Many Christians have the notion that if they accept Jesus He becomes their personal guardian and servant who will empower them to reach their potential and achieve their personal goals. They are totally deceived and mistaken. Jesus Christ is Lord. The kingdom of heaven is about Him, not about you. If you want to follow Jesus and have eternal life you have to deny yourself, die to your own ambitions and to the pleasures of sin, become one spirit with Him and live your life for Him and His kingdom, submitting yourself to Him and doing His will in all things.
You have to become His sheep. Sheep are not very intelligent, individualistic, ambitious, nor resourceful. Jesus said: ”My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:27,28. Not many Christians are His sheep, because they do not hear His voice, nor follow Him. They follow other people, churches, preachers, the world and their own mind. Yet they believe they will have eternal life. They are only deceiving themselves.
Eternal life depends on our oneness with Jesus. Jesus explained this in John 15:1-11. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
Our fruit flows from our obedience to Jesus, firstly our obedience to His commandments, the words that He spoke and taught, as also recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. If we obey His words, repent and are baptized, live holy, according to His commandments, He will disclose Himself to us, make His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to dwell in us, to teach and guide us, to send and use us to do His will as He leads us every day, not after our own initiative or plans, but after His guidance and direction. We can read in the book of Acts how the apostles were led by the Holy Spirit. Without Jesus we can do nothing, we cannot bear fruit, but we must be dedicated, committed, available and tuned in to His Holy Spirit, to be used by Him, to do His will.
Many professing Christians are preaching, casting out demons, operating ministries, building churches all on their own initiative. They are busy with dead religious practices. Churches is big money and big business and many are using the gospel and the Bible to enrich themselves. They do not know Jesus, neither are they following Him. They are not led by the Holy Spirit. Jesus spoke about those when He said: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ Matthew 7:21-23. Most preachers today, do not know Jesus. Their ministry is just a job. They work for a church and they get paid a salary. They do not follow Jesus Christ, neither are they part of His kingdom.
We have to become ONE with Jesus through our relationship with Him, being led by the Holy Spirit, in order to do His will and be part of His kingdom.
How real is your relationship with Jesus? Are you one of His sheep? Do you hear His voice and do you follow Him? Are you grafted into the true vine and are you bearing fruit through your obedience to Him? Are you ONE with Jesus?
May Jesus bless you.
finalcall07 