Bill Brady

2/2/2019

Page 1 of “How to Begin your Journey”

What does the beginning of our Journey into becoming like Jesus look like?

• It looks like Jesus at the River Jordan being baptized by John the Baptizer.

‘ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”

 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”’  Matthew 3:13-17

A full beginning consists of several experiences:

1. You are born again.
2. You are baptized in water.
3. You receive the Spirit of God.
4. Father, or your spiritual father, says, “You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

You are following Jesus as you experience these experiences.

1. He was born.
2. He went to John the Baptizer to be baptized in water at the River Jordan.
3. The Spirit of God descended on Jesus like a dove.
4. Father spoke from heaven and unlocked sonship for Him.

This is what a complete beginning to your Journey looks like.

• You need all 4 parts to have made a complete start.
• Each of these 4 parts is an experiencing of beginning of relationship.
• Relationship with one of the members of the Godhead.
• Be born again first, then you can experience the remaining 3 in any order.
• And over any length of time.

My testimony:

 I was born again after hearing the gospel preached.

• It was not the first time that I had heard about Jesus.
• But it was the first time that what I heard became revelation.
• I received that revelation and was born again.  (= born from above, born of the Spirit)

Soon afterwards I was baptized by being fully immersed under water.

• I didn’t receive revelation of the meaning of water baptism until many years later.
• Water baptism is a uniting into Oneness with Jesus as Christ (Christ  =  King).
• We will talk more about baptism on a later page.

11 years later I received the Spirit of God. 

• A pastor explained it to me.
• Then he laid hands on me.
• I received the Spirit.
• I immediately began to function in prophecy.
• It was more than half a year later that I first spoke in tongues.

I remember soon afterwards walking into a dining room where friends were eating.

• A friend asked me what had happened.
• She said that I looked like I had fallen in love.
• She was seeing a manifestation of the Holy Spirit in me.
• I was in love.

“… the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  Romans 5:5

• Scripture calls this “first love”.  The Revelation of Jesus Christ 2:4
• We are told not to leave this first love.
• If we find that we have left this first love then we are to return to it.
• (Simply decide to turn around and go back to once again being in love with Jesus.)

Within a few days of receiving the Spirit I heard the Father speak those words to me.

“You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

• I received revelation of the meaning and importance of those words many years later.
• Father calls you His son.
• Father tells you that you are beloved = Father loves you as His son.
• Believing those words and receiving them starts you on a Journey.
• That Journey will lead you to functioning in your identity as a son of God.

What is the purpose of each of these truths?

• Each of these truths is meant to become a living experience of relationship with the Godhead.
• Water baptism is becoming One with Jesus the Son of God.
• Receiving the Spirit is a beginning of relationship with the Spirit of God.
• When Father speaks your identity as His son to you it is a beginning of relationship with Father.

Receive each of these truths into your heart. 

• When the light of truth comes to you then these words become spiritually alive.
• Each is a spiritual seed being sown into the spiritual soil of your heart.
• Receive the seed into you heart.

How do you do this?

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”  Romans 10:8-11

• Believe the words of God in your heart.
• Speak your faith with your mouth.
• When you speak your faith with your mouth the words begin the work of saving you.

Application:

• Believe
• Confess (speak) your faith.
• Be water baptized.
• Receive the Spirit of God.
• Hear Father speak His love for you as His son.

Turn the word of God into a living experience of God by encounter.

• Use your imagination.
• See yourself as One with Jesus in the River Jordan.
• See John the Baptizer baptize you.
• You go fully under the water into Jesus’ death and come back up again into Jesus’ life.
• See the Spirit come down on you like a dove.
• Hear Father speak to you, “You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Let this experience continue until it is finished.

• You have entered into first love for Jesus.
• The love of God has been poured into your heart by the Spirit of God.
• Your heart now cries out to Father calling Him “Abba, Father”.
• This can be translated as, “Daddy God”.