"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" I John 5:4-5

"For the Kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." Matthew 25:14-15,19-23

Greetings, friends! Do you already know that this day is going to be one of the most wonderful of your entire life? If you don't know that, then there is something seriously lacking in what we call your "Christian faith." Don't you know that Christ said, "I have come that ye might have life, and that ye might have it more abundantly" (Jn. 10:10)? Life is life – it cannot be diminished, neither increased. But the way or manner in which we express that life can be greatly changed; it can be lessened or increased; it can be increased so immensely that our earthly life here and now becomes actually glorified. That is what I was talking to you about last time – that as the Lord prayed the Father to glorify the Son, in order that the Son might glorify the Father, so similarly should we seek the fullness of God's glory for our present life, in order that our present life may truly glorify God and Christ, our absolute Redeemer.

That is why I urge you to send in for my Kingdom Keys study, which are to be used for our here and now. If you want to dream about pie-in-the-sky after you are dead – well, that is your privilege. But I warn you: in the Bible you cannot find any backing for such a fantastic teaching. But before you forget, make sure that you send in for my Kingdom Keys study.

If your Bible is convenient, turn to the First Epistle of John the Beloved, and I am going to quote to you from the fifth chapter shortly. I would like to ask you a personal question: what do you know about your "soul"? Possibly a great deal. But my guess is that you know absolutely nothing about it. You only believe that you have one, while some may hope that they have one, and yet there are others who hope they have no soul – for the simple reason that their life has been such that they dread the thought of possibly possessing a soul which might have to face the living God sooner or later. But coming back to my question, the average person knows absolutely nothing about his soul. If he is a Christian, he may have read in the Bible, or heard in church, that he has a soul, which some day after the body has died may be given wings to glory and a harp of gold to be strummed on streets of crystal glass – thus loafing away eternity. Yes, indeed, you possess a soul, but what is far more important is that you possess a physical body, and about that you know a great deal, although perhaps not as much as you should. And you know that this physical body has seen many years of earth-life, and possibly the vicissitudes so common to mortals. It is this earth-life I want to speak to you about, and your physical being; not merely your physical being, but rather the entirety of your being. If in your body you can glorify God, then you need have no fear or concern about your soul after you are dead.

Now from I John 5:4-5, we read:
"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?"

In chapter 3, verse 9, we read: "Whosoever is born of God...." I think we can better understand the 4th verse, which I have just quoted to you, if we substitute "`whosoever' is born of God," which will keep it consistent with chapter 3, verse 9. We, as people, live in this world and we know our physical bodies and our earth-life: these are the factors in which we are interested. If you want to receive the approval of God, then I suggest that you become interested in your own life here and now. Show me the person who has made a success of life, and I will show you a person who has taken a vital interest in himself, his surroundings and all the conditions pertaining to his life. Show me a person who has not taken a keen and vital interest in his immediate surroundings and in his own potential, but has spent his time dreaming about what might be and what has been, then I will show you a person who has been an absolute failure as up to that moment.

Now hear my words carefully: the more you dream about your soul and pie-in-the-sky after you die, the more of a failure you will be here and now, and the less approval you will win of God when you stand before the Judge of the quick and the dead. Did not the Christ liken the kingdom of heaven to a man who went into a far country, but before departing gave pounds and talents to his many servants (Matt. 25:14-30)? And on his return he said to some, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Why "well done"? Because they had dreamt about pie-in-the-sky sometime following death? No, indeed! – But because they had done well here and now. In fact, His parting injunction was to do business, or trade with that which they had been given. But when we look into the original Greek text we find that the word thus rendered carries a far deeper or stronger meaning, implying great diligence in doing one's utmost with that which one possesses.

Now back to our Scripture text: "For whosoever is born of God overcomes this world." I know that there could be many possible interpretations of such a passage, but before we become visionary, let us be practical, let us be realistic. We are human beings living in a material world: its first and foremost realism becomes this world and our earth-life, from which it is utterly impossible to separate the physical body of man. Look about you in the world and take stock of the situation. Then ask yourself this question: is it the normal expectation in life to always be strong and healthy? Is it the normal expectation to see one's dreams come true, swiftly entering into success and happiness, into plenty and fortune, and eventually a great name? I repeat: are these the normal expectations in life as based on our observation of what life actually is to the multitudes? Observe, I said "normal expectation," not the usually wishful thinking. Now, when you have answered that question unto your own satisfaction, then you will know what the beloved Apostle had in mind when he said "the world." The world is the inhabited earth. It is society as we know it, including the common fortunes of man. Now that expression "the world" may carry many undertones, such as the mental, the emotional, the spiritual; but first and basic, it is the material world for the objective consciousness of man. That is what the beloved disciple spoke about when he said that "whatsoever and/or whosoever is born of God overcomes the world."

How can this world be overcome? We can only understand that when we first understand what the world means, that is, what the Apostle had in mind. As I said, it could carry several undertones, but first and basically, purely the material world and that lot which is common to man here and now. When we look about upon that lot for common man, we must admit that in the vast majority of cases it is not too envious a lot. Therefore, to overcome this world, that is, such conditions, we must have the secret of the power to rise above those conditions, and to change that lot which is the common destiny of man, into that of a glorified lot or destiny for man.

When you see a man whom you know was once a cripple, but who is now able-bodied and strong, that person has overcome that condition. When you see a person whom you knew to be perpetually on the breadline and in debt and usually without a job, who has now a business of his own, his debts paid up and his life a success, then you see a person who has overcome that particular condition in his life. When you see a person whom you knew to usually be gloomy and very despondent, even so much so that at various times he had attempted suicide, who is now whistling and singing and spreading sunshine into the life of all those who come in contact with him, then you see a person who has overcome that particular condition in his world which was once his lot. Now, put all of these factors together into one group, and add thereto any and all of the others you might be able to think of; then we see the picture of "the world" and its "overcoming" in entirety. If you read my last message founded in John 17:1, you will know that to fit like hand-in-glove with that which I am now discussing.

When we overcome this world, which implies all the conditions existent therein – all those conditions common to the lot of man – then has the Father glorified our lives, and our lives then glorify the Father and are an honor to Christ our Redeemer. I grant you without argument that there may be more considerations we should give to that which I termed "life's undertones" in the mental, emotional and spiritual; but I repeat, and with emphasis: first and basically it is the physical body and our earth-life, all of which is apparent to the objective consciousness of man: this constitutes "the world" which we must "overcome." And when in truth and reality we have overcome it, then do we no longer know that lot which is common to the average person, but we live in strong and healthy bodies, happy as larks, singing at the top of our voices, and we manifest success in whatever field of endeavor we work. That is overcoming the world.

Here we see the beloved Apostle asking, "Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (I Jn. 5:5 NKJ). I think that nearly everyone who will carefully study this chapter will recognize with me that the Apostle was not so much asking a question as he was making a statement: a statement to the effect that he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God is that person who overcomes the world. And he states that the medium or channel by which the world is overcome is our faith in the Son of God.

Now when we read about the Son of God, or hear that expression, we are prone to jump in thought to a certain Person of some nineteen centuries ago Who was born into this world by the Virgin Mary, and whose Father was God in heaven. I believe that to comprise the sum and substance of the average person's thought when he comes across this expression "the Son of God." But if there we stop, we get nowhere – we remain as dumb as we ever were. We must bear in mind that John the beloved disciple had walked with his Master maybe close to three years, and he knew Him for what He was. Don't kid yourself that John was thinking about the Son of Mary and of God in heaven: he was thinking of Yahoshua, which was the Name of the Person known to Christendom as "Jesus"; and John was fully aware of the full meaning of that Name, for it was a part of his language. The first part of it was the name of his God, while its shua ending carried the meaning of "preserver" or "saviour." Thus, his God in human flesh as the Preserver and Saviour of man. Again, I must remind you there was nothing said about the soul: John is talking about people of earth and their earth-lives.

That is what I am so desperately trying to put across to you: that when we understand the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, and enter into the faith that He was actually the God-Spirit in human flesh, come to earth for the absolute redemption of human kind, instead of merely for the soul of man after death, then does our life take on a transformation! I repeat: when we have come into the fullness of understanding, which in turn makes it possible for us to enter into faith – that is, a fullness of faith – knowing that the Spirit of God came to earth to undo the works of the enemy, to absolutely destroy the works of the Devil and their consequences; when we know that the Son of God came into this world to first and basically deal with the physical body and our earth-life, then have we opened the door to let the glory of Christ's face shine into our lives, and we have then taken the first step towards overcoming this world – which overcoming takes place entirely through our faith in the reality of Him Whom Jesus actually was. Then do we commence "overcoming" the world; that is, through our faith in Jesus Christ, Who destroyed the works of the Devil, we are now eligible for citizenship in the Kingdom of God as children of Jesus Christ, and therefore our lot is no longer the common destiny of the citizens of Lucifer's kingdom, but as sons and daughters of Jesus Christ, we are to know health and strength in body, as well as success and happiness in the world here and now. That is overcoming the world, completely through faith in the reality and identity of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene.

When that glory we commence to manifest in our lives here and now, then does that life commence to glorify the Father and honor our Saviour Who made it possible. Forget not His saying that He came that we might have life and that we might have it more abundantly (Jn. 10:10). I am not talking about more to eat, nor more clothes to wear, nor more cars to drive, but I speak of that which is the natural yearning of every normal human being: to be strong and healthy, to be successful and happy. That, beloved, is life and life more abundantly (than is the lot of common man).

With all that within me is, I state in the utmost sincerity: what I have just outlined to you is the first and basic realization for earthlings here and now, which Christ our Lord made possible in His finished work on Calvary, where the last work of the enemy was absolutely destroyed. And I have also much faith that as and when you get my Kingdom Keys study, and faithfully put those Keys to use, you will quickly observe a change for the better in your life. And if you carry on faithfully, that it will not take too long for you to personally experience, and come into the absolute conviction, that our Lord superimposed upon this world a spiritual Kingdom, the fruits of which are for His children to enjoy here and now.

There can be no valid argument against that: that spiritual Kingdom of Christ our Lord is right HERE and NOW; if not, then are not His words true. But we KNOW they are true for the simple reason that His true sons and daughters – living according to the laws of His Kingdom – do experience the wondrous good He promised unto all who would hear and follow.

Remember that simple lesson-in-truth you have been shown: every citizen – regardless of his land – MUST live according to its law. If not – trouble!

Just so long as you hanker for the ways and the life of the citizen of Lucifer's kingdom, you cannot expect to be rated very high in Christ's. But he that truly BELIEVES that Jesus was the Son of God, and that He established or superimposed His Kingdom upon our world for PRESENT man, is he that "overcomes the world" – even he who enters into the joyous life triumphant here and now!

"...According to your faith be it [done] unto you." Matthew 9:29