GETTING INTO HEAVEN

GETTING INTO HEAVEN

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

GOOD NEWS: Everyone has to die!

          You may challenge me by asking, what about Enoch and Elijah, just to name two of the many, who were taken body and soul to heaven.

            However, I still reiterate that everyone has to die! And that is because, your idea and my idea of death, are not one and the same.

WHAT IS DEATH?

          Death is the separation of the person’s spirit from the body and soul.

          What does the Bible say about those who are taken up in rapture? That they will get new heavenly bodies. Therefore, since there was a separation of their spirit from that of their bodies, in a way, they too underwent death!

          The Sadducees asked Jesus about the woman who had married seven times: whose wife would she be in heaven? And Jesus had explained that after death the heavenly bodies would be different from what we have here. We would be like the angels in heaven. (Luke 20:27-38).

 WHO DECIDES WHETHER YOU GO TO HEAVEN OR NOT?

          It’s not God. The decision is made by you!

THE ROAD TO HEAVEN.

          A journey needs a road. And that road is Jesus!! He is the ‘way’!

          “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through Me.” (John 14:6).

          The early Church was called ‘The Way’.

THE VEHICLE WHICH TAKES YOU TO HEAVEN: It’s FAITH!

Who raised Jesus from the dead?

          If you say: ‘God the Father,’ then you are claiming that Jesus had no power and that there are two Gods.

          The truth is that Jesus walked in total FAITH! And it was by this faith that He raised Himself from the dead.

           And what part did God the Father play?

          God and Jesus are the same: “I and the Father are one.”

(For a better understanding read ‘Mystery of the Trinity revealed’)

WHAT IS HEAVEN? It is more like a ‘dimension’ or ‘state.’

          Jesus tells us: “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven”. (Mathew 18:10).

          So how do you explain that an angel, who needs to be with the child (who is on earth), in order to protect the little one, can always see the face of God, Who is in heaven?

          Because heaven is not a place somewhere else, but, in a way, ‘all around us’. But because we cannot see it, we imagine it is above us and we look upwards for it.

FANTASTIC NEWS:

          But before I tell you what heaven is, I want you to promise me, that just before you die, you will accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Then when you die you, will definitely go to heaven.

          But you say that you’ll are already ‘committed Christians?’

          Then here’s the fantastic news: You are already in heaven! You do not have to die to attain that status- you have already attained it!

Let me explain: A name-plate indicates the presence of the person.

          Throughout the Bible we come across the expression “the name of the Lord.” It indicates His presence.

          For example, as per the Proverb 18: 10: The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and they are saved.

          Where do we the righteous run to? Do we write the word ‘LORD’ on the wall and run to it? No, because the ‘name’ indicates the presence of the Lord.

          In the same way, when the Bible tells us that our names are written in the Book of life, it indicates that we already are citizens of heaven! When we close our eyes in death, we simultaneously open them in heaven!

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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WHAT IS 'CONFESSION' REALLY ALL ABOUT?

WHAT IS ‘CONFESSION’ REALLY ALL ABOUT?

The deeper meaning of ‘confession of sins’!

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          To really understand and fully appreciate what Jesus really meant when He spoke about confession of sins and the forgiveness that followed, one has to interlink the four Gospels that deal with the instructions He gave to His disciples after His resurrection. (References are given below).                                                                  

JESUS GIVING THE GREAT COMMISSION

FIRST: He appeared to them to give them ‘The Great Commission’, that is, to make disciples by baptism.                                                        

SECOND: He identified Himself by showing them His nail pierced hands and feet.

                                                             

 

                                      

THIRD: He reassured them by telling them not to be afraid and filled them with joy. Some were still not sure, so He opened their minds.        
        Also, He breathed on them telling them ‘to receive the Holy Spirit’.                                                   

JESUS BLESSES HIS DISCIPLES

FOURTH: He commanded them to preach the Gospel. And all those who repent and believe would be saved. And these were to be baptized! And all those who did not believe were automatically condemned!!

                                                           

APOSTLES PREACHING 

IMPORTANT: The Lord spoke thus, “if you forgive their sins they are forgiven, and if you do not forgive their sins they are not forgiven.”

          What sins was the Lord talking about? Was it murder, adultery etc? No!! He was speaking about them accepting or rejecting Him, and His provision for salvation.                                                                 

          Because the real reason the Ten Commandments were given, was not just to obey them, but to show that we could never reach a sinless state. And would ultimately need a Savior!

           “So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” (Galatians 3:24).

         

            Do you think that the last instructions that the Lord would give His disciples before He permanently left them, was on how to lead a good life? Definitely not! He had come in order that we are saved, and so His final instruction was all about salvation.

          His key word of instruction was ‘preach’!                                                   

MODERN DAY EVANGELISTS

“……….so the word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11).

The Gospel references: (Mathew 29:18,19) (Mark 16:15,16) (Luke 24:36-49) (John 20:19-23).

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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WHERE ARE: MARY, MOTHER THERESA AND YOU?

WHERE ARE: MARY, MOTHER THERESA & YOU?!

BY DR MERVYN ABREO

The reason I have chosen the first two persons is because:

 Mary represents faith (with good works).

 Mother Teresa represents good works (with faith).

MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS: 

          Mary is in heaven because she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

           In the house of Elizabeth Mary sings a song of praise: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” (Luke 1: 46, 47).

Please note: If you say that her praise was directed to God the Father then you believe in the existence of three Gods. (Please read the article: Understanding the mystery of the Trinity).

MOTHER TERESA:                                                       

          The world glorifies her because of the work she did with the poor.

           But will all this good she has done take her to heaven? Definitely not!        “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesisins 2:8).

          Therefore firstly, she was a Christian saved by grace through faith. And it was only then, that the love of Christ flowing through her, enabled her to reach out to the needy.

          But once filled by the Holy Spirit, she by put her faith into action.

 For the Bible says: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? (James 2:14 ).

RIGHT NOW WHERE ARE YOU?!!!                                                  

          Have you committed your life to Jesus and made Him your Lord and Savor? If not do so right now without delay!

           Then think in the ‘spiritual’, and not in the ‘natural’, by saying: “I am a spirit being, who has a soul, which lives in a body.”

          Believe the following verses: Lord Jesus Christ said: “Rejoice that your names are in the Book of Life.” (Lk. 10:20).

          The name plate on the door indicates the identity of the resident.

 Similarly our names in the Book of Life indicate where we really are.

 Further confirmed by: “Our citizenship is in heaven.” (Phil.3:20).                                           

 The following declares who you are, which determines where you are:

          “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter.2:9).

          And thus declares Peter: “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” (1Peter 2:11).

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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DO TO THE LEAST OF MY BRETHREN

 DO TO THE LEAST OF MY BRETHREN

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

There is a beautiful hymn which goes like this:

Whatever you do to the least of My brethren,

That you do unto Me!

When I was hungry you gave Me to eat,

When I was thirsty you gave Me to drink.

Now come into the house of My Father.

          And good hearted folks go and perform good deeds hoping to attain salvation.

          They contribute heavily to different charities, build orphanages, old age homes, and do just about anything in order to worm their way into heaven. But to no avail!

          The Bible is full of allegories.

          And what the good Lord is saying, when He talks about food and drink, is to give the people, is nourishment for their spirits.

           He is the bread of life and He is the wine at the Last Supper, and every supper for that matter.

          And He is talking essentially about…….. EVANGELISM!!!

          So go ahead and evangelize!

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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KINDNESS - MEEKNESS - GENTLENESS

 KINDNESS – MEEKNESS – GENTLENESS

 FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

                    I can think of no better example than that given by Jesus, Who, being the King of kings, and Lord of lords, humbling Himself and washing the feet of His disciples.

THE OBVIOUS SUPERFICIAL REASON: Throughout His life Jesus taught about humility, Himself living a humble life, subservient to the Father. (Servant hood).

           “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9: 33-37).

          And our very salvation depends on it: “For the Lord takes delight in His people; he crowns the humble with salvation.’’ (Psalm. 149:4).

  THE DEEPER/HIDDEN REASON:

          In the Gospel of John, Jesus is preparing to wash the disciples’ feet.

          He comes to Peter, who is confused, because the same Lord, Who had drilled the importance of humility in them, now wants to wash their feet, rather than the other way around.

          So Jesus assures him. “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

          What was it that Peter and the disciples could not understand at that juncture, but would comprehend later? Was it a lesson in humility? Definitely not! Jesus’ stand on humility was clear, not hidden in parables that needed explanation. And when later? He was heading for the cross.

          But in spite of Jesus reasoning with him, Peter still refuses to allow the Lord to wash his feet.

          Therefore Jesus warns Peter: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.” (‘Wash’ allegorically meaning a spiritual cleansing).

          Strong words! An emphatic warning is being given by the Lord. And just before His crucifixion. At this last stage, Jesus was not concentrating on character building (servant hood), but rather on something of much greater importance and significance.

          Instead of focusing on the actions of the Lord, which gives us the impression that He is giving them another lesson in humility, focus instead on the reaction of the disciples. And the reason for their reaction.

            They did not want to be served was not because they were humble.

        Rather because they were proud. And their actions stemmed from pride.  And that is exactly what Jesus wanted them to realize, understand and learn: to truly humble themselves, realize their helplessness, and let Him serve them.

           His ministry and life were soon coming to an end. He was heading to the cross. And He had to teach them the last and most important lesson of their lives: to learn to be served by Him, not only in the natural, by having their feet washed by Him, (which was an allegory for something deeper), but in the supernatural, by allowing Him to wash their sins by His blood, which He would shed for them, and for us, on the cross.

          And they, and we, would have to humble ourselves and unconditionally accept His blood, and His free gift of salvation. And not try and attain it on our own by our good works, which are like filthy rags in front of Him.

          And that was the lesson he was teaching His disciples, and us, just before His death.

          And therefore, we now see the above Scripture (Psalm.149:4), in a completely new light: “For the Lord takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with salvation”.

           We receive His free gift of salvation by humbling ourselves and unconditionally accepting His provision for salvation.

AN EXAMPLE IN OUR OWN LIVES:

          The pastor or priest is unwell and has to be looked after by Church members. They readily come and do the chores and whatever else is necessary.

          Now what happens if a poor member of the Church is in the same situation, and the pastor or priest have to minister to this poor brother or sister? How uncomfortable would this poor soul be?

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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