What’s It All About?

Dearly beloved, what is this age all about? What is the distinguishing mark that separates it from the Old Testament? People expected a Messiah, a deliver or redeemer for some four thousand years before the birth of Jesus Christ. What did they expect he would bring them?

People talk about salvation today, but relatively few understand what is available to them. The Lord Jesus taught throughout his ministry explaining what his work meant and what it would make available.

He taught that to see and to enter the kingdom of God one must be born again, which literally means, to be begotten from above. Christ would make a seed available so that people could be born of God’s seed and enter the kingdom of God.

He said that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Our natural birth from our earthly parents was of the flesh. God is spirit, and His children are born of His spirit. This was never previously available to anyone.

The Lord poured out his life to make this available to anyone and God raised His Son from the dead to validate his work. Finally, God would have children born of His spirit!

We learn in Romans 8, that if any man does not have the spirit of God, he is none of His. God no longer considers us to be in the flesh, but in the spirit since His spirit dwells in us. Jesus Christ came to make this birth possible.

When all was fulfilled, God poured out His spirit and it started a new period, that of the spirit. He even marked it out by a supernatural manifestation as His proof.

The Apostle Peter quoted the prophet Joel to explain the meaning of what happened. When God poured out His spirit, the twelve apostles all spoke in tongues “the wonderful works of God.” The Apostle told the people what this meant. He said that in the last days God would pour out His spirit on all flesh; their sons and daughters would prophesy, and the young men shall see visions, and the old men shall dream dreams, and on His servants and handmaidens He would pour out His spirit.

The Apostle Peter said that what the people saw and heard, the manifestation of the spirit of speaking in tongues was the proof that God raised Jesus from the dead!

“Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the holy spirit, He hath shed forth this, which you now see and hear.”

Peter then told them that Jesus had ascended and took his seat at the right hand of God, and the man they had crucified, God made both Lord and Christ!

The people replied, “What shall we do?” Peter said, “Repent (which means to change one’s mind: to change from the mind that wanted to crucify Jesus, to believing on him and making him their Lord) and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the holy spirit.”

About three thousand people believed his words and received God’s forgiveness and His spirit that day; they were born again of God’s spirit and became His children. The prophets inquired and searched diligently about this salvation, and they prophesied of the grace that should come; now It had arrived!

Jesus said that, “… the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.” That day has arrived!

Speaking in tongues is that true worship; it is the proof that God raised His Son from the dead, glorified and exalted him at His right hand; it is the proof we are born of His spirit and that we have salvation.

In the book of Romans, God expounds about “the newness of life” we have in Christ, spirit life. He tells us we received the spirit of Him that raised up Christ from the dead and that it now dwells in us. He says that now, as many that are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God! He says we received a sonship spirit, whereby we can cry, “Abba, Father” as a child cries to their Daddy. God tells us that His spirit bears witness with our spirit, with our inner being, that we are the children of God!

Oh, beloved, there is so much more God reveals to us about salvation, and what it means to be born-again. What began in grace will end in glory when God sends His Son for us; then we will receive the full end of our salvation.

Until then we have the proof that we are the children of God and that Christ Jesus our Lord is coming to save and redeem us! We can worship God in spirit and truth as He desires. We are His, and He is ours!

If you are ever tempted to doubt it, or if you grow weary in the trial of your believing, just speak in tongues the wonderful works of God, dearly beloved. You can speak by the spirit of God and know that you know, that you know, that you are God's habitation by the spirit, a son of the Living God, filled with power of His spirit, and, Christ Jesus our Lord is coming for you! Rejoice!!