New Beginnings

Journey Life is a journey (1 John 2:12-14). Our natural journey begins with conception; our spiritual journey begins with our new birth in Christ. As with all journeys there are certain principles that, if we adhere to them, will lead us to our destinations. Of course, take a wrong path and you could end up nearly anywhere. Jesus states, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me." (John 14:6) There is a journey...there is a way; our relationship with Jesus is a way to our success, and having the Father is our destination (fulfilling our purpose). This book is written to help you, the new student, to learn the very principles necessary to follow Jesus fully, to come to know the Father intimately, and fulfill your destiny. The Stages Heaven is a wonderful, eternal byproduct of being born again. However, as wonderful as this is; we are born again to first see then enter the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom includes Heaven, as it is God's rule over everything everywhere, but our Journey is primarily on earth, preparing for Heaven, by seeing and entering the Journey of life to fulfill our Kingdom purpose. John the Apostle, who was closest to Jesus during his ministry in Israel, describes our Journey in three stages; children, young men and fathers (1 John 2:12-14). In brief, childhood is where we all start, and as new believers we need some things (discussed fully in this book). Some manage to know who God is, know that sins are truly forgiven; past, present and future (you belong in God's ever expanding family), and you have those wonderful benefits simply because God loves you just as you are. Thus, similar to a young child, you have a huge learning curve to prepare you for maturity and the place to learn is to be in a loving, nurturing church, where your every effort to grow is rewarded, and your multiple failures and mistakes are lovingly corrected for your benefit. Of course, there is much to learn, and your education will take you to the next stages as young men or women. The timing is up to the Holy Spirit. Young men and women also have much to learn. Again, John summarizes this as a necessity of becoming strong through the Word of God, (living and written) living in and through you, and having overcome the enemy's attempt to keep you from growing (which is His goal) once you are lost to the Kingdom of Darkness, having become a child of the light. Many ask; what must I overcome? That is as individual as your unique set of finger prints, but we are covered on the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16), more on that later...just know overcoming will happen. God is with you in it, it is normal and natural to have stuff to overcome. You are not a second class Christian if you have issues, and we all do. The final stage is Fathers. John summarizes a father as one who knows the Father; His will, His ways, His voice, His calling, etc. In other words, they are mature enough to father children and guide young men and women toward their maturity. Please note, maturity is the goal presented in the Bible as holiness, not flawless perfection. That we will never obtain this side of Heaven, but maturity; yes indeed! Of course, you must choose to take the journey and after being born again (and hopefully soon, if not already), baptized in water and filled with the Holy Spirit. This book is designed to help you lay a solid, biblical foundation for the early stages of your Christian life. So, get ready, get set, go! Dr. Stan DeKoven