Please read…… BIBLE TEACHING SANCTIFICATION John 3:5, Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Sanctification is another level in Christian life after salvation, and it is a must for every saved soul. This is a concealed and confused topic in many churches and in Christianity generally today. Sanctification is very important that, without it, no certainty of making heaven. In the book of John chapter 3, when Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, Jesus plainly said unto him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3. When you are born again, you experienced salvation of your soul, being delivered from the bondage of Satan and sin into the kingdom of God. Salvation or being born again is like a Passport while sanctification is like Visa - When you obtain a traveling passport, you need to get a traveling visa with your passport, that will gain you entrance into your desired city. If you have a passport and go ahead to travel without obtaining visa, you may probably smuggle yourself to travel, but when you get to the country’s point of entrance, you may not be allowed to gain entrance without Visa. In His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus told him in verse 3, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” And then in verse 5 He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. So what is the difference between being born again and being born of water and Spirit? And what is the difference between seeing the kingdom and entering the kingdom of God? As we can see in these two verses of 3 and 5, Jesus Christ said if you are born again you will see the kingdom of God, and if you are born of water and Spirit you will enter the kingdom of God, so what is the difference? The difference is that being born again is to be saved – salvation, and being born of water and Spirit is to be sanctified – sanctification. Salvation or being born again is having a genuine faith in Jesus and sanctification is the work of faith. We are saved by faith in Jesus, and that is the faith of the Bible that gives salvation. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Salvation is not something we earn or work for, it a gift of God by His grace which we receive through faith. Though salvation is free, though the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men free of charge, yet, you need to obtain or accept it by faith, it is the faith of salvation. And then after we are saved through faith, we work out the salvation in trembling and fear. Philippians 2:12, Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. The working out of the salvation is the work of faith or sanctification. Faith of salvation alone cannot last long by itself; you need to add something to it. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue 2 Peter 1:5. That means if somebody gives her life to Jesus and dies immediately, does that means she will go to hell because she did not have the chance to experience sanctification? The answer is NO. The thief at the cross with Jesus was saved and went to paradise with Jesus without the experience of sanctification. What it means it that, faith cannot stand alone by itself for long; after you are saved, you cannot stand long in the Lord without adding the work of righteousness to your faith. One can be saved in the morning as his name is written in the Book of Life, and the name can be removed before evening if care is not taken. Faith of salvation without work of righteousness will die, and is actually dead. James 2:27, For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Works here are the works of righteousness, working out, proving and showing the evidence of your salvation. Jesus said when you are born again, born of water (the Word of God), you will see the kingdom of God, but you need to be born of the Spirit (Sanctification) in order to enter the kingdom of God. Many born again Christians are being disqualified from entering heaven right at the gate of heaven. WHAT IS SANCTIFICATION? Sanctification is becoming more like Jesus every day through the working of God in us and the working out of our salvation; it’s through prayer for sanctification and watchfulness. Sanctification is a mutual working. Sanctification is a continuous working. Let’s take them one by one: Mutual Working From Genesis to Revelation of the Bible, you will read God commanding His people to sanctify themselves; you will also read God doing the work of sanctification in the lives of His people. Sanctification is not something God does alone and it is not something you do by yourself. Just like salvation, God saves but you must accept His salvation by faith in repentance. After you are saved, you separate yourself totally unto God, and God continues the surgical work in you, sanctifying, purifying you. Every genuine child of God is a work in process in Gods hand; you must separate yourself to God before He can continue the work of grace in you, because many Christians are abandoned works in Gods kingdom. There are many un- separated Christians, thought they are saved but they still mingle with the pollution of this world; though they are saved, but they are not broken. After we are saved, we need to totally separate ourselves from the world and God continues to separate the sinful nature from us. We sanctify ourselves - 1 Peter 3:15, But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. And God sanctifies us - John 17:17, Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. We sanctify ourselves by separating ourselves from sinful things, people, friendship, works, dress, talk, music, movies, magazines, activities, etc. When we fail to separate ourselves, we will block God to do His own part in our lives, and then makes such a Christian an abandoned work in God’s kingdom. This process is a continuous one: Continuous Working Since sanctification is becoming more like Jesus every day, then it is a continuous process. We don’t stop sanctifying ourselves and God is not tired sanctifying us. Some Bible preachers and churches believe that sanctification is an instantaneous and one time experience, but there is no such backing from the Bible. We are sanctified but we keep being sanctified. The reality is that sanctification deals with more of subtle and inward sins and we need to keep praying for sanctification and keep separating ourselves unto God. Sanctification does not totally happen at once, it is continuous. If sanctification is instantaneous and once, it means the tendency of sin is completely removed from you, and you will never have any thought to resist or reject within you, it means you will never make mistake at all again. But that is never true. Paul said, But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection. 2 Corinthians 9:27, It means the temptation and tendency will still come, the tendency to get angry, to say something wrong, but you will subject the tendencies under the Spirit of God; you will resist the temptation. Apostle Paul also said in 2 Corinthians 10:5, ..and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ We daily pray unto God to sanctify our hearts and thoughts, and we also receive grace and strength to bring every thought into Gods submission. Most of those Churches who believe sanctification is once-done experience usually fall into hypocrisy and subtle sins; they may have problem with bitterness, backbiting, slandering,gossip and hypocrisy, because they are not being sanctified on a continuous base, and because they don’t want to pray for sanctification every day or they don’t want to be sanctified every day, and that leads to pretense. One of the biggest sources of hypocrisy in the church is to believe you are sanctified once and you don’t need to be sanctified anymore. While salvation is an instantaneous experience, sanctification is a continuous experience, becoming more like Jesus every day. Sanctification is not a once time experience, it is a continuous experience; it is not a 20 years ago experience, but a daily experience; it is not just an experience but a lifestyle. Years back, I believed sanctification was something a Christian experienced once, maybe 10 years or 20 years back, and we could go anywhere and testify, I was sanctified 20 years ago. But when I realized that it has to be on daily basis, my Christian life changed, I have more expectation of sanctification from God every day and I have more responsibility to become more like Jesus every day; I got to know that it is not about 10 years back experience, but something I must live daily. There will be different between a Christian who claims to have been sanctified 10 years ago and another Christian who is being sanctified every day. When you are being sanctified every day through prayer of sanctification and purification, and through your watchfulness and separating yourself from the world, you will be like Jesus and grow in Jesus every day. The life you lived yesterday doesn’t really matter, but the life you live today. FEATURE OF SANCTIFICATIONS A notification is not just a testimony but tangible evidence in lifestyle. Sanctification has to do with the Spirit, Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:5, 6. To be born of water is to be born again, to be born of Spirit is to be sanctified, and to be sanctified is to bear the fruit of Spirit. Bearing the fruit of the Spirit is the evidence of a sanctified life. Galatians 5:22 – 26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self- control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. A Christian who claims to be sanctified without bearing the fruit of the Spirit is an empty Christian. Sanctification is all about holiness and holiness is all about bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Many people preach holiness; many Christians claim to belong to church of holiness, and to live holy life without understanding what holiness is all about. Holiness is not just about knowledge, it is lifestyle, and holiness is bearing the fruit of Spirit. If your life does not exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, with the witness of people around you, then you are not yet sanctified; you may be a pastor or a long time Christian, what really matters is to bear the fruit of the Spirit, and the fruit must remain, that is to continue, not on and off. So how do we know Christians who are sanctified? It is by their fruits; by their fruits you shall know that. SANCTIFICATION, A MUST! As long you are still living in this world after you are saved, you need to be sanctified. It is not an option and it is not meant for ministers of God alone, but for all children of God. Many claim to be born again but not recognized in heaven as children of God, and their lives do not reflect Christ on earth; many Christians will miss the rapture because they ignore the call for sanctification, and many believers will miss heaven because they relent and relax on yesteryear sanctification, and then stocked from growing in the Lord every day. You need to be born of Water before you can be born of the Spirit, you need to be saved before you can be sanctified. If you have been living a rising and falling Christian life, if you have become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another,especially on facebook that you envy the acheivement of friends on facebook. All you need, is to rededicate your life to Jesus and totally separate yourself from every pollution of this world, and unto Jesus. Then you pray unto God to sanctify you as you are also diligent to be watchful over your life more than before. You keep praying and watching daily, keep becoming more like Jesus every day, no relenting, no relaxing and not complacency. Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. SALVATION You need to surrender your life to Jesus now and experience genuine salvation without any further delay so that you will not be among the miserable that will miss the rapture. You and I dont know if we live to see tomorrow. A day has being set by God that each must die,do you think of it daily. This message from Revelation of Truth Evangelical Ministries RTEM Abuja Nigeria and Posted by Spirit, Life & Truth Ministries SLTM. If you would like to Surrender or rededicate your life to Jesus Christ, to experience genuine salvation that gives power over sin. It is free for you, to help better, please click on this link to read how to experience genuine salvation: https://m.facebook/notes/our-bible-studies-preaching-the-gospel-preparing-a-nation/how-to-be-saved-and-start-a-new-life-in-jesus/1498652943703221 You can also contact us on email for prayer, counsel or if you need biblical enlightenment on personal issues: Our Facebook page, you can like our page for daily article on your wall, please click on this link and like, then click on the liked and add to interest list https://m.facebook/profile.php?id=693576867371158&v=feed&_rdr This message is from Spirit, Life & Truth Ministries, SLTM affiliated with RTEM Revelation of Truth Evangelical Ministries Abuja Nigeria. 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Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 08:35:29 +0000
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