SAVING PLAN

2.Still today the indispensable condition of receiving the kingdom of God is to acknowledge our spiritual poverty. - JR STOTT
The fact that man is a sinner is not to condemn him and his condition as hopeless and beyond cure.Actually,this sinfuness of man and his helplessness is the very reason why God becomes essential and indispensable.The very reason why Christ came into this world was and still is in his own words ,"To call sinners to repentance".He came not for those who think they are good enough(though no one is good enough) but for those who have realised their spiritual helplessness or spiritualbankruptcy.
What does it mean to be spiritually bankrupt?It means not having enough spiritual resource within himself to live a perfectly righteous life.It is the inability to be truthful to yourself and to others,inability to forgive and love not just enemies but even friends ,parents,children especially when you think they don't deserve it or have violated you ,abused you ,used you or are not in conformity with your views and opinions .The fights within families for property and the border issues and fights between nations depict our spiritual bankruptcy and our need for a source who will freely supply us with the love and the ability o be truthful to avoid these conflicts.This spiritual bankruptcy is also called "poverty of the spirit" and people who have realised their poverty are called "poor in spirit".
Here comes the words of hope for the really hopeless humanity from the words of the hopegiver because he has opened the door to turn such a helpless ,cursed state into a blessed one .He is Jesus and he said ,"Blessed are the poor in spirit ,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"
If you realise you spiritual poverty and bankruptcy and accept his solution then you beome heir to the kingdom of heaven.'Heir' indicates children here as he adopts us as his children in making us his heirs so that we can access and inherit the spiritual riches which we lack. So that you don't just become recepients of God's love and forgiveness but also channels through which you can pass it on to others in your life.
So how can anyone actually become a child of God and heir to the kingdom of heaven?How can anyone become a channel of God's love ?
When we talk about becoming children of God we are talking about entering into a relationship with God revealed in Christ.
1.Acknowledge your spiritual bankruptcy /poverty /inability /imperfection which you see in yourself daily ,in relating to others and in relating to yourself.
Acknowledge your inability to save yourself from this state.
2.Accept that Christ paid for your past bankruptcy ,paid the debt you owe to God on acount of that spiritual poverty or in other words the punishment due was taken up by christ when he died on the cross.Accept and acknowledge that Christ died in your place and for your sins out of love for you ,is God INCARNATE and is the only means of reaching and relating to God and escaping God's wrath and judgement.
3.Repent or turn away from your old lifestyle/philosophy which was marked by your spiritual poverty to a new life where because of Christ's work on the cross you have become a 'CHILD OF GOD' and have access to the spiritual resources to live in accordance with christ's teachings.The Holyspirit is the spiritual resource God gives to live a Christlike life.Holyspirit is "God in you" for the rest of your life and eternity to enable you to live in accordance with the teachings of Christ and thus like christ.So ask God to fill you with His Holyspirit.Acknowledge that you don't deserve any of this and it's all accomplished by God's Grace and NOT by your merit.
This process is called conversion,newbirth into christlikeness which is your salvation .This process is your initiation into a relationship with God but it does not stop here.It proceeds as you relate to God through Biblestudy, prayer and fellowship with other christians which are 'means of grace' for your growth into further christlikeness and your ultimate entry into heaven for eternity with Christ.
Go ahead and start living in the power of the Holyspirit in according with the teachings of Christ as revealed in the new testament Gospels and the teachingsof the apostles which are Christs teachings found in the rest of the newtestament.See the difference God makes in you and through you as you live the Christ life for the Glory of God.
BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.-JESUS