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That we may QUALIFY to rule
WITH and UNDER CHRIST in the
kingdom of God-that
we
may pre–
pare the way for the ULTIMATE
CALL ANO SALVATION OF THE
WORLD!
At this point Jet me quote two
passages from the direct word of
Jesus, which apply ONLY to the
CHURCH:
To the CHURCH of this twentieth
century Jesus says, "To him that
overcometh will 1 grant to sit with
me in my throne, even as
1
also
overcame, and am set down with
my Father in his throne" (Rev.
3:21).
Then again to the CHURCH Jesus
says, "He that overcometh, and
keepeth my works unto the end, to
him will
1
give power over the
nations: and he shall rule them with
a rod of iron ..." (Rev. 2:26-27).
In that passage of Scripture
Jesus showed plainly why sorne are
called out of this world into the
Church at this present time. Not
beca,use he is trying to save the
world-and we are part of the
world. Not just that we may be
saved and make
it
into his kingdom,
but, as Jesus also said in Revelation
5:1
O,
to be kings and priests and
reign with and under Christ when
he sets his hand to bring salvation
to the world.
Thorough Converslon Necessary
for Church
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cannot repeat too emphatically
that those being called into the
Church now are no.t being called
merely and only for salvation. Nev–
ertheless, in order that they may be
kings and priests, as actual God
Beings aiding Christ in the salva–
tion of the world, those in the
Church
th~mselves
must be gen–
uinely converted.
1 cannot make this truth too
plain. 1 fear many, even in the
Church, do not fully comprehend
just what is a real conversion.
·conversion takes place in the
mind, and that faculty of mind we
call the heart. This could never be
fully understood without an under–
standing of the actual makeup of
the human mind, as explained in
chapter three of this work. lt could
never be understood, until the
knowledge was revealed through
the Bible, of the human spirit in
June
1ge&
man and the actual composition of
the human mind.
As the human mind ditfers from
the animal brain by the addition of
the human spirit, so the converted
person differs from the uncon–
verted person by the addition of the
Holy Spirit.
How much greater is the capac–
ity and output of the human mind
than that of the animal brain? The
realization of that ditference should
make clear to us the vast ditference
between a converted mind being
led by the Holy Spirit, and mind of
the unconverted.
One does not receive the Holy
Spirit until he has first of all
repented ~
God grants repentance
(Acts
11: 18) .
The second condition
to receiving the Holy Spirit is faith.
That means not only believing in
God and in Christ, but since Christ
is the Word or Spokesman of the
God family, it means believing
what he says.
Repentance means a change of
mind. Godly sorrow is a much
deeper sorrow than remorse. And
godly sorrow leads to repentance.
It
involves not only heartfelt sorrow
for past sins, but a total change of
attitude, of mind and direction and
purpose of life. Actually, repen–
tance is more concerned with
future conduct than the past. The
blood of Christ has atoned for the
past. Repentance is not penance.
Nothing you can do can make up
for past guilt. The blood of Christ
has paid the price of past guilt. lt
has washed the slate clean.
A converted person is a person
with a totally changed, or converted
mind. A converted mind in which
the very mind of God is joined with
the human mind. As God says
through the apostle Paul, "Let this
mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5). The Holy
Spirit is the spirit of a sound mind,
which is a completely changed
mind. lt has made an about-face in
its desires, purposes and inten–
tions.
Error of Tradltlonal Christlanlty
The "salvation" in what is called
traditional Christianity does not
actually change one intp a new and
different person. Too often minis–
ters and evangelists tell people that
if they have just " received Christ,"
"accepted Christ," or "given their
heart to the Lord," they are saved.
They are already " born again." lt is
as if sorne mystic switch has been
flipped and the person will be shot
instantly up to heaven upon death,
which so many believe is not really
a death after all. God, in the Bible,
teaches no such thing. God reveals
that as in Adam all die, even so the
same "all" in Christ shall be made
alive by a resurrection from the
dead. Meanwhile, God reveals the
dead are 'totally unconscious.
In ancient Israel God gave them
knowledge of his law, but not his
Spirit. Their minds were not con–
verted or changed. They were still
carnal. And the natural mind is
hostile against God (Rom.
8:7).
There was no conversion in ancient
Israel-no salvation. The 37th
chapter of Ezekiel reveals how
those of ancient Israel will receive
the Spirit of God, if willing, in the
Great White Throne Judgment.
One receiving and led by the
Holy Spirit is a changed person. He
has undergone a renewing of the
mind. Until the knowledge of the
human spirit in man was revealed,
and that God's Spirit can unite
with human spirit, true .salvation
could not be fully understood. A
Christian must grow and develop in
grace, spiritual knowledge and god–
ly character.
Why Church Called Flrst
At this juncture let me explain fur–
ther why the Church is called the
firstfruits of God's salvation. Far
from being a discrimination against
the overwhelming majority of the
world not yet called to salvation, it
is for the very purpose of calling
the rest of the world to salvation.
Once again Jet me remind you
there is a definite order in sequence
in God's plan for sav ing the
world-for reproducing himself.
Jesus Christ is the first of the
firstfruits. He is the firstborn of
many brethren (1 Cor. 15:23; Rom.
8:29). The Church is being called
to be changed, developed in charac–
ter, and finally born at Christ's
Second Coming as God Beings, to
be kings and priests under Christ
when he will set his hand to save
the world.
In a sense, then, the Church
shall become co-saviors with
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