there is an entire area we did not?
Truth Part XVII "Responsibilities"
Every Christian has certain responsibilities.
Truth Part XVIII "Law or Grace - Curse or Blessing"
If over the next few pages you can keep an open mind and not allow offense to come in, you will be blessed and understand why all of the bad of this world happens - especially to children and babies.
Truth Part XIX "Truth We Know"
By His stripes we are healed, so the only way we are ever sick is due to believing the lie of man over the truth of God.