Jesus came for you.  You are one of His people.

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”  -  Matthew 1:21

He will save His people from their sins. Do you believe He is capable of this?  Is Jesus capable of saving you from your sins?

The very heart of faith is to believe that not only is Jesus capable of saving you from your sins, but that He is willing and ready to accomplish this for you now.  No matter what the challenge.  No matter what the history.  No matter what the reason. Today is a new day because Jesus Christ is God and the wages of sin — the death, disease, suffering, anguish, anxiety, fear, doubt, destructive behaviors, self-loathing, hatred, anger, violence, and pain — stop today.  Right here.  Right now.  Jesus is ready to save.  It’s why He came.  To save us from our sins.

Now, many people believe that evil is so ingrained in who we are as human beings that it can’t simply be laid aside for better things.  Some fear that if they let go of the mistakes they have made, they may lose their identity, or their drive to succeed.  Others are so blinded by the lies they have accepted about themselves, either lies that they told or lies that were told about them, that they are no longer looking for a better life.  And some are so challenged by the physical presence of the enemy in their body in the form of disease, pain, and suffering that they no longer see the opportunity for healing, they no longer are believing for salvation.  And it is at these times that Jesus comes to us like a baby — innocent, hopeful, full of joy and expectation, sure of the possibilities, and ready to see what it takes to accomplish His plan which is our salvation.  He will not be discouraged.  He will not be refused.  He just looks at us with that peace of confidence, that calm of expectation, and that passionate intensity born of the excitement for what this day will bring.  He looks at us with love and offers us His hand.  Ready to help us up.  Ready to work with us side by side — guiding, teaching, directing, showing.  Stepping in for the hard parts to demonstrate how we can follow His example, and then stepping back to let us try for ourselves.  We worship an awesome God.  Patient and kind, always constructive, and passionately invested in our success.  His purpose is clear.  His vision is eternal.  And He will not rest until He accomplishes His desire to bless us.  Because that is what Christmas is all about.  That is the goal of salvation.  Our God is reaching out to us to share His abundance with those who don’t have as much as He does.  He is using His strength to lift us, His wisdom to guide us, His love to support us, His touch to heal us, His wealth to provide for us, the list goes on.  His plan is to use everything that He has and everything that He is, to provide for and bless everyone He can.  And this is the message of Christmas — Jesus came for you.  His blessings are ready for you.  His salvation is planned for you.  His birth in the manger was planned for you.

As you celebrate the holidays this year, consider what Christ’s purpose may be for you.  Think about what blessings may be in store for you.  Open your mind to the possibility of salvation from even your most challenging and personal sins.  Let go of whatever is holding you back from your best life now, and step out in faith to embrace the abundant blessings of joy, peace, health, fulfillment and prosperity that Jesus has been planning for you since before He was born.  This can be your Christmas to experience the miracle of salvation.  You can be saved.  No matter your history.  No matter your heredity.  No matter your situation, Jesus Christ was born for you.  Jesus Christ came to earth with one thing in mind, and that was saving you.  He is ready.  He is able.  All He is asking for is the opportunity to show you what He can do for you, how much better your life can be with Him as a key player.  Will you take this moment to tell Him that you want a Christmas miracle?  Will you speak up right now and tell Him that you want Him to be part of your life?  Take the time.  Share your heart with your savior.  Open your life to your God.  And He will take you places that you’ve never even believed possible.  Give Him the chance and He will bless you, restore you, heal you, and provide for you. All you have to do is ask.

And at the heart of God’s will is infinite love for you, and a passionate, persistent, dedicated, and instense drive to bless you.

When God’s will is accomplished, its results are amazing.  This is because God knows you and everyone else so well that He can provide for the best outcomes in every situation.  And that is what He wants to do.  He is the giver.  He is the provider.  He is the creator.  His will has no limits and His vision sees every possibility.  His willingness to invest in you is unlimited and His readiness to commit to your success is always immediate.  But for all the omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and everything that God brings to His side of your relationship with Him, there are still limits you can place on God’s will being done.  Your willingness to believe and readiness to receive the blessings He is so urgently working to give you and the answers He provides for you — can open the door to radical blessings, or can stand in the way of achieving success and fulfillment.

The choice is yours.

And don’t forget.  This is not a one time offer.  This is not a limited time deal.  This is not a use it or lose it proposition.  This is forever and always.  This is the will of the creator and sustainer of the universe.  This is the opportunity of a lifetime for a lifetime — it never expires. His offer is perpetual.  His patience is infinite.  And you can say no every day, every time you think of it and still He won’t withdraw His offer.  You can buy the competitor’s product.  You can even sell the competitor’s product. You can do every contrary, dysfunctional, twisted, and evil thing you can think of and still God will be looking for the next opportunity to work with you and accomplish His will for your life.  Because God is playing for keeps.  His purposes are eternal and He always goes the distance with every person He creates.  God never gives up. And while He consistently respects your boundaries, and refuses to invade your space, His blessings will chase you down and overtake you when you aren’t expecting it.  He will surprise and delight you even if you only give Him the smallest opening.  And once you open the door, even ever so slightly, God is going to start bringing everything He has and handing it over to you. The blessings may come faster than you notice them or more subtly than you can resist them at first.  But open your eyes and you will see that every time you listen, every time you look, every time you step out in faith — God is right there ready to hand you the victory, bring you the success, give you the answers, and fulfill the dreams of your heart that you never believed possible before.

God is not going to give up. God is a very persistent giver.  He is going to take every opportunity to show you the value of His will, to demonstrate the quality of His blessings, and to send His gifts in such abundance that sooner or later you will take notice.  Don’t let this opportunity keep passing you by.  God’s will is perfect, and its perfect for you. Take the time to talk to Him about it. Open yourself up to the fact that His will is worth pursuing not because its His, but because its the best possible outcome in every situation.  And then get ready to receive, because when you give God the permission He will fill your life up to full and overflowing with good things.  He will give you the desires of your heart, and bless you in ways that you haven’t even imagined.  God’s will, will be done.  And that’s the best possible outcome for every situation.

There was a time when only a few could or did know God.  But when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea all that changed.  God Himself became universally visible for the first time, not just to a select few prophets or wise men, not just to the priests and levites serving in the temple, and more importantly, not just to the few who actually met Jesus in those few years He spent building His ministry, developing a following, and initiating His kingdom on earth to coordinate in harmony with His kingdom in heaven.

“Because you have seen me you have believed.  Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed” – John 20

The key to becoming a priest is establishing an unmediated relationship with Jesus Christ as your only God.  Don’t hide.  Don’t try to enlist someone else to take care of it for you.  Its about you and God.  Its between you and God.  And only you and God can sort it out.

So, to become a priest, here are the basic steps that God has provided, for anyone who desires to find Him:

1. Take ownership of your life.  Every decision you have made.  Every experience you have lived.  Every thing that has been done to you.  Everything that you have done.  And all of the results both good and bad.  Accept where you are and who you are with complete openness, honesty, and the willingness to see it for what it is. 
2. Evaluate your decision making based on the results you acheive.  God’s answers always work.  So if the decisions you are making aren’t working, they aren’t God’s will for your life.  Identify where God is already blessing your life and areas where you are still in need of blessing.
3. Commit your life, your decisions, your property, and your personal identity to Jesus Christ as your only God.  Jesus is God.  Embracing this reality will take your perspectives, your decision making ability, and the results you achieve to places you have not even thought possible before.  And commiting your life to Him changes the way you interact with other people, what you choose to do with the time and resources He provides for you, and at the heart of it all your commitment changes who you are – because by choosing a relationship with Jesus as your only God, you are born again.
4. Get baptized by full immersion in water in the name of “Jesus Christ”.  Baptism is the physical act of commitment indicating your ordination into the priesthood.  No other names, titles, or aspects of God should be used in the baptism of new believers than “Jesus Christ”.  Although only your own commitment to walk with Christ can make your baptism effective, and so who physically helps you into the water and makes the statement “I baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ”  is of little consequence, the best practice is to be baptized by the believer who introduced you to Jesus as your only God.  This connection through shared experience will provide you with a mentor in the faith, and a fellow disciple to walk with on the path to eternal life.
5. Take your baptism to the next level.  The baptism in water is your ordination, but your calling is to receive full immersion in the holy spirit and fire.  God’s spirit comes on those who pursue, study, pray for, and accomplish His will.  And as you discover His will, come to understand the actual gospel, and persist in your commitment to staying right in your relationship with Him, exercising your rights as a believer and facing your responsibilities as well — the passion for the salvation of souls, for making the world a better place because you have lived in it, your ability to see God’s will in the present, and receive the persistent blessings God showers on you will rise up like a flame and the power of God’s love will come into you, over you and around you — and through you into all those you reach.
6. Make disciples.  It is the first and most important responsibility of every believer to introduce others to God.  As a priest you are a disciple, a follower and servant of Jesus Christ.  It is your job to make more disciples, not for yourself, but for God.  You may not be the first or the last person to introduce them.  They may not be ready to hear, or they may have deep seated rejection of God in their hearts.  But you make sure the witness of your life, and the testimony of your words accurately reflect, embody, and convey your relationship with Jesus Christ as your only God. 
7. Live with integrity.  One of the best measures of your own faith, is observing how consistent you are.  God is completely consistent and so has perfect integrity.  Evil, on the other hand is completely inconsistent and lacks all integrity.  God’s vision for your life is to bless every single thing you think, say, and do.  Every word you speak.  Every decision you make.  Every task you take on.  Everything.  Everything you choose to do either empowers the presence of God on earth, or limits His ability to bless you and those around you. 
8. Engage reality and so change it.  Don’t get bogged down in your mistakes, overcome them.  The only unforgiveable sin is one that you won’t face or for which you don’t want forgiveness.  God doesn’t hold mistakes against you, but there is nothing He can do if you don’t accept reality and choose to change it.  Our God is bigger than every challenge you face today.  And there is nothing you can do that will turn Him off of His desire to work with you.  God is a very persistent giver.  Accept the goodness of God, not because you believe you deserve it, but because you know that He wants to give it to you.  Every time you fall, get up.  Every time you stumble, take one more step.  Focus your life on discovering and accomplishing God’s will, not on reliving the past.  Every moment is a new opportunity to engage reality and so to change it.  Take that opporunity.

God isn’t holding anything back in His relationship with you.  His will always provides the best possible outcome in every situation.  And so as you embrace the reality of His will for you, you will be perfected not just individually in your relationship with Him, but also collectively with all other believers as we all work together in becoming the living body of Christ. 

Are you ready?  Then pray this prayer, “Lord Jesus, I accept who I am, I understand where I have been, and I repent of my sins.  Right here, right now, I commit the rest of my life to you.  Come into my heart.  I make you my one and only God.  Save me.  Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer, I believe you were born again.  Get baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, pursue and accomplish His will, and get ready to accept the blessings and the promises of God that will chase you down and overcome you now that you are a priest and a believer, a disciple of the one true God and eternal life, Jesus Christ.

So, if the answers you are using don’t work, they aren’t God’s.

That’s what Jesus was saying when He said,

“I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE”  - John 14:6

He could have said, “I am the Lord, the Master, and the Teacher” or “I am the Highest Priest, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords.”  All of which certainly is true, but it wasn’t what mattered to Him.  What mattered to Jesus was letting us know that He always has the answers for us, He always wants to give us those answers, and His answers always work.  He is right here, right now, ready to save.

Salvation is not about someday, somewhere.  God’s answers aren’t for tomorrow and they weren’t intended for someone else.  God has answers for you right now.  He has been with you since He created you, and He knows you better than you even know yourself.  If you feel bad about stuff that you have done, if you have seen the damage that you caused to yourself or others, or problems that really are your fault — or worse, if you have been abused, repressed, or hurt by the people or circumstances of your life, do not be afraid.  God knows you.  He knows your history.  And He has been working behind the scenes to take care of you, to bless you, and to lift you up.  He has been spending every moment of every day of your entire life to save you.  That’s what matters to God.  Results are what matter to God.  And when He hasn’t been able to achieve His will for your life, when things haven’t turned out well for you and His blessings have been made of no effect in your life, He is frustrated, He is hurt, He is sad because He loves you — deeply, passionately, and completely.  He wants what is best for you in every situation and He will use everything He has to bless you.  That is His will.

An amazing fact about God being infinite is that infinite is infinitely divisible.  That means that God can give everything that He has to every person in creation, every moment of every day forever.  What God wants to do for us is beyond what we can even imagine.  He wants to give us everything that He is, and all that He has.  That’s what salvation is — receiving the free gifts that God wants to give us because He loves us.  So don’t get hung up on trying to deserve it.  Don’t think that you have to do anything to be worth God’s time.  Because you already matter completely 100% to God.  Asking God to think of you, spend time with you, or take care of you, is asking for something that God already promised to give you, has already been doing His best to give you, and is at the moment you ask already offering once again to give you.

God is a very persistent giver. We may turn Him down. We might not notice Him. We might be prevented from accepting what He offers.  It doesn’t matter why we haven’t received His will for our lives.  God is ready right now for you to reach out and take what He has prepared for you, what He wants to give you — His blessings, His success, His health, His strength, His victory, His answers.  It’s all yours if you want it, because you are a child of God, a unique and priceless original creation – and God is trying to give you everything that He has, and that’s everything.

God is ready to give you the answers you need.  He wants to show you the way to receive His blessings.  He is ready to discuss your history and set a new course that will bring your life to a whole new level. God is not afraid of the dark side of your life because He is the light of life.  There is no challenge to hard and no obstacle too big for God.  And no matter where you are coming from or what has happened in your life, He is working to bless you.

There is a story of a man who asked God why so many bad things happen in the world.  And God took him up into heaven and showed him a great warehouse, far larger than any we have here on earth.  God took him inside and showed him aisle upon aisle, row upon row, rack upon rack, miles and miles of every good thing the man had ever dreamed of.  The man was amazed and asked God why He hadn’t given this stuff when it was needed most.  At this God was saddened and pointed out to the man that every container had the same tag on it.  The man, who hadn’t noticed this, took a closer look and sure enough every box, bag, and jar had the same card dangling from a string, that simply read, “Not asked for.”

What are you asking God for today?  Could you be asking for more?  If you are asking for enough food to feed your family, its time to start believing for enough not just for your family but for another family as well.  If you are asking for a job, its time to start believing for a career.  If you are asking for the ability to put up with a health problem, its time to start believing for restoration to a healthy body.  If you are asking for the ability to pay back your debts, its time to start believing that God wants to pay you back double for everything that you have lost.  God is a very persistent giver.  No matter what you are asking, it’s time to take the limits off cooperating with God.  He is ready to give you the answers you need.  He is ready to take His relationship with you to the next level.  He is ready to be a part of the conversation of your life.  He is ready to provide not just everything you need, not just everything your heart desires, but more than you have ever dreamed of.  God is ready to give you everything that He has to give, and that is everything.  

So ask yourself, “how well do my answers work?”  Because God’s answers always work.

Jesus warned, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. Whoever desires to be first among you shall be your bondservant, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

There is only one teacher — Jesus Himself.

He is the holder of the keys, and He freely gives them to all who are willing to accept them.  It is His will that whenever we discover one, we share it.  And so, here are just a few of His keys to His kingdom that I have discovered in my walk with Him.

Jesus Christ is God

• Jehovah God Created Heaven and Earth (Gen 1:1)
• Jehovah God Himself is and Always Has Been the Savior of the World (Isa 43:11; Hos 13:4; Isa 47:4; Isa 63:16)
• Jesus Christ is Jehovah God (Isa 9:6-7; Isa 7:14; Mt 1:23; Isa 25:9; Isa 40:3-5; Jn 1:1-14; Ps 33:6; 1 John 5:20)
• Jesus was Born of the Virgin Mary – the Divine Soul in a Mortal Body and Mind (Lk 1:35)
• By His Own Power Jesus Made Himself Fully Divine, Completely One with His Soul, so that After Resurrection and Ascension He Was and Always Will be Jehovah God All the Way Down Even to His Body, whose name we now know “Jesus Christ” (Jn 14:6; Lk 24:39; Jn 14:9; Jn 3:25; Mt 11:27; Mt 28:18; Rev 1:8-11)
• Jesus Christ is the Archetypal Human, in whose image and likeness we were made — and so to be human is to be Christlike(Gen 1:26-27)
• Saving Faith is Believing and Following the Life of Jesus Christ (Jn 3:36; Jn 15:4-5)
• Every Believer is a Priest (Exod 19:6; Jer 31)
• Every Person has an Individual, Direct, Unmediated Relationship with Jesus (Jn 15:15)
• Jesus Christ Made His Second Advent (1745 - 1770) when He appeared in Person to Emanuel Swedenborg and Commissioned Him as a Revelator (Jn 16:12-15; Mt 24; Rev 1-22) as the prophets had foretold

Only God Explains Truth With Authority

• The Written Revelations Given By God contain Divine Truth Itself (Jn 6:63; Mk 13:31; Lk 16:17)
• The Written Text of these Revelations Describes the Truth, but it is a Believer’s Living and Present Relationship with God that Prescribes Answers for Life (Jn 16:12; Mt 5:17)
• Every Believer Can and Should Search the Scriptures for God’s Eternal Message (Mt 7:7-8; Mt 21:21-22; Mt 23:25-26)
• The Ten Commandments (Exod 20:1-17) Summarize Civil, Moral, and Spiritual Law(Mt 22:35-40; Lev 22:31; Jn 14:15; Jn 15:10)

Every Person’s Life is Their Faith, and Salvation is God’s Ability to Bless, Correct, Improve, Restore, and Resurrect

• There is Only One True Faith that can save no matter what (Mt 16:16-18; Ephesians 4:4-13)
• Saving Faith is Complete Confidence in Jesus Christ and Trust that Everyone who Lives a Good Life and Holds a Proper Belief is Saved by Him (Jn 11:25; Jn 3:16)
• Doing God’s Will and Obeying God’s Commands are Required to Facilitate the Gifts of Faith and Salvation Even Though These Actions Do Not Cause a Believer to Deserve or Merit Heaven (Jn 3:27; Jn 15:4-8; Jn 13:17; Mt 13:23; Mt 7:24-26; Lk 10:27)

Salvation is God’s Purpose for Every Life, Because He Wants You to Succeed and Be Blessed like Everyone Else

• Heaven Isn’t Just a Destination After Death, it is a Quality of Life, Right Here, Right Now (Lk 17:21)
• In terms of Physics (position, velocity, and acceleration) – Heaven is a Velocity, not a position.
• Everyone Lives Forever One Way or The Other (Jn 14:19; Jn 11:25)
• Heaven is Full of People Who Love God and Love People Like God Loves Them (Mic 6:8; Lk 10:27)
• Hell is Full of People Who Love Themselves and the stuff they can own, control, and manipulate (Ps 9:17; Lk 12:5)
• Heaven and Hell are Both Eternal (Lk 16:26)
• Every Human Being is Created for Heaven but is Free to Reject it (Lk 17:21)
• People in Heaven are Married, One Man with One Woman, to Eternity (Mt 19:4-6)

Every Moment of Every Day, Jesus Christ is Using Everything that He has to Bless You

• All Humans Have Free Will in Spiritual Matters and so Determine The Network and Context of their Own Eternal Life by Their Lifestyle Decision For or Against Jesus Christ (Ps 54:6; Isa 1:16-17; Jn 8:31-36; Jn 15:14-16)
• Confessing Sins to Jesus Christ alone without another mediator, changing the decision for sin, giving back for the Damage Caused, and being Born Again to New Life in His Name is how we accept restoration, blessing, peace, and success (Jn 3:3; Jn 3:5; Lk 3:3-8; Mk 1:4; Mk 1:15; Lk 13:5; Lk 15:7; Mt 10:39; Ps 51:10)

Two Processes that Can Change You: Baptism and Holy Supper

• Christian Baptism Replaces Circumcision (Deut 10:16; Galatians 5:6; 6:15)
• Baptism is an Introduction to a Network and Context of Believers on Earth and in Heaven (Mt 3:13)
• Baptism is Full Immersion in Water in the Name of Jesus Christ (Mt 28:18-19)
• Baptism of Water is only a stepping stone so that a Person will be Born Again by the Spirit of Jesus Christ the living and only God (Jn 3:5; Mk 16:16)
• Jesus Christ is Present With, Redeems, and Opens Heaven to Those who want to walk with Him when they Take the Bread and Fruit of the Vine in His Name (Jn 6:51-56)
• Eating and Drinking with Jesus Connects the Believer’s Life with Jesus Christ and so renews their Freedom in Him (Deut 8:3; Jn 6:27)
• Grace is the immediate willingness of God to work with us no matter what
• Mercy is the empowered love of God that restores what was broken as we walk with Him in new life.

There are so many keys, these are just a few that have turned my life around.  Take them, try them, and when God reaches into your life, like He has so many time in mine and takes these thoughts or others and makes them keys for you, keep a copy for yourself, but pass the original along to someone else in your life.  Because it is only when we bring someone with us that any of God’s keys will open the door to eternal life.