This post is part of a Series and I therefore request you to please read the earlier posts before you read this one. (Read: The Kingdom of God Series)
In this post we will talk about how you can enter the Kingdom of God. The Good News of the Kingdom is that whoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ can enter in. The key words here are 'whoever' and 'believe'.
It is the will of God that the Good News of Jesus Christ be preached to all the nations before the end of the age. (Matthew 24:14) When the Gospel is preached in the power of the Spirit and you hear it, it is said that the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin and makes the death of Jesus Christ real in your heart. (John 16:8-9) When you experience this calling in your heart, you are exactly where God wants you to be spiritually. The Holy Spirit might be convicting you of your need for Jesus Christ right now as you read this post. The truth is that you did not love or choose God. It is God who chose and loved you. (1 John 4:10) (John 15:16) God constantly gives you the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ during the course of your life. These opportunities are not happenstance but are according to God's predetermined counsel and will. (Ephesians 1:5) It is God way of saying: I love you and I choose you. It is your responsibility to respond to God's call in your life the minute you get it and when you do, God will give you the faith to believe.
Jesus said that no one can enter or see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again. (John 3:3-6) The word translated 'born again' in this verse really means 'to have another birth'.
Let me give you an illustration. I am a citizen of India because I was born in India. Similarly you are the citizen of your country because you were born there. In the same way you become a citizen of the Kingdom of God when you have another birth by the Spirit. This is the reason I believe Christianity is not a religion. It is an encounter with the real God. You cannot just become a Christian by natural birth. You cannot inherit Christianity. Every man must hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, be convicted in their hearts by the Holy Spirit, respond positively to the call of the Holy Spirit (by believing in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior) and finally believe in the regeneration of Spirit to become a Christian. (Titus 3:5)
Christianity is a personal decision to receive the new birth that God offers you through His Spirit. When God made Man, He breathed into him Life. (Genesis 2:7) Similarly when you are born again, God breathes into you New Life. (John 20:22) (2 Corinthians 5:17)
When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ by responding to the call of the Holy Spirit in our hearts we receive the New Birth.
Jesus said that this is the only way to enter and see the Kingdom of God. (John 3:3-6)
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