Abundant Blessings

8/9/2019 Abundant Blessings

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&Abundant blessings of the Spiritual RegenerationA biblical survey on array of topics about coming into the faith and growing in it

H.J.A Kiviniemi 2010

Most Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001

by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights

reserved.

Cover: Marko Lind


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Foreword

I have gone through many painful and wonderful events in life, which

have taken me to this point where I feel ready to represent and testify some

of the glories of the Living God. Ever since I was saved, I submitted myself

to the service of the Lord. I said to Him: Lord Jesus, if you want to save me

and heal me, I will serve You in any way You see fit. And then on the

opportunities have risen.

Thanks be the God for the fact that I have learned the profound truth in

the words of the Lord: The water that I will give him will become in him a

spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14b ESV).

I feel that the thankful heart of a thankful and saved sinner is something

God loves. He likes us to hear us offering thanks to Him with our lips(Hos.14:2). This is not merely praying in secret or not only worshipping

and praising in congregation which both are good, but also to do it in such

manner by which may reach the unsaved people.

Thus it seemed valid to write about the goodness and mercy that had

befallen to me by God. This booklet is not an autobiography though I will

present some personal experiences in a general manner. Even so I have

written in order to present the spiritual blessings I have received from the

Living and True God, in the light of the Scripture and sound doctrine.

It is my sincere belief that by giving yourself entirely into the hands of the

merciful Saviour Jesus you may have abundant and exciting life. This work

of mine I have intented to be used not so much of a witnessing tool for

unbelievers, but rather as and exhortation to sincere seekers who have not

yet found their peace in the Lord's Spirit. And also to my regenerated

brothers and sisters, who may feel the clouds of depression and apathy

entering into their spiritual life. Hopefully this humble presentation mayserve at least someone in their jorney towards the New Jerusalem.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will

praise you with joyful lips - Psalm 63:5 ESV

H.J.A Kiviniemi

Oulu, Finland 22th April 2010


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What does it mean to be born again?

This is one of the very first issues I faced as a New Creature. The funny

thing was, that at first I was so much influenced by High Church

theology (that is, Christianity that was transformed into a statereligion) that I failed to understand I was in fact regenerated by the

Spirit. Even though this had happened de facto I did not understand it

before certain brother hinted me to look at at John chapter 3. So I did

and soon I wrote this article.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a

man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." - John 3:3

Here Jesus was speaking to the pharisee named Nicodemus. Thesewords of the Lord Jesus are quite clear. However the interpretation of

the issue in Scriptures is varied. As the true seeker seeks the real

truth, instead of picking doctrine there, abandoning one here, one of

the honest heart ought to seek the God's truth.

The issue of Christian Rebirth should not be taken lightly, as we read

the Lord's words. To be born again means to be assured the entrance

and inheritance of the Kingdom of God. It is written:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have

received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit

itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And

if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that

we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." - Romans 8:15-

17.

Thus we are assured by the Living Spirit of God, who dwells in us,

that we are the children of God, when we have been saved, we have

taken Jesus Christ as our Savior and given our whole life totally to

God. It is also, as we read, the testimony of the Scripture.

How then, is one born again? Some say that it happens when the

priest sprinkles water three times to the forehead of baby child

(doctrine of baptismal regeneration). But that custom tends to give suggestion that it is up to parents and

priests to assure one of spiritual rebirth. It may even bring people to


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false sense of being under the mercy of God. Lord said:

"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree

bringeth forth evil fruit.- - Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom

of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

- Matthew 7:17,20-21

So, if the sprinkling of babies brings the assurance of salvation, then

most of the people even today in Christian world ought to bear good

fruit. Is it so? What do we see in news? Prisons and brothels are full of

people who have been baptized as a child. Does their behavior testify

they have been Born Again from above? Surely not. True and genuine

rebirth includes things and brings the fruit which is written by Paul:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present

your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your

reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye

transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that

good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." - Romans 12:1-2

How then do we achieve this? Is this salvation by works?

The real and factual event of Rebirth takes place, when one truly

takes Jesus for his or her personal savior. This includes, as I wrote

before, that we give the fullness of ourselves to the LORD. Accepting

the atoning work of Christ as a substitute Lamb for our sins makes us

righteous before the eyes of God the Father. Thus we also receive the

Holy Spirit, when we take Jesus.

Rebirth is "from above", it is the miraculous work of God and not of

man. We cannot choose to be born again, but ought to expect it, if we

give ourselves to Him. God makes us New Men. Paul under the

inspiration of the Holy Spirit, made it very clear that it is not

something we can achieve through rituals.

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor

uncircumcision, but a new creature." - Galatians 6:15

Let us now consider what else Jesus said to Nicodemus:


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"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born

of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into 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

Now, those who over-emphasize the sacramental aspect of the

baptism may say that here Jesus clearly institutes the sacrament of

baptism, by which the rebirth occurs. The context and the whole of

the Bible does not allow this kind of interpretation. Jesus also said, as

written down by the same apostle John:

"Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and

who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked ofhim, and he would have given thee living water." - John 4:10

Jesus was speaking to a Samaritan woman, who was did not yet

believe in Him. Thus he used the symbolism of water as that of the

truth about salvation trough Him. Jesus is giving us the Living Water,

the faith which brings the Spirit of God also to us. Thus it seems

preferable that one takes the Christian water baptism after he or she

has been Born Again. Thus it is an outward sing of the fact one isalready saved, and gives assurance of that. This does not diminish the

true sacramental value of baptism, but this has to be made clear in

whole other study.

Now, to summarize the work of the Lord, who gives the salvation to

us as a free gift, which we can take or abandon let us read:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sonsof God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of

blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." - John

1:12,13.

By the will of God, we are born again and can call God Abba, our

Father. In perfect love there's no fear, like John wrote later on. We are

New Creatures in Christ. Thus we are His joint-heirs waiting to

receive from Him all which He has. This includes a new body at theDay of His Coming (1.Co.15.). This is beautiful and joyful hope of the

true Christians.


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How I found God?

Though I will not go into my life, past and present in full detail in

this particular point, I feel that this presentation would indeed not be

so profound without any testimony in my part. So let us see what Iwas and what I went through to find God.

When writing this, I am 27 years young. I have known the biblical

stories since my childhood in some what religious home. My parents

tried their best to raise me as a moral person. Even so, I found the

world a very hostile and unjust place to live even at a young age. Like

Moses who killed the Egyptian, I chose the wrong methods to fight

the numerous faults and injustices of the world. So I rebelled againstthe rules and laws and eventually found myself being a part of the

problem of the world's all evil myself.

This was not because I would not believe in God or that He wants

men to lead a moral life. It was because I lacked the true knowledge

of Him and that I did not know how to truly let Him to live in my

heart.

I had slowly transformed from a nice and good intended boy into aviolent and hateful person. I committed many sorts of crimes, mostly

involving physical violence, guns and drugs. I went to prison a few

times. I remember that always when I was either in jail or in prison, I

sought God and read His Word. Boy did I read it, yes I read the Word

many, many times trough and through during my incarceration.

Despite that, I did not truly know the Lord and could not submit

myself fully to Him. Thus I failed to receive the New Spirit from Him,

but had to went through many horrible events in my life.

But God saw my heart's desire and hunger to know Him. He sent His

angels many times to save me from certain death. One particular

event that made me think about life and it's meaning was after I

played the Russian Roulette - pointed the revolver with one

cartridge inside it at my own head about fifteen times. Last time the

cartridge was there, but the bullet just didn't fire! May the reason be

whatever, to me it was and still is a clear sing of God's mercy andbenevolence to me. This was certainly not the first or last case


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something like that happened to me, but I save the rest for another

time.

So I wandered the world wreaking havoc in my own life and that of

others.Then I reached a point when I was utterly exhausted physically and

emotionally. I felt I was coming in to end of my life. I was living in a

world of constant presence of the death. I knew I had not used the gift

of life as it was meant and I felt sorry for it. I did believe already in

God and in Jesus, and knew that Bible was the Word of God, but for

some reason I had not had the power to give up the sin. Therefore I

was very disappointed in myself and in religion. So I just gave up and

prayed one night at my own chamber: Lord Jesus, if you want to saveme and give me power to live life as God has meant men to live it, I want to

believe You can. I'm giving up everything to You and if You show me mercy,

I will serve You on Your conditions the rest of my life. The next morning I

woke up I found my conscience clear as crystal and white as snow. I

felt like I had recovered from a life-long spiritual death. That was the

beginning of my life as a New Creature. Hallelujah!


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Healing our inner wounds through the fruits of Spiritual

regeneration

Usually some of our inner wounds are healed when the Spirit of God

regenerates us, that is when we are saved. Thus the paranoia, hatred,jealousy and other issues may be healed since our personal cosmology

and our priorities have transformed from self-centered to Christ-

centered. I am not now saying that this is a rule that always follows,

but rather it is something I have seen both in my own life and the

lives of many others.

Before the regeneration had happened, we actually knew only our

body and our soul (psykhe), but didn't truly know our spirit. Our

spirit is what interacts with God and thirsts God's presence. That iswhy we didn't know ourselves truly before we came to know the

Lord. So it is written "For in him we live, and move, and have our

being" (Acts 17:28a).

As our innermost self, our spirit is regenerated, it starts radiating to

our psyche and even our bodies. Thus we may be instantly or slowly

healed, or both. This cures some of our trauma. Also this affects to the

timely consequences of romantic and sexual trauma and otherdamage in this area. This helps us to grow spiritually and be vessels

to carry the Holy Spirit to others.

This all is started in our Regeneration by the Spirit. This is even so a

continual, ongoing process also that takes place daily, as we daily take

our cross and follow Jesus. Even so, our spiritual regeneration was a

one-time event that we confirm daily in our lives.

This is pure cure to our wounds, our bad habits and fleshly desiresthat try to rule us instead of Christ.

Many times secular life-management and self-help guides center on

our problems. Jesus shows us that whatever our problem is, He is the

Solution, the Final Solution of God.

Thus the true Christianity centers always on the person, work and

teachings of Jesus Christ and so it is a solution-centered "life

philosophy" - (Actually being rather an ultimate manual to success

from the Creator of everything).


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Our new birth to new creatures in Christ is both a one-time

phenomenon and also an ongoing process which we must confirm

daily, as we lead the Christian life in the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

As we so walk in the glorious light of the glorious Majesty, we mayown the comforting words:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for

welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jer.29:11

ESV).


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What does it mean to be holy?

As the Lord's elect, the Church, or the Ecclesia (called-out ones) is set

apart from the world and sin. The very word "kadosh" in Hebrew,

which is translated holy, means "set-apart". Jesus himself said: "Be yetherefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

(Mat.5:48).

Of course we cannot become sinless and thus perfect in every sense of

the word. That is why we have to examine what are the prerequisites

of becoming holy in the eyes of God. This subject is very closely

linked to the whole of salvation. First step to holiness is to become

righteous. This is recorded in the Scripture:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God

unto salvation to every one that believeth" - Romans 1:16a

Thus God saves us through our faith in Jesus Christ. He sees us holy,

because Jesus was holy and sinless.

"And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becomingobedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. - Philippians 2:8 ESV

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [than

Jesus] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." - Acts

4:12

How can we achieve this position in the eyes of God? How can we

take Jesus? Bible tells us:

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to

gratify its desires. " - Romans 13:14 ESV

It is clear that we must clothe ourselves with Lord Jesus. This is not

merely calling Him Lord and claiming namely His Lordship. As He

himself declared:

"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.

And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and


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manifest myself to him" - John 14:21 ESV

It is not about our fleshly strength that we can obey God's

commandments, but through the power of the Holy Spirit. We receive

this power, when we are Born Again. Even so, we have to chooseobeying, instead of rebellion. But the power by which this is achieved

is given by God.

"Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive

with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." -

James 1:21 ESV

For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also

given unto us his holy Spirit." - 1.Thessalonians 4:7-8

It is a testimony of the Holy Spirit in us, that the commandments of

God are not burden for us. As New Creatures, we desire to do God's

will willingly, out of love. This is said also in the Scripture:

"for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love. I will lift up

my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate

on your statutes. "

- Psalm 119:47-48 ESV

It is an outward sign of testimony about us being saved, when we

delight in the LORD's statutes and keep them. Jesus said that they

become to us a Law of Love. Thus the world knows we are Lord's,

when they see we are holy, set-apart from the world. No longer doesthe flesh rule over us!

For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the

law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are

released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we

serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written

code. - Romans 7:5-6 ESV

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I


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have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will

know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." - John

13:34-35 ESV


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What are the benefits of the baptism?

As we have seen in the chapter "What does it mean to be born

again?", spiritual regeneration does not come at the moment of

baptism. Rather, it happens when we acknowledge and accept theLordship of Jesus Christ, and personally submit to the will of God (1

Peter 4:2). Faith brings regeneration by the Holy Spirit and also

causes the Holy Spirit to indwell us.

"Of his own will He begot us with the word of truth, that we should be a

kind of firstfruits of his creations." - James 1:18 ESV

"That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through JesusChrist; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." -

Galatians 3:14 ESV

I haven't found anything in the Bible, that allows the interpretation

that we are regenerated through the sacrament of baptism in itself. It

is true that immediately after the Lord Jesus was baptized, the Holy

Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove (Matthew 3:16). It

seems clear that it had to be a sign of the Father's favor to those whosaw it, since surely our Lord as both God and man had to have the

Spirit in

Him even before baptism. We read in the Gospel according to Luke

that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:31-35).

Also it is believed by many sacramental/liturgical churches and

others, that infant baptism brings salvation from the Original Sin. The

Holy Scriptures say however, that the blood of Christ gives salvationfrom sin, original and personal (Revelation 1:5), not the baptism.

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one

with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all

sin." - 1 John 1:7 ESV

Baptism means to ask a pure conscience from God (1 Peter 3:21), that

is it's "sacramental" dimension. But the actual baptism is more of anoutward sign of the salvation already achieved through the Holy

Spirit as a gift from God which comes to us by faith (Ephesians 2:8).


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Accordingly then, baptism is an act of obedience to God. As a person

becomes a child of God, he or she will have the desire to keep God's

commandments out of love and appreciation (John 14:15).

It is written:

"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and hiscommandments are not grievous." - 1 John 5:3 ESV

It is a clear commandment of the Lord Jesus, that we baptize

believers:

"Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of

the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: 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. Amen." - Matthew 28:19-20

ESV

So it seems obvious that the person who takes Jesus as his or her

personal savior, ought to have an appreciative and obedient heart, by

the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus one will seek to do the Lord's will.

As we read in the Scriptures, baptism is one such commandment

directly from the Lord. Even though baptism itself does not bring the

salvation, it is nevertheless taught by the Lord that we should be

baptized and so

the actual baptism is a sign and testimony of our salvation, both to

ourselves and to the world and even to the powers of darkness (Mark

16:16)!

It is promised that doing God's will brings also His blessing

(Revelation 22:14). And to the born again son or daughter of God, it is

natural to want to please our heavenly Father. Obedience itself is themost valuable blessing.

To summarize some of the fundamental benefits of baptism, they are:

- Pure conscience which God gives us (through the faith in Jesus,

which

includes keeping his commandments, baptism being one of them) (1

Peter 3:21)- Joy which is given by the Holy Spirit for following God's

commandments


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(Romans 15:13)

- Knowledge that we are saved which thus becomes more affirmed,

since it

is written so (Mark 16:16)

Let us then briefly examine some of the "symbolism" in baptism.

Simultaneously it raises the question of the form of the baptism - is it

by sprinkling or pouring or rather by immersion.

It is written in the Scriptures about the meaning of baptism:

"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as

Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even sowe also should walk in newness of life." - Romans 6:4 RSV

"Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through

the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead." -

Colossians 2:12 ESV

It is clear from the above Scriptures, that this symbolism can be

properly achieved only by immersion in water - symbolizing our old

self buried in Christ's death - and raising from the water

symbolizing regeneration in the new life in Christ and promise of the

resurrection to immortality. Also, it is interesting to note, that all the

baptisms of the New Testament were done in the water, not only with

the water.

"And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was

much water there: and they came, and were baptized." - John 3:23 ESV(Note:

why baptize there, if only a mug full of water would be sufficient?)

"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the

water..." - Matthew 3:16a ESV (Note: Jesus came out of the water, it was

no

pouring or sprinkling)

"And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the

eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? - -


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And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord

caught away Philip..." - Acts 8:36,39a ESV (Note: they came to the spot of

natural water, a pond perhaps. They *came out of the water*)

There are also ample evidences that the original Greek word used inthe New Testament for baptism, that is "baptizoo", means "to dip in",

"to immerse". It is easy to find more information about the exegesis

and linguistic evidence, if you do not find this sufficient evidence.

Should we then baptize infant children? Scripture says about

baptism:

"But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning thekingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both

men and women." - Acts 8:12 ESV (Note: the people heard and

obviously understood the Gospel of the Kingdom, and then they

were baptized. Little children do not yet understand the Gospel).

"He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes

not shall be damned." - Mark 16:16 ESV (Note: this Scripture shows us

that faith has to precede the baptism. Also we see that baptism givesus the assurance of salvation)

"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 ESV

(Note: Is an infant child gladly receiving the word?)

Infants are saved by the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus is sufficient

to save the world from the punishment due to the Original Sin(Revelation 1:5). Also, little children have not yet committed any

personal sins which need to be reconciled with God.

"And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and

his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he

was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come

unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." -Mark

10:13-14 ESV

More so, as Christians we can have even greater assurance that our


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little children are saved through our faith, since it written:

"For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving

wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now

are they holy." - 1 Corinthians 7:14 ESV

Dear brother or sister in Christ. If you have been "baptized" as a child,

please consider the Scriptures given above and search your Bible

about the topic. Read the Acts of the Apostles with a pure heart and

then say you do not need to be immersed, have a Biblical baptism.

Yes, you are right thinking that the salvation does not come from

works; not by our act of baptism or that we should "play" God by

"saving" children by baptism.

The author has had many spiritual benefits and Joy of the Spirit after

having Biblical baptism by immersion, after first becoming a child of

God, adopted to the household of God, family of kings and priests of

our God. Examine this issue from your Bible and ask the Lord that He

may enlighten your path. If you become aware of the true joy which

comes from obedience, you will be glad to get baptized!

(If you wish to be baptized you may contact me and I can baptize youwithout forcing you to join any church, sect or denomination, or I will

help you to find such Born Again, Bible-believing brother who will

perform this for you. For free of course).


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We have Living God dwelling in our body and spirit - He is the Spirit

of God, also called "the Holy Ghost" and "Defender". It is the secret of

our integrity and our privilage to serve God who first loved us

(1.Joh.4:19). We are called to the discipleship of Jesus, we are sent to

preach the Gospel, we are called to give our very all to Jesus. We aremade brothers of the Lord Jesus (Mark 3:35) and children of God. As

it is written of us: "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are

sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call

them brethren, Heb.2:11). Thus we need to become a holy nation, a

spiritual nation of God. We have to lead a life of holiness, which we

can achieve only by the Spirit of God.

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of theworld, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to

himself, according to the good pleasure of his will" - Eph.1:4-5

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which

is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" - 1.Cor.6:19

"And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the

temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk

in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." - 2.Cor.6:16

The Church of God is Holy, so one claiming a membership in that

true spiritual Body must bring forth fruits of the Spirit. Although we

cannot be good or even to do good (in a long run) by our own

strength, we need to choose to obey God's will in our lives.

As we can see from the Scripture, and as the Spirit inside us testifies,

we are truly blessed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We have

taken His righteousness upon us (Rom.3:14). Thus He has adopted us

to the household of the Living God. Thus we may, without fear refer

to God as our Father (Abba) (Gal.4:6). Thus we also may call upon God

by His Holy Name (haShem), which is YHWH (probably spelled

Yahweh), and which includes in the name of our Lord Jesus (Yehoshua,

Yahweh is Salvation). Let us now see few verses from the Scriptures,

from the Epistle to Romans about this:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have


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received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." - Rom.8:15

We enter into an intimate spiritual relationship with God. It is kind of

a symbiosis of two life-forms existing in us. One is our self, and the

other is the True God who abides in us through His Holy Spirit. It isnot a mere theory, but YHWH God gives us a vivid testimony of this,

through His Word and through His Spirit, as Paul continues in his

epistle to Romans:

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of

God:" - Rom.8:16

With us been adopted to the Household of God, it brings about all

the birth-rights of the son and daughter of the King of Kings. As we

become the children of God the Father by reconciliation through the

Blood of Christ, we become brothers (and sisters) of God's Only

Begotten Son. This true Christian identity of our, is that we belong to

God's Royal House. We are the joint-heirs of Christ and shall rule

with Him us becoming like Him in every unimaginable way

(Philip.3:21, 1.John 3:2, Rev.5:9-11).

"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so

be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." -

Rom.8:17

"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 marvellous light" - 1.Pe.2:9

With great privilege comes great responsibility. Jesus said that not

everyone who says to him 'Lord, Lord' shall inherit the Kingdom of

Heaven. The Kingdom is reserved for the true children. There may be

people who pretend to belong to God's congregation of saints. To

them the Lord says: "Get away from me, I never knew you."

(Mat.7:21).

Before we took Jesus our Lord, God's commandments seemed hard

for us. Now they are our joy and our true food and fuel. As the Lord

said: "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God"


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(Luke 4:4b). The Spirit of adoption has transformed our spirit into

more obedient and glad, more thankful and loving. There lies the true

beauty and integrity of Christians, that we love God our Father and

each other.

We have right to own all God's promises as His children. Accepting

this fact in all humility fit for obedient children, we will despite out of

our spirit all the integrity that we rightfully possess. The secret of our

true identity lies in the fact that we are a whole new sort of creation,

made by God, who elected this body of people before the ages

(Eph.1:4-5). Of this it is written: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he

is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are

become new. (1.Co.5:17)".

Almighty God has power and will to make as even bastions and

strongholds of His Word. When we receive from Him our daily

spiritual bread and carry our crosses in His footsteps, He will make

us worthy vessels to carry the light of the truth. We have as our Lord

the truthful and faithful God the Word, He even has the will to give

us everything He has. But we have to become servants of Him and of

each other. Lord will teach us all the humility He manifested whenHe walked this Earth. Only by self-denial and lack of egocentric

motivation will we truly realize the wonderful hope and freedom

which we may have in Christ.

As we deny ourselves and follow Jesus humbly and truly, the fruit of

the Spirit will proceed. As the Word proceeds from the Father, so do

the good works of faith and praise of gratitude come forth from us.

Verily is the miracle of regeneration and true conversion the basis andreason for our worship and praise. As heirs, we may come to the

presence of God with due reverence and joy. Could there be any

better identity and basis for the purpose of integral life, than having

the Living God living in our heart and speaking to us? That is what

happened when we were regenerated and when we daily carry our

crosses!

All this glory and wonder came to us, because of God's grace. Our

part was to choose to accept this gift and bring our lives, our hopes,


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fears, sins...everything in us, to the merciful God, who is merciful in

His Son. We did as it is written: "Let us therefore come boldly unto

the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help

in time of need. (Heb.4:16). Let all of us who are in Christ, always

trust our God, who is our Father and our Redeemer and Sanctifier.May we walk always from light to light!

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the

communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all." - 2.Cor.13:14


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Basis of Christian moral values

All moral values are fundamentally derived from the

commandments of God.

All scientifical, theological and philosophic theoris will always

have some effect to the morals and ethis of mankind. Let's take

the darwinism for example. It asserts we are fundamentally not

the image of God, but rather animals evolved from slime, ape-

like creatures etc. This brings with it a moral conclusions; If

we're animals, we ought to act and behave like ones! Sexual

moral, family values, society's care about the weak... No matter

what they say, their ideas actually will effect how they maketheir decisions! That is no less true with us Christians.

If we encounter people, as they would be Jesus, we ourselves

give Jesus to them. This is connected to the fact that we should

do everything as we'd do it to the Lord. This shapes our moral

and makes us more Christ-like. Also, by serving others in this

manner gives something out of our innermostself, our spirit and

thus we give from ourselves the most true.

Here is the beuty of the regenerated heart and mind of a true

disciple. We must learn to put our own abitions, comfort and

desires to halt at a time and learn to take care of other people.

We must not only serve those we like, but also those that we

naturally dislike. Lord said about this:

And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? donot even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your

Father which is in heaven is perfect Mt.5:47-48

If we put our faith in the thoughts, values and ideals of human

beings in any form, be it political, philosophical or religious ideal,

we have not on solid ground. Trends and fashions change. What

was wrong yesterday may be considered rightful today. But that

is not the case with Christians! Our moral values are not ourown ideas what we feel right or wrong. We have died to our own

fleshly desires and look up to the perfect One and desire to listen


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the voice of the Good Shepherd to instruct us.

We must consider the Bible as a literal Word of God because All

Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for

reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2.Ti3:16 ESV). Ask yourself, if your faith does not found it self in the

Bible, where then? Remember that all false religious and

philosophical assertions are based on the Original Lie: And the

serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God

doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be

opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Gen.

3:4-5). Believing this lie in it's various modern forms may at first

seem proper. It may be politically correct even. But eventuallyit will lead to destruction.

All man-made paths to whatever worldly glory, will at the end

be the highway to destruction. What's it going to be? Will you

choose the narrow way, which may sometimes seem boring or

unbearable in the eyes of the flesh? Or will you take the broad

way to please yourself on the expense of the happiness of others,

will of God and eventually your eternal damnation? You can'thave both! Therefore it is of utmost and of eternal importance

that we found our faith in the sure foundation of Living God;

His Word.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will

stand forever. - Isaiah 40:8 ESV


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What is the Kingdom of God?

It is very refreshing to be guided by the Spirit in truth in all

matters. So is it also with the Gospel of the Kingdom. Some may

wonder what does it has to do with the Regeneration, but I amconvinced it has to do much. Jesus said that if we are born again,

we may then and only then enter this kingdom (John 3:3). So,

when we were regenerated, we were adopted into the family of

God and that means also we have the Earth as our inheritance.

This is the secret of the Kingdom. Jesus promised to His twelve

apostles:

And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which havefollowed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the

throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the

twelve tribes of Israel. - Matthew 19:28

The Kingdom (Malkuth in Hebrew) was something Jesus

preached about a lot. Many people want us to believe that the

church, past and/or present is the kingdom. Or that it is only a

state of mind. But let us see what the Scriptures has to say aboutthe subject.

You may remember the golden statue in the book of Daniel that

the Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream. The different parts of the

statue were the different kingdoms some already there at

Daniel's time and recognized by him by the inspiration of the

Spirit. The last world power is being established by God and is

described as follows:

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a

kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not

be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all

these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. " - Daniel 2:44.

This does not convince all that the Kingdom will be literal. But

how then are we to understand these words of the Lord:Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

(Mat.5:5)? Some say that this applies only to our earthly lives.


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But if we seek the Psalm Jesus was referring to we found these

words: The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein

for ever. (Psalm 37:29).

Some say that the world (or the mankind) will be utterlydestroyed and that the Church is in heaven during the

Millenium or the eternity. But let us see what God promised

after He destroyed the ante-deluvian world except Noah and his

family.

...I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the

imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again

smite any more every thing living, as I have done. - Gen.8:21

If we let the Lord open our eyes, we may understand the blessed

hope we have in a renewed, regenerated planet, ruled by King

Jesus! For Him it was clear issue and that is why He said:

Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine,

until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. - Mark

14:25

When will this happen? Lord said:

When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying,

Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons,

which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power,

after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto

me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the

uttermost part of the earth. -Acts 1:6-8

So it was not God's intention to build the Kingdom at the first

coming, but at the second. Jesus spoke about this also in other

occasions which you can see in Matthew chapter 24.

Well, how can we be sure that the Kingdom is literal and really

on Earth rather than in heaven? Have you ever considered

where would Adam and Eve have lived lest they had sinned?

God made them to live on Earth and that is why it is written:

The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath hegiven to the children of men. - Psalm 115:16


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For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that

formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not

in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none

else. - Is.45:18

As we have seen in the chapter Growing in the Christian

integrity and identity we will be co-heirs of Christ. Let's see

briefly a Scripture from Revelation about this:

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the

book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast

redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue,

and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and

priests: and we shall reign on the earth. - Rev.5:9-10

We may understand more of this if we look what Paul wrote

about this, that the dead will be with the Lord truly only after

the resurrection (of the body):

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which

are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For ifwe believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in

Jesus will God bring with him.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive

and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are

asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with

the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in

Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught

up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and soshall we ever be with the Lord. - 1.Thes.4:13-17

So, in the resurrection of the body, we become Christ-like also

physically. We get similar bodies Jesus had after He rose from

the grave.

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all

be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the lasttrump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised

incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put


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on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when

this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall

have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that

is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

- 1.Co.15:51-54

But how am I sure that the Lord will be literally on Earth?

Because of the following Scriptures:

For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall

be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the

city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be

cut off from the city.

Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when hefought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the

mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east ... - Zechariah 15:1-

4 (Note that the text clearly speaks about literal attack against Israel,

so it cannot be symbolic in this context).

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the

tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they

shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be theirGod.

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 passed away.

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And

he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning

and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water

of life freely.

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he

shall be my son. - Rev.21:3-7

Oh how amazing and gracious wonders and glories are waiting

for us! That is the Gospel of the Kingdom we're supposed to

preach to all nations! That is the wonderfulgrand finale to all the

agonies and fears of the world. That is the final Regeneration of

the Universe and it's inhabitants given to us by gracious and

True Lord Jesus!


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Six thousand years of sin will end in a Millenia of sabbath-rest

for the Earth and to those faithful among humanity.

There would be much more to write about the Kingdom. This I

will save to another occasion and trust that this shortpresentation may incite reader to study the subject more from his

or her Bible.

One thing is, that as we are Regenerated, we already are citizens

and heirs of the Kingdom, but not reigning royal priests in office.

However, as the Spirit of God was present in the Creation, He is

now in our hearts and thus we have share in the creative power,

the most dynamic power in the Universe! And this is just the

beginning for we will get all the promises of God literally in the(Millenial) Kingdom and after it!


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Power of the Holy Spirit in the life of believer

As Christians we have 24-7 instant access to the most large

power source of the Universe. As we were born again and as we

are daily regenerated, we have the Almighty God living insideus through His Holy Spirit (see John 14:16). That makes us

vessels of the most noble Being in the Universe and beyond!

That gives us sweet assurance and inner affirmation of Eternal

Life which we already have started to live.

Unlike earthly and humanly power sources, the communion

with the Spirit does not slow and will not cease by any reason

aside if we personally quit the contract with Him. I have prayedmany times, Oh Lord, make me a better vessel to carry You

Spirit. Make me able to shine Your Light. That He does, but we

have a free will to let or not let God change and transform us

daily more and more into His image.

The Spirit works through the Word. He reminds us of the Word

of God and never does He tell us anything with is not in

accordance with the Bible. But in the Word we have life, becausethe written Word is all about the Ever-living Word the Son! Here

lies the secret of the true authority of the believer. Not that we

move the Spirit, but that the Spirit reminds us of the Words of

God the Father and of the Son. Of this the Lord Jesus said:

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will

send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to

your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26).

This is closely linked to what Jesus told in the same speech:If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. (John 14:14).

If we live in accordance with the Spirit, we will not ask God to

satisfy our selfish desires, but to glorify Himself in us and

through us. Jesus continued: If ye love me, keep my

commandments. (John 14:15). Also He said in another occasion:

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we

drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Fatherknoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these


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things shall be added unto you. - Mat.6:31-33

Here we have the truth about the earthly success. We indeed

are promised to be supplied all we need, but surely a born again

child of God does not need all the material luxuries that this

world seeks. Rather we must direct our heart's deepest desiretowards the aims of the Kingdom.

When we came to faith and grow in it, theperson of the Holy

Spirit becomes familiar to us. Our relationship with Him

becomes intimate and profound. Indeed I did not understand

that the Spirit is a person. I even did not understand that I had a

separate part in my being, that is my spirit. Only when the Spirit

of God came upon me and began live inside me, did I comeaware of these awesome truths fully. Surely a person who does

not know personally God, cannot appreciate or truly

comprehend His person. Even so, we children of God have an

eternity to learn about our God. That is the true power of Him

that has saved us!


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Transforming the hearts by the power of the Spirit

Cradle of life came to earth in human vesture. He took upon Himself

the genome of human. Apparently He had to change the genetic

formula of man to do this. Thus the Divine merged with thecorporeal, beginning the salvatory work of Incarnation. What a

wonderful mystery it is that is revealed to us in the Bible! And

knowing and believing that Jesus died as a sacrificial Lamb for our

sins and then was resurrected and ascended to heaven, now is living

eternally and we with Him! After His ascension He sent His Spirit to

us to lead us to all truth. We read: Thus it is written, "The first man

Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving

spirit. (1.Co.15:45).

Now, if you believe this and have been regenerated, you can easily imagine

yourself as a God's vessel. You are the vessel of the Holy Spirit and therefore

also a messenger of God: You are invested with a power and willto proclaim

the Good News! Isn't it the greatest privilege imaginable to be a vesselof

God and see the most powerful force in the universe to quicken the

spiritually dead people? Isn't it the most profound longing one can have, to

be an instrument of the Regenerating Spirit and see the Cradle of Life to

establish Himself in fellow men and women?

It is my sincere belief that every person who is born again receives the will

and power to pass on the life-giving knowledge of the Gospel. Willyou let

the others to know about the grace you have received? Will you carry the

torch of Eternal Light in this world of darkness?

Lord said that a city found on a hill cannot remain hidden. So it is with

people of God. Our salvation willbecome manifest! If we only follow the

calling we received, we will daily see miracles, small and great in our lives

and in the lives of those we encounter.

Then and only then we will see the true power of God which moves

mountains! Becoming doers of the word and not only hearers shall we

partake in the radical process which the Spirit is making in transforming the

hearts of all who are willing to receive God's salvation in Jesus Christ, freely

because of His grace.

We must daily renew our covenant with God and Jesus. That is the secret of

success in our spiritual life and it's development. This is the secret longing in

the hearts of every living human being.


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My Worship Psalm

Very soon after I was born again, I started to internal urge to praise

God. This was something totally new to me. I found it natural to prayconstantly and worship God every way I could. I received the

purified lips from the Lord by which He made me able to offer thanks

to Him.

Next I offer a Psalm-like poem I wrote very soon I was born again. I

wrote it originally in my native Finnish, so the translation may lack

some of the artistic values (if there are any) of the original but

nevertheless carry the Joy of the Spirit I received.

My soul truly rejoices of Your goodness, oh Lord.

You saved me from the traps of death,

and delivered me to the fullness of freedom.

That is why Your laws and statutes have become very dear to me.

Today You are my King.

I want to build your Kingdom,and to praise your name in the town square.

I desire to walk in the halls of your House,

and to rest in it's colonnades.

You cut in half the separating curtain,

Thus I can come in joy and gladness to the Holy of Holiest.

Verily have You given me my daily breath,For You gave Yourself as a gift to me, Oh Bread of Life.

Oh Living God, my spirit thirsts the Living Water.

Give us the life-giving Spring Rain of your Spirit.

Let the harvest of Your blessings bloom lush in our midst.

Give strength to my spirit,

that I could endure the brightness of Your greatness,

and your Everlasting Presence.


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Make me more abiding vessel to Your holy cause.

Your love wells in my heart as a spring,

Let it grow to a great water fall!

Even though I am a sin-stained dust,You bore me anew.

And You gave me power to become your child and heir of your

promises.

Let humility increase in me.

Endow me in spiritual warfare,

so I can fight the good fight of faith.

Only did you not clear obstacles in my way,

but abundantly gave me only best.

You adopted me to your Royal Priesthood, oh High Priest,

and made me house-keeper of your Word.

To many I have become an object of amazement,

but You are my stronghold.

That is why I want to offer You thanksgiving,

praise your Holy Name, and worship You oh Living God,

Adonai Yahweh Elohim,

Alleluia. Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh.

Amen


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My Christological Confession

To some it may seem strange to add this theological presentation

here, but to me it was an important part of the work of the Spirit. Like

it was promised, the Spirit guided me to see who and what Jesus isand how He is related to the Father things which were not always

clear to me before I was born again. After my regeneration I felt an

inner urge to put my newly enlightened understanding into words

which now follow.

I believe in One God (YHWH Echad Elohim), the Father (ABBA),

origin of all things,from whom the Word (LOGOS) has His origin,

from the days of old - from eternity.

From everlasting is He an utterance of the Father (Gn.1:1, Jn.1:1),

Light from Light, God from God.

Of the same substance, as born not created (Ps.2:7),

because it is written "Trough Him all things were created" (Col.1:16).

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,

who is the person of the Love of God.

He emanates from the Father and through the Son.

He is not created, being the Spirit of God,

He is not separate from the Father.

So as the Father is the Origin of the Son and of the Spirit,

He is, at is written "the head of Christ" (1.Co.11:3),But as the Son is born and the Spirit is radiating from the Father,

they are not created beings, but share the substance of the Godhead

and are thus truly God.

As it is written, "God is Spirit" (Jn.4:23) and "Word was God" (Jn.1:1)

and that "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily"

(Col.2:9).,

they are all YHWH ELOHIM - it is also written of the Word, that "He

is the Angel of His Presense" (Ex.3:2, Is.63:9) and "Angel in whom My


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Name Is" (Ex.23:21).

Even so, it is written that "Being made so much better than the angels,

as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they"

(Heb.1:4).

As the spirit of man is the man, so the Spirit of God is truly God,

Also thus is the son of man a man, so is Son of God the God -

As it is written, "In the beginning was Word and Word was God"

(Jn.1:1) and

"Thou, Lord, didst found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens

are the work of thy hands; - - But thou art the same, and thy years

will never end." (Hb.1:10-13).

Father is Ancient of Days (ATIK YOMIN) (Dn.7:9),

Son is the Firstborn God and Word (MONOGENES THEOS, LOGOS)

and the Spirit is the Comforter (RUACH HaKADOSH, PARACLETOS).

All of them are worthy to receive the due honor and worship of men,

as they are all the LORD (YHWH), even as the Father is the head and

origin of the Godhead (ELOHIM).


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Anti-drug exhortation and contact information

Take Jesus, not drugs! Friend, today Jesus wants to free you from the

captivity of sin. He wants to take you from spiritual Egypt and

deliver you to the land of milk and honey! Jesus will fill you with Hislove. That love exceeds all earthly desires and fleshly pleasures.

Drugs and abusive use of alcohol are Satan's counterfeit for the true

joy and fulfillment you will receive by taking Jesus as your Lord and

Savior today.

Find us on Facebook Group name: Take Jesus, not drugs!

You can find the author of this book in the Facebook under the name

Christian Chivalry. This book is a result of many years of seeking

God and finally Him finding me. If you feel in your heart that this

book could help someone, please ask them to contact the author at

[email protected], so I can send them a copy upon request. I

accept volunteer donations for my ministry and to the project of

having this book and evangelizing tracts printed in hard copies.

(My bank account FI9780002612547645).

God bless you and thank you for reading!

Yours,

H.J.A Kiviniemi, evangelist
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

Abundant Blessings

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