Many years ago I learned this meaning of faith: Forsaking All I Take Him. It was true then and remains true. Today, I saw this meaning: Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him. This also is true. The first one I learned is about a choice and the second about living the Christian life. As I age, I think more and more about heaven, so Faith has come to mean something new to me: Future Advancement Into The Heavens.
Taken together, these three acrostics reveal spiritual life- It is a choice, a lifestyle and a living hope. Faith is being in Christ, living with Christ and longing to be with Christ in heaven. When I decided to become a Christian, I chose Christ as my LORD. Since then, I live with him on a daily basis, doing everything I can to please my LORD. And as I live, I expect to see his return to this Earth to transfer his own to the heaven beyond the heavens. Should I died before his return, I look forward to living with God and my brethren in heaven. I am a spiritual being in a physical world, living a Godly life to the best of my ability, awaiting a heavenly reward.
Jesus said:
John 3 ( World English Bible )
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2 The same came to him by night, and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered him, "“Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, ""he can’t see the Kingdom of God.”"
4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, "“Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into the Kingdom of God! "
6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "
7 "Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ "
8 "The wind""blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”"
9 Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered him, "“Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things? "
11 "Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness. "
12 "If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? "
13 "No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. "
14 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, "
15 "that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. "
16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. "
The Apostle Peter said:
Acts 2 ( WEB )
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
15 For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 ‘It will be in the last days, says God,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions.
Your old men will dream dreams.
18 Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days,
I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the sky above,
and signs on the earth beneath;
blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned into darkness,
and the moon into blood,
before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21 It will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in your midst, even as you yourselves know,
23 him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed;
24 whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it.
25 For David says concerning him,
‘I saw the Lord always before my face,
For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.
26 Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced.
Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope;
27 because you will not leave my soul in Hades,
neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.
28 You made known to me the ways of life.
You will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,
31 he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was his soul left in Hades, nor did his flesh see decay.
32 This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.
33 Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear.
34 For David didn’t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself,
‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’
36 “Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”
40 With many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.
42 They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer.
43 Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
44 All who believed were together, and had all things in common.
45 They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need.
46 Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 praising God, and having favor with all the people. The Lord added to the assembly day by day those who were being saved.
Jesus said being born again was necessary and Peter preached the first Gospel sermon, detailing how to obey Jesus’ command. I believe and obeyed both. Have you?
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