The Narrow Gate: Only A Few

and be poor and have nothing to be right with God.
There’s nothing wrong with having a good job and
some savings.

The issue is about our hearts and what we value
most. Are you at least willing to give up everything,
even lose everything, for God’s sake? Would you be
okay with having nothing in this world except God,
even if that meant being destitute and homeless on
the streets, yet being happy about it?

Nothing belongs to you anyway. It all belongs to
God, nothing is yours. You came into this world
with nothing, and you can’t take anything with you
when you die. Usually when people have money it
begins to rule them, and they end up serving it.
They are always concerned about it, watching it
closely, even worried about it.

Money issues are unfortunately one of the biggest
obstacles for our coming to real faith in Jesus. We
just don’t want to let go and are more concerned
about our money than we are with God. It’s hard to
understand that nothing belongs to us and that God
is our Provider and promises to provide all that we
need in this life. It’s a matter of trust really. Who
do you trust in? Your money or your God?

The topic of money is so important to Jesus,
probably because He knows what is in a man’s heart,
that it is one of His most talked about subjects. It’s
safe to say then that there is a problem within a
person’s heart with regards to money.

“Keep your lives free from the love of money
and be content with what you have, because God
has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I
forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5

Be satisfied with what we have God tells us. In
addition to that, God tells us not to worry about
anything because He promises to provide all of our
needs. He is a good Father in heaven. He knows
our needs. Trust in Him. Be content with having
little or having much.

Would you be satisfied with having absolutely
nothing in this world except your salvation? Do you
trust in God and God alone for your provision?

20) A Giver

“Remember the words the Lord Jesus himself said:
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Acts 20:35

God calls us to be givers into His kingdom, not just
of our money but of our time, our bodies, our talents,
everything that we have should be given to God. If
we are born-again of the Spirit we will gladly
surrender all that we have for God’s sake and be
willing to give up everything all for His glory.

You’ll give your very life over for the sake of the
kingdom if necessary. You’ll be willing to die for
the cause of Christ. You’ll desire to give all that you
have to be a part of God’s plan to fulfill the Great
Commission.

“Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing
joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich
generosity. For I testify that they gave as much
as they were able, and even beyond their
ability.” 2 Corinthians 8:2

Here is an example of a group of people who were
willing to give it all for the sake of the Kingdom,
even beyond their ability to give. They understood
the importance of God’s kingdom. They understood

that nothing was theirs and that it all belonged to
God. They understood how important it was to
support the work of the Church and the significance
of it.

Selfless giving is what it’s all about. Giving
tirelessly of all that you have so that others can
benefit and so that lost souls can be saved. The
greatest giver this world has ever known was Jesus
Christ. Leaving behind the riches and glory of His
heavenly kingdom, He came to Earth and willingly
gave His life so that we could keep ours.

If you truly understand the free gift of salvation that
you have received, and then also how critically
important it is for others to hear the Good News of
Jesus Christ, that people are dying and going to Hell
without Jesus, then you will want to give all that you
can so that lives can be saved (unless of course you
only care about yourself and don’t care that people
are going to Hell).

Selfless giving should be a way of life for the true
follower of Jesus who understands the grace of God.
You received freely, therefore you should give
freely. For God so loved the world that He “gave”.
We would do well to remember that we are saved
because our God so generously gave. When we
give, we act as God does.

By our fallen nature we all are takers, not givers.
But by God’s sanctifying grace, He wants us all to
grow to be givers. As we do, not only will others be
blessed, but so will we!

And just to be reminded again of something we have
already spoken about. You don’t have to give away
everything you have and become poor and destitute
to prove your faith in Christ. But nonetheless, you
will be a giver, and a giver in excess, of what you
have in order to help the Body of Christ fulfill God’s
plan for the salvation of man.

Do you have a desire to give all that you can for
God’s kingdom? Or are you holding on to what you
think belongs to you? Are you willing to give your
very own life for Jesus?

Supporting Scripture

“…see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
2 Corinthians 8:7c

“…God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:7c

“Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, ‘I tell
you the truth, this poor widow has put more into
the treasury than all the others. They gave out
of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put
in everything – all she had to live on.’”

Mark 12:43-44

21) Not Religious

“These people honor me with their lips, but their
hearts are far from me. They worship me in
vain; their teachings are but rules taught by
men.” Matthew 15:8-9

God hates religion. God created man for
relationship, then man created religion to reject God.
And what is religion? Religion is man trying to
work their way towards God or to whatever end they
perceive based on their own good works. All the
world’s religions, including: Atheism, Catholicism,
Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam fall under this
classification. And unfortunately, many of the
proclaimed believers inside the church do as well.

There are so many within the Church today that do
not understand grace and are trying to follow
religious ceremony and/or a belief of self-works in
order to be saved. This is sad indeed. This is not
what it means to be a born-again follower of Jesus
Christ. It is just the opposite actually. We were
created to have a personal relationship with God, not
to follow religion and religious rules.

There are two great stories in Jesus’ teachings about
not being religious, but about bowing down in
humility to worship God. God simply wants our

worship of Him, not our works. Lets take a look at
these stories.

Martha vs. Mary [Read the story in Luke 10:38-42]

Martha was only concerned about one thing – being
a busy body and getting the work done. Mary was
also only concerned about one thing – falling at the
feet of Jesus and worshipping Him. And who is it
that Jesus was pleased with? Mary, the one who
worshipped Him. Jesus said that Mary had chosen
the better way. He basically told Martha to relax
and to look to the example that Mary was setting.

You see, Jesus is not concerned with our works. He
just wants us to worship Him. He wants our hearts.

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
[Read the story in Luke 18:9-14]
The Pharisee (the religious person) said to God,
“look at all my good works God, look at how good I
am, surely I deserve your grace.” But then look at
what the tax collector did and said, he got down on
his knees and said, “God have mercy on me, a
sinner.” Which of these two people was God most
happy with? The sinner who humbled himself
before God. In fact, it was the sinner in this story
that went home “saved,” and not the religious
person.

Don’t fall for the lie that your “religion” or your
good works will earn your way into heaven. Don’t
think that being a “good” person or being morally
upright will save you. Jesus said that the sinners and
the prostitutes are entering into heaven before the
good and the religious.

Get rid of the religious spirit! Religion is what you
create in your own mind to work your way to your
own end. Religion says I will do it my way.
Atheists are actually the most religious people of the
world.

Jesus used the analogy of our attempts to do “good
works” to those as “filthy rags.” Our attempts at
good works to earn our way to God are a great
offense to Jesus – as offensive as the most dirty and
disgusting used rags one can imagine.

Another danger to be aware of is intellectual
decisions to “become a Christian,” or merely
agreeing with the claims of the Gospel. This does
not lead to being born again of the Spirit and to
saving faith. Or maybe you just started attending
church, became a member, because you felt it was
the right thing to do or the cultural norm, but you
never had a true born again experience bringing you
to repentance and a changed life. This is just joining
a religion and will not save you.

Are you relying on your religion to save you? Are
you relying on your good works to get you to
heaven? Do you really think that God won’t release
a morally good and upright person from Hell?

Supporting Scripture

“You have let go of the commands of God and
are holding on to the traditions of men.”

Mark 7:8

“For I desire mercy (heart), not sacrifice
(religious works), and acknowledgment of God
(relationship) rather than burn offerings
(religion).” Hosea 6:6

22) A Life of Service

“For even Jesus did not come to be served, but
to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for
many.” Mark 10:45

What a great example that Jesus left behind for us to
follow. The God of the universe appears in humility
and weakness not to rule over man, but to serve and
to suffer on behalf of man.

Now, we just said in the last lesson that a person
doesn’t have to do any works to earn favor with
God, and that all He really wants is our hearts and to
worship Him. This is still true. But a life of service
isn’t about doing good works to please God. Lets
not confuse the two. A life of service is purely
voluntary and is one that you desire in your heart to
do because you are so thankful for all that you have
been given that you just want to go out and give
back. It’s more of a response than it is a duty.

The previous lesson was about religion and the false
perception of how a person thinks they can earn their
way to God or to heaven by their works. Living a
life of service to God is completely different than
that. Service is a form of worshipping God because
we are honoring God with our lives and bringing
glory to Him when we serve in His name.

You shouldn’t be out there serving people out of a
sense of duty, but out of a response of love and
thankfulness. It should be a great joy to serve the
Lord, and it is never about obtaining favor or grace
from God. If you are not compelled to give back
and go out and serve others and the Church purely
out of love and thankfulness, then something is
wrong with your soul.

God created you to do something for the world. God
has something special for you to do. We are not
here to take it leisurely, to do our own thing, while
the rest of the world out there is dying without
Christ.

When you take up any service projects for the Lord,
make sure the condition of your heart is in the right
place. Be sure that you are not trying to do good
works in order to earn favor with God or to look
good in front of man. You are doing it out of love,
because of the change in you, and because you are
so thankful for what Jesus has done for you that you
just want to go out and return all that you can to
Him.

You will never experience the full life in Christ until
you realize that this life is not about you. It’s about
Him and following after Him and serving Him. So

follow the example of Christ and lay down your life
for Him and for others. Always be looking for ways
that you can serve.
How are you serving God today? What have you
done for Him lately in response to His love for you
and in thankfulness for all that He has done for you?
Are you doing anything for God, or are you in this
life only for yourself?

Supporting Scripture
“For we are God’s fellow workers…”

1 Corinthians 3:9a
“…those who live should no longer live for
themselves but for Him who die for (us) and was
raised again.” 2 Corinthians 5:15

“Whoever wants to become great among you
must be your servant, and whoever want to be
first must be slave of all.” Mark 10:43-44

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain
conceit, but in humility consider others better
than yourselves. Each of you should look not
only to your own interests, but also to the
interest of others.” Philippians 2:3-4

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he
will hate the one and love the other, or he will
be devoted to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve both God and Money.” Luke 16:13

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where
I am, my servant also will be. My Father will
honor the one who serves me.” John 12:26

“…live as servants of God.” 1 Peter 2:16b

23) Strives for Purity and Holiness

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men
and to be holy; without holiness no one will see
the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14

Here’s a bold statement by God, that if you are not a
holy person you will not see the Lord. Holiness has
everything to do with our hearts. It’s about purity.
It’s about hating sin and anything that is against God
and His ways. God wants the right condition of our
hearts. And He wants our hearts to be clean, to be
cleansed of our sins and of any sinful acts in our
lives.

“Aim for perfection” 2 Corinthians 13:11

Paul calls us to “aim for perfection.” In the face of a
holy God, we don’t even come close to measuring
up to His standard of holiness, and we never will.
But we should strive for it. To aim for perfection
simply means to aim to become like Jesus, because
Jesus was the model for perfection. Though we can
never be perfectly holy, if we want to live a life that
is pleasing to God and fully surrendered to Him,
then we should at least aspire to a holy life and to be
free of the impurities of this world. It should be the
object of our pursuit, which again is to be as much
like Christ as possible. We will never be perfect and

without sin, and we will still continue to sin at times.
But there is a difference between living in sin and
just sinning on occasion.

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual
immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and
witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage,
selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy;
drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I
did before, that those who live like this will not
inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21

God does not tolerate sin. So much so that He will
not allow any sin into His eternal kingdom. As
such, we have to be cleansed of our sins, and this is
only by the blood of Jesus. And He won’t tolerate
sin in those who claim to be believers. Those who
claim to be children of God simply will not and
cannot go on living a life of willful sin, looking to
gratify the desires of their human lustful nature.

If we are born again of the Holy Spirit, it does not
mean that we won’t have those desires. It doesn’t
mean we won’t think about things on occasion. But
is does mean that the desires of our hearts change.
And it also means that you will not act on those
thoughts and desires. It’s one thing to think about
such sinful things, but it is an entirely different thing
to act on them. The Spirit of God living in you

should hold you back from acting on any sinful
desires of the heart.

Those who are expecting to be saved without
holiness are destined for a great disappointment.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but God will not
admit one un-repenting and un-pardoned sinner into
heaven.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,
set your hearts on things above…Set your minds
not on earthly things. For you died, and your
life is now hidden with Christ in God. Put to
death, therefore, whatever belongs to your
earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust,
evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
You used to walk in these ways, in the life you
once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of
all such things as these: anger, rage, malice,
slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do
not lie to each other, since you have taken off
your old self with its practices and have put on
the new self, which is being renewed in the
image of its Creator.” Colossians 3:1-10

This has everything to do with being born again.
You are a new creation, created in the image of God
and created to be like God. You are no longer of the

old self. You have been made new. As followers of
Jesus, we are to live purified lives because we have
been made holy by the exchange of our sin by the
work of Christ on the cross.

Our old way of life, with all its impurities, sexual
and otherwise, has now been put to death. Now we
live the new life, the life of faith in the One who
died for us. To continue on in any type of impure
life is a legitimate reason to question whether one
has ever been truly born again. Living a pure and
holy life is an essential evidence of the reality of our
salvation.

In order to live this new life, we have to protect
ourselves and guard our hearts because we are
getting bombarded on all sides from the sinfulness
of the world. The world and its ways are designed to
bring us down, to take us away from God. Therefore
it is so important to be careful of what we are putting
into our minds. This means the type of television
and movies we watch, and the type of music we
listen to. We should only listen to Christian worship
music. All else is designed by the enemy in order to
get your thoughts away from God and His holiness.

Where do you stand today in holiness? Are there
any sins that you need to be done with and get rid

of? Are you living a life that is constantly striving to
be holy, to be like Christ?

Supporting Scripture

“…count yourselves dead to sin but alive to
God in Jesus Christ. Therefore do not let sin
reign in your mortal body…” Romans 6:11-12

“Those who live according to the sinful nature
have their minds set on what that nature desires;
but those who live in accordance with the Spirit
have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

Romans 8:5

“Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,
and do not think about how to gratify the desires
of the sinful nature.” Romans 13:14

“Do you not know that the wicked will not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor
idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor
homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy
nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will
inherit the kingdom of God.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

“Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’
by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out
of a man that makes him ‘unclean.’” Mark 7:15

“For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil
thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy,
slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils
come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’”

Mark 7:21-23

“…live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the
desires of the sinful nature.”

Galatians 5:16

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:
sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord,
jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissentions, factions and envy; drunkenness,
orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before,
that those who live like this will not inherit the
kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21

“But among you there must not be even a hint of
sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or
of greed, because these are improper for God’s
holy people.” Ephesians 5:3

“For this you can be sure: No immoral, impure
or greedy person – such a man is an idolater –
has any inheritance in the kingdom of Chris and
of God.” Ephesians 5:5

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to
your earthly nature: sexual immorality,
impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is
idolatry.” Colossians 3:2

“For God did not call us to be impure, but to
live a holy life.” 1 Thess. 4:7

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has
appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No”
to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this
present age.” Titus 2:11-12

“But just as He who called you is holy, so be
holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy,
because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:15-16

“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and
strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful
desires, which war against your soul.”

1 Peter 2:11

“Since everything will be destroyed in this way
(by fire), what kind of people ought you to be?
You ought to live holy and godly lives…”

2 Peter 3:11

“No one who lives in Him (Jesus) keeps on
sinning.” 1 John 3:6a

“He who does what is sinful is of the devil,
because the devil has been sinning from the
beginning.” 1 John 3:8a

“No one who has been born of God will
continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in
him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has
been born of God.” 1 John 3:9

“We know that anyone born of God does not
continue to sin; the one who was born of God
keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm
him.” 1 John 5:18

24) Seeker of God’s Will

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but only
he who does the will of my Father who is in
heaven.” Matthew 7:21

This is a stern warning to those who say that they
believe. Jesus is saying here that not all who believe
in Him will enter into heaven. Only those who do
the will of God will enter. A fully surrendered,
obedient, wholehearted follower of Jesus is the
major part of what the will of God is.

How do we find out more of what the will of God
is? For the most part, the Bible is the main source
for discovering God’s will for your life. If you do
not read and study the Bible, there really is no way
to discern what the will of God is. How can you
know what God’s will is if you don’t spend time
getting to know Him and His desires in His Word?
It’s impossible. This is why reading the Bible is so
critically important.

“The world and its desires pass away, but the
man who does the will of God lives forever.”

1 John 2:17

God has a plan for us. He has a specific will for us
to do. It begins in this life and carries on into
eternity. Once you are willing to completely
surrender your entire life over to the God for Him to
fully handle, then what will happen next is that He
will be setting you up to follow the specific path that
He wants you to follow – and in that path will be
your call, your purpose, your duties, and the tasks
that you will now be seeking to accomplish for Him.
God has a set plan and a set future for your life, all
according to His will should you seek to follow it
and seek after it.

“Yet not my will, but your will be done.”
Luke 22:42

Jesus obviously gave the best example of
surrendering one’s life fully to God’s will. Jesus
was obedient to God’s will, to the point of death.
We need to be the same. We need to put away our
own will be done, and look only to the Lord’s will
be done, even if that means suffering in this world.

An example of someone who thought they were
saved but not seeking after God’s will was the story
of Simon the Sorcerer (See Acts 8:9-23) who
professed to believe and was even baptized, but in
reality Peter said, "You are in the gall of bitterness,

in the bond of iniquity." In other words, "Your
conversion is not real. And you're in big trouble."

There are those today who are in danger of the same
thing. You might say, "Well, I believe in Jesus."
But the book of James says that even the demons
believe. Intellectual belief isn't enough. Salvation
takes place when you put your full trust in Jesus
Christ and Him alone, and when this happens you
will be re-born of the Holy Spirit and you will know
it because you will no longer be the same.

"But I work for Jesus," you might say. "I teach
Sunday school," or "I'm a part of the worship team."
You might lead a Bible study, or even be the pastor
or leader of a church, but that doesn't assure you a
place in heaven. You might do many wonderful
works, but if you're not walking with the Lord
personally and intimately, you're in danger of
damnation eternally. It’s only those who are truly
surrendered and sincerely seeking the will of God
who are going to be saved. And this type of faith
and desire to do God’s will only comes to those who
have been born-again of the Spirit.

Who’s will and desires are you following? Are they
your own, or are they God’s? How do you know the
difference? Are you willing to lay down your life,
even die, so that God’s will be done?

Supporting Scripture

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God;
may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”

Psalm 143:10

“’Abba, Father,’ (Jesus) said, ‘everything is
possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not
what I will, but what you will.’” Mark 14:36

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand
what the Lord’s will is.” Ephesians 5:17

“Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body,
arm yourselves also with the same attitude,
because he who has suffered in his body is done
with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of
his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather
for the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:1-2

“To him who overcomes and does my will to the
end, I will give authority over the nations.”

Revelation 2:26

25) A True Follower of Jesus

“Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”

1 John 2:6

When people ask me: “Are you a Christian?” I
emphatically say “No, I am not a Christian!” Why
would I say this? Because “Christian” just
represents another religion or another religious
person of the world, not any different than all the
rest.

Instead I say, “I am a follower of Jesus, and I walk
in a close relationship with God everyday through
faith in Him and following His teachings.” This
statement is truth, and is what sets us apart from all
the other religions of the world, including many
parts of Christianity. If you truly do follow Jesus
and have been born again of the Spirit of God, this is
the more accurate statement.

“To this you were called, because Christ
suffered for you, leaving you an example, that
you should follow in his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21

This is really what it comes down to. Are you
“following” Jesus? A born-again believer is one
who follows Jesus wholeheartedly. You walk in the
footsteps of Jesus. You cannot be a “namesake”

believer, or part of some Christian “religion.” There
is no “nominalism” in following Jesus. You are
either following everything He teaches, or you are
not. You can’t just say you believe, or are a
“Christian,” and then not follow Jesus.

Jesus also calls us to be His disciples. What then is
a disciple? A disciple is a student of another’s
teachings. But more than that, a student who desires
to become just like the master or teacher. Jesus calls
us to be “disciples.” That means we are students of
His teachings and that we aspire to become like
Him.

And we will follow ALL of His teachings, not just
the ones we want to or that make us comfortable.
There are very few followers of Jesus Christ within
the Church today, and the unfortunate result is that
very few within the Church will be saved.

“Come, follow me, ‘Jesus said,’ and I will make you
fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

We are to leave this world behind and follow Jesus.
We are to have a non-compromising faith, especially
in the midst of trials and persecution. We must take
a stand in the world, against its values, and contend
for the faith. The world and its values are corrupted,

set up to be against Jesus, and they are luring
Christians away from the true faith.

Being a true follower of Christ means to completely
change your entire lifestyle, dying to who we used to
be and becoming that new creation. It means
changing everything about you, the way you act,
think, speak and do things. This takes commitment
and sacrifice, and it won’t be easy.

Jesus made it clear from the beginning that it wasn't
going to be easy. And He never begged anyone to
follow Him, in fact He actually turned people away
when their hearts weren’t right. So check your
heart, are you ready for this kind of commitment?
Are you ready to give it all?

Are you living as Jesus did? Are you following His
teachings and His example? Are you a true disciple
of Jesus Christ? Are you suffering for it? Are you
experiencing the abundant life in Christ that He
promises to give all those who truly follow Him?

There is only one path into the kingdom of heaven,
and it is by following Jesus. Not just merely
believing in Jesus, but following Him
wholeheartedly. Jesus said, “I am the Way and the
Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father

accept through me.” He is the only way and we
must follow Him and His ways.

Supporting Scripture

“As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He
saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net
into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come,
follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you
fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and
followed Him.” Mark 1:16-18

“As (Jesus) walked along, He saw Levi son of
Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth.
‘Follow me,’ Jesus told him, and Levi got up
and followed Him.” Mark 2:14

“Peter said to (Jesus), ‘We have left all we had
to follow you!’ ‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus said to
them, ‘no one who has left home or wife or
brothers or parents or children for the sake of
the kingdom of God will fail to receive many
times as much in this age and, in the age to
come, eternal life.’” Luke 18:29-30

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have

washed your feet, you also should wash one
another’s feet. I have set you an example that
you should do as I have done for you.”

John 13:14-15

Conclusion

“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful
nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives
in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of
Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”

Romans 8:9

Do you think going to church is going to save you?
Do you think calling yourself a “Christian” is going
to save you? Do you think being a good person is
going to save you? Do you think hanging around
the church yet doing your own thing and not fully
following Jesus in total obedience is going to save
you? Guess again.

This has everything to do with being born-again of
the Spirit of God. If we have been born-again of the
Spirit, then the Spirit comes down to us and lives
within us. It is what allows us and compels us to
live a life in the Spirit, which will be shown in our
lives by all the signs spoken about in this book.

Simply put, if you do not have the Spirit, you have
not been born-again, and you will not be able to
obtain true saving faith. You do not belong to Christ
if you have not been born-again. And you will know
the difference in your life if you have been born
again of the Spirit of God.

If you feel that you have not received the Holy
Spirit, and have not been born-again, and don’t
exhibit the signs of true saving faith in your life,
there is good news for you. All you have to do to
receive the Holy Spirit is to ask for it. It is a
promise in the Bible that anyone who sincerely asks
for it, then God the Father will give it to them.

But the key is that the request must be sincere. God
knows the motive of your heart. If it is a true
request, that you really desire the Holy Spirit and to
be saved and to be changed and to start living a life
of a truly regenerated, born-again soul, then all you
need to do right now is to ask.

Begin your request by repenting. Tell God that you
are sorry that you have not been truly walking in His
ways. Confess your sin to Him and ask for
forgiveness. Then fully surrender your life to God
and tell Him you want to walk in all of His ways.
Ask to receive the Holy Spirit and He shall give it to
you.

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit.” Acts 2:38

You see, it all begins at repentance. But it must be
true, genuine repentance. Then you will receive the
Holy Spirit.

Congratulations if this is the first time you have
done this! You have now been born-again of the
Holy Spirit and your faith and salvation are now
secure. Start walking a new life, one in the Spirit,
and experience all the blessings that God has for
those who trust in Him and walk fully with Him.

“But when the kindness and love of God our
Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of
the righteous things we had done, but because of
His mercy. He saved us through the washing of
rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

Titus 3:4-5

Here we can see clearly that our salvation is tied to
being born again of the Holy Spirit. We are saved at
the moment we receive the Holy Spirit and are born
again. And notice that it is nothing that we can do in
our own good works or by being a good person that
we receive this gift of God. It is by His mercy. It is
He who saves us, not us.

Being “born again” means that you are a new
person, a new creation. You are not the same
anymore. You will no longer be of this world and

you won’t even resemble anything of this world and
its values. This world and its values will be a stench
to you because you have been made new, created to
be like Jesus and in the image of God. You’ll have a
new spirit in you which will be your guiding force in
life. And this new spirit is God’s Spirit, living
inside you.

So, can you be sure of your salvation? Can you be
sure that your sins have been forgiven and you will
enter into heaven when you die? Absolutely! You
can know right now this very moment. You don’t
have to guess or wonder if you will make it into
heaven. Simply place your full trust in Jesus for the
forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.

Note on Sanctification
Being saved is not merely about making it into
heaven. It is also about this life. Our entire lives
should be changed because of being restored back
into a right relationship with God. And this will be a
process. Being born again of the Spirit doesn’t
mean you will all of the sudden be a mature believer.
But it will set you on the path. We don’t become
good overnight in all the signs mentioned in this
book. They are things that we practice and aspire to.
And we don’t aspire to these things naturally on our

own. It is only the Spirit of God living within us
that draws us to this life.

More Discussion about Grace vs. Legalism
This isn’t about “doing” anything, so please don’t go
out and make a checklist of action items from this
book so that you can start earning favor with God by
doing them. This is about “being.” It’s a state of
mind and heart that will be within you, causing you
to live the life that is characterized by one who is
filled with the Spirit.

If you attempt to do these things or live this life
without being born again of the Holy Spirit you will
only find yourself working in your own flesh and
will eventually grow weary and discouraged because
it will sap your joy. You will also be in danger of
becoming legalistic – following a list of “to do’s” to
attempt to earn favor with God and to try and make
your salvation secure through good works.

But this takes away the grace of God. Salvation and
the forgiveness of sins is a free gift from God, one
that can’t be earned. Whenever grace disappears, so
does freedom. Legalism places people in bondage.
Grace delivers people from legalism.

Legalism is salvation by works – The belief that says
being a good person is what saves, rather than by the

grace of God. Like a virus infecting a computer,
legalism can corrupt even the noblest of people.
And its effects on the human soul can be
devastating, and can actually do more harm than
good by separating a person from God forever – the
very thing these people are trying to avoid through
their good works.

Catholicism is the ultimate form of legalism. They
say that one has to do good works and do more good
than bad and you might be saved. Obviously this is
in direct opposition to the Bible. And unfortunately,
many realms of Protestantism also have legalism
tied into their theologies.

One of the big problems with this is who defines
what is good? Is it your standard, or who’s
standard? Jesus said that not one person is good.
So, God says that no one is good, yet a person thinks
in themselves that they are good. Hmmm, maybe a
bit of pride to those who think they are good in their
own eyes?

Jesus said it best when He said, “It is the Spirit who
gives life, the flesh (self works) profits nothing.”
(John 6:63) What we all need is freedom in the
Spirit. As the Bible says, “Where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Cor. 3:17)

In his book Grace Awakening, Chuck Swindoll
writes:

“Legalism is an attitude, a mentality based on
pride. It is an obsessive conformity to an
artificial standard for the purpose of exalting
oneself…Legalism says, ‘I do this or I don’t do
that, and therefore I am pleasing God’.”

From this definition both believers and non-
believers can be legalistic.

Christian legalists will miss out on the abundant life
that Jesus wants for us – the life of living in the
Spirit. Non-Christian legalists, however, are in a
much worse situation because they are in the gravest
danger because they are on the path that leads to
eternal destruction.

Unfortunately most people today, both inside and
outside of the church, think salvation must be earned
(Barna research has shown this to be the case). But
Scripture clearly teaches that salvation is not by
works of any kind, but by grace alone, through faith
alone, in Christ alone.

God’s grace is undeserved, unmerited and unearned.
A most unfortunate thing inside the Church today is
that most are not aware of or do not believe in God’s

message of grace. Most people, both inside and
outside of the Church, believe that if you do enough
good things, help enough people, then God will lead
you into heaven – even though this thought is clearly
taught against in the Bible.

It is human pride invading the spiritual realm. God
wants us to come to Him out of love and desire, not
out of duty to try and please Him or earn our way
into heaven. God wants our hearts, not our works.
And Jesus wants you to experience joy unspeakable,
a peace beyond understanding and a love
unexplainable.

Legalism, the opposite of grace, enslaves us and
always causes us to attempt to do things to be right
with God. Being led by the Spirit gives us freedom
and the assurance that we are part of God’s family,
privileged to walk in intimacy with our heavenly
Father, guided into the things that please His heart.
The difference between legalism and grace is night
and day.

What paves the way for being filled with the Holy
Spirit is simply making the choice, like Jesus did, to
lay aside our own agenda and plans and to accept
God’s instead. Once we are emptied of ourselves in
this way, then by faith we can receive the filling of
the Spirit. Surrendering to God first through

repentance, confessing our sin and then asking for
and receiving the Holy Spirit will lead you to this
new life.

Always remember that God’s acceptance of us is
never and will never be based on our performance.
His acceptance of us is always based on His
performance. Praise be to God for that! If it was
based on our work then we would never make it to
God because we do not measure up to the standard
of goodness to whom God is.

Signs of Salvation…Not Signs and Wonders
There is unfortunately a great movement inside the
Church today that says that you must be
experiencing signs and wonders as a reflection of
true salvation. But this is not true and is total
heresy. Nowhere in Scripture do we see any
teaching on this or any examples of this.

The true signs of salvation are outlaid in this book.
As you can see they are all about the inner change of
the heart that is proven by outward actions. The
false apostate NAR (Hillsong, Bethel, C3, IHOP,
etc…) church along with the Word of Faith and
Prosperity Gospel movements (and also most of the
Pentecostal church) all claim that personal
experience trumps Biblical Truth.

They say that you must be having some sort of
emotional higher experience as a sign of your faith.
This is what is known as extra-Biblical teaching. It
is not found in the Bible and is created by man and
is leading many people astray. They say that
someone who is in right standing and in right
relationship with God will be experiencing signs,
wonders, miracles, healings and speaking in tongues.
This is pure blasphemy.

Everything that has been written in this book about
the true signs of salvation is backed up by the Bible.

That should be good enough for you. Don’t look to
some strange experience to validate your faith. All
you need is the Word of God to direct you into all
Truth.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
This is probably one of the most misunderstood and
misrepresented subjects in the Bible. But it’s really
very simple actually. The Pentecostal church claims
that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is accompanied
by signs, wonders, speaking in tongues and having
an outward physical manifestation of some type of
experience. They say that one who is truly saved
will be one who speaks in tongues. They say that
this is the only validation that a person is truly
saved…that they speak in tongues. They say that
this is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. But this is
heresy and is not supported by the Bible and there is
no teaching or example of this in the Bible. Just
another man-made doctrine that is leading people
astray.

So what actually is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the point in time
when a soul is saved, re-born, re-generated by the
Holy Spirit. It is the point in time when God takes
you out of this world and places you in His Church.
It is a one-time event and is non-experiential.

Meaning, it is not accompanied by any signs or
wonders or personal experiences or speaking in
tongues. In fact, most people don’t actually know
the exact time it happened. They only know it
happened because of the change in their lives and
the signs of salvation that start to be displayed in
their lives over time. It is also permanent. It cannot
be undone. You are sealed in the Spirit
forever...redeemed! It’s once saved always saved
because God saved you and He will keep you until
the end. This is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

People who claim to have once believed and then
walk away from the faith were simply never saved to
begin with. They were never born again. They were
never baptized in the Holy Spirit. People who also
claim to be believers but willfully live in sin and/or
disobedience also are ones who were never saved,
never born again or baptized in the Holy Spirit.

It Is Written

“In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no
one can see the kingdom of God unless he is
born again.’” John 3:3

“But when the kindness and love of God our
Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of
the righteous things we had done, but because of
His mercy. He saved us through the washing of
rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

Titus 3:4-5

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given
us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

1 Peter 1:3

“For you have been born again, not of
perishable seed, but of imperishable, through
the living and enduring word of God.”

1 Peter 1:23

Supporting Scripture on the Spirit-Filled Life

“And the disciples were filled with joy and the
Holy Spirit.” Acts 13:52

“…God has poured out His love into our hearts
by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”

Romans 5:5

“…those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons
of God.” Romans 8:14

“The (person) without the Spirit does not accept
the things that come from the Spirit of God, for
they are foolishness to (them), and (they) cannot
understand them.” 1 Corinthians 2:14

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s
temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”

1 Corinthians 3:16

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of
the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have
received from God? You are not your own; you
were bought at a price. Therefore honor God
with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

“(God has) set His seal of ownership on us, and
put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit,
guaranteeing what is to come.”

2 Corinthians 1:22

“Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of
his Son into our hearts…” Galatians 4:6

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step
with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25

“John answered them all, ‘I baptize you with
water. But one more powerful than I will come,
the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to
untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit
and with fire.” Luke 3:16

“Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does
not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy
Spirit.” 1 Thess. 4:8

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more
will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:13

“’Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has
said, streams of living water will flow from
within him.’ By this (Jesus) meant the Spirit.”

John 7:38-39b

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my name, will teach you all
things and remind you of everything I have said
to you.” John 14:26

“For John baptized with water, but in a few
days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 1:5

“…And this is how we know that He lives in us:
We know it by the Spirit He gave us.”

1 John 3:24b

“We know that we live in Him and He in us,
because He has given us of His Spirit.”

1 John 4:13

“…In the last times there will be scoffers who
will follow their own ungodly desires (nominal,
name-sake only and liberal Christians). These
are the men who divide, who follow mere
natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.”

Jude 1:18-19

The Heart of This Book

Dear friends, beloved, brothers and sisters:

I want you to know the heart that this book was
written in. It was not written to condemn people or
to judge anyone. It was not written to come at
people with a “whip” in order to get them to “do”
things in order to get right with God.

It was written out of a heart of love and concern for
God’s Church. The Church is in complete disarray
today. It is out of order, in chaos. Most inside the
Church aren’t going to make it to heaven because
they are still lost. This is cause for great concern.
So this book was written as an encouragement to the
Body of Christ, to use as a guide to help each
individual have a better understanding of the faith
and to help them in their personal relationship with
God.

God I’m sure is grieving over the state and condition
of His Church. It is an unhealthy Church, where
people are going their own ways, creating their own
self-made paths to God outside of His Word, not
living wholeheartedly for Jesus and in disobedience
to His ways. God is sad indeed about this.

The path to God is a simple path. His message is a
simple message to understand. His Truth is a simple
Truth. But people in their pride and sinfulness have
made it difficult. People have complicated God’s
message with their own doctrines and disobedience.
It is not hard to understand what God desires of us.
But it will take a removal of the pride within us to
fully surrender to His plans and to walk away from
our own plans. There will be rest for your souls and
peace with God and in your heart when you fully
realize that you have been saved by grace and begin
walking in the Spirit.

Epilogue

The character traits discussed in this book are not the
exhaustive end-all list of what it means to be a true
disciple of Christ, one who is truly saved and born
again of the Holy Spirit. There is actually much
more to being a follower of Jesus than listed here.
This book does not address all that it means to be a
follower of Christ. For that, volumes have been
written, and if you are sincere in your quest to know
God than you can figure it out on your own by
studying the Bible and the teachings of Jesus.

It’s about discipleship. Once we are born again we
begin a life-long process called sanctification –
being slowly transformed into the image of Jesus
Christ. In short, it’s about following Jesus and
aiming to become as much like Him as we possibly
can in this life. And when you follow Jesus, it will
lead to a simple life of turning away from the world
and living a life that has the purpose of these three
things:

1) Knowing Jesus
2) Becoming like Jesus
3) Making Jesus known

Your life will naturally aspire to these three areas
when you live a life of following Jesus.