I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14
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On September 21, 1978, I gave my heart and life to Jesus. On that day, He became my Lord and Savior. I was Spirit-filled two days later. From then until now, I have never lost sight of the preciousness of this reality, its responsibilities, and the promised rewards - and I never will. It amazes me that so many Christians I’ve met don’t share that awareness. It starts with the fact that through faith, we become children of God! Not by anything we did to deserve such a relationship, but because of what Jesus did for us. To me, it’s just incredible that every person ever born can choose to spend eternity with God, simply by accepting His free gift of salvation through Jesus and the work He accomplished on our behalf (Romans 5:17-18).
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Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! 1 John 3:1
The Bible tells us to behold! That means we’re to wake up and see things for what they really are. Do we really understand how much God loves us, and how precious we are to Him? Do we really understand that because of His love for us, we can experience the greatest miracle on earth – the miracle of the new birth (John 3:3)? In most cases, the answer is no, we don’t.
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As children of God – Christians – we must never lose sight of the awesomeness of God’s gift of salvation. We must never take it for granted. We must never count the blood of Christ an unholy or common thing (Hebrews 10:29).
…knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
1 Peter 1:18.
…as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:3-4
Including the promise of salvation, every promise of God is exceedingly great and precious. Live in the light of this. Walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise children of God (Ephesians 5:15). Be always aware and thankful for the divine gifts that you can partake of.
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This then brings us to the opening text for this message. Paul understood what we’re talking about here. He had even been caught up to the third heaven, seeing and hearing things so wonderful he couldn’t describe them, and was instructed not to (2 Corinthians 12:1-4)! Why? Because we have no reference point for life in a perfect place – where we’re going when we leave earth. There is no evil in heaven. No devil and demons there to bring sorrow, suffering, pain, and death into our lives. No ungodly people there to contend with. Nothing but pristine bliss and beauty in the presence of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and every born-again person that has ever lived. That’s why like Paul, we must press toward the prize of the upward call. It’s not just a call, it’s an upward call. It’s a magnificent prize, and it's holy. That’s one reason why we’re told to be holy as God is holy (1 Peter 1:13-15). It’s also a high and holy calling that will never be rescinded (Romans 11:29).
When we stop and take time to understand what it means for a man to perish without Christ, it will produce an acute awareness of the upward call we must all fulfill. And then to think God Almighty has chosen to evangelistically limit Himself to partnership with His children – is astonishing! In the book of Revelation, we see that even angels will be preaching the gospel to the lost, but for this dispensation now, God is working through the body of Christ, and in no other way.
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The refining pot is for silver and the furnace of gold, and a man is valued by what others say of him. Proverbs 27:21
God loves everyone, no matter what. He is no respecter of persons. He so loved the world He sent Jesus (John 3:16). He loves us simply because we exist. However, our value to God is different. Other men determine our spiritual value, not God. The more active and effective we are in pursuing and fulfilling the Great Commission (Mark 16:15-18), the more valuable we become. Notice this verse says we’re not valued by what God says about us, but by what other people say about us. That determines our value to the Lord – nothing else. This means that as we stand before the judgment seat of Christ
(2 Corinthians 5:10), the length of the line behind us - people who are in heaven because of something we said or did, determines our relative value to God. The longer the line, the more value their witness creates for us with the life we’ve lived for Jesus. The shorter the line, the less valuable we were to the Lord. If there is no line, our lives had no value - we were a waste of time concerning the eternal things of God. Every Christian will stand judgment based upon their awareness of these things.
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With all that Paul suffered in his ministry for Jesus, one thing that helped him stay the course was hope. Not just to see Jesus and be with Him forever, but for the rewards waiting for him on the other side.
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8
Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. Daniel 12:3
Soul-winners are wise because they understand what the upward call entails (Proverbs 11:30). God put these rewards in the Bible for us to see, so we will know that with the reality and responsibility we have as children of God, there is also a great reward waiting for us in heaven. We are blessed when we encounter various tests and trials (James 1:12/Luke 6:22-23/1 Peter 4:12-13, 5:4). Many times, we don’t see or enjoy the rewards of the upward call in this life, but we will when and where it counts.
Our star will shine the brightest for all eternity. Soulwinning is top priority with God. That means to fulfill the upward call of God in Christ, our sanctification and sober-mindedness must be top priority for us.
Never forget this truth: Jesus is God’s gift to us, but our availability and sanctification is our gift to God.
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This is Who We Are. This is What We Do. |
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Through time spent in the Philippines, Rev. Keyes learned how to survive and how to thrive in that hostile and dangerous environment. He also learned seven spiritual priorities which he called “priorities of life” which, when practiced consistently, would produce a level of personal spiritual strength that ensured longevity and lasting success in ministry. God’s perfect will is for every believer to be triumphant and victorious in life, walking and living as the stronger man or woman that He declared and ordained us to be in Jesus. In Be Strong! Stay Strong!, Rev. Keyes gives the seven spiritual priorities and the importance of practicing them consistently – bringing any believer to the place of superior strength and victory over any attack of the enemy in these last days. |
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Order your copy of Be Strong! Stay Strong! today. Go online at www.mkmi.org to order, or call our Tucson office to place your order directly.
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