Church of God, New World Ministries

What Is The Real Goal Of A Christian?

Do we realize what the specific job promised true Christians in the New World to come? Are we preparing for it intelligently and realistically?

In this hell-bent world and with the specter of worldwide famine, with the increasing amount of crime and violence of all description, the stepped-up tempo of racial conflict, the increase in pornography and filth, the breakdown of respect for all law and constituted authority – it should be obvious that this world needs straightening out.

The greatest prophet who ever lived described our world today: “But as in the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matt. 24:37)

In the Book of Genesis, we read about the account of those before the flood, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence” (Gen. 6:11).

As members of God’s true Church – we understand our destiny – to join the God Family in ruling the world and later, the entire universe.

Christ tells us in Rev. 2:26-27 “He that overcomes and keeps my words unto the end, to him (or her) will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron.”

Also, in Rev. 3:21 we read: “To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne: Sharing His throne denotes sharing in the ruling.

The man or woman who overcomes, who yields to God and masters the temptations and pulls of the flesh, this person will be given tremendous opportunity of ruling the nations of this earth under the personal direction of Jesus Christ.

This is the true Gospel, the good news of the coming world-ruling government of Jesus Christ and His Spirit-born saints.

Notice what the Prophet Daniel had to say: “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and all dominion shall serve and obey Him.

So, according to the Bible, what is the real goal of a Christian? It is, through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as personal Savior, to be forgiven of his or her past sins, and through the power of the Holy Spirit he or she strives to grow spiritually, to be an overcomer, trying to master our vain, lustful, lawless human nature and yielding to let God make us to be a King.

When Jesus Christ comes back to this earth, when the saints are changed into immortal beings, when the Kingdom of God is established, will you be qualified to rule?

Will we be ready and able to fill a position as a King or Priest under Jesus Christ?  When faced with these questions, what is your answer?

Would your answers be: “Why should I want to rule anyone? I don’t want to tell people what to do. I really don’t want to be responsible for others. I just want to serve God and live my life as a Christian.”

But how many of us realize that we can’t be a Christian without learning to rule and be ruled? The Christ-like or Christian way is the way of ruling and rulership.

If we are a deeply converted Christian, there isn’t any way that we can look at this world and not want to change it. When we see the total unhappiness and wretchedness, the vain, empty searching for something, don’t we want to change that emptiness?

If we don’t want to learn to rule others and give of ourselves in teaching them to live the right way, then we are selfish. When we say, “I don’t want to tell others what to do,” then we are self-centered and rebellious. If we don’t earnestly desire to change this world, all of it, then we aren’t a Christian.

Christ tells us “Love not the world (the cosmos, or this world’s system of things), neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (I John 2:15-16).

Who is the god of this world, it certainly is not the Father, and we know Christ isn’t?

It was Satan the Devil that took Christ to a high mountain and showed Him “all the kingdoms of the earth and who said. All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them for that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will give it” (Luke 4:5-6).

Satan is the one who has, and is still, deceiving the whole world and led it in its rebellion against God. Satan is the original one who didn’t want to be ruled.

Another way of putting it is – if you don’t want to see this miserable, debauched, sin-filled world change, if we don’t want a part in changing its politics, it medical practices, its business practices, its child rearing principles and all the rest of the systems, then we won’t be in the Kingdom of God.

In short, if we don’t want to rule, we are saying – “I don’t want to be ruled, and in fact condoning the practices and beliefs of this world. We are putting the stamp of approval of the practices and teachings of Satan and we are becoming the opponent of Jesus Christ.

Notice what Christ said in Matt. 12:30, “He that is not with me is against me.” If we are against Christ, we won’t be with Him in the Kingdom and we have wasted our whole life.

Do we think that Jesus is going to take people who have been lethargic, careless and indifferent in overcoming their own weakness and governing their minds and emotions and then give them positions of rulership? The answer is no!

Have we (members of the Body of Christ), come to fully realize the absolute awesome responsibility of being a part of the Kingdom of God? Have we faced up to the urgent need in our own personal life to learn the principles of ruling?

“In my Father’s house (Temple or Residence) are many mansions, (room, chambers or abodes) if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place (position in God’s government) for you. And if I go and prepare a place (position) for you, I will come again, and received you unto myself: that where I am there you may be also” (John 14:2-3).

Where will Jesus Christ be when He returns? God says that in the end-time, “He will gather all nations together to do battle in the place called Armageddon” (Rev. 16-16)

This same battle is also mentioned in Joel 3:12-16: “Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, verse 14 “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”

Verse 16: “The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem: and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

The valley of Jehoshaphat is located just outside Jerusalem, the very day Christ returns He is going to stand on the Mt. of Olives. On that very day, the Kingdom of God will be established on the earth with its world-ruling Headquarters right in Jerusalem.

Remember, Christ said “that where He would be, we would be with Him.” But does that mean we will be ruling with Him?

” And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4-6). What does thrones and judgment stand for except positions of rulership?

All truly converted Christians are to be kings and priests, or rulers in the Kingdom of God.

This is our day of salvation, we will not get another chance. Do we understand that we have to qualify for those positions now, which Jesus Christ is now preparing? No one will be granted rulership in the government of God without first learning how to rule in this lifetime.

Now, a lot of the top positions have already been taken – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the 12 apostles, David and so on.

Those jobs had to be worked for, they were gotten through the dedication and diligent application of God’s law by each person during his years on this earth.

But how does that apply to me today? How can I apply what they did to my own life? In other words, how do I qualify to rule in the Kingdom of God?

What one thing did these people have in common? God tells us in Genesis 26:5 “that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandment my statutes, and my laws.”

One of the prime reasons the promises were given to Abraham was that he knew God’s law, and obeyed and kept all the commandments which were given to rule man.

David said in Psalms 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law, does he meditate day and night.”

David also knew God’s law and practiced the law of God throughout his life. The twelve apostles spent 3 ½ years being taught personally by Christ how to live the Ten Commandments. They served their apprenticeship under the Master Himself and knew and kept all God’s commandments throughout their lives also.

Every one of these people practiced the law of God daily, none of them had a nation, state, country or even a small town to practice on when they first began.

Their monumental jobs, their gigantic responsibilities, their fantastic position all began as a result of their governing and ruling their own lives first.

And that is where we need to start first. We need to rule our emotions, fears, lusts and desires and bring them into subjection to the law of God. That is our minute-by-minute job, that is how we qualify to be a part of the government of God.

If anyone serves in any government position, even in the nations of this world, we have to learn the laws of that nation.

Do we now see, can we begin to understand the vital importance of studying our Bible, listening attentively to every sermon? We must learn God’s law now, so that we can apply it in the millennium

We must learn to rule and we learn to rule by doing. It isn’t the ones who hears the Bible expounded, who will qualify as a ruler, but the ones who put into practice those principles and learn to govern themselves by them.

Read the parable of the Nobleman in Luke 19:12-27.  Notice what Christ said in Matthew 25:11 “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou have been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”

Jesus Christ learned to rule by His suffering and obedience to His Father’s laws. And John 13:15 “Christ tells us that He set us an example that we should follow.”

Are we qualifying to serve as a king or priest? Will we have a position in the Government of God? Abraham did, David did, and the apostles did. They all qualified to rule by first being ruled, will you?

 
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