Abba's Own. David R. Lumsden
A person needs a vital experience with the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a need for true repentance (genuine conversion led by the Holy Spirit, for by grace you are saved by faith, to be seated in Christ in the heavenlies, and in Him made new for performing useful work; therefore, you become a child of God and His friend. As a disciple in the Will of God for believers you become conformed to the Son of God). The Gospel of Jesus and discipleship, led by His Holy Spirit, must be preached from the pulpit and taught in classes, for true church growth and Christian imitation of God for the world to see and believe God, ( Eph 2: 5-10, Jn 1: 12, Jn 3: 16-17, Col 2: 10, Acts 16: 31, Rom 12: 1-2, 1 Jn 5: 1, 1 Jn 2: 23, 2: 29, 1 Jn 4: 4, Rev 3: 20). Jesus says, “For this is the will of the Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son and believeth on him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day,” (Jn 6: 40). He that does the will of the Father will have eternal life.
Through the following research study, the author develops an answer that determines a man’s hoping God knows him, i.e. Not knowing God knows him. A person's final state in eternity is set, whether or not God knows one. The author does not use experience to create theology but shows that Scripture validates the experience. The author provides a standard theology for soul-winners to begin their development of a sound Christian, biblical, Protestant, conservative, evangelical theology which will give them a solid theological foundation personally and for soul-winning based on believing God by faith. God is delighted and leads His ‘Called ones’ into a proper bible and theological study pleasing to Him. He gives grace to man to intersect with Him at the Cross for the newness of Life, for living the Christian life appropriate for a true Christian, and honourable service to God for the conversion of souls, who contribute to the building of His Kingdom, so that He be delighted.
As God says to humankind, “Return to Me, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts,” (Mal 3: 7). Church leadership needs to return to God for positive church growth built on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that church leadership can be glorifying and pleasing to God. Then, He responds favourably unto man. Any ‘alternative truth’ is a lie which does not lead to eternal life in the Presence of God.
The answer entails getting back to original biblical Faith, older versus contemporary theological works, and the true, versus the softened Gospel for the making of true converts. Real converts are made complete in Jesus Christ, known by God in Judgment Day, not just for increased numbers in the pews and offering plates so that one might boast of being like a pastor of a megachurch, where all that seems to count is money. Nor is self-centred ecstasy God’s plan. Converts added to the true Church, by the Power of the Holy Spirit is God’s plan and full-time business in building His Kingdom. Love, Christian life of righteousness as a model, and service for others to enjoy the salvation of God is what is expected for the proper Kingdom motivation and the favour of God in ministry. Humankind needs to fear (respect reverentially) God and His Word for their lives to be fulfilled and their eternal destination, Heaven realized, complete through faith in Jesus Christ.
CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH STUDY
Supposing, you were having lunch with a group of fellow-workers, and someone walks up to you and says, ‘You may be saved, but you do not have the Holy Spirit in you.’ What a denial of the deity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Such a lie, you may think. This false teaching was told to the primary subject. This false statement has become the incitement for the author’s qualitative study and thesis. A leading question in this study is: How can a person know that one is known by God this side of eternity and will be known by God in Judgment Day?
A biblical understanding of salvation develops out of this study, and a need for a standard, biblical, conservative, evangelical theology arises, so soul-winners have a guide for their understanding of Salvation (man’s need and God’s perspective on salvation, since it is His business) and soul-winning out of which the Lord indeed grows His church.
A Christian belief system is the philosophical basis for this thesis. Yielding to God as our Stay is critical for the survival of Christians and Christianity to help Marvin (primary subject) understand salvation and assurance (God will know that one in Judgment Day) for himself and others. True church growth is the explanatory objective of this qualitative study. Would Marvin be assured of salvation based on his self- centeredness or, by God’s grace and his love for Jesus and to tell and feed others that they too would become hidden in Jesus, comforted and led by God the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life, made complete in Jesus Christ? Marvin’s setting out to find God meant he would be digging into the Holy Scriptures to study, perceive, and agree with God and His Word for God’s approval of him. God delights in one coming to know and to understand Him, (Jere 9: 23-24).
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines philosophy as “the sum of the ideas and convictions of an individual. Philosophy is a critical study of fundamental beliefs and grounds for them,”¹ Pastor leads Marvin in the development of a real Christian lifestyle theologically founded on sound Christian, biblical, Protestant, conservative, evangelical theology.
Theology is a “study of God and His relationship to the world. It is also defined as a study of religious faith, practice, and experience.”² Faith, practice, and experience need to be in line with love for God’s commands, (Ps 119: 77), on eternal life for it to provide a sound theology and a basis for a Christian philosophy. God expects humankind to confess sin, to be forgiven by God, and be cleansed from all unrighteousness, (1 Jn 1: 9). Cleansing is the negative side of confession.³ Then there is the positive side of disclosure, which is to confess or agree with God about Jesus. Biblical faith does not depend on our actions and work, but yielding to God’s Way and Word, a gift through faith in Jesus, (Gal 3: 26).
Needing to reach a world gone wild and filled with diverse religious viewpoints is not an option. Ministers of reconciliation are true Christians filled with the Holy Spirit, willing to take God at His Word, to believe Him, agree with Him, since He is God, Sovereign, Almighty, and the Faithful One. He is True and Trustworthy. He and His Word are the Christian’s absolute authority. There is none other. God has designed His Plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten Son. He has communicated His plan through His Word with high precision and clarity through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Trustworthiness in God’s Word is warranted; therefore, humankind can have no excuse not to have believed Him this side of eternity, when they stand before Him in Judgment Day. He expects that humanity will have reverenced His Son?⁴ How many people know and understand the salvation of God before they attempt to present their human-made philosophy to an innocent seeker in this wild world, diverse in its alternative religious viewpoints, which claim to be true, but are a lie. If a man presents an non-biblical philosophy, he denies God and His deity. The enemy goes to any extent to deceive people into believing anything but God’s Word. Jesus says not to let anyone fool you, (Matt 24: 4; Luk 21: 8). Strange teachings appear before a vulnerable audience when the TV programmers, for The CHEW cooking program, present that Cher says all one needs is a right attitude. Satan presents a smorgasbord of false teaching worldwide to make people believe and taste lies. Celebrity teaching on attitude does not save a person. Jesus, alone, saves.
A good attitude toward God is good if it is a result of the new birth. Spiritual leaders in a world of rising interest in spirituality may be pointing a seeker straight to Gehenna if they do not know and believe the truth. Have they been discipled, or have they been willing to be discipled, as a newborn follower of Jesus Christ, so that what they teach another is solid biblical Christian spirituality (or are they part of the falling away of 2 Tim 4: 2-5)? Are they taught to share the true message of Jesus Christ; who He is, what He has done to secure salvation for humankind, and will do for a seeker upon believing on Him? What the Pentecostal-charismatic or the neo-charismatic (Alpha Course)⁵ is teaching the seeker is non-biblical. Have they been taught how to understand the use of questions to enter a seeker’s personal space to lead that person to faith in Jesus Christ or do they depend upon their experience and non-biblically-based philosophy to lead that person to believe in what is no more than a non-biblical, religious philosophy? Do they know what God wants us to believe and do in a life yielded to Him? Do they have the assurance of their salvation and that God knows them, this side of eternity ready for Judgment Day in the future? Do they have a daily Bible study and prayer routine, themselves? Do they take God’s Word literally