I repeat, I do not understand how we have put together that which is currently preached as the Gospel of the Kingdom, the new covenant of God with man. The current "four steps of salvation" scarcely resemble the new covenant. The "four steps" were derived from verses plucked here and there from their contexts. They are not aimed toward our transformation so we might reveal God, they are aimed toward our escaping Hell and going to Heaven when we die. This is so far removed from the biblical new covenant as to be hardly related.

Truly, we are in great need of a reformation of Christian thinking.

The Overcomer

He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. (Revelation 21:7—NIV)

The idea of the overcomer has been important to me since Bible-school days. "He who overcomes will be a pillar in the Temple of God" seemed to be a specially important verse.

When I arrived in Bible school, after being discharged from the Marine Corps, I noticed that the prevailing attitude was "Nobody is perfect. We all sin. The grace of God covers our sin. It is hopeless to try to overcome sin, it is not possible."

This description of the Christian life did not set well with me for some reason. It just did not seem right. In fact, I refused to accept it. The second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation continued to be inspiring.

A few years later I had a dream. Audrey and I were living in a trailer on a property owned by Brother Dowell on the outskirts of National City, near San Diego.

In my dream I was on a ship that was breaking up in a storm. The sailors were jumping over the side. The passengers were drowning in the water. The shore could be seen in the distance.

I jumped over the side. Having spent my boyhood days in a house overlooking the West Shore of West Haven, Connecticut, I had spent a good deal of time in the Atlantic Ocean and so I had no fear of the water.

As I was kind of treading water, looking at the shore, and about to strike out, I saw the sailors on the shore holding hands and playing some kind of child's game, like ring-around-the-rosy. I looked back and saw the passengers drowning.

Then I noticed that my feet were hitting the bottom. Lo and behold, the water was only waist deep. All one had to do was stand up straight and walk to the safety of the shore.

So I turned back to tell the drowning passengers to just stand up straight and they would have no problem walking to safety. At this point I woke up.

I pondered the dream for about three days, and then the meaning came to me. Christians are drowning in sin when they do not need to. The water is only waist deep, so to speak. All they have to do is stand up straight in Jesus Christ and they can overcome sin and walk to safety.

The sailors on the shore represent the churches of today that in many instances are playing childish games instead of pursuing the iron and fire of God and leading the believers to victory in Christ.

To be continued.