Becoming A Joy Fulfilled Christian In The Twenty-first Century And Beyond: The Privileges, Benefits, And Responsibilities Of A Joy-fulfilled Christian 704m4g

Becoming a Joy Fulfilled Christian in the TwentyFirst Century and Beyond The Privileges, Benefits, and Responsibilities of a Joy-Fulfilled Christian

Franklin D. R. Jackson

Copyright © 2019 Franklin D. R. Jackson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-7330-9 (sc) ISBN: 978-1-9736-7331-6 (hc) ISBN: 978-1-9736-7329-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019913886

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/06/2019

“My Joy Fulfilled in Themselves” It Is Yours: Receive and Enjoy It Now

“And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves” (John 17:13).

This book is a labor of love with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. To God be the Glory through Jesus Christ, His Son. All Bible quotations are from the King James Version, unless otherwise stated.

Dedication

I am so delighted to dedicate this little book to my granddaughter Jailyn (Jackson) Grace Gaines, who left this little note attached to my computer, where I could not miss it. It reads

“Best granddad ever! Love, Jailyn”

She is so smart in many ways, and to recognize the best granddad ever tops them all because she is the best grandchild I know. I told her that I was writing the book. She asked me what it is about. I told her that it is about Joy. Her next question: “Am I going to be in the book?” May this little book reminds you and inspires you to be full joy every day of your life. And may you and the book inspire others to share joy. So, Jailyn, you are the epitome of joy, and I am dedicating the book to you. Blessings and Love!!!

Granddad

Acknowledgments

With deep appreciation and gratitude, I acknowledge the skills, patience, and tenacity of Deacon Tammie Woodson of Hollywood Baptist Church of Powhatan, Virginia, who collaborated with me, in the most Christian Spirit, in deg and developing numerous drafts of the cover of the book. We were elated when we agreed on the final cover. She was most encouraging every step of the way. She was my typing consultant from a distance of over one thousand miles. Thanks to her for her effort to teach me computer typing skills. Sometimes, we learn together. A big thank you to Tammie. May God’s choicest blessings be with her always? I deeply appreciate the assistance of Dr. Lola T. Brown of Roxie Mississippi, and Ms. Tammie Woodson for reviewing the publisher’s first draft of the book for errors. I am thankful and indebted to so many Christians, whose expressed joyfulness was inspiring to me. I cannot name all the people who have inspired me with their joy; however, I will mention Pastor ‘O’ Lockhart and his wife, Carolyn; they are a bundle of joy. I am thankful to Mother Cassandra Guice who is really a cheerleader at Rose Hill # 1 Baptist Church. I thank Rev Ernest Ford Jr. for his encouragement and for affording me opportunities to serve in many capacities at Rose Hill # 1 Baptist Church as well as to deliver messages at his other congregations. I thank Sunday school superintendent Shelby Hall and all of the Rose Hill # 1 Baptist Church Sunday school and Bible class for inspiring me to study in order to teach them. I want to give special thanks to Ms. Maddie Ruth Hall who is the dancing singer at Rose Hill #1 Baptist Church and to Heather Nicole Jackson, my daughter, who sings so beautifully in the Rose Hill BC choir and sings at some of my preaching engagements. I am so thankful to my family and friends who are always there for me. Many Christians who I observed at various church services and at other places who do not seem to exhibit joyfulness and peace, which may be in their hearts inspired me to share the good news that Jesus wants His followers to be joy fulfilled and to spread His joy to others.

Further, I am thankful to all who will read this little book and hope you share it with others. I pray that you will strive to live your joy-fulfilled life to its fullest and that you will live a spiritual peace-driven life on earth. Thank you and blessings to you.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Chapter 1 hip Has Its Privileges

The Church Building Is the House of God, not a Hospital for Sin-Sick People

Chapter 2 Why Jesus Came: To Give Abundant Life

Jesus Gives Everlasting, Eternal Life

What Is Abundant Life?

Attributes of Abundant life

True Abundant Life

How Christians Receive Abundant Life

Strive through the Narrow Gate

You Are to Be Steadfast and Continue in Your Faith to the Finish Line

What Jesus Did for You

Jesus Makes Us Sons and Daughters of God (Abba: Father) and t-Heirs with the Lord

Access to God through the Great Heavenly High Priest: When You Pray and Expect to Reach God

Jesus Became the Substitutionary Sacrificial Lamb: Paying for Your Sins

Jesus Makes Intercessions for You

Jesus Assures Us That God Answers Our Prayers

Jesus Prepares a Place for You and Will Come to Receive You unto Himself

Jesus Suffered for You and Brings You Healing

What Jesus Expects of His Followers

Love God and Love Your Neighbor

Jesus Gives the Jewish Lawyer More than He Requested

Paul Affirms the Importance of Love

Another Insight on Love

Agapé Love

Agapé Love in You

Believe in Jesus

Why You Believe in Jesus

The Spirit of God/Jesus Enters Your Heart the Moment You Believe in and Accept Jesus

Trust Jesus

Examples of Belief and Trust

Old Testament:

New Testament:

The Plane That Could Not Crash: Trust in Action: My Experience

Obey Jesus

Show Concern for and Assist Others

Humility

The Great Commission

Wait Patiently for Jesus

hip Has Its Benefits, Challenges, and Rewards

Jesus Did Not Promise an Easy Christian Journey

Chapter 3 Becoming a Joy-Fulfilled Christian

Achieving the Highest Attainments on Earth, Pursuing Heaven’s Rewards

Achieving the Highest Attainments while on Earth

Attainment 1. Fellowship with God

Attainment 2. The Church: Member in the Body of Christ:

Synergism and Benefits of Church hip

Jesus: The Foundation of the Church

The Church Prevails

Attainment 3. Empowerment by the Holy Spirit to Sanctify, Protect, Comfort, Teach, Reveal the Truth, Bring Joy to Memory, and Bring Peace

Empowerment by the Holy Spirit Is Available to All

Listen to the Still Small Voice and Get to Know the Fruit of the Spirit

The Engine that Could Not Keep Running

Considering Suggestions

Receiving/Activating Empowerment by the Holy Spirit

Jesus Fasted

Make Your Fasting Intentional

Daniel Fasted and Waited Twenty-One Days, and the Disciples Waited Ten Days

A Decision for You to Make

Patience under Tests

Attainment 4. Jesus’s Joy Fulfilled and Peace beyond Contentment

Godliness with Contentment Is Great Gain

Jesus Offers More than Contentment

Jesus Gives Peace

Jesus Reassures the Disciples of the Peace He Gives

Peace That Jesus Gives

Super Attainment on Earth: Jesus’s Joy Fulfilled and Peace

Contagious Joy and Peace

Strive for Jesus’s Joy Fulfilled and Peace in You

The Joy-Fulfilled Life and Peace Are Available to the Poor and the Wealthy

The Greatest Attainment of All: Everlasting, Eternal, Abundant Life

Our Vocabulary Cannot Describe What Heaven Offers

Accepting God’s Gift Jesus is a Prerequisite for All Spiritual Gifts

Tri-Proclamations

Waiting in Anticipation with Confident Expectation

Jesus Has Not Announced His Arrival Day or Hour

Chapter 4 What Difference Does It Make?

Pray for a Difference in Your Life

The Difference in My Life

Applying Basic Tenets of the Book

Christians Should Radiate Joy and Peace

Not-Yet-Believer/Not-Yet-Saved

Simply Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior

a Local Christian Church

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

You Have an Obligation

Exercise Patience

Chapter 5 The Great Commission: More Details

Every Christian Has Responsibilities in the Great Commission

Different Levels of Responsibility in Carrying out the Great Commission

Jesus Wants Your Help

Six Points to

Jesus Will Assist You

Close Proximity: Starting at Jerusalem, Adjacent to the Church

Chapter 6 Jesus’s Joy Fulfilled in You

When Thou Art Converted, Strengthen Thy Brethren; When You Are Joy Fulfilled, Help Others

Jesus Gives Peter Special Responsibility after He Is Converted

Learn and Follow the Process

Elijah Trusted the Process, and God Ended the Drought

Naaman Followed the Process and Was Cured of Leprosy

Chapter 7 Delight in the Lord and Receive the Desire of Your Heart

Desire and Delight

Delight in the Lord

Right Desire in Your Heart

Let the Holy Spirit Help You Determine Your Desire

“Do Not Conform” Gave Me Relief

Pursue Your Desire Tenaciously

Chapter 8 Lagniappe: The Funeral Remarks That Restored Life

Chapter 9 Thoughts To: The Impossible (but for God)

Chapter 10 Summary and Conclusion of This Whole Matter

About the Author

Preface

I am intrigued with the ion and desire of Paul for the salvation of Israel. In the Epistle to the Romans, he expresses his utmost desire for the salvation of Israel in this manner: “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved” (Romans 10:1). As it was Paul’s desire and prayer to God that Israel might be saved, so it is my desire and prayer to God that Christians might have Jesus’s joy fulfilled in them while they are still on earth, waiting to get to heaven. Jesus promised, “My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). I was inspired to write this little book to help Christians to fully enjoy the privileges and benefits of being Christians, of the most important organization the world has ever known: Christianity, the Church, the Body of Christ. I want Christians and not-yet Christians to understand that hip in Christianity has immediate privileges and benefits. While the primary purpose of this book is to encourage Christians to become joy-fulfilled Christians, it could also help not-yet Christians make the simple yet monumental decision to believe in Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Savior, so that they are able to access Jesus’s joy fulfilled in them and feel the peace He gives all believers. I encourage Christians to a Christian Church and attend its services on a regular basis Yes, I am aware that many Christians believe it’s not necessary to attend church services to be a Christian, and that is correct. However, attending a nurturing Christian Church will help you grow in faith and in commitment to Jesus. The writer of Hebrews reminds Christians as follows: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as a manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). hip in any organization has responsibilities; assembling together, on a regular basis, is a responsibility of Christians. This book discusses various responsibilities and expectations of a Christian. Jesus makes provision that you as a Christian might have His joy fulfilled in you. I want you to access your joy and let it show on your face, at church

services and wherever you are. The primary purpose of this little book is to help you access and share the joy that Jesus makes available to Christians—you—as a member of the Body of Christ. I caution that this little book is not about theology; there are plenty of those out there. Nor is it a book for scholars who are doing research, although biblical scholars may benefit from the book’s simplicity and clarity. Rather, it is for everyday Christians and not-yet Christians, to share with them the excitement of being a joy-fulfilled Christian and experiencing the peace Jesus gives right now, right here on earth, while waiting to return to heaven when He comes. In addition, I discuss the greatest gift God gives to humanity. You will notice that I use many Bible quotations to the discussions; they should be helpful in your further study. In many cases, you should read several verses before and after a quotation, in order to get a better understanding of the context of a particular quote. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will guide you as you read this little book and that it will be a real blessing to you. Further, I pray that this book helps you to become a joy-fulfilled Christian. Please share it with others so that they too may share in your experience.

Blessings, love, joy, and peace. Franklin D. R. Jackson, Evangelist

Chapter 1

hip Has Its Privileges

A popular phrase used by exclusive social organizations is “hip has its privileges.” That saying is quite true and is applicable to Christianity. So what are the privileges that are available to Christians, and how are these benefits received? Are the benefits available to all Christians or just to some? Are the privileges and benefits equitably available to all Christians regardless of age, gender, nationality, or how long they have been a Christian? Then, are there responsibilities, duties, and stewardship that are expected of Christians? This book explores these questions and more. If you a social or professional organization, but all you do is simply without participating in its activities, are you really an active member of that organization? Suppose you the organization and meet your financial obligations; you may be in good financial standing, but you are not involved in any events. Are you entitled to all the privileges and benefits that your beloved organization offers? So what about the most important organization on earth: Christianity? Are there obligations Christians must uphold to receive the privileges and benefits of being a Christian? We will reflect on these thoughts as you read this book. The first priority of a Christian is on receiving eternal life, and there is absolutely no substitute on such focus and priority. However, Christians live in this world until they die or until Jesus comes again and receives them to Himself. So how do Christians live in this world, with the available privileges, benefits, responsibilities, and duties applicable to followers of this religion, in this physical life? Is there a model for the Christian lifestyle? Are there teachings in the Bible that guide us to live a purposeful, joy-fulfilled, and peaceful life on this earth? Jesus says, “I am come that they [those who believe in Him, Christians] might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Yet many Christians seem sad or joyless whenever you see them. Why is that so? There may be many plausible reasons, but we want to make sure they are acceptable. I

explore reasons that Christians do not live joy-fulfilled lives, in an effort to help you live joyfully on this earth. God wants the best for those who have accepted His precious gift. He wants us to take full advantage of that gift, not like some people, who sometimes don’t open a gift for months or even years; perhaps they don’t want to tear the beautiful wrapping paper, which may be nicer than the gift inside. Luckily for you and me, God’s gift did not come in a pretty package. The gift is the package. He came wrapped in swaddling clothes and later stretched out on a Cross and then wrapped in a shroud. So it is the gift that is important and accessible to all, not the wrapping paper or the swaddling clothes. Christians have received a marvelous gift; however, they must use it all, while they are on earth, in order to get its full benefits. The interesting thing about this special gift of God is that He is sufficient to share with the entire world, and He cannot get used up. The more you share this gift and the more you use Him, the more there is to use and to share. Christians are required to receive, accept, use, and share the gift of God (called Jesus Christ) in order to gain full benefits of being a Christian. As a follower of Jesus, do you feel you are enjoying the full benefits of being a Christian? hip does have its privileges and benefits, as well as responsibilities and duties, especially hip in the Christian faith, hip in the Body of Christ. Jesus Christ has provided the formula for becoming a joyful Christian: Seeking→Receiving→Accepting→and Sharing the gift, which increases in all dimensions and impact as He is employed and shared. The following pages will explore how you, as a Christian, may appropriate the privileges and benefits of your hip and meet your obligations pertaining to these privileges and benefits. I believe that the message contained in this little book and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit will transform your life. You will be a joyful person, according to God’s plans for you. Whenever I attend a church service, there are always a few people who appear joyful, while many others, if not most, seem so sad. Similarly, oftentimes, when I meet Christians on the street, at the shopping mall, or at the workplace, some appear joyful, while many appear to be so sad or joyless. These people may not understand that being a Christian is a special privilege that provides them with access to the joy that only God gives. I am afraid that many Christians might be saving their joy until they get to heaven. Well, I have good news for people who are storing away their joy or not accessing all their joy. The good news is that there is plenty of joy where your joy comes from—God—so there is no need to

hoard it or store it or limit the amount you take and use. Don’t hesitate to share it. In fact, the more you share your joy, the more there is to use, and the more you share it with others, the more there is to share.

The Church Building Is the House of God, not a Hospital for Sin-Sick People

I want to implore you to completely reject a notion, popular among some churches that are not fully empowered by the Holy Spirit, that the church is a hospital for sin-sick people; instead, I ask you to embrace the reality that a church building is where the Church, the Body of Christ, meets to worship, praise, and thank God; and where are reenergized and stirred up; and go out and serve God by serving others, by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The services in the church building will certainly and hopefully include sin-sick people, and we want people there who are seeking spiritual healing (and physical and emotional healing as well). However, hopefully, these do not represent the majority of the congregation at any church building. When you visit a hospital, you expect that with the exception of the workers and the visitors, most of the other people there are ill. When you attend a church, you should expect that most of the are saved, even though they are not sinless. Another expectation you should have is that most of the are joy filled and at peace. I want to emphasize that there might be of the Body of Christ, on any given day, in any service, who have struggled with the evil one all night, all day, or all week; who need encouragement and exhortation; however, I do not consider such ones as sin-sick. Rather, such ones are saints or believers, Christians- of the body of Christ, who are under attack by the evil one. The church house and the Body of Christ are safe havens for saints and Christians who are under attack. The church house should primarily be a place of safety, and the quintessential place for corporate fellowship between God and Christians. It is in the Body of Christ where there is corporate joy and contentment on earth, regardless of circumstances. It is in the church house where the corporate Church (the Body of Christ) resides, where there is corporate shelter when the storm is raging. This is to say that the congregation of Christians (believers) constitutes the Body of Christ, and together, these Christians can generate greater joy, contentment, and peace of mind than individual Christians sitting at

home can. I want to encourage you, as a Christian, to take the joy Jesus has for you and for all Christians and share it in the church to replace sadness on people’s faces, share it in the nursing home, share it in the hospital, share it with the homeless, share it at home, share it at the workplace, and let it shine from your heart through your smile and your words and your deeds. Let it shine all over the place. Jesus says, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which in heaven” (Matthew 5: 16). So let your joy radiate that others may glorify your Father who is in heaven. I paraphrase Jesus and say, let your joy shine before people that they will draw to God through you, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Jesus has given you access to joy for you to use it in the workplace, and at home, and wherever you go to lighten up the place with the exuberance of joy. Jesus prayed, “That they (you) might have my joy fulfilled in themselves (yourself)” (John 17:13). You have access to a joy-filled life; if you have not yet fully accessed and activated that joy, read on as we explore together. This book discusses why Jesus left His throne in heaven to come to earth in the form of a man, how you can receive full benefits of the gifts He gives you to enjoy while you are on earth, and how important it is for you to share the infinite gift with others. In addition, I discuss the ultimate gift of all, which you and all other Christians are striving to achieve.

Chapter 2

Why Jesus Came: To Give Abundant Life

In one of the most often quoted ages in the Bible, Jesus said, “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” (John 3:16). I am afraid that because the foregoing proclamation of Jesus is so often quoted, even by those who don’t appear to embrace the teaching of Jesus, the significant implications of the proclamation are lost or at least minimized or marginalized, even among Christians. This proclamation clearly and unequivocally gives the fundamental reason that God gave us His gift, Jesus: so that we might have the gift of eternal life. So God’s gift is available to all, but only those who believe in Him shall have everlasting and eternal life. Eternal life suggests life beyond the promised physical life, as declared by Moses: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten [seventy years]; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore [eighty] years” (Psalm 90:10).

Jesus Gives Everlasting, Eternal Life

We understand the eternal life and everlasting life to be interchangeable; they mean a life without ending, which those who accept Jesus Christ as Savior will enjoy when He returns and receives them unto Himself. Jesus promises, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). Jesus affirms His reason for coming to the world (in the flesh) in this manner: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Jesus employed a metaphor of a shepherd and his sheep to illustrate why He came into the world in the flesh. Jesus is the good Shepherd, and Christians are His sheep. There are non-Christians and not-yet Christians who are not in Jesus’s fold just yet. However, they still have the opportunity to the herd as long as Jesus keeps the gate to His pasture open. He wants the best for His sheep, not just life; rather, He wants them to have abundant life. Isaiah reminds us that “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Even though God’s people were like sheep gone astray, Jesus did not come to destroy them. Toward the end of His earthly ministry, the people did not receive Jesus; James and John asked Jesus if they should call down fire from heaven to destroy the rebellious people, but Jesus rebuked them and said, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (Luke 9:55–56). So Jesus came as the good Shepherd to lead His flock into good pastures and to protect them. Moreover, He gives eternal life and gives it abundantly. So Christians should be excited about the abundant eternal life with Jesus, and they should enjoy joyful and peaceful life, through Christ, which is available to them while they travel this life on earth. Knowing that you have abundant life with Jesus in heaven makes the earthly life —the journey—worth living, regardless of circumstances. However, circumstances should not prevent Christians from living a joy-fulfilled life,

which Jesus provides. Christians are special people; they are servants of God, very special servants. The apostle Peter refers to Christians in this manner: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Christians are special people because they are of the Body of Jesus Christ, and adopted sons and daughters of God. Jesus gives new life to people as soon they confess with their mouth and believe in their heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

What Is Abundant Life?

“Abundant” comes from the Greek word perisson, which means “exceedingly, superfluous, highly, beyond measures.” If you look-up the word abundant in any dictionary, you are likely to find words such as “plentiful,” “bountiful,” “large quantities,” “exuberant,” “inexhaustible,” “prolific,” “overflowing,” “luxuriant,” and a plethora of other synonyms, but I have not seen any that captures the essence of the abundance Jesus uses to describe the life He came to give. None of those synonyms equates abundance with eternal or everlasting. The abundant life Jesus gives may produce physical abundance on earth; however, those synonyms do not capture the essence of the life Jesus gives more abundantly, which is eternal, everlasting life. It’s a life better than we can think of or imagine. Abundant life is a gift from God; it’s not achieved by work. Paul speaks of abundant life in this manner: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think by His power” (Ephesians 3:20). This abundant life is waiting for you in heaven. While you are on earth, Paul says, “God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory” (Philippians 4:19). In Philippians 4:19, Paul is not referring to the abundant life awaiting you in heaven; rather, he speaks of an abundance of life that is available while you are on this earth. Paul again refers to the abundance of life available to Christians on earth, not the abundant life in heaven, when he says God “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20). From the various quotations cited, and numerous other ages in the scripture, we know that there is a wonderful life available to Christian believers while on earth; however, the wonderful life on earth cannot be compared to the abundant, eternal, and everlasting life that awaits you in heaven. I want to stress that a wonderful life on earth is not contingent on the abundance of material things you possess. There are many materially wealthy people in the world, and you might know some, who do not have a wonderful life. In fact, some are downright miserable. To quote the apostle Paul again, “But

godliness with contentment is great gain.” While Jesus comes to give life more abundantly—eternal, everlasting life—His followers should live a godly life with contentment, regardless of circumstances or situations. Contentment here does not mean to stop trying to better yourself or to seek assistance; rather, it means not to murmur and complain about your situation. An abundant life does not necessarily have any material things (although material things are not required). Consider Abraham in Genesis (Genesis 17: 1 – 8), and the widow referenced in Luke 21: 1 - 4; both had an abundance of life. Abraham was blessed with material wealth, and he was a blessing to others. The widow had two mites, less than a penny, and she gave so much; she gave all she had. Her abundance was her joy-fulfilled life and her peace of mind. Solomon had all the material things that he could imagine; however, regarding the end of material riches, he said, “As he came forth from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing in his hand” (Ecclesiastes 5:15). In 1 Timothy 6:7, the apostle Paul mentioned this quotation. James reminds us that the good gifts that are available to Christians come from God. He states it this way: “Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father” (James 1: 17). We know that God gave humanity the perfect gift, His Son, so that Jesus gives you the perfect gift: everlasting life. Christians have access to the abundance of life: physical and emotional safety and security, godliness with contentment, and so forth; however, the abundant life Jesus gives is awaiting you in heaven. There is absolutely no comparison with the abundant life awaiting you in heaven. However, while you are on earth, as a Christian, you should use the physical, emotional, and spiritual gifts Jesus makes available to you and let your joy-fulfilled and peaceful life shine. This way, you reflect the light of Jesus, and others may see and feel your joy and glorify God. We can vaguely recognize the attributes of an abundant life, bearing in mind the teaching of Paul that we cannot even imagine the enormity of that life.

Attributes of Abundant life

The abundant life Jesus gives is waiting in heaven for those who accept Him as Lord and Savior. As the apostle Paul says, we cannot imagine what the abundant life in heaven is like. To quote the apostle Paul again, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, The things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2: 9). I cannot even begin to imagine, much less describe, the abundant life awaiting you in heaven. However, I will list a few attributes you should exhibit while you are on earth, waiting to return with Jesus to heaven. The following are a few attributes of Christians who expect to return to heaven with Jesus:

• Giving, not receiving: giving of self to God and to others; give time, talents and treasures. The Bible teaches that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20: 35). • Living obediently for Jesus Christ by loving God, loving others, and carrying out the Great Commission. • Feeling secure: “Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which eth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ’” (Philippians 4: 6–7). Regardless of what you have achieved on this earth, you must have godliness with contentment and, ultimately, have Jesus’s joy fulfilled in you, as an indication of your readiness to return with Him to enjoy a truly abundant life.

True Abundant Life

Spiritual: The true abundant life is spiritual abundance, not material abundance. Such an abundant life is attained in heaven; however, there are signposts for you to check to see if you are moving in the right direction. A few of the signposts are as follows: Abundant life is not contained in the abundance of material things. It does not define success by earthly criteria and does not conform to the world; being transformed by the renewing of the mind, it has a mind of joy and contentment, regardless of circumstances. Focus on eternal life: This develops and strengthens your relationship and fellowship with God; God gives eternal life through His Son (1 John 5:11– 13). As humans, we have need for material things; however, our main focus must be to “seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Submit our bodies as living sacrifices to God: Jesus already paid the wages for our sins; therefore, you do not need to bring animal sacrifices to the altar or even to die on the altar for the forgiveness of your sins. Paul says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). What sacrifices are you ready to make, if you knew that Jesus asked you to do so? How about forgiving those who hurt you? How about loving the person who hates you and slanders you? How about going an extra mile to assist people in need, even though you know they don’t deserve your time? What other sacrifice will you make if you are doing it for God? “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Peter is suggesting here that Christians must take an active part to grow in the hip of the Church. You must act intentionally to grow in Christ; you must have a positive attitude and a desire to grow. Paul teaches that when people become Christians, they are a new creation and begin a new life in Christ. Paul states his proclamation this way: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are ed away; behold,

all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Do you feel new? Do you believe you’re a new creation or person since Jesus came into your heart? The songwriter puts it this way: “What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart. Floods of joy fill your soul like the sea billows roll since Jesus came into my heart” (Rufus H. McDaniel). Do you have the feeling of the presence of Jesus in your heart and in your soul? Do you believe that the Spirit of Jesus is in you? The Bible tells us that the Spirit of Jesus dwells in the hearts of those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Can you feel His Spirit working in you? Only Christians can answer those questions with yes. I want to help you to be able to answer those questions and similar questions in the affirmative and with confidence. A converted and reformed former slave owner puts it this way: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I am found; was blind, but now I see”. (John Newton). Do you now feel that your priorities are taking you in the right direction, to somewhere, both physically and spiritually, rather than taking you nowhere? Can you see clearly now? There is no better gift available to humanity than abundant life, or rather, I should say that there is no other gift that is available to you, to humanity that can compare to abundant, everlasting life. However, while you are on earth, you should access the joy-fulfilled life which Jesus offers. I will tell you how.

How Christians Receive Abundant Life

Jesus Gives the Formula: Seek→Receive→Accept→Share

“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).

It is important to understand that it is Jesus who gives abundant—eternal— everlasting life; however, Jesus also gives instructions to those who would receive the abundant life that He gives. The number one requirement is to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Jesus told His disciples and other followers that their heavenly Father knows their needs and will supply them. He told them, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). What does it means to seek, to make the kingdom of God the priority of your life, conducting yourself as a good steward for all God has entrusted to you? Love God, love your neighbor, trust God, obey God, and wait patiently for Him, expecting that He will show up and deliver on His promises to you and for you. You can trust Him as you walk the pilgrim journey in this life. You must have an attitude of willingness to give up everything that stands in the way of pursuing the kingdom of God. the parable that Jesus tells of the sower who sowed seeds. Some fell on stony places and sprang up quickly but died as soon as the sun burnt them. Some fell among thorns and sprang up, but the thorns choked and killed them. Some fell on good ground and produced fruits. So if you are seeking the kingdom of God, your heart must be like the good ground that nurtured the seeds and seedlings to grow and the plants to produce fruits. You cannot allow trials and tribulations, or the cares of the world, or the evil one to keep you from going through the narrow gate, which leads to the kingdom of God. Paul gave up everything to preach about the Cross and resurrection and was content with just a little. He could do all things through Christ who strengthens him. (Philippians 4:11–13). What needs do you have? Jesus says do not worry about those things because God knows your physical needs; you should focus on

an abundant life: eternal life, everlasting life, which Jesus comes to give. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6: 33). You should pursue the abundant life that awaits you in heaven. In addition, while you are on earth, you should access Jesus’s joy, which is available to you. I will show you how. Jesus says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be open unto you” (Matthew 7:7–8). Are you asking with expectation and with the right motive and attitude? Do you ask others to forgive you when you do them wrong? Do you forgive others for wronging you before you ask God to forgive you? It is not your sin that will prevent you from receiving abundant life in heaven; rather, it is the wrongs of others you have not forgiven, and the sins for which you have not asked forgiveness. Receiving forgiveness from God is a prerequisite both for the joy-fulfilled life and the abundant life. Therefore, make it a habit to forgive others who have done wrong against you, and make it a deliberate and intentional part of your life to sincerely ask God to forgive you for your sins.

Strive through the Narrow Gate

Jesus told His disciples that salvation and eternal life are gifts from God, through His sacrificial death; it does not cost the recipient—you or me or any believer— anything other than to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and to make that confession with the mouth. Nevertheless, Jesus speaks of ongoing responsibilities that Christians, in good standing with Jesus, are required to carry out. For example, He says that Christians who have sought and found the kingdom of God must strive to enter the narrow gate. This implies an ongoing commitment to trusting, obeying, and following Jesus Christ. Striving requires deliberate, intentional, persistent effort to do what Jesus demands. In the same way that you are expected to carry out the duties and responsibilities pertaining to an organization you belong to, Jesus expects Christians to follow His instructions to the best of their abilities. Jesus told the disciples that anyone who wants to follow Him must be prepared to take up his cross daily. He illustrates the importance of striving diligently and persistently to go through the narrow gate; He told a man who wanted to follow him but wanted to first bid farewell to his family that “no man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). Jesus was teaching in this instance that a person might believe in Him and later turn back, or He may be saying that a person might start to accept Christ and then quit before completing the process. In either case, Jesus says that such a person is not fit for the kingdom of God. Thus, Jesus teaches that you must strive to go through the narrow gate.

You Are to Be Steadfast and Continue in Your Faith to the Finish Line

There are preachers and teachers who preach and teach that once a person is saved, that person is always saved; however, I do not get that understanding from the Bible thus far. The parable of the sower is a good illustration that people might accept Jesus, but later, the cares of the world cause them to abandon Him. This familiar parable illustrates the need for Christians to continue the daily striving to go through the narrow gate. “As a sower sowed seeds, some fell on the wayside, and birds ate them; some fell on stony places and grew up quickly but died because of shallow soil; some fell among thorns and grew up, but the thorns choked them, and they died. But others fell on good ground and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold” (Luke 8: 5–8). Jesus explains that the seeds that fell on stony ground represent those who hear the word of God and receive it with joy, but the word is not planted firmly into their hearts; therefore, when they experience challenges because of their belief, they give up. The plants growing among thorns represent those who hear and accept the word but give up when they are faced with the world’s cares, deceitfulness, or riches. These things choke the word out of them. The good ground represent those individuals who have receptive ears and hearts; they hear and understand the word, and the word penetrated their hearts and took root there. They bear fruits because they think about the meaning of the word; they may meditate on the word and pray for further understanding and guidance. Jesus wants Christians to understand the word and to persist through the narrow gate. The question is whether those who are impacted by their stony places or thorns had completed the conversion process and can still lose their soul. I want to make it as clear as possible that I believe that only Jesus Christ can save a soul or decide if a soul is lost. The thief on the cross, who was being crucified adjacent to Jesus, is a case in point. Jesus saved him. This is a significant question that speaks to whether people who once accepted Jesus Christ can lose their soul. The parable of the sower has singular, significant, and relevant implications for churches, to ensure that they focus their message and that the message is clear. Mature Christians and the Church—the Body of Christ— should make sure that appropriate, timely, and ongoing nurturing is done for all , and especially new converts and undecideds. This is particularly

necessary during revival seasons. The apostle Paul illustrates the requirement for ongoing striving to get through the narrow gate; some scholars believe that Paul is quite explicit in his teaching that he was concerned about losing his soul after assisting others to save theirs. Paul uses a race as a metaphor for the Christian journey. He says essentially that he runs the race to win, to receive the prize. He said, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: less that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:26–27). Paul is often referred to as the Apostle of Grace, teaching that we are saved by grace and not by works, yet he emphasizes the need for Christians to take the Christian journey seriously, as one in a race, and strive for the finish line. Paul should know; he was appointed by the risen Jesus Christ to be His apostle. He clearly s the teaching of Jesus that much effort and commitment are required to run and successfully complete the Christian race. His letter to Timothy gave a stern warning about the falling away of those who once accepted Christ. He puts his warning this way: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). There can be no misunderstanding about what Paul is saying in this age: that it is possible for those who once accepted Jesus may turn away to devils. Is there any wonder that Jesus Christ Himself stresses that Christians must strive daily to through the narrow gate? Paul is arguable one of the hardestworking apostles in the New Testament. After he had strived daily and finished his race, he was elated to share his feeling of earthly accomplishment and his anticipated reward in heaven with his beloved son Timothy. This is how Paul puts it toward the end of his final letter to Timothy “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the righteous judge shall give me on that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7–8). It appears that Paul believes that a Christian should strive and work to the very end of life as feasible, perhaps in appreciation for the gift of salvation, and in anticipation of the rewards that await them in heaven. One thing that is clear in the teaching of Jesus, and affirmed by the apostle Paul, is that Christian believers should guard against taking their salvation for granted. In the first place, salvation is priceless; it cannot be purchased at any price, with

silver or gold or any form of material wealth. God would only accept the substitution sacrificial death of His Son to pay the wages of sin. In the second place, salvation is free to all who choose to accept it as a gift; however, Jesus expects those who accept the free gift to live by His rules, including daily striving to go through the narrow gate. This means not becoming complacent and taking salvation for granted. There are some specific things that Jesus asks, commands, and expects His followers to do. I will discuss some of these expectations later in the chapter.

What Jesus Did for You

There have been many great people in biblical days, in ancient history, and in modern history, who have done great things as well as bad things. Some are still ed and praised for their good deeds, and some are ed and condemned for evil things they did. For example, Moses is ed and praised for leading the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Joseph is ed for helping to prevent starvation in Egypt and surrounding countries during seven years of drought and famine. He is praised for his kindness and forgiving heart towards his brothers, who had done him severe wrongs. Pharaohs are ed and condemned for their harsh treatment of the children of Israel after the death of Joseph. Simeon is ed and praised for patiently waiting to see the young Child Jesus and for blessing Baby Jesus in the Temple. Mary Magdalene is ed and praised for anointing Jesus’s feet with expensive ointment and for drying His feet with her hair. Herod is ed and condemned for trying to kill the young Child Jesus. Pilate and Jewish religious leaders are ed and condemned for falsely convicting and crucifying the innocent Son of God, Jesus. The apostle Peter is ed and praised for preaching on the Day of Pentecost, at which three thousand souls were converted. Simon of Cyrene is ed and praised for helping Jesus to carry His Cross to Golgotha, when Jesus was punished so badly, He was too weak to carry the Cross on which He was crucified. The Bible is replete with comparisons and contrasts of good people who are ed and praised, and of evil people who are ed and condemned. So too is our ancient and contemporary history. We know about the evil of Hitler and the goodness of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. We know about advocates for slavery and those who fervently fought for emancipation. We know about those who wanted racial segregation and disparity based on ethnicity and those who fought for racial justice. There are many examples of dichotomy between good and evil historically and in modern society. Despite the outstanding goodness and positive impact of our historical, Biblical, and contemporary heroes, none can be compared with Jesus Christ. What did Jesus do that makes Him such a superhero, even though He considered Himself a Servant and the humble Lamb of God? What did He do, and what is He doing, that put Him in a class all by

Himself? To understand and appreciate what Jesus did, and is doing, you must first know who Jesus is. It is not difficult for a person who is of no or low reputation, or who has nothing much to offer or to lose, to consider or make himself of no reputation in order to help another. But what about someone who has everything and owns everything, and has the power and authority that go along with everything? This describes Jesus, the Son of God, who has everything and who was in heaven with God. He decided to give up everything in order to come to earth, in the form of a righteous man, to help humanity reestablish relationship and fellowship with God His Father. So the first thing that Jesus did, which sets Him apart from angels and humanity, was to fulfill the proclamation God made to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Satan tempted Adam and Eve, and caused them to sin, by disobeying God’s instruction regarding a fruit that they should not have eaten. God proclaimed to Satan, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). Jesus crushed the head of Satan when He rose from the tomb three days after He was crucified, demonstrating that He is more powerful than Satan and that He had conquered death and the grave. The songwriter Bill Gaither puts Jesus’s victory over death this way: “He lives, and because He lives I can face tomorrow; Death can’t hold Him in the ground.” In other words, Jesus died on the Cross and rose the third day, so that those who believe in Him, as the Son of God, will not have spiritual death but eternal life. If this were all that Jesus did, that would have been enough; however, He did plenty more, some of which I present below.

Jesus Makes Us Sons and Daughters of God (Abba: Father) and t-Heirs with the Lord

Paul teaches that through Jesus Christ, “For ye [Christians] have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). Paul reminded the Galatian Christians, and reminds us “But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because we are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:4–6). So Jesus made us proud sons and daughters of God, and we are His brothers and sisters; and as brothers and sisters of Christ, we are “heirs of God, and t-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). You should always and deeply appreciate that Jesus makes you heir with God and t-heir with Himself. Think of the implication of what Jesus did to permit you to be His t-heir. Since you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Spirit of Jesus Christ is in your heart. Think about that: the Spirit of Jesus Christ being in your heart. Do you nurture that Spirit and allow him to guide and direct your life, or is He on life- in your heart? That is a decision only you can make. It is the most wonderful thing to know that the Spirit of Jesus comes into your heart the moment you accept Him as Lord and Savior.

Access to God through the Great Heavenly High Priest: When You Pray and Expect to Reach God

Some Christians forget that before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, only prophets, priests, and special persons had access to God, and it was God Himself Who chose prophets, priests, and those other special people. In many cases, only the High Priests could make intercession with God on behalf of the people. Thanks be to God, the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ changed all that. The apostle Paul, in writing to the Ephesian believers and to Christians of our time, proclaims, “For through him [Jesus Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). You should ponder on what it means to have direct access to God, without having to go through an earthly priest and confess your sins every time you sin. What a blessing! This is what the writer of Hebrews says about that blessing: “Seeing that we have a great high priest, that is ed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14–16). What a beautiful and reassuring affirmation to know that you can go directly to God, through our Advocate and Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, and confess our sins and make requests of God in His name. This should make you want to thank and praise Jesus for what He did to make your access to God possible. Really, suppose you and other of your local church had to go to the pastor even once a week to confess your sins and seek God’s forgiveness on your behalf; how much time would the pastor have for the rest of his or her ministry? Take advantage of this access, not only for yourself but for intercessions for others as well.

Jesus Became the Substitutionary Sacrificial Lamb: Paying for Your Sins

Before Jesus sacrificed Himself to pay the wages of sin, priests would sacrifice an animal whenever they sought the forgiveness of sin for anyone or for the people as a whole. Blood had to be shed. The animals were substituting for individual(s) who deserved to pay the wages of sin: death. The use of animals started during the Old Testament and continued during the time when Jesus was on earth as God and Man. You may recall the incident in Genesis when God tested Abraham’s faithfulness by asking him to sacrifice Isaac, his son. Abraham had waited many years to receive the son God had promised him. As he was about to slay Isaac, God stopped him and provided him with a substitutionary ram (Genesis 22:1–14). There are no other incidents in the Bible where God required human sacrifice by slaying or any other means of sacrificial death, except in the case of Jesus Christ. When Jesus sacrificed Himself on Calvary’s Cross as the substitutionary lamb, He made the everlasting sacrifice for sin. He fulfilled John the Baptist’s proclamation: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Contemplate on what it would mean if every time you sin and seek forgiveness, you had to provide a pure, spotless animal for sacrifice. In the world in which we live today, it would be difficult to find animals to sacrifice for all who seek forgiveness for sins. It is no simple matter that Jesus Christ became the eternal sacrifice, the substitutionary Lamb, who paid the wages of sin, so that you don’t need to sacrifice an animal. The songwriter Kristian Stanfill puts it this way: “‘Cause Jesus pays it all, All to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.” Thanks be to Jesus Christ that when we approach the throne of God, through the slain Lamb of God, who is now our Great High Priest, there is no need to take an animal sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus did this and more just for you and me.

Jesus Makes Intercessions for You

Paul notes that “Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34). The writer of the song “Your Grace and Mercy” says that when God demands justice of His children, Jesus intercedes and asks for mercy because He already paid the price, on the Cross, for justice, our justification. Jesus is pleading to God the Father on behalf of Christians all the time. You should be grateful that He continues to intercede on your behalf for mercy and grace, for your protection and empowerment, for sanctification, for joy, for hope, for your praise, and for all aspects of your physical and spiritual life. Jesus does all this and more.

Jesus Assures Us That God Answers Our Prayers

Jesus teaches us to pray to God in a manner that is acceptable to God. See the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9–13). Try to memorize this impactful prayer, if you have not already done so. Note the insightful comments Jesus makes immediately following the prayer: “For if ye forgive men their treses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their treses, neither will your Father forgive your treses” (Matthew 6:14–15). I will discuss the absolute importance of forgiveness later in this chapter. Jesus makes this assurance to you: “Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9). What a great assurance. Can you exercise the faith to believe that Jesus will deliver on this promise? If you don’t believe that He will deliver on this promise, how can you believe that He will come again and receive you unto Himself? Contemplate on that. Jesus further reassures you, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13–14). A very important point to is that God is not answering your prayer simply for your sake. You should have great confidence in knowing that God is granting you what you ask for so “that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” If you ever feel that you are not worthy to ask God for a special thing (I sometimes do), take note again that your asking is not just about you. Jesus wants you to ask God, in His name; Jesus will respond so that the Father will be glorified in His Son. So go ahead and ask. Jesus provides you with further assurance that God will answer your prayers with these words: “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you” (John 16:23). It is quite clear that you and I should pray to God in the name of Jesus. I will not suggest that if you pray to Jesus, your request will be granted; however, it is clear that He wants you to ask God in His name. Then Jesus went on to say, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask,

and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24). Yes, Jesus expects His followers to have full joy, which is the thesis of this little book. He gives infallible assurance that God will answer your prayers. However, it is not for you to determine the time or manner in which He answers your prayers. You are to exercise patience and trust the Lord’s omnipotence and omniscience; He will answer your prayers as He pleases. I cannot stress too strongly the importance that you believe, accept, and expect that Jesus Christ will deliver on His assurance that God will answer the prayers you pray in His name. Hebrews chapter 11 discusses faith; in it, the writer emphasizes the importance of faith with the strong onition, “But without faith it is impossible to please him [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). There is no question about the importance of faith in approaching God’s throne and receiving answers to prayers and requests. Prayer and faith go hand in hand. Prayer will not work without faith. You must have faith, confident expectation that Jesus will deliver on His promises. However, on the basis of empirical facts, we know that Jesus delivers on His promises; therefore, this is not a blind, irrational wish that Jesus will do what He promised. The facts revealed that Jesus delivered on His promises. For example, He told the lame man to take up his mat and walk, and he did. He told the lepers to go and show themselves to the priest, and they were healed. He told Martha and Mary that He is the resurrection and life, and He raised Lazarus from the dead. Perhaps most significantly, He told His disciples and other Jews of His pending death by murder and His resurrection on the third day. The apostle Matthew records it this way: “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day” (Matthew 16:12). Luke, the Gentile physician who was not an apostle at the time of Jesus’s death, records that three days after the death of Jesus, women went to the tomb to prepare Jesus for a proper burial. However, two angels were at the tomb and told the women, “He is not here, but is risen: how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Luke 24:6–7). On the bases of enlightened faith and empirical evidence, it is clear that Jesus

delivers on His promises. You can expect Him to deliver on the assurance that God will answer your prayers and requests, if you ask them in Jesus’s name. Because of the assurance of Jesus, James makes the bold statement, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availath much” (James 5:16). You are righteous not because of your good deeds, or because you do no wrong; you are righteous because you have faith and believe in Jesus as the Son of God. Moses in the book of Genesis puts it in this manner: “And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD; and he [God] counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3). This book presents many assurances of Jesus and shows evidence that He delivers on his promises. This is to strengthen your confidence that Jesus will deliver on the promises He made to you and to help you feel confident that God will answer you when you pray in the name of Jesus, with a right attitude of mind, and positive expectation to receive answer(s) to your requests and prayers. Prayers are the greatest and most accessible weapons a Christian has; however, they only work when you use them. I hope that you feel you can go to God with feeling of confidence and assurance that He will respond to your request, when you make it in the name of Jesus. Your goal is not that God will give you what you ask for; rather, that He will answer your prayer.

Jesus Prepares a Place for You and Will Come to Receive You unto Himself

Many Christians relate very well to what Jesus promises, as recorded by the apostle John: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14: 1-2). This is another well-known age in the New Testament. It is probably second only to John 3:16: “For God so love the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 has already been fulfilled. John 14:1–3 is perhaps the most reassuring, yet-to-be-fulfilled promise to believers in the New Testament. This age is often read at funeral services. If John 3:16 is the great Gift of God and “Do unto others what you would like them to do unto you” is the Golden Rule, then John 14:1–4 is the Great Promise, with anticipation and expectation. Christians are in great anticipation that Jesus will fulfill that promise. Jesus is faithful and just to fulfill His Great Promise to return for those who believe in and strive daily to go through the narrow gate. Are you faithful and intentional in doing what Jesus asks you to do, such as not worrying about His promise to return for you? Are you striving daily to go through the narrow gate? The place that Jesus has prepared is for people who are ready to go back with Him. He wants you to go back with Him. Are you ready? Those who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Savior will return with Him to the mansions He has prepared in His Father’s house. So don’t let your heart be troubled at all.

Jesus Suffered for You and Brings You Healing

In speaking about Jesus, the prophet Isaiah said, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: and the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:3, 5). Jesus was falsely accused and wrongly convicted by religious leaders and Roman officials, whipped, slapped, and finally crucified. He was pierced in His side while on the cross; all this to heal you from the sickness of sin and death. What more could Jesus do for you? How do you show appreciation for what Jesus did (and is doing) and how He suffered (and still suffers) every time you deny Him? Some believe that the stripes which Jesus suffered, from which blood undoubtedly oozed, can provide physical healing for those who believe. If a woman with a blood issue could touch the hem of Jesus’s outer garment and received healing, then certainly, the blood from His stripes has healing power. Nevertheless, Jesus’s suffering, death, and resurrection are to bring spiritual healing and spiritual life to those who are spiritually dead, to all humanity, who choose to believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as Lord and Savior. Thanks be to Jesus, because He is the Great High Priest in heaven; you can go to God through the heavenly Great High Priest and seek forgiveness, even when you deny or disobey Jesus. James puts our seeking forgiveness in this manner: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous” (1 John 1:8–9). I selected a few things that Jesus has done or is doing for you. I mentioned a bit of His suffering. As you study the Bible and read ages before and after those I quoted, you will continue to develop greater knowledge, understanding, and appreciation for what Jesus has done and is doing for you all the time. You will also appreciate the intensity of His suffering, both physically and emotionally, for you and me. For example, in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before

Jesus was betrayed, He said to His disciples, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” (Matthew 26:38). This was a moment of intense emotional distress for Jesus the Man. I encourage you to read again, with empathy, this section of the book and internalize the expressed experience of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 26:36–58. Jesus did more than you can imagine and suffered more than was conceivable to secure your hip in His organization, His Body, the Church.

What Jesus Expects of His Followers

Love God and Love Your Neighbor

In talking with many Christians and church (they are not necessarily the same), I am sometimes amazed at how many of them really don’t know or understand what Jesus expects them to do, generally and specifically. Do you know your specific assignment? Many of them don’t know or understand if Jesus has called them for a specific assignment. So what does Jesus expect, in general, of His followers, of His Body, the Church, Christians? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Thou shall love thy neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 39). “Love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34). The Old and New Testaments are replete with commandments, onitions, instructions, and encouragements that God’s people must love Him and love one another. In Deuteronomy, Moses records God’s commandment to the children of Israel: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5).

Jesus Gives the Jewish Lawyer More than He Requested

When the Jewish lawyer, with the intention to tempt and trap Jesus, asked, “‘Master, which is the great [greatest] commandment in the law?’ Jesus said unto him, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets’” (Matthew 22:36–40). Jesus Christ affirms the great commandment of love that God gave to the children of Israel, through Moses, more than fourteen hundred years earlier. The Jewish lawyer understood the importance of loving God; however, he might have been surprised when Jesus gave him more than he had requested. Jesus gave him the second commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. Many things have changed over time, and some commandments have been fulfilled by Jesus; however, the commandments to love God and love your neighbor are everlasting. The importance of loving one another, as you walk with Jesus on the pilgrim journey, is so crucial that at the Last Supper, on the night He was betrayed, Jesus emphasized the need for ongoing love in this manner: “A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34–35). Jesus knew that in a little while, He would be betrayed by Judas, and before the next morning, He would be denied three times by Peter. He knew that there would be uncertainty and discord among His disciples and followers. Therefore, He emphasized the importance of love and said He was giving them a new commandment. The commandment to love is a great and singularly important commandment. Jesus calls you to love God and to love others. Theoretically speaking, it is not difficult to love God, even though Jesus remarks, how can you love God, Who you cannot see, if you cannot love your neighbor, who you can see? But how do you love a despicable person you cannot stand to be around? How do you love people who are always negative and are always putting others down? How do you love church who are self-

righteous and condescending? Again, Jesus says that if you cannot love those people who you can see, how can you love God, Who you cannot see? The good news for you is what Jesus told the disciples: “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Yes, it is the Spirit of Christ that is in you that empowers you to have agapé love, not only for other believers but for all humanity as well. When you are a Christian, a believer, a member of the Church, the Body of Christ, and you have difficulty loving someone who has hurt you or who is hard to like, you are not alone. that Jesus loved you before you became a believer, and now that you are a believer, His Spirit lives in you. “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6). So Jesus’s Spirit is in you, and you must activate Him through prayers, meditation, and fasting, if necessary, so that you are able to do what is impossible to natural men and women. God has empowered you to love the hard-to-love, the hard to get along with, the do not care to be around. Prayer is truly the key. I discuss the importance of empowerment by the Holy Spirit in the next chapter; it is a major theme of the book.

Paul Affirms the Importance of Love

Paul emphasizes the importance of love in his letter to the Corinthians in what is affectionately called his Message of Love. He essentially says, regardless of what special gifts you might possess, if you do not possess love, the others amount to nothing: “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity [love in action], it profit me nothing. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity” (1 Corinthians 13:3, 13). If you are not familiar with one of the greatest discourses on love in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 13:1– 13), I encourage you to read it over and over again and again. And even if you are familiar with this age, read it again, in light of the foregoing discourse on the importance of love in the Christian journey.

Another Insight on Love

I thought I had covered the topic of love adequately; however, as I meditated this morning, I continued to receive an urge that I needed to say a little more on the type of love Jesus speaks about and how to do it. Dictionaries list many types of love, perhaps as many as ten or more. However, for the purpose of this discourse, I will mention three types that are closely related and are important; two of the three types of love are essential for you as a Christian. The names are all Greek in origin; they are eros (romantic love between a man and a woman), philia (affectionate or brotherly love, which was illustrated by the love between David and Jonathan, and Paul and Timothy), and agapé love (unconditional love, which is like God’s divine love for humanity and Jesus’s love for us). This is the type of love Jesus describes in the Gospel of John: “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” (John 3:16). This is unconditional love; it’s not affected by circumstances or situations. Your behavior cannot change God’s love for you. This does not mean that God will not chastise, discipline, punish, or even destroy those who fail to love and obey Him. A case in point is what happened to the people God delivered from slavery out of Egypt. Most of the Israelites perished in the wilderness because of their disobedience.

Agapé Love

When you possess agapé love, which only God can give, you possess philia love, brotherly love, but not necessarily eros love, romantic love, unless you are in physical relationship with someone. We know that agapé love comes from a relationship with God; God loved you while you were His enemy, a sinner. You love God because you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. It is your responsibility to display and practice your love for your neighbor and for God in your daily life. It is well to note that Paul was writing to the Christians in Corinth, reminding them of the importance of love above all other spiritual gifts they might have. This means that Christians must be intentional in living with and exemplifying love. This applies to you and to me as well. I have already urged you to read and study 1 Corinthians 13:1–13; now I am encouraging you to carefully study verses 4 through 7, to see characteristics of charity (love in action) and determine if you are displaying those characteristics. Agapé love is divine love. Love is both a noun and a verb. God is love; Jesus is love (noun). You reflect Jesus when you demonstrate love by what you do and what you say (verb). Let your deeds of love speak loudly; however, always, always give words of exhortation, encouragement, and comfort when needed and appropriate.

Agapé Love in You

You will know that divine agapé love is in you by the way you instinctively show philia love, brotherly love. This is the type of love that is seen among fraternity brothers, sorority sisters, and of a church, family , alumni of a college and other organizations, and so forth. Paul describes this type of love very clearly in Romans 12:9–21: “Let love be without dissimulation [pretense]. Abhor [despise/reject] that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of the saints; given to hospitality” (Romans 12:9–13). I strongly recommend that you read and study Romans 12:9–21 to see characteristics and qualities of agapé and brotherly love that you will live by, and others will observe in you, as you carry out Jesus’s instruction to love God and love others. I hope that this additional discourse on love is helpful to you, as you fervently seek to live a life of love and reflect the love of Jesus by your deeds and words, and even your thoughts and desires (which only you know unless you share them).

Believe in Jesus

The very first thing Jesus expects His followers to do, you are doing, if you are a Christian. If you are not yet a follower of Christ, I pray that you will be soon. All that is required is that you believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God, and you confess your belief with your mouth. You believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It is conceivable that you believe in God the Father (Jehovah/Yahweh); you believe in God the Son (Jesus Christ); but you are not quite sure about the Holy Spirit. Let me quickly say that if you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ, it is the Holy Spirit who brought you to Jesus. So though you might not fully understand the working of the Holy Spirit, it is safe to say that He is working in you as one of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I will have further discussion on the Holy Spirit in chapter eight. Believing in Jesus is so important. At one point, He told His disciples, “‘Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life which the Son of man shall give: for him hath God the Father sealed.’ Then the disciples said unto him, ‘What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said unto them, ‘This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he has sent’” (John 6:27–29). Believing in Jesus is fundamental to being a follower of Jesus, a member of His Body, a Christian, a believer. Believe in Jesus, not just believing Jesus, is so essential to Christianity that Jesus told His disciples that it is the work of God. Believing Jesus is not synonymous with believing in Jesus. Even the devil believes that Jesus is authentic, that Jesus is Who He says He is. However, Satan does not believe in Jesus; if he did, he would surrender himself, in humble obedience, to Jesus. Similarly, there are individuals who believe Jesus; they believe that Jesus is Who He says He is, but they do not believe in Him. They refuse to submit themselves to Him in humility and obedience. Those who believe in Jesus in their hearts and confess with their mouths that Jesus is the Son of God, and accept Him as their Lord and Savior are saved. Jesus calls on those who would be His followers, of His Body, Christians, to believe in Him by words, in their hearts, and by their deeds.

Why You Believe in Jesus

When you are a follower of Jesus, you believe in Him because of one, two, or three reasons. I call the first reason third-party validation. This is when you believe in Jesus because of what you have read or heard about Him. This is usually how a believer starts, reading the Bible or other written media, such as leaflets, magazines, tracts, brochures, and so forth. Another source of third-party validation is messages and sermons on Jesus at places of worship, speeches at religious meetings, and discussions at home and with colleagues and friends. This type of belief in Jesus and in God comes through hearing the word formally or informally at one venue or another. It was just revealed to me that there is a second-party validation. (At first, I had written there were just two levels of validation). Second-party validation occurs when a Christian believer shares a personal experience or perhaps a dramatic encounter with God. It may be healing of an illness doctors had given up on or escaping serious injury in a bad accident or some other experience of God’s obvious intervention. This type of validation can be emotional, spiritual, touching, and convincing. For example, I gave a personal testimony at Hollywood Baptist church in Powhatan a few weeks ago. I shared how I was driving from Mississippi to Powhatan, Virginia, to attend a funeral, and the problems I had with my CR-V 2000 getting there. How it overheated and the number of times I had to stop on my way to cool the engine. I reached out to the Bible study class and the vocational Bible class in Powhatan. The of both classes prayed for me. The vehicle got me to Powhatan. When the mechanic examined the radiator he was alarmed because it had decayed. He remarked that there is no way that that radiator could have got me from Mississippi to Powhatan. We concluded that it was nothing short of a miracle that got me to Powhatan. People at the funeral who heard me share the incident, shook their heads and said truly there is a God, and He does miracles. I believe that some not-yet-Christians meditated on the incident, and perhaps sought or are seeking Christ through this second party validation. Then there is the personal validation when the Holy Spirit speaks directly to you. It may be in a vision, a dream, during meditation, during a sermon, or during

your reading, or it may appear to be out of the blue. Some people refer to this personal experience as a “coming-to-myself” experience, hearing a voice, the still small voice, the moment of discovery, the flash of green light, or a confrontation with the Holy Spirit. Whatever your experience, it was memorable, impactful, and life changing. That was the time you decided to give your heart as a residence for Jesus Christ. You start to believe in Jesus as the Son of God and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. That is the moment, the exact moment the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus, enters your heart.

The Spirit of God/Jesus Enters Your Heart the Moment You Believe in and Accept Jesus

Please know that whether you had a third-party validation experience, through spoken or written word, or had a second-party validation through someone sharing a personal experience with you, or you had a personal experience, the Holy Spirit was the instigator, and Jesus Christ was the Advocate, interceding for you. The good news is that the moment you believe and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Spirit of God and Jesus enters your heart, and you are a believer. You are saved; you are a Christian. If you have not yet experienced the coming of Jesus in your heart, and you have reached the cognition that Jehovah is God and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, you can ask Jesus to come into your heart at any time; the sooner the better (the next hour or tomorrow is not promised to you). Ethel Tatham of Hardingham puts fleeting time this way: “Yesterday returneth not, tomorrow cometh not, today only is thine, misuse it not.” that to believe in Jesus is to love Him, to trust Him, and to obey Him. I pray that your belief in Him grows stronger and stronger each day.

Trust Jesus

What does it really mean to trust Jesus? I believe that believe and trust differ only in the finer details, in intensity. Some may say it is splitting hairs to try to differentiate between these words, but I beg to differ. Regardless of dictionary definitions of these important words, which are vital in the Christian journey, there is a difference, perhaps just a little difference, and that little difference can mean a lot. In written dissertations and other scholarly works; writers define that are unusual or may be interpreted differently. Therefore, it is conceivable that one could define believe and trust as interchangeable, having the same meaning. For our discussion, I say that believe and trust have similar meanings; however, consider trust as having a deeper, more intense level of confidence and expectation that the desired outcome will occur. I am using a few examples from the Bible to illustrate the point and to encourage you to exercise total expectation with confidence, whether you call it belief or trust that you can depend on Jesus to deliver on His promises.

Examples of Belief and Trust

Old Testament:

Incidents in the life of Abraham and Jacob demonstrate trust and belief. Abraham believed and trusted God: I mentioned earlier in the book how God tested Abraham’s faith and trust in Him. God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his promised son, who was to be the ancestor of descendants as numerous as the stars and be blessing to other nations. Sacrificing Isaac meant slaying him and burning him on an altar. Abraham had no hesitation in obeying God, even though he had waited many years for this son. Of course, the faithful God provided a substitute ram for Isaac, just as Abraham was about to slay him. Isaac was tied and laid on the altar, and Abraham drew his knife to slaughter him; however, the merciful and faithful God stepped in and prevented the slaughter, providing Abraham with a substitutionary ram (Genesis 22:1–14). Abraham’s obedience demonstrated trust in God. Perhaps he trusted that God, who gave him Isaac in the first place, after Sarah had ed childbearing age, would bring his son back to life. The Bible does not disclose the thinking of Abraham on this matter. Jacob believed God but did not trust that He would deliver on His promise: God promised to protect Jacob from all harm and bring him back safely to Canaan from Padanaram. He had fled to Padanaram after he deceived his father, Isaac, and took the blessing that belonged to his brother Esau. God promised Jacob on his flight to Padanaram, “I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and thy seed. And behold I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land: for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of” (Genesis 28:13, 15). What a great assurance of protection. God Himself assured Jacob of his protection as he embarked on his journey to live with his uncle Laban at Padanaram. Yet Jacob was afraid that Esau would kill him. After being away at Padanaram for twenty years, Jacob decided to return home

to Canaan. On his way home, he prayed a ionate prayer, reminding God of His promise to protect him. He knew that God was with him, as signified by the presence of an angel, with whom he wrestled all night. Even though Jacob prayed a ionate prayer, he still tried to help out God by sending gifts to Esau and dividing his family and belongings in groups, saying that if Esau attacked one group, then the others could escape. Not only that, but he continued to be so afraid and suspicious of Esau that he refused to accept his kind-hearted brother’s offer that they walk home together. Jacob may have believed that God could protect him; however, he did not demonstrate trust that God was protecting him, and he could totally depend on God for protection. (See Genesis chapters 32– 33.) You must trust that Jesus Christ will do whatever He promises; this is especially crucial when you are experiencing doubts and uncertainties. It is not good enough to know that Jesus can deliver on His promises; you must elevate the knowledge of what you believe He can do to trust, the confident expectation He will do what He promises to do. You do not acquire this type of elevated and unwavering trust overnight; you obtain it through effectual, fervent prayer, studying the scripture, meditating, and even fasting. With that type of trust in Jesus, you will eventually experience His joy fulfilled in you, which Jesus mentions that He wants you to have.

New Testament:

I am using two incidents of trust in the New Testament as examples. The trusting centurion: Matthew records that as Jesus was entering Capernaum, a centurion (a Roman leader of a hundred soldiers, most likely a Gentile) came to Jesus, beseeching Him to heal his servant. “And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said unto them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great a faith, no, not in Israel. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour” (Matthew 8:7, 8, 10, 13). According to Jesus, this centurion demonstrated more faith and trust than he had seen among the Jews in Israel: scribes, Pharisees, priests, and so forth. What would Jesus say about your trust in Him to deliver on His promises, and that God would answer your prayers? If a Roman centurion, who did not know about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, could have such sincere trust in Jesus Christ, then certainly you can as well. Do you trust God to hear and answer your prayer, when you pray in the name of Jesus? Jesus told the disciples (we are his disciples), “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you” (John 16: 23). Jesus wants you to ask the Father in his name, with trust and expectation that He will answer your request and the Father be glorified. Jesus puts it in this manner: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). It is clear that Jesus wants us to ask and trust Him, not only for our benefit but for His glory as well. So ask with trust and confident expectation, and Jesus will answer. Peter trusted, but then doubt took over: I will give a final illustration of trust in the Bible, followed immediately by doubt, and the immediate consequences. Matthew records this incident with Jesus and Peter: Jesus sent His disciples in a ship to go to the other side of a lake. “And in the

fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. “And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit: and they cried out of fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them saying, Be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus” (Matthew 14: 26–29). Peter demonstrated trust that Jesus had the power and authority to make him walk on the sea. It certainly took a great deal of trust—entrusting his life in Jesus—for Peter to get out of the ship and started to walk on the sea toward Jesus. However, Peter did not sustain that level of trust. Matthew records, “But when he [Peter] saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. An immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him” (Matthew 14:30–31). It is so wonderful that the apostle Matthew gives both sides of Peter—his great trust, followed almost immediately by doubt —both displayed within a short time. This is really a paradox of the Christian journey: periods of great faith and trust, and periods of uncertainty and doubt. In addition, Matthew affirms the power, authority, and comion of Jesus Christ. As a Christian believer, you undoubtedly experience moments of intensive trust in Jesus, as well as moments of uncertainty and even doubt. For example, you may be certain about your salvation, on the one hand, but on the other hand, it may not be clear to you what specific assignment Jesus has for you. This type of uncertainty exists sometimes even in mature Christians and is understandable. However, you should never, ever doubt the authenticity of Jesus as the Son of God. As I stated previously, it is not unusual to have uncertainty and doubt regarding situations sometimes, as long as you do not allow your doubt to drag on, and never, ever doubt that Jesus will deliver on His promises to you. You should pray always, and especially when you feel uncertain or you are in doubt regarding any situation, especially if it is spiritually-related. The apostle Paul reminds us, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The singer Albertina Walker puts it this way: “Makes no difference what the problem, I can go to God in prayer.” Yes, when you have doubt or uncertainty, go to God in prayer and ask Him to increase your faith and trust; always ask in Jesus’s name.

The Plane That Could Not Crash: Trust in Action: My Experience

I conclude this section on trust by sharing an incident in my own life, when I witnessed trust in action. If you know, without doubt, that you will reach your destination, you will not worry about a few bumps and detours during the journey. This was demonstrated to me quite vividly one evening in October. I was flying from Fort Lauderdale International Airport in Florida to Richmond, Virginia. About forty-five minutes into the flight, the fasten-seat belt light sign was lit, and the pilot’s commanding and stern voice said, “Attendants, take your seats, and engers, please fasten your seatbelts; we are approaching a thunderstorm.” Within five minutes, the plane was rocking and shaking, and it felt as though it was dropping. I started to pray out loud. A young man I had met earlier, who turned out to be a pastor, said to me in a calming, reassuring voice, “Don’t worry; we are safe. God has sent me on a mission, and He is going to get me there.” I was immediately transformed; I became calm and still, praying quietly. What a level of trust this Christian man had in God, Jehovah, Yahweh, Elohim, who is always faithful and trustworthy to His people. About an hour and a half later, the plane landed safely in Richmond. I bade my Christian friend farewell and blessings on his mission. Has Jesus sent you on a mission? When He does, you cannot fail, because He promises that He will be with you at all times. Do you trust Jesus, who calmed the great storm and wind and waves on the Sea of Galilee with three words, “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39), to ensure that your mission is successful, regardless of the raging storms along the way? So when you believe that Jesus came into this world in the flesh so you might have life and have it more abundantly, why worry when life places bumps and detours on your pilgrim journey? When you trust Jesus to take you to your destination, you need not worry about the bumps, obstacles, and detours along the way. It is quite natural for you to have concerns about a situation, even though you expect it to turn out okay, but worrying about a situation is unnecessary and can become a greater

problem than the situation you’re worrying about. The best antidote against doubt, uncertainties, and worry is trust; trust Jesus to get you there on time, His time. You must remind yourself that it is not just about you; rather, you have been selected as an ambassador to ask and trust that the Son will glorify the Father. You must be a trusting and trustworthy ambassador. Trust is so vital to receiving the fulfillment of the promises of Jesus that the book of Proverbs puts it this way: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6). You must have the desire in your heart to trust in God, and He will fulfill that desire for you. David onishes us, “Delight thyself also in the LORD, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 33:4). Pray for more faith and trust, meditate on ages in the Bible that exemplify faith and trust, fast for greater faith and trust, and use what you have. Walk out by the faith that you have right now and expect Jesus to deliver on His promise; as Paul says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Again, I encourage you to use your believing in Jesus, and your faith and trust, and watch them grow and become stronger, and observe your prayers and requests answered according to God’s plan for you. I pray that you will continue to grow daily in your faith and in believing and trusting in Jesus.

Obey Jesus

Jesus wants you to obey His general commandments and teachings, as well as any specific instruction or assignment He gives you. He may call on you to carry out a specific assignment. An example in the Old Testament is when God assigned Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh and warn them of their imminent destruction if they did not repent from their wicked ways. At first, Jonah thought he could defy God and disobey Him. After that didn’t work out, Jonah came to himself and went to Nineveh, preaching throughout the city for three days; the king and all the people repented, and God spared the city of His wrath (Jonah chapters 1–2). You must listen if Jesus asks you or calls you for a specific assignment. And as Samuel did, you must say, “Speak [LORD]; for thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:10). I suggest that you read 1 Samuel 3:1–21 to appreciate the importance of responding to God’s call; you might have to deliver an unpleasant message, as Samuel did. Young Samuel had to deliver a tough message from God to Eli, his mentor, the judge and priest of Israel, that God had taken away the judgeship and priesthood from his family. That was a sad message to deliver; however, when God says do this or do that, you do it without asking why. Has God ever given you a tough message to deliver to someone who is dear to you? Yes, it may hurt you emotionally, as it hurts the recipient; however, you have no choice. You must obey God and deliver the message. Obedience is closely related to trust. When you trust God, you know that His instructions are always correct, and you obey Him without worry.

Show Concern for and Assist Others

In the book of Micah, the prophet Micah revealed that God was not interested in offerings of thousands of rams or ten thousand rivers of oil (Micah 6:7). Micah went on to say, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8). The same requirements that God revealed to Micah are applicable today. Jesus wants His followers to be concerned about others and to assist them. He wants His followers to treat others in a fair manner and to stand up for others, especially those who cannot stand up for themselves. He wants His followers to be merciful and helpful. He says, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). Jesus wants His followers to do some general things, some of which Matthew records in his Gospel: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the homeless, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and visit those in prison (Matthew 25:35–40). The foregoing are just examples of how Christians show they care. You may not be able to do some things physically; however, you can pray, you can contribute to benevolent offerings, you can contribute finances or materials to domestic and foreign missions, and the list goes on. The important thing is to find a need that you can fill and fill it to the best of your ability. And that the only requirement is that you do it as though you are doing it for God, because you are doing it for Him.

Humility

Jesus wants His followers to be humble. In fact, you can judge whether you are a true follower of Jesus by your inward and outward humility. In emphasizing the importance of humility, Jesus told His disciples, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3–4). This singularly significant pronouncement of Jesus on the importance of humility, for entrance to the kingdom of heaven, should give many preachers and religious leaders cause to pause and reflect on their humility. I have taught that you cannot judge how close people are to the kingdom of heaven; however, their observable humility speaks volumes about them. Fake humility will not cut it; furthermore, a discerning spirit will quickly see through fake humility. Jesus wants His followers to walk humbly with God. The Bible teaches that God likes the humble but despises the proud of heart. James puts it this way: “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6). Jesus again emphasizes the importance of humility by teaching, “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased: and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). Humility is one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit that is available to all followers of Jesus Christ; however, you must nurture and practice it on an ongoing basis. And since humility is required to enter the kingdom of heaven, nurturing and practicing it must be a priority of all Christians. Humility is closely akin to love; it is difficult to have humility without having love in your heart. I summarize what Jesus wants you to do by saying that He simply wants you to obey His instructions, which are in the Bible and are delivered by His messengers, and through His direct with you, and through revelation of the Holy Spirit. The prophet Joel records God’s declaration in this manner: “And it shall come to afterwards, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28). Certainly, you fit into one

of the categories for whom God made this great and exciting proclamation; so do not be surprised if something unusually good starts happening to you, even as you are reading this God-inspired, life-changing little book. Invite the Holy Spirit in, and just wait. I will discuss just one more thing that Jesus wants you to do. Ultimately, He wants you to do it in one fashion or another. It is called the Great Commission, the final instruction of Jesus before He ascended into heaven after His resurrection.

The Great Commission

You may already know about the Great Commission: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost …” Matthew 28: 19); what you’re probably not quite certain about, unless you’re a preacher or evangelist, is how relevant the instruction is for you. You may be asking if that instruction is still relevant today, in the age of information technology, social media and instant information. These are excellent questions, which I will explore and answer. In the first place, the Bible teaches that the words of God do not return void. In other words, people, time, or events cannot alter God’s plan or Jesus’s instructions or Jesus’s promises. For example, Jesus says He has gone to prepare a place for you, and He will return and take you to that place so you can be with Him forever. Nothing can change that reality; His Word is as solid as a rock. He wants you to be involved in the Great Commission. I teach that next to the First and Second Commandments, to love God and love your neighbor, respectively, the Great Commission is Jesus’s most significant instruction to His disciples and, by extension, to all Christians. It is my prayer that you will assume your role in carrying out the Great Commission to the best of your ability. I discuss the Great Commission in more detail in chapter six.

Wait Patiently for Jesus

When you are doing what Jesus asks you to do, then you just wait patiently. I discussed waiting patiently earlier in the chapter. Patience is one of the great virtues, and if you are like me, you could benefit by having a little more patience (or even a lot more patience). Lack of patience is a major cause of not achieving your full potential. You should cultivate and nurture patience, and wait as appropriate.

hip Has Its Benefits, Challenges, and Rewards

You have done what Jesus wants you to do, with the right motive, and yet you face challenges and disappointments, and so-called friends seem to put you down, and you don’t even know who is who any more. Well, good news: You must be doing something right. Because through it all, you have not lost your hope, or your joy, or your faith, or your praise. And God has seen you through. Take comfort in knowing that Jesus said that it would be that way sometimes. Think of what happened to Jesus and some of the things He said. He told the disciples that they would go through trying times; however, they should love one another. He said, “If the world hates you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (Matthew 15:18). Jesus knew that you would have challenges in following Him, which is the reason He asked those who would follow Him to count the cost before they make the decision. In speaking of his enormous suffering, the apostle Paul made this bold and comforting statement: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Paul really suffered for Christ, yet he was ready and willing to suffer physically and emotionally in order to have godliness and contentment, while he was on earth, in anticipation of the crown of righteousness he would receive in heaven. When you know that you are suffering for a bigger cause than yourself and you will receive a great prize at the end, you will endure. Jesus, in anticipation of your sufferings, encourages and assures you as follows: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully used you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Doing what Jesus asks you to do requires the Holy Spirit working in you. But what Jesus said: What is impossible to men is possible with God. Since the Spirit of Jesus is in you, and you share in His divine love, you are able to love your enemy. The writer of Proverbs was quoted by Paul when he said in Romans 12:20, “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink; For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee” (Proverbs 25:21–22).

It is reassuring to know that Jesus promises a great blessing to you. He says, “Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:7–12).

Jesus Did Not Promise an Easy Christian Journey

Quite the contrary; Jesus said count the cost, and if you are ready to make the commitment and willing to run a marathon, then take up your cross and follow me. He said that you must be prepared to leave your mother, father, and children behind in order to follow Him. He told one man who wanted to go and bury a loved one before coming to follow Him to let the dead bury their dead. I have discussed what Jesus has done and is doing for you and the benefits of hip in Christianity. You receive His blessings—protection, guidance, provisions, comfort, fellowship, joy, peace, and much more—while you are right here on earth. None of these things can compare with the gift of everlasting life and living with Jesus in heaven. Yes, hip has its privileges and benefits; it also has responsibilities and challenges too. I trust that you will enjoy the full benefits that are available to Christians and that you will share them as you can; live so that not-yet Christians are attracted to Jesus through the reflection of the light of Jesus that shines in and through you.

Chapter 3

Becoming a Joy-Fulfilled Christian

Achieving the Highest Attainments on Earth, Pursuing Heaven’s Rewards

Jesus declares that His desire for His disciples is that their Joy be full. Paul declares that godliness with contentment is great gain. God declares in the Garden of Eden His intention to reestablish fellowship, and Jesus declares that He comes so that people might have life and have it more abundantly. In this chapter, I will assist you in appropriating all these declarations in your own life and help you understand the mechanism for achieving the highest attainment on earth while pursuing heaven’s awards. Some of the concepts in this chapter have already been presented; however, the emphasis is a little different here. I want to make it easy for you to achieve, attain, glow, and pursue. If you carefully read the foregoing chapters of this book, you should receive some reward.

Achieving the Highest Attainments while on Earth

What is the highest attainment you can achieve while on this earth? Please note that I did not say the highest attainment that this earth offers. There is only a little difference between those statements; however, the little difference is actually huge. Consider, if you will, the wonderful things this earth offers: position, power, authority, influence, wealth, physical companionship (eros love), entertainment, travel experiences; these things are only limited by your imagination. Jesus once remarked that the joy a person has is not contingent on the abundance of material things. The attainments that this world offers are fleeting (or quite temporary, at best). I can really relate to Isaiah, who was told, “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever” (Isaiah 40:6–7). 1 Peter 1:24–25 quotes Isaiah verbatim on the brevity of a man’s life and the eternity of God’s Word. Yesterday morning, I was iring the beautiful white blossoms on my rose plant, but to my surprise and disappointment, today the petals were all scattered on the ground. So it is with many attainments that this world offers; they are here today and gone tomorrow. Of course, some things this world offers last for a much longer period of time than did my beautiful rose. However, sooner or later, the attainments this world provides are no longer useful, or the person who attained them can no longer enjoy them. What are attainments we may have and enjoy on earth that are sustainable and have long-term and even eternal value? I want to discuss three such attainments you may have while you are on planet earth. God prepared them for you and for every human being; however, only those who choose to access them can have them. The first attainment is one that God Himself provided from the beginning of the world, even though it was broken in the Garden of Eden by the sin of Adam and Eve. The sinning of Adam and Eve was perpetrated by Satan, the devil, and disrupted their fellowship with God. However, God provides the means to restore this attainment to all who choose to accept that means. Jesus makes two attainments available to you; however, you must decide whether you will accept

them. These amazing attainments are available to you and to all humankind. Let me add that the word attainment, when used in the context below, is a misnomer, because these attainments don’t come by your own volition; rather, they are God’s attainments in you.

Attainment 1. Fellowship with God

You may access fellowship with God and enjoy it while you are in this world. Adam and Eve had a wonderful relationship with God; they enjoyed personal fellowship and friendship until they unfortunately broke God’s only rule: not to eat the fruit of one particular tree. The merciful and faithful God makes it possible for every human being on this earth to reestablish fellowship with Him through Jesus Christ. You see, not only did Jesus Christ pay the wages of sin, which is death, so that you may have the Gift of God, which is eternal life, He also makes it possible for you to have fellowship with God right now, while you are on this earth. The choice is yours. If you have already accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the avenue is already there for you to access this everlasting attainment: ongoing fellowship with God. That is Attainment 1. Where do you stand with that attainment? Are you having excellent fellowship with God? That is, although you have deep and unwavering reverence for God, do you still consider Him your closest friend, or is your relationship with God just so-so? Do you feel as close to God as your beloved child feels toward you? Do you know whether you are having any fellowship with God at all? You know if you are having fellowship with God; you know how strong the fellowship is. This is a phenomenal attainment that is available to you, and you can reach out and appropriate it through prayer, meditation, fasting, and trusting and obeying God. I discussed the concepts of meditation and fasting toward the end of this chapter. Good fellowship with God is far too important for you to ignore; pursue it prayerfully and intentionally. that it has already cost God dearly for Him to make it possible to reestablish fellowship with you. He paid with the substitutionary sacrificial death of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. A selfexamination will determine the nature of your fellowship with God. If it is not what you want it to be, you can start right now to take a step toward the fellowship you desire. If you have already accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you may start right where you are with a prayer, even if it is a silent

prayer. If you are already a Christian and desire to strengthen your fellowship with God, prayer is a good place to start. that you do not need to try to convince God of your desire to have improved fellowship with Him; He already knows your heart. You need only to ask God, in sincerity, to guide you in the process of strengthening fellowship between God and you. You should work on building this heightened fellowship with God. You must commit yourself to prayer, meditation, fasting, trusting, obedience, and patience, with yourself and with God. Having an ongoing fellowship with God is a great attainment; He wants to accomplish it in you, but He needs your full commitment and cooperation. If you need spiritual assistance as you seek to improve your fellowship with God, another Spirit-filled Christian should be able to assist you. that fellowship with God is available to all; however, only those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior may access it. To reemphasize, the reason Christians are able to access fellowship with God is because they have accepted the gift of God, which comes through the death of Christ on Calvary’s Cross, and Jesus’s resurrection on the third day. If you have not yet accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to do so right away, so that you may begin to access a beautiful fellowship with God as well as the other attainments I will discuss shortly. It is just a matter of believing in your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died to pay the wages for your sins; ask Him to forgive you for your sins, and accept His forgiveness. You then confess with your mouth that you have accepted Jesus as your Savior. You can tell a friend or a family member or a pastor. That is all it takes. I discuss this process in more detail later. However, if the Spirit moves you, do it right now, just where you are, go ahead and do it. What a blessed time this could be for you. The best time is the right time, now! In your fellowship with God, you will have profound reverence and absolute respect for Him. You will relate to Him as your loving Father, who is always there for you. You will want Him to be in every aspect of your life, and you won’t want to hide anything from Him. This relationship is quite different from the way some think of God, as a tough boss and disciplinarian. Instead, you will see God as your closest friend who cares deeply for your well-being and who corrects you when necessary. He will not spare the rod and let you spoil yourself. He will use the proper method of correcting you, when appropriate. He corrects

you because of His love and concern for you, not because He wants to punish you or see you cry. When you have fellowship with God, He will be your encourager. As He did for Joshua, He will encourage you to be strong and courageous; you need only to trust Him, obey Him, and wait patiently for Him. The songwriter Elisha Hoffman puts fellowship with God in this manner: “What a fellowship, what a joy divine, Leaning on the everlasting arms, What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, Leaning on the everlasting arms.” Jesus died and rose so that God may reestablish fellowships with women and men; you may choose to have a strong fellowship with God. This is a gift that is available to you; strive daily to strengthen it, through praying, meditating, fasting, studying the Bible, attending church services, loving God and your neighbor, trusting and obeying God, and waiting patiently for Him. You can trust God to do His part because He wants to have a good, ongoing fellowship with you, His adopted child. I have taken much time and space to discuss your fellowship with God because it is so important; without good fellowship with God, you cannot enjoy peace on earth, which Jesus provides for you.

Attainment 2. The Church: Member in the Body of Christ:

Jesus, through his death, resurrection, ascension, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the disciples on the Day of Pentecost, initiated the Church, His living Body, on earth. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you become a Christian, a member of the Body of Christ. The Christian Church symbolizes the Body of Christ, with Christ being the head and other being various and diverse parts of the body. I strongly encourage you to a local Christian congregation, one you can attend regularly, as soon as you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. No other organization on earth can claim to be the Body of Christ. This has tremendous implications. The Bible teaches that the Church is the Body of Christ, with Jesus being the head and of the Church making up the other parts of the body: hands, feet, heart, lungs, stomach, and so forth.

Synergism and Benefits of Church hip

So what if you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior a long time ago; however, you are not d with a congregation, and you do not meet with other Christians, even at home, for worship or prayer or anything related to God. Are you still a Christian? Yes, you are still a Christian; however, you may not be fully benefiting from what the corporate Body offers, and you may not be sharing all that you could with the Church. After the disciples were converted on the Day of Pentecost, they continue to meet as the Church. In Acts 2:46–47, Luke puts it this way: “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Praising God, and having favor with all people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” There is tremendous synergism that occurs when Christians get together in an organized manner to do something: worshipping God, praying, conducting community projects, or just fellowshipping. In fact, Jesus promises His disciples, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). In addition, the writer of Hebrews is even more adamant in the onition regarding the needs for believers to assemble on a regular basis. The writer says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is: but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10: 25) It’s clear from the foregoing quotes that a Christian should not try to live as a single entity but rather as a member of the Body of Christ, the church. I discussed this in more detail earlier in the book; the writer of Hebrews strongly onishes Christians not to forsake their assembling together.

Jesus: The Foundation of the Church

The fact that Jesus laid down the foundation for the Church and is the head cornerstone is quite significant. It is a great privilege for you to be inducted into the Body of Christ based on your acceptance of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and your decision to a congregation of other believers. When you accepted Jesus as your Savior, you believed in Jesus in your heart and confessed with your mouth that you believe in Him. You were saved at that point; however, many Christian denominations require baptism as a public and symbolic gesture that you are saved; you are a new person. Some denominations use baptism by submersion in water as symbolic that you have buried the old self, and when you rise from the water, you rise as a new creature. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the symbolism of baptism, as long as it is clear that the baptism did not wash away your sins; rather, Jesus’ blood, shed on Calvary’s Cross, paid the ransom for your sins. Whatever the process your congregation uses for enrolling you is okay, as long as you know how you are saved and that by affiliating with that local Church, you are a member of the Body of Christ. It was Jesus who established the Church for the benefit of those who accept Him as their Lord and Savior. Shortly before Jesus was crucified to pay the wages of sin and lay down the foundation for the Church, He asked His disciples, “‘But whom say ye that I am?’ And Simon Peter answered, ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood did not reveal it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock l will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’” (Matthew 16:15–18). As stated before, Jesus laid down the foundation for His Church and is the head thereof. The Church was formally planted after Jesus’s resurrection and ascension into heaven. Ten days after His ascension, He endowed the disciples with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The writer of Acts of the Apostles records the beginning of the Church in this manner: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind, and it fill

all the house where they were sitting. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1–2, 4). The Church began on the day of Pentecost, when Peter was converted and preached his first sermon. “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). Imagine, Peter, who had denied about fifty-three days earlier that he even knew Jesus, preached his first sermon, and three thousand souls were converted and baptized on the same day; in addition, the disciples continued “praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 3:47).

The Church Prevails

The Church may go through storms and difficult times; however, in the end, it will triumph. It will prevail because it is built on the rock, the truth, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus proved that when He triumphed over death and the grave. The Church will always prevail over evil, and the evil one because Jesus is its foundation and head, and He already prevailed over the devil. The devil tried to turn Peter back from playing a significant role in building the Church. However, as I said earlier on, when Peter was converted on the Day of Pentecost and preached his first sermon, three thousand souls were converted and added to the Church; Peter might have been among the first souls who were added to the Church. The church building, which is built by humans, provides an avenue for the saved to worship God, for the not-yet-saved to hear the Gospel preached, and for them to decide if they are interested in becoming of the Body of Christ –the Church. Only Jesus Christ can make you a member of His Body, the Church, because it is He who paid the wages of your sins on Calvary’s Cross. However, a pastor and congregation can accept you in that congregation, based on your confession that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. In a prior section of the book, I discussed three ways you may come to believe in and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Under the power of the Holy Spirit, pastors or other Christians can play a crucial role in bringing not-yet-believers to Christ. of the Body of Christ - the Church, are able to assemble regularly, in an orderly manner, to corporately worship, praise, thank, and glorify God in the physical church building. In addition, of the Body of Christ should edify, encourage, exhort, and pray for one another collectively when they meet at the church building. The Church is really a family of believers who are striving daily to be like Jesus and to have a closer fellowship with God. The church house is the place where David says he wants to live forever. He puts it this way: “Surely the goodness of the LORD shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Psalm 23: 6). David had a magnificent palace; however, his desire was to spend all the days of his life in the house of the Lord. Would to God that Christians today spent more time together in the church house, with the Church –the Body of Christ, which Christ

Himself created for His glory. I affectionately refer to this place as heaven on earth, where Christians corporately experience the presence of God and the working of the Holy Spirit. Yes, Attainment 2, the Church, was created by Jesus for His glory and for the corporate benefit of His children. It is not an invention of Peter, Paul, or the other apostles, or any of the great preachers, past or present. I encourage you to take another look at the importance of regularly participating in church services as of the Body of Christ, by affiliating and worshipping with a local congregation. I have observed the falling off of church attendance over the years and discuss this unfortunate situation later in the book.

Attainment 3. Empowerment by the Holy Spirit to Sanctify, Protect, Comfort, Teach, Reveal the Truth, Bring Joy to Memory, and Bring Peace

When Jesus was with His disciples in the flesh, He often reminded them that He would not always be with them, in His physical body, because He would return to His Father in heaven. However, He assured them that He would not leave them alone. He promised that His Father would empower them with the Holy Spirit, who would assist them in many ways. This summarizes what Jesus says the Holy Spirit/Comforter will do and the things He prayed for on behalf of the disciples:

• Abide with the disciples forever (John 14:16). • Teach them all things, and bring all things He taught them to their remembrance (John 14:26).

• Testify of Jesus and bear witness (John 15:26—27). • Guide them into all truth, and show them things to come (John 16:13). • Keep the disciples that they may be one (John 17: 11, 16) • God will keep them from evil (John 17:15). • Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth (John 17:17). • Give them glory that they be one, even as Jesus and God are one (John 17:22).

Jesus made it clear that in addition to the disciples who were with Him, He was praying for those who believe in Him through the word of the disciples.

Empowerment by the Holy Spirit Is Available to All

The Holy Spirit is available to you and all who believe in Jesus through the word of God. Jesus wants to make sure that empowerment by the Holy Spirit is available to all who desire it. Without full empowerment by the Holy Spirit, Christians may not be able to subdue what Paul identifies as the wiles of the devil. He further states, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Two thousand years ago, Paul was concerned about the evil confronting Christians; just think of what it must be today, and what Paul might be saying. The Bible teaches that in the last days, evil will get worse, and there is plenty evidence of that happening. Christians really need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, not just for ourselves alone but so that we may assist others who are not empowered. I am excited with the prospect of you and me becoming completely empowered by the Holy Spirit, so that we may be of greater service to God, to our Church, to our families, and to others. Empowerment by the Holy Spirit is certainly an extraordinary attainment, a gift that is available to you while you are living on this earth. It is really not something you earn by your good deeds. It is a gift, like salvation is a gift. This gift is also already paid for by Jesus Christ. God bestows the gift of empowerment on those who desire it and are prepared to accept it. Jesus teaches that you cannot put new wine in an old bottle, so with your new body, the Holy Spirit empowers you. The new body means that you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior; therefore, empowerment by the Holy Spirit is available to you. However, you can only access it if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You might say it’s not fair that we can’t all access empowerment by the Holy Spirit. I will simply remind you that I started this book with the notion that hip has its privileges, benefits, and responsibilities. The good news is that hip in the Body of Christ is available to you and to whoever chooses to be a member.

Back to the empowerment by the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit empowers a tremendous scope of areas of human life and activities. I raise the question as to the extent that believers access empowerment of the Holy Spirit in their day-today life. As a Christian, you may reflect on the extent to which you feel empowered by the Holy Spirit when you are dealing with issues related to evil. Do you feel you possess enough empowerment to deal with those spiritual evils listed above? More importantly, do you feel that empowerment by the Holy Spirit is accessible to you when you need it? Jesus prays that His Father will grant empowerment by the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him and desire such power. I heard a story of a man who almost froze to death because he did not plug his heater into the outlet on the wall. He was in good standing with the electric company; he simply failed to access the electricity by plugging the heater into the outlet. Are you in good standing with the source of Holy Spirit empowerment? If yes, are you accessing that empowerment regularly? , you cannot overuse empowerment by the Holy Spirit, because the more you access and use it, the more there is for you to access and use. In fact, the more you access and use the empowerment by the Holy Spirit, the better you become at doing so. As the saying goes, “Practice makes perfect.” that Jesus prays that those who believe in Him will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do powerful things and live powerful lives.

Listen to the Still Small Voice and Get to Know the Fruit of the Spirit

I trust that you believe in Jesus, and that you are accessing and appropriating empowerment by the Holy Spirit as you need it. If you are not yet a believer in Jesus, I have good news for you. I discuss how you may believe in and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior later in the book. In the meantime, I encourage you to pray about it and act when you hear the still small voice speaking to you. The voice may speak while you are listening to a sermon (on the radio, on TV, or at a church service), while you are speaking to someone, while you are reading, or while you are just quietly thinking. Reflect on whether you know anyone who lives a Holy Spirit-empowered life, and speak with that person. He or she might be the quietest and most humble person you know in the church, or the loudest person in the church. Holy Spirit empowered does not mean loudness or shouting; it means living according to the teaching of Jesus Christ, and striving to have the same mind that was in Christ as a righteous man: loving, humble, obedient to God, caring, helpful, considerate, just, and so forth. You cannot judge people or know what’s in their heart; however, you should be able to observe the attributes of the fruit of the Holy Spirit on exhibition in them. Paul teaches, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering [patience], gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness [humility], temperance [moderation]: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22–23). I strongly suggest that if you are seeking a Christian as a confidant, a sounding board, or just as a close associate, quietly observe those around, and find one who exhibits the fruit of the Spirit. Please bear in mind that anyone you select is human, subject to mistakes and errors. In addition, there are different attributes of the fruit of the Spirit at different levels of maturity in a Christian. This is also true for you as well; you might find in yourself greater maturity in some attributes of the fruit of the Spirit than others. This is of no great concern, as long as the attributes continue to grow and mature in you.

The Engine that Could Not Keep Running

After teaching Sunday school yesterday and attending a service for Mother’s Day, I came home and rested a while. Then I wrote the section of the book above on Empowerment by the Holy Spirit. I concluded that section about eleven o’clock and decided to retire for the night. Something kept telling me that I had not done enough to make the significance of empowerment clear to readers. I thought about that and meditated. In the process of my meditation, I must have dozed off. I saw a vision or perhaps a dream (Joel prophesied that old men will dream dreams); nevertheless, in the vision, I drove home a brand-new car. The dealership had put some fuel in the car, perhaps just enough to get me home. The next morning, despite all my effort, I could not get the car to start. All my efforts to start the car and keep the engine running were futile. My loyal cousin Arnold came along and said, “Mr. Frank, put some gas in the car.” I was hesitant, frankly resistant to think that this new car needed gasoline; however, I reluctantly complied with Arnold’s suggestion and put in some gas he gave to me. To my pleasant amazement, when I turned the key, the car cranked up, and the engine ran beautifully. I awoke and got out of the vision. I lay in bed for a while and wondered about the meaning of this dream. I must tell you that I dream a lot but rarely any details about my dreams; however, I ed every detail of this one. I stayed in bed for a good while, contemplating the meaning of the dream. Then it occurred to me clearly. It is really a metaphor of life: You received the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior; however, if your heart is not clean and you don’t nurture the Spirit with love, obedience, godliness, and so forth, He will not tarry. Just as the new car in my dream ran out of gas and would not start up, so your body needs empowerment by the Holy Spirit to run properly. You may have a beautiful body or lovely hair or a bright smile; however, if the Holy Spirit is not activated in you, you cannot optimize your full potential; at worst, you may not be able to achieve much at all, and you certainly will have no contentment. You most definitely will not live a joy-fulfilled life. That beautiful Mercedes 320 that I bought in my dream could not do anything

because it had no gasoline in it; no spirit = no fuel. It was still wonderfully made, by arguably the best carmaker in the world, but it had no usefulness at the time because it had no fuel, no spirit in the tank. I had to follow the suggestion of my cousin Arnold and put gas in the car before it would crank up and function. Arnold’s suggestion was powerless, until I applied it.

Considering Suggestions

Are you considering suggestions that I have made so far in this little book? Am I affirming something a trusted person has already told you? Are you accepting assignments you are receiving from that still small voice in you? Are you open to suggestions? Are you available for a special assignment from Jesus? Please take a few moments to think about my dream and how it might apply to you. Do you have unfulfilled dreams? To continue the intervention of the Holy Spirit, this morning as I meditated on how I might make the importance of the empowerment by the Holy Spirit clearer to you, I was moved in a different direction to first write on how you might receive the Holy Spirit and His empowerment. I mentioned earlier that the Spirit of Christ comes to you as soon as you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. So let me briefly mention how you may receive the empowerment by the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ has already prayed that you might receive the empowerment by the Holy Spirit; therefore, the following section, which the Holy Spirit revealed to me early this morning, is simply to emphasize His prayer and promise.

Receiving/Activating Empowerment by the Holy Spirit

• Believe in Jesus, and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and accepting Him as your Lord and Savior, are fundamental for you to receive the Holy Spirit in you and receive His empowerment. I have discussed in the section of the book “Simply Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior” what it means to believe in Jesus. You must believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in order for you to be saved. You receive the Holy Spirit in you at the time you are saved; however, you might not be completely empowered at that time. You probably know people who seemingly live the Christian life but don’t appear to be empowered. Let me pause right here and make the point that being empowered by the Holy Spirit does not mean having the gift of speaking in tongues (even though God may grant Christians the gift of speaking in tongues, and that is a wonderful gift).

The Christian journey on earth and the path to heaven begin with the infallible truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. As a Christian, you believe that truth. That’s why Christians are often referred to as believers. This is of critical importance, because some religions claim they believe in God but do not believe that Jesus is His Son. In fact, when Jesus was on earth, in the flesh, some two thousand years ago, religious leaders, Pharisees, and scribes did not accept Him as the Son of God. The apostle John makes the bold but sad statement, “He came to his own [Israel], and his own received him not” (John 1:11). In addition, John records, “The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?” (John 6:41–42). There are numerous statements in the Bible indicating that Jesus was not embraced as the Son of God by religious leaders during His time on earth. Many religions still do not accept Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah.

If you believe in Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah, you are on your way for empowerment by the Holy Spirit. If you are not quite sure, you can take the steps I discuss later in this book.

• Believe that Jesus can do what He Promises. You must believe, have faith that Jesus will deliver on His promises. I already discussed the importance of believing in the power and faithfulness of Jesus to deliver on His promises. The writer of the book of Hebrews reminds you, “But without faith it is impossible to please him [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Again, you must fervently and deeply believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and has the power and authority to do what He promises.

• Confess sins and repent. I am speaking to you whether you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or not. As I said earlier, if you have not yet accepted Jesus as your Savior, you may want to go to the section of the book on “Simply Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior” It’s not absolutely necessary for you to turn to that section right away, since the Holy Spirit might convert you while you are reading this section. Nevertheless, even if you are saved by grace through faith, you have still committed sins by what you did or failed to do since you last asked for forgiveness. Writing to the Roman Christians, the apostle Paul said, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The Holy Spirit will not tarry in or empower a heart that contains sin, so even if you are saved, you must confess your sins and prepare your heart for His empowerment. You prepare by confessing your specific sins, asking God to forgive you, turning away from them, and asking God for the empowerment by the Holy Spirit. that you received the Spirit of God the moment you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior; however, empowerment requires activation.

It is quite important for you to forgive those who do you wrong before you ask God to forgive you for your sins against Him. Jesus puts it this way, at the end of the Lord’s Prayer: “For if ye forgive men their treses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their treses, neither will your Father forgive your treses” (Matthew 6:14–15). Jesus’s remarks at the end of this prayer are so crucial, yet many professed Christians have difficulty in forgiving others. I encourage you to make a habit of forgiving others and seeking God’s forgiveness.

• Develop a burning desire for empowerment by the Holy Spirit I said earlier that you must pray for the empowerment by the Holy Spirit. This prayer must be deeper than the prayer for your salvation. Your salvation requires that you believe in your heart in Jesus Christ and confess your belief with your mouth. Once you are saved, the Spirit of Jesus Christ is in you. To activate the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in you, you must have a burning desire for such empowerment. It is the desire that makes you pray for it, meditate for it, fast for it, trust God for it, and then wait patiently for it. You are seeking empowerment by the Holy Spirit, which was in the apostle Paul when he proclaimed, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). You desire empowerment of the Holy Spirit for more than simply to have it; you want spiritual power to do what Jesus wants you to do, such as loving your enemies, forgiving those who hurt you, doing good for those in need, carrying out the Great Commission, and so forth. In addition, you may be empowered with other special spiritual gifts: apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, ministry, exhortation, speaking in tongues, and others. Your motive for having a burning desire for empowerment by the Holy Spirit must be pure and appropriate. Your motivation may be similar to that of Jabez, who prayed to God to enlarge his territory so that he could do more for Him.

I have come to the conclusion, after many years of working and achieving a reasonable degree of spiritual and material success that the most important thing I can do is to assist in winning souls for the kingdom of God. This is an excellent motive for desiring empowerment by the Holy Spirit: to be a teacher or a preacher. You may have a completely different burning desire from mine, and

that is quite okay. The empowerment by the Holy Spirit is transformational; therefore, I pray that you will have the right motive for your burning desire for empowerment by the Holy Spirit and that you will receive empowerment and use it. Jesus prays that you receive the empowerment by the Holy Spirit when you are prepared for Him. At the risk of being redundant, I remind you that you must first believe in Jesus in order to receive empowerment by the Holy Spirit; however, believing in Jesus and receiving empowerment by the Holy Spirit may occur simultaneously. On the Day of Pentecost, the disciples accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and receive empowerment by the Holy Spirit simultaneously. The disciples believed Jesus during His earthly ministry; however, they were not converted until the Day of Pentecost. Anything is possible with God. Later in the book, I discuss a practical manifestation of empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Empowerment by the Holy Spirit is available to you and all Christians.

• Meditate You are praying for empowerment by the Holy Spirit, you have a good motive and the right attitude, you have a burning desire; now, it’s time to meditate. Think deeply on what it means to you to have the empowerment by the Holy Spirit; think of what such empowerment by the Holy Spirit did for the disciples such as on the Day of Pentecost. Think of how Stephen had a vision of heaven as he was being stoned to death and how he forgave his murderers, even as he died at their cruel hands; think of how Philip was carried by the Holy Spirit to the Ethiopian eunuch and how he testified to him and baptized him. Listen to what the Spirit is saying to you. Focus your thoughts completely on your desire for empowerment by the Holy Spirit. Now, submit yourself, in humility and obedience, to the voice speaking in you, and allow God to have His way in you to complete your readiness to received the Holy Spirit’s empowerment.

• Fast You might need to fast in order to receive the miracle of the activation of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in you. There are numerous references in the Bible regarding the efficacy of fasting. In many instances, fasting and prayer

occurred simultaneously. The story of Esther, wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia, is well known, even among people with limited familiarity with the Bible. Haman instigated that King Ahasuerus annihilate all the Jews in Persia, including Mordecai and even Esther, the queen. Esther instructed Mordecai, “‘Go gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maiden will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.’ So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him” (Esther 4:16). God intervened on behalf of Mordecai, Esther, and the other Jews. However, Haman was not that fortunate; the king commanded that Haman should be hanged: “So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the King’s wrath pacified” (Esther 7:10). What a wonderful way in which God responded to the fasting and prayers; He gave Haman what he deserved, the death he wanted for Mordecai and the Jews. It was not the fasting that saved Esther, Mordecai, and the Jewish people and caused Haman to reap what he maliciously sowed. Rather, it was God’s response to prayers and fasting. God still responds to prayer and fasting.

Matthew records the teaching of Jesus that some miracles require a combination of prayer and fasting. The Bible records an incident of a man taking his son, who he described as a lunatic, to the disciples and pleaded that they heal him. The disciples could not heal him. When Jesus arrived on the scene, He healed the man’s son right away. Later on, the disciples asked Jesus why they could not cast the evil spirit out of the man’s son; He told them, “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (17:21). Jesus understands the appropriateness of fasting and encourages it. He teaches that when you fast, no one has to know. He instructed His disciples, “But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:17–18). The foregoing statement of Jesus is a significant endorsement of fasting. Jesus did not say, “If you fast”; rather, He said, “When you fast.” This clearly suggests that He expects His followers to fast. The Jews, particularly the Pharisees, thought that everyone should know when they were fasting. They would go as far as putting ashes on their faces and dressing in rags. This was the epitome of

their demonstration of piety and humility. Jesus essentially says that He expects that you will fast, with the right motive; however, there is no need to let anyone know you are fasting. This means that just as you may pray when you are working in the yard, you may also fast as well. Since you know that God responds in a mighty way to prayer and fasting, I trust you will do both, not only for empowerment by the Holy Spirit but as a way of life.

Jesus Fasted

Jesus Christ Himself fasted for forty days, right after He was baptized. Matthew records, “Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred” (Matthew 4:1–2). Jesus did not need to be baptized to symbolize that He was burying His sins, because He had no sin; neither did He need to fast to receive empowerment by the Holy Spirit. He was already empowered. He underwent baptism and fasting to set examples for us. Nevertheless, in His capacity as a full, sinless, righteous Man, undoubtedly, fasting strengthened Him to meet the testing of the Pharisees, scribes, religious leaders, and Satan and his workers. Fasting is an act of physical self-denial by an individual, usually in combination with prayer, to focus on God. Fasting and prayer make a special appeal to God to permit you to achieve a physical or spiritual goal. You may fast by denying yourself all food and drink for a period of time, as in the case of Esther, Mordecai, and the Jews. You might have a partial fast, as in the case of Daniel, who denied himself certain food for twenty-one days until his prayer was answered (Daniels 10:1–21). Although fasting is usually associated with self-denial from food, it can be refraining from other things that give you great pleasure. Paul recognizes abstaining from sexual relation between husband and wife as a form of fasting.

Make Your Fasting Intentional

Your fasting should be intentional, represent a substantial self-denial, and allow you to devote the time of fasting in prayer and meditation. I would caution that although fasting is ultimately faith-based and spiritual, it does have a physical component. Therefore, you should consider your physical condition as you plan your fasting and prayer ministry. that God wants you to engage your heart, soul, and mind when you serve Him in faith. There is no mutual exclusivity between faith and common sense, and I encourage you to exercise both as you fast and pray. When you think of it, fasting is a small price to pay for receiving empowerment of the Holy Spirit. While fasting is not to be confused with dieting, it might help you control your weight and improve your physical health. I want to stress that although this section has focused on fasting in order to activate empowerment by the Holy Spirit in you, you can fast and pray for any reason, especially when you are seeking an urgent response from God (nothing is urgent to God; He already knows your request). Fasting and praying are particularly appropriate when you need discernment on an important matter.

• Wait Patiently While there are other things that may be done to assist in activating the empowerment by the Holy Spirit, the foregoing activities, and waiting patiently, were the ones revealed to me. Other activities include corporate prayers, Bible classes, and conversations with pastors, church leaders and other Christians. These other things could prove to be helpful. However, if you have done the things I discussed above, you can now wait patiently, with anticipation and expectation, for activation of empowerment by the Holy Spirit. While you are waiting, you should regularly unite with other believers in Christian church services. In addition, you should carry out your regular duties and responsibilities at home, at church, at work, and so forth. Empowerment by the Holy Spirit is a huge spiritual gift, and the timing and the manner of the empowerment are completely out of your control; they are in God’s hand. Wait

patiently on God. Don’t try to hurry Him along; He responds to urgency but not to pressure.

Daniel Fasted and Waited Twenty-One Days, and the Disciples Waited Ten Days

that it took an angel twenty-one days, after God gave him a message, to get a message to Daniel. The day Jesus ascended to heaven, forty days after His resurrection, He told His disciples to go and assemble at Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came up on them ten days later, based on Jesus’s time frame, not according to the disciples. As I have already mentioned in the section on the planting of the Church, the disciples waited for ten days after Jesus’ ascension, fifty days after His resurrection, to receive empowerment by the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised them empowerment by the Holy Spirit at the time of His ascension. He said, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” (Acts 1:8). Jesus’s promise was fulfilled ten days later. Patience is a virtue, a component of the fruit of the Spirit which you must nurture. In the physical world, many fail to achieve their full potential or to receive their rewards because of lack of patience. You can imagine how difficult it must have been for former fishermen, tax collectors, and other followers of Jesus to just sit for ten days and do nothing but wait. Perhaps Jesus wanted them to reflect on the past three and one-half years and contemplate the challenges ahead. Jesus had told them that He would be murdered by wicked men, and that had happened. He told them that if they continued to be his followers, the world would hate them. Jesus was correct about His death and His resurrection. So the disciples had ten days to contemplate whether they wanted to suffer for Jesus or take the easy path out and simply turn back. They had a choice to make: wait or leave. The disciples decided to wait, and their patience paid off for them. Jesus bestowed empowerment of the Holy Ghost upon them, and they were truly transformed into new creatures. The promised was fulfilled ten days after Jesus’s ascension. Luke records, “And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4).

A Decision for You to Make

You too have a decision to make: you can wait for empowerment by the Holy Spirit or not. I believe that you will wait, because the reward of waiting while you are in this world is enormous, and the ultimate reward in heaven is unspeakable. Just knowing that Jesus has prepared a place for you, and you will be living in the presence of God, is enough to make you wait and strive daily to go through the narrow gate that opens into heaven. Jesus is that gate. And when you receive empowerment by the Holy Spirit, you will witness for Jesus everywhere, and you will enjoy the attainment that is worth all your dedication, prayers, patience, love, obedience, and so forth. There are numerous ages in the Bible encouraging you to wait on the Lord. Isaiah said, “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:30–31). The idea of waiting expressed here is not to sit idle and do nothing. Rather, it is a call to pray and meditate, to discern what the Lord wants you to do, and to anticipate an affirmative outcome to your prayer, meditation, fasting, and waiting. Have you ever been to a restaurant where you thought the service was outstanding? If you have, you probably would say that the quality service started when the hostess welcomed you to the restaurant and then with the pleasing and patient waiter, who took the time to find out exactly what you wanted and delivered your meal in a timely and friendly manner. Your food was nice, and you enjoyed it; however, it is the excellent service of that patient, unhurried, courteous person who waited on you that stuck in your mind. So when you are waiting, do so with a positive attitude, with patience, and with great expectation, always believing that Jesus will deliver on whatever He promises. When you wait with a positive attitude and are confident, time goes by quickly; however, when you wait impatiently with a hurried attitude, time drags on. In one of his most beautiful Psalms, King David declares that the Lord is his light, his salvation, and the strength of his life; therefore, he was not afraid of

anyone. Then in the same Psalm, he gives the following onition: “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14). David was arguably the most powerful king in the Bible, and probably for all time, a man of God’s own heart, and yet he knew the importance of waiting on the Lord. The songwriter Dottie Peoples says, “He is an on-time God. He may not come when you want Him, but He is always on time.”

Patience under Tests

While you are waiting with a positive attitude, great anticipation, and confident expectation that sooner or later you will receive empowerment by the Holy Spirit, you won’t be immune from tribulations or temptations. However, there is good news; Paul reminds you, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience, and experience, hope” (Romans 5:3–4). Paul goes on to say that you can rest assured that your hope will come to fruition because the Holy Spirit has shed the love of God in your heart. It is the same Holy Spirit that will empower you. With respect to the tests and temptations you might face while you are waiting for empowerment by the Holy Spirit, Paul assures you that your temptation is common to what others have endured, “but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Tests and temptations will help you develop discipline, strengthen your faith, and even enhance your fervent and effectual prayers. The key point here is that the devil cannot make you do anything you don’t want to do; God places a limit on the tests the devil and his followers are allowed to put you through. Carry out your normal activities while you wait; your waiting is mostly spiritual and mental. You may add a little more silent praying and meditation as you go through your daily routine. Be a little more sensitive to the little voice in you. Again, don’t place a time limit on when you will receive the activation of empowerment. You can be sure that the time, nature, place, and what you will be doing at the time of your empowerment are all in God’s hand.

Attainment 4. Jesus’s Joy Fulfilled and Peace beyond Contentment

The primary thesis of this little book is my desire that Jesus’s joy is fulfilled in you and that His peace dwells in you. Jesus was getting ready to leave His disciples, physically, by ascending to heaven. He wanted to make sure that He left them with something very special that would sustain them during the challenges they’d face in the future. So He prayed to His Father for the disciples, using these words in His prayer: “And now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my Joy fulfilled in themselves” (John 17:13). Jesus wanted His disciples to have His joy fulfilled (accomplished). What an awesome gift to have while still living on earth. I would trade everything I have to receive Jesus’s joy fulfilled in me. Paraphrasing the apostle Paul, I would count everything I have accomplished and own as dung, compared to “the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3: 8). How about you? You feel the same when you understand what it means to have Jesus’s joy fulfilled in you. The primary focus of this book is to help you strive to have that joy fulfilled in you.

Godliness with Contentment Is Great Gain

The apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, sums up what he believes to be important in this manner: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:6–7). Paul certainly understands the importance of contentment to a Christian. The major thesis of this book is that Christians ought to be joyous at all times, even though they are not happy. By the way, this is the first time I have used the term happy in this book. Although some people use the joy and happy interchangeably, they are not interchangeable from a Christian perspective. Whereas a person may be happy by a situation, only Jesus gives full joy or the joy-fulfilled life I discuss in this book. Paul seems to suggest that a person may be godly yet not content. To be content might be a choice that one makes, independent of being godly. I that idea, because I see so many churchgoers like this. In fact, that was one impetus for writing this book. Paul’s desire that Christians have godliness with contentment strikes me as asking for the minimum. However, Paul was a great apostle and arguably the hardest-working evangelist in the Bible. Certainly, he was the most effective planter of the early churches. Paul is well known for his humility and his ability to adjust to situations and circumstances. Therefore, it is not surprising that he tells Timothy that believers should exhibit godly behavior and an attitude of contentment.

Jesus Offers More than Contentment

Jesus’s joy-fulfilled promise offers more than merely satisfaction with a godly situation. He does not want you to maximize below the minimum, as the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. often detested. Instead, Jesus wants you to be motivationally dissatisfied, as Napoleon Hill would say, unless you are receiving all He offers. Yes, godliness with contentment is absolutely essential; however, that is not on the same orbit as being a joy-fulfilled Christian. Unless you are experiencing a joy-filled life with peace, you are not appropriating all that Jesus is offering you while you are on this earth. Jesus really wants you to have a life filled with joy and peace. He paid with his life so you may have the most joyous and peaceful life possible. Of course, that type of life is available to all but accessible only to those who believe in Jesus and have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior. The good news is that a joy-fulfilled and peaceful life is available to all who believe in Jesus and are willing to ask for and accept the glorious life through Jesus Christ. Do not settle for mere contentment when Jesus is offering you a joy-fulfilled life and peace, regardless of your physical circumstance. If you are already a Christian, you should be excited about the prospect of enjoying a joy-fulfilled life while you are on earth. You should be equally excited about your certainty of going with Jesus when He returns for you and other believers. If, unfortunately, you are not yet a believer, please close your eyes, bow your head, or kneel, if possible, and ask Jesus to come into your heart and guide you. The fact that you have come this far with me in this book is not a mere coincidence. You are here with me because the Holy Spirit brought you here. When you hear the small voice speaking to you, and you respond affirmatively, I will say, your response compensates for my labor in writing this little book. Suppose you are quite satisfied with your Christian growth at this point. In other words, you have godliness with contentment. That is quite okay, as long as you operate, especially for God, to the best of your ability. No one has the right to try to convince you to do something you don’t desire. The caveat is that someone may see in you something that you do not yet seen in yourself. In addition, God

might be speaking to you through your pastor or through another believer you respect. You also have a responsibility to diligently study the word of God, regardless of your current position in the Church, or your current interest in further spiritual growth. You will receive guidance from the inspired word of God. The apostle Paul reminds us, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). So even if you are satisfied with your current level of contentment and godliness, you must maintain an open mind, a studying attitude, and a willingness to learn new things, which will benefit you physically and spiritually. The moment you stop learning, you start diminishing your capacity and perhaps your influence. Thank you for traveling with me thus far. I hope you are enjoying the journey.

Jesus Gives Peace

Jesus not only prayed that the disciples had His joy fulfilled in themselves. He also promised them peace as well. Before Jesus was crucified, in anticipation of His imminent murder, He told the disciples, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). In addition to praying for the disciples, who were with Him at the time, Jesus prays for those who would believe in Him, through the word of the disciples/believers, including you. Jesus prays, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also that shall believe on me through their word” (John 17:20). I cannot imagine that there is anyone who would not want to have Jesus’s joy fulfilled in them and this deep-down peace within, which only He can give.

Jesus Reassures the Disciples of the Peace He Gives

Jesus wanted the disciples to know that His death did not nullify the peace He gives them; therefore, after His resurrection, He appeared to the disciples, who had shut themselves in a room, hiding from the religious leaders. Jesus’s first words to them were “Peace be unto you. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:19, 21). What a remarkable reassurance of deep-down peace for some hiding, scared men, whose leader was assassinated only three days earlier. Note that not only did Jesus endows the disciples with enduring peace, He also alludes to the assignment, the Great Commission, recorded in Matthew 28:19–20 and Acts 1:8. I believe that since you’ve read this little book so far, you want this joy and peace (if you don’t already possess them). It is the joy and peace that many long for and sing about, but few possess. One old song expresses the joy in this manner: “Joy, joy, my heart is full of joy, my Savior Dear is always near; that’s the reason my heart is full of joy” (George William Cooke). That song speaks to the type of joy that transcends physical attainments. It speaks to the joy that only Jesus can give. It is the joy that circumstances and situations cannot diminish; it is described as the joy the world did not give and the world cannot take away. It is the joy of which the joy-filled Christian says, “Don’t test me, because I won’t let you steal my joy.” That is Jesus’s joy fulfilled, which is available to you and to all Christians. Do you have it? Do feel it? Do others see it in you?

Peace That Jesus Gives

Many pine for the peace of Jesus. An old song my mother taught me when I was a child refers to peace as “The peace that eth understanding, deep in my soul” (George William Cooke). My mother’s song of deep-down peace was undoubtedly derived from the following proclamation of the apostle Paul: “And the peace of God, which eth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). I believe that you want the enduring peace that Jesus gives; however, you must access and appropriate it, and live in it. It is available to all Christians, yet so few believers seem to be at peace. The songwriter Horatio Spafford describes that peace in this manner: “When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll, Whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say it is well, it is well, with my soul, it is well.” This is a popular hymn at the funeral services of Christians. Jesus makes it possible for you to have peace regardless of your circumstances or environment. So many Christians seem to lack peace. If they have it, they are hiding it, rather than displaying is so they may have a calming effect on others who do not possess peace. You probably know a few proclaimed Christians who don’t always exhibit a peaceful mind. How about you? Do you feel that deep down peace and tranquility in you, regardless of your circumstance? This does not mean that you should not be gravely concerned with happenings around you and in the world; you should do whatever you can to help make things better. However, with the assurance that God is in charge, that Jesus is your Advocate, and that the Holy Spirit is protecting you, you can enjoy peace of mind and a joy-fulfilled life, every day you are on this earth. You cannot induce this peace simply by your effort alone. Jesus gives this peace, and you receive it when you accept Him as your Lord and Savior.

Super Attainment on Earth: Jesus’s Joy Fulfilled and Peace

I believe that the combination of Jesus’s joy fulfilled in you and the peace He gives is the culmination and manifestation of all the other attainments I have discussed in this little book so far, the attainments you may enjoy while you are on earth. These include love for God and for your neighbor, fellowship with God, the Church, and empowerment by the Holy Spirit. When you love God and love your neighbor, and you have great fellowship with God, these attainments will manifest themselves in your joy-fulfilled life. I use the term attainment of Jesus’s joy fulfilled in a person and peace as super attainment. When you acquire the other attainments mentioned, they will manifest themselves in physical and spiritual joy and peace. You will exhibit such joy and peace right here on earth: in the church building, in the Church, the Body of Christ, at home, and at work; wherever you are, your joy will shine, and your inner peace will be calming. Everyone will know when you have the super attainment (joy fulfilled and peace); you cannot hide it. You will worship with joy, give with joy, serve with joy, pray with joy, praise with joy, go through tribulations with joy, bless your enemies with joy, and sing with joy. You will live with joy and share joy.

Contagious Joy and Peace

Your joy and peace will be contagious. You will be joy and peace. You will be a joy-fulfilled Christian. In addition, you will have peace that es all understanding, peace when the storms of life are raging, peace when others are disturbed and afraid. Peace when you cannot see the entrance of the tunnel, much less the light at the end. Peace when the only thing you have to hold onto is hope. I am talking about having peace right here on earth. Jesus gives it to you, and you accept it. If you can’t feel the joy or peace right now, don’t worry. It is not about feeling; it is about believing. Start behaving with joy and peace. Paul reminds us of how God called into existence “things which be not as though they were” (Romans 4:17). In addition, Paul reminds you that “we walk by faith, not by sight [or feeling]” (2 Corinthians 2:7). Step out in faith with confident expectation, and start living a joyful and peaceful life; expect empowerment by the Holy Spirit consistent with your desire, trust, prayers, meditation, fasting, obedience, and patience. The synergism between Jesus’s joy filled in you and the peace He gives you, the super attainment, is a gift beyond measure, and it’s available to all Christians, you and me. How about you? Is the super attainment in you, and is it evident to others? Super attainment is like the lit candle, which Jesus says you should not hide under a bushel; instead, let it shine so others may enjoy the light and glorify God.

Strive for Jesus’s Joy Fulfilled and Peace in You

Do you now have a clearer understanding of how you may appropriate all the attainments I have discussed, including the super attainment (Jesus’s joy fulfilled in you, and the peace He leaves for you)? The process starts with believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God Who died on Calvary’s Cross to pay the wages of sin, and He gives you God’s gift, which is everlasting and eternal life. When you believe the foregoing statement in your heart, and confess it with your mouth, you have taken the first step toward receiving the super attainment. , you cannot earn the super attainment; it is Jesus Christ Who makes it available to you. Nevertheless, it is your responsibility to nurture the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God and Jesus, which you received when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. As you grow in faith, trust, obedience, prayer, meditation, and fasting, and you wait on Jesus with confident expectation, you will experience the manifestation of Jesus’s joy fulfilled in you, and the peace He leaves for you. This empowerment may not come all at once; it may be a growing process. Jesus once remarked to His disciples that He had much more to share with them; however, at that time, they could not handle anything more. Jesus will not give you any more than you can handle. There is no greater attainment you may have while you live on this earth than a joy-fulfilled life with peace, godliness, and contentment at the highest level possible. I want to reemphasize that Jesus’s joy filled in you is not synonymous with learning to be content with whatever state in which you find yourself, when you are in a position to strive for a much better state. As a Christian, you have a spiritual and moral obligation to optimize your joy-fulfilled and peace-driven life, so that others may be blessed by you. It is not good enough for you to settle for contentment when you can do better. When the apostle Paul was in a Roman prison, awaiting his execution, he adjusted his mind and his body to his fate imminenti, the reality of being executed by Roman soldiers; that was his fate, and there was nothing he could do about it. The Bible does not record that Paul, the great apostle, ever prayed for God to deliver him from the Roman prison and from execution. What a man of God. He had finished his course, run his race, and was ready to go to accept

his crown. However, Christians who know they are operating at a contentment level, below optimum joy and peace, should use contentment as a stepping-stone toward a joy-fulfilled life and the peace that Jesus gives; nothing else is good enough. Jesus wants you to function at your optimum level of a joy-fulfilled life and deep peace. Jesus wants the best for you while you are on this earth. And , the abundance of your material positions doesn’t determine the level of your joy and peace. Rather, they are gifts Jesus makes available to you.

The Joy-Fulfilled Life and Peace Are Available to the Poor and the Wealthy

The widow with one mite may be as joyful and have as much peace as a Christian millionaire. Yes, there are millionaires who possess the joy-fulfilled and spirit-driven peace I have been discussing. Jesus said to the disciples, “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:25). The disciples were shocked by Jesus’s declaration. All along, they had been taught, not by Jesus, that wealth was a manifestation of God’s blessings, especially on His special people, the Jews. When the disciples heard this declaration, they wondered who could be saved (Luke 18:26). This was the teachable moment Jesus was waiting for to share an infallible truth: “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27). This truth, that nothing is impossible with God, is the fundamental basis of the entire Bible; God can do whatever He chooses to do, even to give the gift of salvation to the super rich and give them joy-fulfilled lives and peace as well. So this is a teachable moment for me. Yes, rich people can defy their natural tendency to reject Jesus and real joy and peace, and instead embrace them, because God made it possible for them to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This means that you should not overlook anyone, for any reason.

The Greatest Attainment of All: Everlasting, Eternal, Abundant Life

Throughout this book, I discussed the gifts and attainments Jesus makes available to us, which we may enjoy while we are still alive on earth. I did not say much about the greatest gift of all: everlasting, eternal life. I mentioned the following age already; however, I will repeat it here again (I cannot write it or say it too many times). It is powerful and life transforming, or rather death transforming and everlasting life giving: “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” (John 3:16). The gift of the only begotten Son of God, and everlasting life through Him, is absolutely and unequivocally the greatest gift God gives to humanity, to you. However, the primary benefit of this great, indescribable gift is eternal, everlasting life: salvation, life without death, life that will never end, life full of joy and peace. You will not perish; rather, you will have everlasting life. The Spirit of Jesus comes into you as soon as you accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and His Spirit starts to operate in you from that moment, and you are saved. However, you will enjoy the full benefits of everlasting life after Jesus returns to take you and all Christians to be with Him.

Our Vocabulary Cannot Describe What Heaven Offers

There is no adjective or word in my vocabulary or in all the dictionaries and thesauruses and computers to describe the place Jesus has prepared for you in His Father’s house. We have no way of adequately describing the concept of everlasting. The apostle Paul, who was taken into heaven in a vision, gives a brief glimpse of what salvation is like: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Paul would not even attempt to describe the exuberance that awaits those who will return with Jesus to the place He’s prepared for them. The apostle John puts it this way: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are ed away” (Revelation 21:4). The thing that adults tend to cry most about is the ing of family and loved ones; there will be no more death in heaven, hence no more need to cry. Even so, God will wipe away all tears; Jesus will replace all the bad things that you experience on this earth with His joy and peace and goodness, which is indescribable by us. Christians strive for everlasting life, which is the most precious gift that Jesus gives. Jesus reminds Christians to strive to get through the narrow gate, which opens into heaven: everlasting life.

Accepting God’s Gift Jesus is a Prerequisite for All Spiritual Gifts

Accepting God’s gift, Jesus Christ, is a prerequisite for everlasting life. Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is a prerequisite for the other three attainments: hip in the Church, the Body of Christ; fellowship with God; and Jesus’s joy fulfilled and peace. However, whereas everlasting life awaits the return of Jesus Christ, even though you are saved, Jesus wants you to enjoy the other three aforementioned gifts right now. I have already discussed how you may access and use those gifts. And you should, so that Jesus is glorified, and you edify others. In this book, I have not said much about physical attainments, which many achieve by their effort, with or without God’s blessings. You probably know of materially wealthy atheists or agnostics, who claim they achieved their wealth and power solely by their own efforts. I have not discussed such individuals, even though they could benefit from this book (I hope they read it). A key point I want to reemphasize here is that you will enjoy everlasting life, a life with no death or end, with Jesus. You will be with Jesus wherever He takes you, when He returns for you and all believers. However, until you leave this earth with Jesus, He wants you to be joy filled and to have peace. He wants you to have, exhibit, and share the joy and peace He gives, while you are right here on earth. You can have a little heaven here on earth, while striving through the narrow gate, and wait for your transition into everlasting life. You should have it both ways: joy and peace on earth, culminating in everlasting life with Jesus. You believe that Jesus has prepared a place for you, in His Father’s house; however, He has not yet called you to come and be with Him. when Jesus prayed for His disciples, shortly before He was crucified. He said that He was returning to God; however, He was leaving the disciples in the world to carry out His mission, the Great Commission, so He prayed that God would protect them, keep them from evil, sanctify them, and so forth. Then Jesus went on to say, “And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves” (Matthew 17:13). Jesus extends the prayer to you as well (John 17:6–21). You are still in this world, enjoying the

result of Jesus’s prayer for you.

Tri-Proclamations

• God gave His Son: In John 3:16, cited above, Jesus declared that God gave Him to the world so that whoever believed in Him would have everlasting life. I have already discussed this amazing gift a number of times; therefore, I am simply mentioning this profound declaration here. This is one of the most profound proclamations of Jesus recorded in the New Testament. This proclamation is a fulfilment of the pronouncement God declared in Genesis 3:15, when God onished the serpent that the offspring of Eve would crush the head of the offspring of the serpent. Jesus fulfilled God’s proclamation to the serpent when He was resurrected three days after He was crucified. • Jesus came to give abundant life: The second profound declaration that Jesus makes is “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). I discussed this at length in chapter 2. Essentially, John 10:10 is related to John 3:16. God sent Jesus in the world as His gift so those who believe in Jesus will have everlasting, abundant life. • Jesus will return for you: The third proclamation Jesus made is one of the most often quoted scriptures in the New Testament. It is interesting to note that of these three proclamations, this is the one yet to be fulfilled. This is a significant promise that will have greater impact than when Jesus came as a baby in a manger. John saw a new heaven and a new earth coming out of the throne of God. This not-yet-fulfilled promise provides a great deal of hope and confident expectation for Christians. It is often quoted at Christian funeral services. Jesus proclaims, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself: that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1–3). Christians live for the fulfillment of John 14:1–3, which is wonderful; however, many live in such anticipation of this amazing future that they don’t take full advantage of the joy available to them in the present moment.

Waiting in Anticipation with Confident Expectation

I commend you to live a life with great anticipation and confident expectation of the marvelous return of Jesus to take you with Him to wherever He is going. When I was a little boy, my father would go from Hanover to Kingston on an almost-weekly basis, usually leaving early Monday morning (he was a member of parliament in the Jamaican government). When he departed each Monday morning, he would tell us that he would see us Friday night. We waited up for him every Friday night until he got home; he always brought a little something for us, a token of love. Well, Jesus is a whole lot more reliable than my father could ever have been, and we can rest assured that He will fulfill His promise and return for you. The difference between Jesus and my dad is that Jesus tells us that He shall return for us; however, He does not say when. My dad told me the night that he would return; sometimes, he returned early in the evening, sometimes late at night, and a few times, he came back on the next day. I could lay back in bed and do nothing but just wait and enjoy the goodies he brought for us.

Jesus Has Not Announced His Arrival Day or Hour

Jesus has not told you or me the year, or the month, or the week, or the day, or the hour when He will return. So He wants you to enjoy the best spiritual life He offers you while you prepare for His return. That life is the “Jesus’s joy fulfilled in you” life we have been discussing throughout this book. When you know that Jesus is coming back for you, and you are confident that you will be going back with Him, you live this life to its fullest. Live it the way Jesus wants you to live it: joyfully and with a deep sense of inner peace. If Jesus shows up tomorrow or tonight, let Him find you in joy, expressing joy, sharing joy, regardless of what you are doing, and if He asks you why you are so joyful, tell Him you are doing your rehearsal for the eternal, everlasting joy that you will have with Him, so He says, “Right on, brothers and sisters.” Jesus has a sense of humor; you His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well? He asked her, “Where is your husband?” Her eyes opened wide, thinking that this stranger might have some romantic interest in her. So she answered quickly, “I have none.” Jesus responded, shocking her, “You are so right, because you have had five, and the man you are now shacking with is not your husband.” Her idle wishes were shattered. It is all right to have fun in the present; just to always show reverence for Him. Do you what Jesus did when those self-righteous, holier-than-thou Pharisees brought a woman they caught in the act of adultery for Him to judge? They wanted to see how this unconditional love that Jesus was preaching would play out in relation to their law and their custom. In their finite mind, Jesus was trapped. Their thinking: if He found her guilty of the crime of adultery and said she should be stoned to death, then all that love He had been preaching about was empty. If He said to forgive her and let her go, He would be in defiance of their law and custom. So what did Jesus do? He smiled in His heart, because he already knew how it would all end. He stooped and pretended to be writing on the ground, regarding this dilemma. Then He raised His head as if to render His verdict and simply said, the person among you who has no sin, cast the first stone on your sister.

She was indeed their sister, because they were all sinners alike, and convicts. He then looked down on the ground for a little while. When He looked up, all the self-righteous accs were gone. They had judged and convicted themselves. Her moral and spiritual crime was real; Jesus exonerated her and told her to go and sin no more. So you can have fun with Jesus because He does have a sense of humor.

Chapter 4

What Difference Does It Make?

Pray for a Difference in Your Life

It is my prayer that this little book will make at least a small difference to you and that through the Holy Spirit, it will make a great difference in your life, to your family, to your church building, and to the Church, the Body of Christ, the congregation. If you have not yet accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, please go back to the section where I discuss the process. Of course, accepting Christ requires no process; Jesus determines how you come to Him. I am merely a facilitator in cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

The Difference in My Life

This book has already made a difference to me. It reminds me that I can do what seems impossible, such as writing this little book, if I rely on the help of the Holy Spirit. I was at home, for a year, after retiring (which was not totally of my own volition). I kept praying, asking God for directions and to close doors that were not right for me and open even a small peephole. I even did a little fasting. Well, two months ago, I received the inspiration to write a book I had been thinking about for a good while. I completed the manuscript of that small book, and it is now with the publisher. The name of that book is When God Says No: Listen for the Yes! Then my breakthrough came, and I was inspired to write this little book for you. The first book was for me, sort of reflecting on how wonderful God has been to me, realizing that every time I had an obstacle in the road, a no, there was a greater yes. But in this current little book you are reading, I want to help you be a more joy-filled Christian. So as I am writing and reflecting, I am discerning that I can become a more joyful Christian as well. The gathering and assembling of some of my own thoughts and ideas, along with scriptures will assist me in becoming a better Church member, Body of Christ, Christian, projecting more joy within the congregation and in the community. The book is challenging me to think critically on the extent to which I am projecting joy and peace, or if I am even radiating godliness and contentment when no one is around. So this little book has affirmed my desire for Jesus’s joy fulfilled in me, as well as the peace He gives. The book will continue to make a difference in my life, and I hope it will continue to make a great difference in your life, in your family, and in all you care about.

Applying Basic Tenets of the Book

How can you apply the basic tenets of the book so that it may impact your life and the people you care about? I assume you are a believer in Jesus or have a sincere interest in learning more about Him. Allow me to talk first with those who currently believe in Jesus, and then to those who do not yet believe in Jesus. I am making a distinction between believing Jesus and believing in Jesus. Even the devil believes Jesus, but he does not believe in Jesus. To my Christian partner, what more can I say to you that may be helpful? I said very early in this book that hip has is privileges, benefits, responsibilities, and expectations, and I have discussed those concepts in some depth. A fundamental tenet of the book is that hip in the Body of Christ gives you fellowship with God, assures you of everlasting life, and gives you access to the fulfilled joy and peace that Jesus gives. This means that as a believer, while you are eagerly waiting to return with Jesus to heaven, you can live a victorious, joy-filled, peaceful life on earth. The third tenet I will mention here are the most significant affirmation that Jesus issued while He was on earth as fully God and a fully righteous Man. They are as follows: 1) Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. 2) Love thy neighbor as thyself. 3) The Great Commission: Go and make other disciples. I discussed these tenets at length earlier in the book. You are certainly aware of these and other fundamental truths from the Bible. Because the Great Commission is so often neglected, ignored, minimized, and misunderstood, I will discuss it again for emphasis.

Christians Should Radiate Joy and Peace

Now, I want to come back to the primary thesis of this book, and that is Christians, of the Body of Christ, ought to radiate joy and peace and an attitude of contentment at all times. The contentment may simply be an expression of hope that God will see them through, not necessarily that they are satisfied with less than their best. Jesus told the disciples that they should love one another and that the world will know they are His disciples. Well, you may express love in a variety of ways, such as I discussed in chapter 2: “Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick, visit those in prison, clothes the naked” (Matthew 25:35–36). The bottom line is that all deeds of love, kindness, and words of exhortation and encouragement manifest themselves in joy to the givers and to the recipients. That is why the expression of joy is so important. The Bible teaches that “God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). So a Christian ought to at least be cheerful most of the time. If you are a member of the Body of Christ but you are not cheerful or joyful, why would non want to ? You must ask this question: Based on the joy and cheerfulness you exude, are you drawing potential to the Church building, to the Church, the Body of Christ, or are you repelling and blocking them, based on your lack of joy and cheerfulness? Be honest with yourself in answering the question. If you’re not sure of the answer, ask a trusted member to assist you, but that a person’s perception of you may be completely incorrect. However, you want people in the Church to have the correct opinion of you, especially of the Church, the Body of Christ. Your first obligation is to please God, and if you are doing so, you are doing well. Regardless of the opinion of others, always strive to be joyful and cheerful. that only Jesus gives joy through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and no one can take your joy, unless you let it happen. Let me thank you again for traveling this far with me on this important journey. If I went too fast for you, take a break and go back to where I left you. The second and third time you read this little book, things will get clearer; not only

that, but the Holy Spirit is already in you, ready to assist. Jesus has already prayed for you; accept the answer to His prayer.

Not-Yet-Believer/Not-Yet-Saved

Now, I will talk with the person we placed on hold earlier, the delightful person who has traveled with us all this distance and is waiting to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I truly love you and applaud you for your diligence in seeking Jesus. There is very good news; you did not come this far by coincidence. You are here because there is a spirit in you speaking to you, convincing you that there is a God. The apostle Paul talks about this spirit when writing to the Roman Christians (Roman 1:18–20). Paul says in Romans 1:20 that the visible things that God has made show that there is an invisible God; therefore, no excuse for anyone not believing in God. I do not know your exact thoughts about God and Jesus; however, if you are reading this page, you are interested in knowing more about God or about accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Perhaps you know about Jesus and simply have not made up your mind. I have found that a lot of people who have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior have not outright rejected Him. They have simply ignored Him. You have neither rejected nor ignored Him; however, if you should before you accept Jesus (God forbid), you’ll be in the same category as those who ignored Him and those who outright rejected Him. You definitely do not want to be among those who rejected Jesus.

Simply Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior

It is quite simple to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It is not a matter of how you feel or what you might have done up to this point. There is only one step that you need to take to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and be saved right where you are, right now. The great apostle Paul puts it in this manner: “That if thou confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved” (Romans 10:9). That is all it takes for you to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and be saved. Then you can get baptized as an outward symbol that you have buried the old sinful person and rise from the watery grave as a new person. Some people hesitate to accept Jesus because they think they have to live a sinfree life from that point. That is not the case; even the best of Christians, including pastors, make mistakes. We all sin. The Church will you, and the Holy Spirit will strengthen you and help you to grow. Others hesitate to accept Jesus because they think they have to give up their fun life. That is not true because there is plenty of good clean fun in the Church. the emphasis I placed on joy in the book. If you decide to pray a little prayer, asking Jesus to forgive your sins and come into your heart, He will. If you need assistance, please talk with a pastor or member of a Christian church.

a Local Christian Church

Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, a Christian church as soon as possible. The things you have learned in this book will help you in selecting a Church. The first congregation you does not have to be your last. Find a Christian church you feel comfortable with and get involved in all areas of the church. As you grow in faith and involvement in the Church, the Body of Christ, your desire to receive full endowment by the Holy Spirit will grow, if you are not yet completely empowered. Even so, you will continue to grow in spiritual empowerment, and ultimately, you will receive the super attainment I discussed earlier. that this is a gift of Jesus that He wants you to have and enjoy. In addition, that this may occur through a process. Jesus will not give you more than you can handle at any time. He once told His disciples that there was much more for them to learn; however, they could not handle it at the time. You are able to handle what Jesus gives, whether be it work or reward. When you a devoted Christian congregation, you will receive assistance, insight, and encouragement in your growth. There is no better advice that I can give to a Christian—new or seasoned—than to , commit to, and be totally involved in a Christian congregation, the Church.

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

You will benefit by ing a Spirit-driven congregation; you may be the one Jesus sent to stimulate the congregation and encourage it in its spiritual growth. Plato told the story of people who were imprisoned in a cave all their lives. They were chained in such a way that they could only see the shadows of the people walking outside of the cave. They thought the shadows were how humans outside the cave looked; that was their reality about humans. One day, an individual escaped from the cave and went outside. He observed how real humans looked and behaved. He was in a dilemma; should he go back to the cave and try to convince those there about real humans, and risk being killed by them for his foolish talk; go back and say nothing; or just stay outside the cave and enjoy his new knowledge?

You Have an Obligation

What would you do in this situation? As a joy-fulfilled Christian, or even if you are just striving to receive empowerment by the Holy Spirit, you could face a challenge in a congregation which is content with the way things are: little joy evident, no excitement about Jesus, and so forth. When you are empowered by the Holy Spirit, you have the obligation to share your experience with others in the church and elsewhere. You cannot make anyone believe your experience; that is the work of the Holy Spirit. Your job is to live and share your experience with the Holy Spirit with other people. This is easier said than done, especially if that congregation feels that it is already doing a good job. There’s an old saying that “The good is the greatest enemy of the best.” We are striving for the best, even though our best is not measured by the same criteria; instead, it’s judged by the standard of God and the talents and gifts He makes available to us.

Exercise Patience

I advise you to demonstrate persistent patience. It may be a process for you to receive empowerment by the Holy Spirit and to share your experience with others. If you are impatient with yourself in receiving empowerment by the Holy Spirit, remind yourself of how Daniel waited, prayed, and fasted for twenty-one days to receive the message God had given to the angel to deliver to him. The angel was eager to deliver the message, but Satan interfered with the process. Eventually, Satan was defeated, and Daniel received the message (Daniel 10:13). If you become a little impatient with sharing your experience, your joy, your peace with others, how patient and encouraging God was with Abram/Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and others. The books of Genesis, Exodus, and Joshua are replete with incidents of God’s patience with and encouragement of His people. The apostle Paul expresses his lack of full patience with the church at Corinth in this manner: “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able” (1 Corinthians 3:2.). This is a profound statement coming from Paul, as he was frank with the church at Corinth. I have felt that way so many times as I teach Sunday school and Bible class. Like Paul, you may feel that you are not getting through. Maybe you have not reached the teachable moment as yet; the folk are not ready to go to a higher height just yet. Do not become impatient; think of how patient Jesus was with His disciples. After He spent three and one-half years with His disciples teaching them, telling them, and showing them, they still did not get it, for the most part. Think of how patient Jesus has been with you, even right now. Jesus is your model teacher. So as Paul teaches, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9). The most important thing that a Christian can do on this earth is to help others accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; however, the most important thing you can help people to do is to live a joy-fulfilled and Spirit-driven life. I encourage you not to become discouraged as you work to help other Christians and not-yet Christians learn

about Jesus’s joy fulfilled in them and the peace only He can give.

Chapter 5

The Great Commission: More Details

I said earlier that I had more to say about the Great Commission, and I do. You are saved by grace through faith. Jesus paid the wages of your sins—death —on Calvary’s Cross, and you are eternally indebted to Him. You are keeping, as best as you can, the two greatest commandments: loving God and loving your neighbor. However, you, a dedicated Christian, may be unsure about carrying out the Great Commission. Perhaps you think it’s unimportant to you, or perhaps you know that it is relevant, and you are trying, but you don’t know how well you are doing. Whatever your situation, you are now receiving assistance. I want to point out here, something I have not mentioned before: Jesus onishes the religious leaders of His time, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). I have quoted this instruction by Jesus to make the point that He wants us to search the Bible, because it answers many of our questions. In the previous chapter, I quoted Jesus’s specific instruction in Matthew 28:19– 20, relative to the Great Commission. The overriding purpose of the Great Commission is that Christians will spread the Gospel so that others will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and receive everlasting life; we believers will assist in making other disciples. There is no disagreement among Christians that the Great Commission must be carried out. Any misunderstanding may revolve around who has the responsibility to carry it out. For example, you may believe the responsibility has been ed on to pastors, preachers, bishops, priests, evangelists, missionaries, and other religious leaders. Alternatively, you may believe that all Christians, as they have the ability and opportunity, have a responsibility to carry out the Great Commission. These views differ significantly.

Every Christian Has Responsibilities in the Great Commission

If you agree that Christians must assist in making other Christians, we can confirm this after a brief search of the scriptures. In Matthew 7:17–20, Jesus teaches about good trees producing good fruits, and bad trees producing bad fruits. He said, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). When you apply the teaching of Jesus regarding the Great Commission, that the disciples must make other disciples (fruits), coupled with His teaching that by their fruits you shall know them, you are most likely to conclude that the fruit of a Christian is another Christian. I was discussing this subject in a Bible study class and posed a few questions: What type of fruit does an apple tree produce? The answer: apples. What type of fruit does a pear tree produce? The answer: pears. What type of fruit does the peach tree produce? The answer: peaches. All answers are correct. I know because I have a degree in agriculture and taught crop production. Then I asked, what type of fruit does a Christian produce? The answer, without hesitation: other Christians. Case closed. This suggests that the Great Commission applies to all Christians, when feasible and there is an opportunity. Thinking about it, I like the question and-answer approach to learning. As a man, Jesus was a Master Teacher with the question-and-answer methodology.

Different Levels of Responsibility in Carrying out the Great Commission

Let me quickly say that not all Christians have the same level of responsibility in carrying out the Great Commission, no more than every Christian has the same level of responsibility in the church. Jesus teaches that people have different levels of talents. The expectation is that all Christians use their talent to its fullest. Paul teaches that those who are called to preach have a special responsibility to carry out the Great Commission. He says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 13). However, Paul said that people will not call on Jesus if they do not believe in Him, and they cannot believe in Him if they have not heard about Him, and they cannot hear unless there is a preacher, and the preacher must be sent. Then he proclaims, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things” (Romans 10:15). Paul is certainly saying that preachers who are called by God and sent have a primary responsibility to carry out the Great Commission, especially beyond their congregations, to the uttermost part of the world. In addition, Paul teaches that God gives different positions and responsibilities to Christians: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11). So there is a role for every Christian in the Great Commission. Perhaps you cannot preach as well as Paul or your pastor; and you cannot quote scriptures as well as Grayland; and you cannot sing as well as Germando; and you cannot pray as well as Deacon Robert. However, you can go into your closet, close the door, and pray to your heavenly Father. Pray that He help those who are directly carrying out the Great Commission, wherever they are spreading the Gospel. Sometimes, what is needed most is effectual and fervent prayers. You may not be able to physically travel in your neighborhood, in your community, within your state/parish, or other parts of the world; however, you could testify to your neighbor or to someone down the street, and you may be able to make financial or material donations to assist in carrying out the Great Commission. Find your niche, and pray about it, and do your best. Jesus only asks for your best, and He will do the rest. When you have the desire and sincerely ask God for His help, He will help you. Do you have a desire to do your part in carrying out the mandate that Jesus stands ready to assist you to do?

Jesus will always help you do whatever He asks you to do. However, you must have the desire and be willing to accept His assistance. I pray that you will consider Jesus, that you involve yourself as best as possible in carrying out His commandment regarding the Great Commission, as well as following the first and second greatest commandments: loving God and loving your neighbor. The twin pillars of delight in the Lord and desire of your heart are important in the Great Commission as well as living a joy-fulfilled life. For now, I pray that God will increase your desire to meet your responsibility regarding the Great Commission; every Christian has a role to play.

Jesus Wants Your Help

When Jesus commissions you, He provides provisions for you to succeed. You’ll always succeed when you obey Jesus. He has prepared the place in His Father’s house for you, and He is asking you, who are ready for that place, to tell others about this wonderful place and how to get there. It is as simple as that. It is possible that someone reading this book is not yet prepared to return with Jesus; if you happen to be that person, no problem. Your only responsibility, or rather, my prayer for you, is that you will believe in Jesus and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Then you will be able to go back with Jesus when He returns for those who believe in Him as the Son of God and accept Him as their Lord and Savior. The Great Commission might be taking place in you right now. You may be hearing the still small voice of Jesus asking you to let Him into your heart. If so, say yes! Even if you are a devoted follower of Christ, you might not feel comfortable going out to preach, and teach, and baptize. If you are a new pastor, you might not have the confidence to preach outside of your church; however, that will change, if you have the desire. that Jesus, the greatest teacher the world has ever known, took three and a half years in preparing twelve men for preaching and teaching and baptizing, and yet at the time of His Crucifixion, few of them understood much about His teaching. So you can learn how to do what you desire with your delight in the Lord. All Christians have a role to play in the Great Commission; in fact, Jesus expects all of us to play a role, based on our abilities and opportunities.

Six Points to

I will reiterate six points regarding the Great Commission:

1. Jesus’s Great Commission has not changed; it is relevant and applicable to all Christians to one extent or another. 2. Jesus expects seasoned pastors, ministers, teachers, and other believers to be actively engaged in carrying out the Great Commission. It’s a priority of their Christian ministry. 3. Some believers might not yet be ready to preach and teach; however, you can share your Christian experience, even on a one-on-one basis, with a relative, a child, a friend, a colleague. As you grow in experience and with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, you will become more effective in sharing the good news. 4. It is not just the pastor’s or the evangelist’s responsibility to spread the Gospel (good news of salvation) through Jesus Christ the Savior. Rather, it is the responsibility of all followers of Jesus Christ. It should be a pleasure to spread good news; unfortunately, few churches teach their that they have a responsibility in helping the pastor spread the Gospel. I hope that it is now clear to you that Jesus expects and wants you to take a role in spreading the Gospel and carrying out the Great Commission, within your ability and opportunity. 5. Jesus wants us to start carrying out the Great Commission right in our backyard, right outside the walls of the church building.

Jesus Will Assist You

The final point is that Jesus will assist you in carrying out your assignment. When Jesus calls you, He provides for you. He makes it clear that He is with you: “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). You should feel quite confident that there is no failure in Jesus. Your role is not to determine who accepts the message; that is Jesus’s business. Your role is to do your part in delivering the message, in whatever way possible, and leave the outcome to Him. Earlier, I mentioned some ways you may be involved in the Great Commission: praying for those delivering and receiving the message, making financial and material contributions, witnessing to your neighbor next door, going on missionary trips, and preaching by your lifestyle: your joy, your peace, your kind words, and your encouragement.

Close Proximity: Starting at Jerusalem, Adjacent to the Church

A few weeks ago, I attended a wonderful service at a neighboring church. I was a bit early, and nothing was happening there (it was about 9:30 on Sunday morning). I asked a deacon, “When is Sunday school?” He responded, “We don’t have Sunday school anymore because people stopped coming.” I was surprised because on my way to the church, less than a mile from the church building, there were many young people just hanging out, outside a grocery store/gas station. I wondered how much creativity was employed in trying to get those young people to attend Sunday school. I know it’s not an easy task to get young people (or to get church , for that matter) to attend Bible class and Sunday school. This situation is not peculiar to that church. Sunday schools and Bible classes in churches across the nation, especially in rural areas, are struggling because of low attendance. One church that I know has breakfast for those who attend Sunday school, and that seems to work in increasing attendance. Some churches have active ministries at correctional facilities and in nursing homes. In addition to reaching individuals at the back door of your church building, Jesus wants His followers to reach out to the larger community, to the state, to the nation, and to other nations. As a Christian, you are a spiritual descendant of Abraham, through Christ, and you have a responsibility to be a blessing to other nations. God told Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their descendants would be a blessing to other nations. Ultimately, the best way you can bless other nations is to carry the message of the Great Commission to them. I trust that you will play your part in carrying out the Great Commission.

Chapter 6

Jesus’s Joy Fulfilled in You

You are almost to the end of this journey and, hopefully, the beginning of a new life (or at least a commitment to seek a more joyful and peaceful life while you continue the tedious pilgrim’s journey on this earth). Prayerfully, you have decided that you will strive to live the rest of your life as fully, joyfully, peacefully, and productively as possible. If you have come to this conclusion or are even thinking about it, my inspiration for writing this little book will have been justified. I want to gently remind you that making a great commitment is a good thing; however, it is the execution of the commitment, perhaps little steps by little steps, which transmutes a great commitment into extraordinary accomplishments. Fortunately for you, the empowerment by the Holy Spirit will aid you in your delight in the Lord, in the desire of your heart, and in attaining the gifts we discussed earlier. So without being too redundant, I encourage you again to commit yourself to a life of sincere prayer, with expectation; reread the section about delighting in the Lord, and ask Jesus to help you discern His plan for you. I am confident that His desires for you include that His joy be fulfilled in you, that His peace is in you, and that you do your part in the Great Commission. Jesus is ready to help you. He wants you to succeed because your success is His success. When you succeed in carrying out Jesus’s plan for you, God glorifies His Son. So make the commitment and make a start, and that you can always adjust your commitment as you go forward.

When Thou Art Converted, Strengthen Thy Brethren; When You Are Joy Fulfilled, Help Others

It was the last evening Jesus would spend with His twelve disciples in the flesh; He knew that, but they did not. He was just over thirty-three years old and in the prime of His life. The Man Jesus was physically strong. He did not need a camel to carry Him around Judea, Samaria, and wherever He went. He had been with the disciples for three and a half years, so He knew them well. Not because He is God; rather, He was an observant teacher and often talked as though He graduated from an agricultural school. I can really relate to His agricultural analogies and parables, having studied agriculture myself. He was simply the best Rabbi/Teacher of all time. Jesus had been observing Peter all this time, and He knew that Peter would be a great apostle; however, He had to chastise Peter a few times. On one occasion, Jesus had to outright rebuke him with a very strong reprimand; who the father loves, he chastises.

Jesus Gives Peter Special Responsibility after He Is Converted

There was no doubt that Peter loved Jesus dearly. So on that last evening Jesus was with the disciples, He decided to celebrate the Feast of the over in grand style. I imagine this was His way of letting the disciples know He appreciated that they all stood with Him for three and one-half years, despite the ridicule and abuse from the religious leaders in Jerusalem. In fact, the religious leaders followed Jesus and the disciples around, just to find something of which to accuse them. So Jesus appreciated the tenacity of the disciples, even though He knew they had much more learning ahead of them. Jesus took the disciples to a plush room that was prepared for the over Feast, arguably the most important celebration of the Jews. The feast commemorates God’s deliverance of the Children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Jesus and His disciples were Jews, so they ed in the annual celebration. During the celebration, Jesus brought the disciples’ attention back to reality by discussing His imminent murder and explaining what His death meant. He illustrated the significance of His death by taking a piece of unleavened bread, blessing it, and breaking it, sharing the pieces with His disciples. He told them that the bread was His body, which was given for them. Likewise, He said the cup was the New Testament in His blood, which was shed for them. After additional astonishing and sobering pronouncements, Jesus turned to one disciple, who was undoubtedly the spokesperson of the others, and said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:31–32). I want to use the incident of Jesus and Peter to make three important points:

• First: It is quite appropriate to celebrate important events in your life; your conversion, church hip anniversary, whatever is important to you, celebrate it. Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Jewish feast of the day, the over. • Second: Closeness to the church building or hip in a congregation is

not the same as hip in the Body of Christ. Peter was with Jesus, in His inner circle, for three and a half years; however, he was not converted during that time. • Third: Jesus assigned Peter the significant responsibility of seeing about the conversion of the other disciples once he was converted. When Peter was converted on the Day of Pentecost, he was the one who preached, and three thousand souls were converted.

The morale of the three points is that when you become joy-fulfilled Christian, you have a responsibility to assist others. If you are like Peter, before he was converted (dedicated, committed, good-intentioned, but not converted or not joy fulfilled), you must go through the process of becoming joy fulfilled.

Learn and Follow the Process

When I worked in istration at a university, I often wanted things done immediately (or even sooner); a colleague would often say to me, with the biggest smile in the world, “Doc, it’s a process; you’ve got to follow the process.” Back then, I confess I was not interested in process; I was only interested in the outcome. Now I know that process is quite important. If you learn the process, you can apply it to a variety of situations. Yes, the process is important, even in Becoming a Joy-Fulfilled Christian. I share two incidents with you in the life of my favorite prophets in the Old Testament: Elijah and Elisha. You may be familiar with both incidents.

Elijah Trusted the Process, and God Ended the Drought

The Bible records that Ahab, the king of Israel, was evil: “Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him” (1 Kings 16:30). It is absolutely stunning to think about the wickedness of Ahab and his wife. Is it any wonder that this new prophet, Elijah, had righteous indignation against him? So the new prophet made a pronouncement to this idolatrous King Ahab: “As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall be no dew nor rain these years, but according to my word” (1 Kings 17:1). What a man. Do you believe that you may be empowered by the Holy Spirit with such audacity to confront evil? Yes, you can. What was the outcome of this proclamation? Not since Joshua commanded the sun and moon to stand still had a man tried to control nature. God responded to Elijah’s proclamation, and there was no rain in Israel for three years. Then it was time for Elijah to pray for rain, and it is during this incident that I want you to observe the process in play. Elijah, Ahab, the Children of Israel, and Elijah’s servant are on Mount Carmel. God has accepted the sacrifice Elijah offered to Him by consuming it. Elijah has ordered the slaying of the false prophets of Baal. Elijah told Ahab that rain was imminent and he should get in his chariot and head on home. Elijah and his servant went farther up on Mount Carmel to a point where they could view the sea. Elijah “cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees” (1 Kings 17:42). He took the humble, expectant prayer position, perhaps bursting in his heart with his appeal to God for rain. Observe the process in action: He told his servant to go look toward the sea and tell him what he saw. The servant came back with a disappointed and sad story: there was nothing there (he did not understand that it was a process). Elijah already knew there was nothing there; it was a process. So Elijah said to keep on going and looking and tell him what he saw. Six times, Elijah’s servant kept going and looking and coming back, and nothing had changed. Elijah was a Jew; he understood that the number 7 represents completion. So the faithful servant went back a seventh time and came running back; he excitedly and proudly announced, as though he had made it all happen, “Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he [Elijah] said, “Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down,

that the rain stop thee not” (1 Kings 18:44). The Bible records “that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain” (1 Kings 18:45). My colleague would be smiling broadly right now and say, “Doc, you got to trust the process.” I hope that you too are willing to trust the process, beginning with fervent, sincere, and persistent prayers, and delight in the Lord and Spirit-inspired desires. Elijah prayed that it would not rain in Israel, and there was no rain for three years; he prayed for rain, believed in God, and trusted the process, and there was an abundance of rain.

Naaman Followed the Process and Was Cured of Leprosy

The Bible records the following incident with Elisha and Naaman. Elisha succeeded Elijah as prophet in Israel. He requested double portion of Elijah’s power, and God gave it to him. So it is an understatement to say that he was a powerful prophet, meaning that he was empowered by God. Naaman was captain of the army of the king of Samaria. From all s, he was a decent man and a great army leader; Syria had one of the greatest armies in the world at that time. The Bible described him as a mighty man of valor, but he had leprosy. So Elisha and Naaman were powerful men. Elisha had the overwhelming advantage because he was empowered by El Shaddai (the Mighty God). As God would have it, the Syrians had taken captive a young woman from Israel who was serving as a maid to Naaman’s wife. Despite her low social status in Syria, her comion was great, and her knowledge of the God of Israel was even greater. In her spirit of godly comion, she mentioned to her mistress that if Naaman were to go to Syria, the man of God there could cure him of his leprosy. Wow! This was the best news Naaman’s wife had ever heard. (What would you do if you were taken captive but were in a position to help your captor; would you do it?) So the king of Syria sent a letter to King Ahab of Israel, asking for help in curing Naaman, his loyal captain, of his leprosy. When Ahab received the letter, he was offended and upset, rightly saying that he was not God and could not cure leprosy. When Elisha heard about the behavior of the king of Israel, he asked him not to worry but to send Naaman to him, so that Naaman would know that there was a prophet in Israel. Naaman arrived at the home of the prophet Elisha with horses and chariot. He was such an important man of valor in Syria; however, to the man of God, Elisha, he was just another man. Elijah did not even get out of his house to speak with Naaman; he sent a messenger to Naaman, instructing him to bathe in the Jordan River. The Bible says that Naaman was wroth with the simple healing process which Elisha sent to him. He was probably offended but did not change Elisha’s mind nor the process. He must follow the process. Elisha’s instruction to Naaman outlining the healing process was clear,

straightforward, and succinct. Have you ever been in a situation where you feel that the proposed solution is too simple to be correct? Have you noticed how some preachers make the Gospel message much more complicated than it is? Have you noticed how easy it is to the truth and how difficult it is to falsehood? Elisha’s process must have been too simple for Naaman; he almost went back to Syria. But his servant calmly said, “My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be cleaned?” (2 Kings 5:13). Naaman wisely, though reluctantly, took the servant’s advice and decided to follow Elisha’s process. What would you do if your boss, your pastor, your best friend was too arrogant or too unapproachable to get advice and much less to take it? Naaman’s desire for healing was greater than his pride, although seemingly not by much. Despite his assertion that the rivers in Damascus were better than all the waters of Israel, he decided to follow the process. The process was amazingly simple. Elisha sent the instruction to Naaman: “Go wash in the Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean” (2 Kings 5:10). Naaman’s servant spoke with him in a soothing and reassuring voice, and when he thought about how pleased his wife would be, he decided to give the process a chance. He probably thought to himself that he really had nothing to lose, other than some time, and a little of the dirty water from the Jordan River might dampen his beautiful hair. Please notice that although Elisha’s instruction was brief, he did not leave a crucial element to chance. Unlike Elijah, who did not tell his servant how many times he had to look for a sign of rain, Elisha specified to Naaman the number of times he had to dip in the Jordan River; the process required seven dips. Elisha knew that this man from Syria was arrogant and probably did not know that 7 is a symbol of completion, as Elijah’s servant should have known. In addition, Elijah was right there to compel the servant to return and look as many times as necessary; however, Elisha was not with Naaman. Elisha did not want Naaman to dip himself one time, two times, three times, lose patience at the sixth or less dip, and get frustrated and quit and go home with his leprosy uncured. Clear communication is critical in doing God’s work. The process worked. Naaman was cured of leprosy. He was one happy man. He knew

personally that there was a prophet and, more than likely, a God in Israel. The process works; follow the process. I wonder if Naaman went back and shared the good news about the God and prophet in Israel. I wonder how he treated his wife’s maid, who told his wife about the man of God in Samaria: And the servant who encouraged him to try the healing process; I wonder if he got promoted. We don’t know the answers to these questions. However, we do know that the process of accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and living a joyfulfilled life, works. I believe that you trust the process. There may be detours, obstacles, and intentional blocks by the evil one; however, good will ultimately triumph over evil. I hope these incidents convey to you more than the importance of following a process. I hope they help you increase your faith in the efficacy of prayer, strengthen your determination to hold onto your fundamental beliefs, assist you in appreciating that although all your help comes from God, it may come in unexpected ways, and help you to have a comionate and positive attitude of mind, regardless of your circumstances. I pray that the Holy Spirit will empower you so you live in a joyfulfilled manner and are an inspiration to others.

Chapter 7

Delight in the Lord and Receive the Desire of Your Heart

Desire and Delight

As I said many times, when you have Jesus’s joy fulfilled in you, and you have the peace He leaves with you, you have everything you need to live a full, productive, joyful, and peaceful life while you are on this earth. This is my desire and prayer to God for you: that you will seek to live a joy-fulfilled and peace-driven life. This is the life to live on earth while you are waiting to return with Jesus when He comes for you. This joy-fulfilled life on earth is available to you, and Jesus wants you to live it. He also wants you to help others to live it as well. Will you? It all starts with your desire. The Bible reminds us, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4). I believe that you desire to live the most joyous life on earth, which Jesus offers, and you want to assist others to do the same. So turn your desire into effectual, fervent prayers (discussed already), and trust God to do His part as you submit yourself to His divine guidance.

Delight in the Lord

, if you delight yourself in the Lord, He will grant you the deep desires of your heart. You ask me how I am so sure about that. And I respond, because I know that God wants you to have what He has for you. And you ask me, but how do you know what God has for you? And I respond that when you delight yourself in the Lord, the desires of your heart are consistent with God’s desire for you. And you say, that makes sense; yes, it all makes sense. You should claim the desires of your heart when you delight yourself in the Lord. The essential words that go together are delight and desire. I have heard many preachers and teachers mistakenly say that God will give you the desire of your heart. Yes, when the desire is consistent with God’s purpose, but not if the desire is contrary to God’s plan for you. Since to delight yourself in the Lord is essential in order for God to give you the desire of your heart, it is important you understand clearly what it means for you to delight yourself in the Lord. You may have the best intention to do something but fail because of a misstep. For example, this morning, my coloring concoction to color whiskers failed because I left out a main ingredient. I was careful in applying what I had concocted but did not get the desired result because I inadvertently left out a required ingredient. It was not the manufacturer’s fault that the product did not work; it was clearly my error. Even though I had the best of intentions, the product would not work unless all required ingredients were mixed properly and applied as specified. It is similar for you to receive the desire of your heart. Since you must delight yourself in the Lord in order for God to give you the desire of your heart, you must learn what it means to delight in the Lord and how to do it. By the way, there are many people who do not delight in the Lord, who achieve the physical desires of their hearts; however, they have no contentment, much less joy. In fact, some of these individuals are downright miserable. You probably know of such individuals. The writer of the book of Proverbs puts it this way: “There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up” (Proverbs 21:20). Another way to say that is, if your desire is contrary to God’s plan for you, you could achieve that desire, but your achievement will not bring you lasting satisfaction or contentment. The

prophet Haggai describes ultimate outcomes of desires and accomplishments of a person who does not delight in the Lord in this manner: “Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes” (Haggai 1:6). The pronouncement of this minor prophet is major and profound. What he says is that you are essentially wasting your time in ultimately unproductive endeavors when your desires are not according to God’s plan for you. For even if you have temporary, fleeting achievements outside of God’s plan for you, you will not enjoy them. So why you who believe in Jesus would invest any of your time and effort in anything that is not consistent with Jesus’s desires and plan for you?

Right Desire in Your Heart

The desires alluded to in Proverbs 21 and by the prophet Haggai are not the type of desires we are talking about here. However, let me quickly say that a desire is the starting point of most intentional accomplishments. For a Christian, your prayer should precede desire, and of course, as I said above, prayer will help you to delight in the Lord. To delight in the Lord is to have great joy in Him, to have pleasure in Him, to really enjoy the Lord to the extent that you just cannot get enough of Him. Have you ever been thirsty on a hot day and someone gave you a glass of cool water? You enjoyed it, but one glass was simply not enough. You wanted another and another glass, until your stomach could not hold anymore. The water tasted good, and you enjoyed it to the last drop. The psalmist puts it this way: “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (Psalm 34:8).The psalmist expresses the idea figuratively: to taste the Lord is to get to know Him, and when you know Him, you trust Him, and when you trust Him, He blesses you. In other words, to delight in the Lord is to trust in the Lord. When you know the Lord, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6). When you delight in the Lord, you enjoy His presence in your life, you listen to His still small voice, you learn to trust Him over time, you enjoy reading and listening to His Word, and in time, you will delight yourself totally in Him. You will get in the habit of asking, what is God’s desire for me? And you will listen to Him and trust Him to guide you. As I indicated above, God will grant you the desire of your heart if you delight yourself in Him, in His will. In other words, your desire must be consistent with the Lord’s will for you. When you delight in the Lord, as I discussed above, your desires will not be random impulses. They will be guided by the Spirit of God, which is already in you. To paraphrase the psalmist: As a deer pines for water, so will you pine to know the desire God has for you. The psalmist puts it this way, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God” (Psalm 42:1). Jesus commissions all Christians to involve ourselves in the Great Commission; therefore, I encourage you to participate. I will not have the audacity to tell you what to do regarding sharing the Gospel, the good news of

salvation through Jesus Christ; however, I do pray that will be a part of the desire of your heart. that there is a role for every Christian: a role for you and a role for me. The Holy Spirit will make your role clear to you as you continue to delight yourself in the Lord. Your role might be a growing one.

Let the Holy Spirit Help You Determine Your Desire

I used to really struggle in trying to discern any specific assignment that God has for me. Then one day, as I was meditating, Romans 12:1–2 came to me. The answer to my struggle was right there: “And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove [know] what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). I had retired from Virginia State University after working there for nine years, and had returned to Mississippi, where I had worked at Alcorn State University for more than thirty years. I did not need a job to myself financially. However, everyone who knew I had worked at Alcorn kept asking if I was going back to work there. I started to feel a little guilty that I should get a job, even though my retirement income was probably as much as an at Alcorn. I started to subscribe to the criteria of the folk around that every able-bodied person should have a ‘real’ job. When folk asked me where I was working, my standard response was, “I am between assignments.” I was asking God about my next assignment, and I believe He said write a book; so this is my second book. The first book is “When God Says No: Listen For The Yes!”

“Do Not Conform” Gave Me Relief

Romans 12:2 was a great relief to me, as I listened to people who thought they knew what I should be doing. You do not need to conform to the expectations of others as you seek to discern God’s desire for you. When your mind is transformed, you will know God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will for you. So here I am, writing my second book in three months, and I am currently working on two others. By the time you read this little book, the manuscript for my next little book should be with a publisher. I have shared my story with you as a means of encouraging you to delight yourself in the Lord and “in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6). To acknowledge God in all your ways is to delight yourself in Him, and the desire of your heart will reflect God’s plan for you. This is what God says in Jeremiah: “For I know the thoughts [plans] that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts [plans] of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end [positive outcome]” (Jeremiah 29:11). God has His desire for you all planned out; you need only to cooperate with Him, starting with your delight in the Lord. You can pursue the sustained desires in your heart with confidence, when you know they are consistent with what Jesus wants you to do. A key point to is that you need not conform to the expectations of anyone: family, friends, associates, colleagues. Rather rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you as you seek to delight in the Lord.

Pursue Your Desire Tenaciously

When you feel that you have a desire, pray fervently that God shows you how to achieve it or remove it from your heart if it’s not consistent with His desire for you. Just as He separates your sins from you and re them no more, He will separate inappropriate desires from you, if you allow Him. God responds to persistent and sincere prayers. Do you what Jesus says about asking and praying? He says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). So ask Him about the desires of your heart. Nothing pleases Jesus more than to say yes to you. He wants you to be persistent in your asking, until you are absolutely sure that He answers. Luke puts it this way: “And He spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not faint” (Luke 18:1). To illustrate the importance of persistency in praying, Luke records the parable of a widow in a city who was mistreated by someone. She went to the judge and demanded that justice be done. The judge did not want to take any action at first, then he came to himself and said, “I better take care of the situation, or this woman will wear me out.” Jesus concluded by saying that if the unjust judge took care of the widow’s complaint, how much more will God answer the requests of His people who make their requests to Him day and night (Luke 18:1–8)? Yes, Jesus wants you to delight yourself in Him. He wants you to ask for His assistance. that delight in the Lord and the desire of your heart go hand in hand; you need both. I pray that the Spirit of Jesus will guide your desire, as you ask to have a joy-fulfilled life and have sustained peace and help others to have the same. Further, I pray that you will continue to experience Jesus’s joy fulfilled in you, and His peace will be with you.

Chapter 8

Lagniappe: The Funeral Remarks That Restored Life

As you complete this little book, I hope it has been a blessing to you already. You will continue to receive blessings as you practice being a joy-fulfilled and peace-endowed Christian. If you are still a not-yet Christian, I pray you make that life-changing decision soon, and I encourage you to find a joy-fulfilled Christian to hang out with. You see, I am primarily an evangelist, and I am really eager for you to make that critical decision while there is time. Back to the lagniappe (giving a little more). This word means to give a little more or get a little more than you paid for. I am including quite an unusual lagniappe. I am including it because of the awakening effect on some young people who attended the service where I delivered these remarks, at the funeral service of Mr. Mac, my ninety-nine-year-old cousin. The remarks follow:

Funeral Service Celebrating the Life of Barzillai Zepheniah McKenzie (February 28, 1920–March 3, 2019) Friendship Baptist Church, Hanover, Jamaica Thursday, April 4, 2019

Remarks by Rev. Dr. Franklin D. Jackson I am sharing these few remarks because of the impact they had on at least two individuals who attended the funeral service. 1. Introductory remarks: Recognizing the officiating pastors and other pastors and ministers from the pulpit. Condolences from my home churches, Rose Hill

Baptist Church at Fayette, Mississippi, and Hollywood Baptist Church at Powhatan, Virginia. Condolences from relatives in the United States: Dr. Dainty Jackson, Dr. Jennifer Jackson, Clareburn Jackson, the Ramsay’s, and so on. 2. Brief tributes: Mr. Bazie, as we called him, was an honorable man; however, he cannot hear us. His body is here with us, but his spirit is with God. He lived a long, productive, and fulfilling life because he understood and lived by the onition of God in Exodus 20, 12 and Ephesians 6:1–3: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:1–3). • His good deeds to his father, Pappy Mac, and to his mother, Miss Julie, are well known. • He raised Donald Gregory, his nephew, as if he were his son. • He rode his bicycle thirteen miles to Montego Bay, on a regular basis, to see his sister Mary and to do carpentry work. • He was a great housebuilder; he worked on many houses in the District of Friendship. He was an outstanding farmer who provided us with quality provisions: yams, plantains, sugarcane, coconuts, and so forth. You will hear a lot more about Mr. Mac and his goodness and kindness from the other speakers. I want to say a few words to the living among us. 3. To the living in the congregation A. Those who don’t believe in God or heaven or hell:

The story is told of a man who did not believe in God, or heaven, or hell. He died and was well dressed, lying on his back in his casket at church. His friend, who believed in God, looked at him in the casket and smiled. Another friend asked him why he was smiling at a time like this. He simply replied that it was a pity that the dead friend was so well dressed but had nowhere to go. Suppose there is a God? Suppose there is a heaven? Suppose there is a hell? If I were a not-yet-believer, I would err on the side of caution. One has nothing to lose by believing there is God, and heaven, and hell, even if they did not exist. But one

has everything to gain by believing there is God, and heaven, and hell, if they do exist. On the contrary, a person has everything to lose, if God, heaven, and hell exist and that person does not believe. Lack of belief will not change the infallible Word of God, the Bible, which says that God, heaven, and hell exist. If I were a not-yet-believer, I would err on the possibility that God, heaven, and hell exist, while I seek evidence to prove it, one way or the other. The Bible teaches that “all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable [good] for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

The Great Appointment: No Regrets Accepted

The infallible Word of God reminds us, “And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). What if there is God, heaven, hell, and judgment? If I were a not-yet-believer, I would take my chance of believing, where I would have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, if there is God, heaven, hell, and judgment.

B. Those Who Believe, Receive, and Accept, Jesus Calls You to

• Self-examination and reflection, • Love: the new commandment that you love one another (John 13:34), • Forgive and forget the wrongs of others (Matthew 6:12–15), • Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (God is the priority) (Matthew 6:33), • Avoid the love of money, which is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10), • Live by the teaching of Paul: “For we brought nothing into this world and it is

certain we can carry nothing out. But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:7–8), and • Carry out the Great Commission: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19–20). Those who believe must reflect the life of Jesus Christ and strive to be like Mr. Mack, Mr. Bazie, that others may be blessed through your life, and your deeds, and your words. Family and loved ones, be proud of Mr. Bazie and cherish your pleasant memories of him. Blessings and love, today and always. Amen.

Love, joy, and peace to all.

Chapter 9

Thoughts To: The Impossible (but for God)

This is correct, very much so. These five attainments are all impossible, but for God: 1) love God and love your neighbor, 2) fellowship with God, 3) hip in the Body of Christ, 4) super attainment: Jesus’s joy fulfilled and spirit-driven, 5) abundance and everlasting life. In fact, as I pointed out, in the conventional use of the term attainment, what I’ve asked you to do is not actually attainments on your part. Rather, they are gifts of God and Jesus Christ. Jesus wants you to accept and use the gifts and share them with others so “that the Father will be glorified in the Son” (John 14: 13). Again, I remind you that it is not just about you. It’s about God, about Jesus, about your brothers and sisters. You are obligated to help others see God, to see Jesus, through your joy-fulfilled life. This is not about you being so pious and humble that you don’t want anyone to think you’re boastful with your joy and peace. You did not earn them, so you cannot boast about them. But Jesus wants you to show His joy to others so they may be drawn to Him. Jesus wants you to lift Him up through your joy, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in you, so that docile Christians and not-yet Christians will want your joy and peace. Yes, but for God, it is impossible. Jesus did not have to tell His disciples that what is impossible with men is possible with God; He wanted that message to get to you. Jesus wants you to live in such a manner that others will see that your joy-fulfilled life is exciting and not a ive life of drudgery. This is only possible because the empowerment of the Holy Spirit is activated in you. Think about how those scared disciples hiding in the Upper Room became excited, empowered, and emboldened on the Day of Pentecost, when they were empowered by the Holy Spirit. But for Jesus, they would have gone back to fishing and collecting taxes for the Roman government. But for Jesus, we would have never heard about Christians, for there would have been none. It is the same Jesus Who gives you the gifts I mentioned above.

So your joy-fulfilled life is a gift, which Jesus paid for with His blood, just as everlasting life is a gift. You enjoy your joy-fulfilled life while you are on earth, and you assist others to receive His (Jesus’) joyful-filled life in themselves. You really and truly enjoy everlasting life when Jesus comes for you, even though you are saved the moment you accept Him as your Lord and Savior. And finally, you assist others to accept the gift of God—everlasting life—which Jesus paid for with His blood on Calvary’s Cross. All these attainments are possible with God. You need only to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, Who is in you.

Praise God→ Thank God→Pray to God→Delight in God→Meditate/Fast→Desire→Trust God→Obey God→Share.

I am truly delighted and grateful that you have almost reached the end of this little book, but for the Summary and Conclusions. Please reread any section that was not quite clear to you, as well as sections that resonated with you. You have just read that it is quite unlikely that you can do what I am asking you to do with just your own volition, intellect, and determination; without the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit, it is impossible. The challenges you will face as you seek to live Jesus’s joy-fulfilled life and peace in you are likely to be tremendous; however, the rewards are great and will get even better as you assist others in striving for their joy-fulfilled life and peace.

Chapter 10

Summary and Conclusion of This Whole Matter

You have been with me for quite a while, and I deeply appreciate you. You are tenacious and possess a quest for knowledge. You are helping me more than you might imagine, and I am thankful to you. You see, anything in this little book that helps to make even a small positive difference for you will result in great blessings for you and me, so I want to hear from you. So what are the conclusions of this whole matter? I offer the following points for your prayerful and thoughtful consideration:

• God made you and loves you unconditionally; nothing you can do will change those realities. • The serpent, Satan, deceived Adam and Eve, causing them to sin, and we all inherited their sin. In addition, we all have committed our own sins and fall short of the glory of God (God’s expectation and perfection), and we were sentenced to eternal death, which is the wages of sin. • God extends His love, grace, and mercy toward us and gave His only begotten Son to pay the wages of our sins by dying on Calvary’s Cross. Salvation and everlasting life are now available to all humanity. • Jesus’s death and resurrection make it possible for God to reestablish fellowship with humanity, with you, and for you to receive salvation, which is everlasting life: the gift of God. • When you believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, you are saved immediately; you receive everlasting life, and the Spirit of Jesus/God enters your heart.

• Jesus commands you to love God with your heart, and with your soul, and with your mind (love God with your total being). This is the greatest commandment. • Jesus commands you to love your neighbor as you love yourself. This is the second greatest commandment. • Jesus says to demonstrate love for your neighbor (and ultimately for God) by your deeds, your words, and your attitude of mind. He gives examples of specific deeds that you should do. • Jesus continues to do great things for you. He intercedes and intervenes with God for you, He gives you empowerment, He protects and guides you, and He supplies all your needs and some of your wants. • Jesus gives what I believe to be the third greatest commandment, which is called the Great Commission: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19–20). I have written out the Great Commission again because it is so important, but it is often neglected by the Church and by individual Christians. I will discuss this in more detail later. • Jesus gives the greatest gift that you may enjoy while you are on earth. I call it abundance of life on earth (super attainment). Super attainment is Jesus’s joy fulfilled in you, and your joy is full. Jesus prays, “That they might have my Joy Fulfilled in themselves [in you]” (John 17:13). In addition, Jesus gives peace: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you: Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). • Jesus will return for you. He told His disciples, “And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). I call this absolutely profound promise of Jesus the Christians’ great expectation. It is this unwavering expectation that inspires joyfulfilled Christians to keep holding on when circumstances tell them to give up and give in.

This is the conclusion of the whole matter. Since Jesus gives you joy and peace,

let your joy and peace be contagious. Let everyone around you feel and share it. Paraphrasing Jesus, let your joy so shine that others may see it and feel it and glorify God. Let the expression of your joy be a magnet that draws others to you and through you to your Church. Your joy and peace are not for you to hoard; they are for you to share so as to bless others. We live in a world that is at war, figuratively and literally; however, you are endowed with joy and peace. You are morally and spiritually obligated to share your joy and peace and to let others know the source. I suggest that you start right in the Church, the Body of Christ, and perhaps even with your physical family, and be intentional about showing your joy and your peace, but don’t be boastful. that they are gifts from Jesus. Joy and peace are bubbling in your heart; they may be evident to some. However, no one can read your heart nor see what is in there. So go the extra mile; meet and greet those around you with a smile or a handshake, and when appropriate, greet others with a holy kiss and kind words. Show them the joy and peace that is in your heart; be deliberate and yet not boastful. Light the candle, and let others benefit from the light. , practice makes things better. Show the undecided and the not-yet Christian that Christians do have joy. You may be the one to help them overcome their hesitation in accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. When you are a joy-fulfilled Christian (and I pray you are or will become one soon), you have a special ministry. Your ministry is to spread joy like a wildfire on a dry and parched hillside. You got it, and you want to help other Christians understand that Jesus gives them His joy and peace. Therefore, they and the Church should be joyful and at peace regardless of circumstances. You want joy and peace to break out in the congregation like contagious laughing when everyone is trying to be serious. Can you imagine being the catalyst for such a monumental change in your congregation? Yes, you can. Let others feel your peace, and let your joy be contagious through your deeds, your words, and your smiles. that Jesus has prayed that His joy will be fulfilled in you, and He has given you His peace, so let others see them in you and glorify God with you. I end this book as I started: it is my desire and prayer to God for you that you will live a joy-fulfilled life, and help others to do the same. Blessings, Love and Peace!

About the Author

Rev. Dr. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jackson is a native of Jamaica, where he received primary education, and a Diploma from the Jamaica School of Agriculture. He earned Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education from Tuskegee Institute (University), and the Master’s and Doctorate from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana; and a Certificate in Evangelism and Global Christianity from The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, Richmond, Virginia. He served in numerous istrative positions at Alcorn State University in Mississippi, including Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Planning and Research, and Special Assistant to the President. He served as the Associate Dean for Cooperative Extension in the College of Agriculture at Virginia State University. He has been a deacon, Sunday school and Bible class teacher for more than thirty-five years. Rev. Jackson is an ordained Evangelist and Baptist Minister. He believes and teaches that many Christians are not accessing and appropriating the privileges and benefits which are available to them while they are here on earth, and wants to assist them to live Jesus’ joy fulfilled life on earth. He has been inspired to write this little book to help them.