Joh 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
I believe being "in Christ" and "in the kingdom of God" are two different things. I therefore believe it is possible for a person to be born again, yet go both in and out of the kingdom of God.
The story of the prodigal son comes to mind.
The younger son never lost his sonship, even after he sinned and left his father's place or kingdom. He was lost from his father's place and died spiritually, like Adam and Eve, but like Adam, he never stopped being God's son.
Some have said, 'Jesus isn't a swinging or revolving door', but the fact remains, if you have to go through the door or Jesus to "enter in" His kingdom, you have to do the same to go out. And He clearly said we shall go both in and out.
We know the kingdom of God/heaven is here within or among us, more like a state than a place. Rather than up in heaven or the sides of the north, it is like a spirit both residing and effecting the natural. It is in a different realm or world, yet it can and does effect the natural world.
Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Some translations say the kingdom of God is AMONG you.
How then, do we enter this secret place of the Most High?
And how can we be in two separate locations at the same time? Both here and in the kingdom of God/heaven?
With out hearts, of course.
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
How do we get there?
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Mat 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Notice how the heart goes to where your attention or eye are focused, while you remain on earth.
Two places at the same time.
When Jesus spoke to men, He always spoke to or about the heart of man or matters of the heart.
How does one see or perceive the kingdom of God?
With their heart.
How does one hear or understand said kingdom?
Again, with the heart.
How does one believe or receive from God?
They do so with the heart.
Specifically, how does one enter into this WORLD OF FAITH?
Obviously, with the heart, but how does all that work?
It took me years to know where the kingdom of God was and how to get there. The more difficult challenge however was, STAYING THERE.
The fact is, most of us don't live by faith, but in the natural.
For example, let's say you have a sickness or disease you can both see and feel, and would like to get healed of. So you go to God in prayer concerning the matter.
To start out, if you don't KNOW what the will of God is to begin with, and therefore pray saying, "if it be your will...", then you never entered into the kingdom of God to start with.
If you are not in faith, then you are not IN the kingdom of God.
Hoping, wishing, or wondering what God will do, all of which are future tense, has nothing to do with faith or the bible's version of believing, which is always in the now or present tense.
If you don't know what the will of God is, then find a promise of God, and USE THAT to stand on.
EVERY promise of God is ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, YEAH/YES and AMEN, which is to say, IT IS SO or SO BE IT.
That means, God does NOT say, no, anywhere in all His promises, to them who are in Christ Jesus.
He may not hear your prayer, since some of you see yourselves as SINNERS, saved by grace, or you may not be IN CHRIST.
Either way, God doesn't hear a sinner's prayer.
God's word or His promises, has to become our personal rock or strong foundation on which we stand.
The word of God says the eye of the heart, that which one looks at or perceive, is the light in which the body follows after.
If your attention is on the problem, rather than the promise, then you are NOT, I repeat, NOT in the kingdom of God.
One enters the kingdom of God, which is the world of faith, through or by faith, and one leaves the same when they doubt or when they start looking at or have their attention of their mind's eye on the problem.
To recap, when one is in faith, having their attention or mind's eye focused on the promises of God, they are at that moment, in the kingdom of God, and when they are focused on the natural or being carnally minded, they are not or no longer in the kingdom of God.
Still a son or daughter of God, just not in the kingdom of God all the time, but going in and out of it.
Thoughts or comments?
I believe being "in Christ" and "in the kingdom of God" are two different things. I therefore believe it is possible for a person to be born again, yet go both in and out of the kingdom of God.
The story of the prodigal son comes to mind.
The younger son never lost his sonship, even after he sinned and left his father's place or kingdom. He was lost from his father's place and died spiritually, like Adam and Eve, but like Adam, he never stopped being God's son.
Some have said, 'Jesus isn't a swinging or revolving door', but the fact remains, if you have to go through the door or Jesus to "enter in" His kingdom, you have to do the same to go out. And He clearly said we shall go both in and out.
We know the kingdom of God/heaven is here within or among us, more like a state than a place. Rather than up in heaven or the sides of the north, it is like a spirit both residing and effecting the natural. It is in a different realm or world, yet it can and does effect the natural world.
Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Some translations say the kingdom of God is AMONG you.
How then, do we enter this secret place of the Most High?
And how can we be in two separate locations at the same time? Both here and in the kingdom of God/heaven?
With out hearts, of course.
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
How do we get there?
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Mat 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Notice how the heart goes to where your attention or eye are focused, while you remain on earth.
Two places at the same time.
When Jesus spoke to men, He always spoke to or about the heart of man or matters of the heart.
How does one see or perceive the kingdom of God?
With their heart.
How does one hear or understand said kingdom?
Again, with the heart.
How does one believe or receive from God?
They do so with the heart.
Specifically, how does one enter into this WORLD OF FAITH?
Obviously, with the heart, but how does all that work?
It took me years to know where the kingdom of God was and how to get there. The more difficult challenge however was, STAYING THERE.
The fact is, most of us don't live by faith, but in the natural.
For example, let's say you have a sickness or disease you can both see and feel, and would like to get healed of. So you go to God in prayer concerning the matter.
To start out, if you don't KNOW what the will of God is to begin with, and therefore pray saying, "if it be your will...", then you never entered into the kingdom of God to start with.
If you are not in faith, then you are not IN the kingdom of God.
Hoping, wishing, or wondering what God will do, all of which are future tense, has nothing to do with faith or the bible's version of believing, which is always in the now or present tense.
If you don't know what the will of God is, then find a promise of God, and USE THAT to stand on.
EVERY promise of God is ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, YEAH/YES and AMEN, which is to say, IT IS SO or SO BE IT.
That means, God does NOT say, no, anywhere in all His promises, to them who are in Christ Jesus.
He may not hear your prayer, since some of you see yourselves as SINNERS, saved by grace, or you may not be IN CHRIST.
Either way, God doesn't hear a sinner's prayer.
God's word or His promises, has to become our personal rock or strong foundation on which we stand.
The word of God says the eye of the heart, that which one looks at or perceive, is the light in which the body follows after.
If your attention is on the problem, rather than the promise, then you are NOT, I repeat, NOT in the kingdom of God.
One enters the kingdom of God, which is the world of faith, through or by faith, and one leaves the same when they doubt or when they start looking at or have their attention of their mind's eye on the problem.
To recap, when one is in faith, having their attention or mind's eye focused on the promises of God, they are at that moment, in the kingdom of God, and when they are focused on the natural or being carnally minded, they are not or no longer in the kingdom of God.
Still a son or daughter of God, just not in the kingdom of God all the time, but going in and out of it.
Thoughts or comments?