For the Sake of the Eternal Kingdom of Heaven!

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” – Hebrews 11:6, 1 John 2:28 NIV

Once we have become devoted and surrendered to Christ—we should not give up in following Him, or bearing His name in any circumstances, even though it is hard. Because following Jesus would be hard, Jesus declares:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. (Matthew 16:24-27)

Hence, following Jesus is all about believing in Him. Because of this, there is the living Word, which leads us in the righteousness of God. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Hebrews 4:12, Romans 1:17)

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him. (Philippians 1:27-29)

Second of all, there is the “Holy Spirit” which is the Spirit of God, whom God, our heavenly Father (Ephesians 4:6) poured into us to advocate us in the walk with Him; to do the will of God, for the glory (Colossians 3:4) and the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you… the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:15-17,26-27)

Thus, the word of God states:

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. (1 John 4:13)

                                  

For this reason, we need to be born again, not by mother’s wowb, but with the Spirit. (John 3:3-7) The method of doing this is by the baptism, since the word  of God declares:

We were buried therefore with him [Christ] by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (Romans 6:4, 2 Corinthians 5:17)

After we have gotten baptized with the Spirit of God—we need to do the will of God until the end of age, for the sake of the eternal kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21). We could do this by abiding and obeying the Holy Spirit. This is because the word of God proclaims:

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (Galatians 6:7-10 NLT, Romans 12:4-5 NIV)

The another reason that we need to do the will of God for the sake of kingdom of heaven, is that our citizenship is already there if we believe Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (Philippians 3:18-21, 2 Corinthians 5:1, 1 Corinthians 10:31)