THE WORD & THE WAY

 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 KJV) 

  Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. (Luke 13:24 KJV)

     The message in those passages makes clear to us that the Way to everlasting life is a small entry. So much so until not many will find it or be able to go through. A strait (tight) gate and narrow (difficult or challenging) way is not what most people prefer to deal with and will choose the wide (easy) gate with the broad (more comfortable) way. Most will take the easier path, but it leads to destruction (spiritual death). Much of the world's religious system today, that entity we Christians call church, may not sufficiently stress the point of this scriptural truism. Instead, we get a plethora of prosperity gospels, weak scriptural exegesis and good sounding, self-affirming psychology with a religious spin. The sobering reality is that Christianity actually is a tight and narrow experience in many ways. A true Christian faith journey can be a challenging lifestyle. Understanding this should encourage us to examine our own spiritual state. What do we experience and expect, a spacious entry and smooth path or a hard-to-get-through entrance leading to a sometimes very difficult path? Which gate did we go through and what road are we traveling? The Holy Bible in addition to prayer and Holy Spirit guidance helps us figure this out and hopefully, if needed, puts us on the strait and narrow.

      SGKO is a nondenominational Christian site pursuing the things of God and seeking clear, in-depth biblical Truth. This outreach's primary purpose is to promote the Gospel of Christ Jesus and advance God's Kingdom in this world. Its secondary purpose is for documentation of what the Holy Spirit reveals to me. The goal is to dig a little deeper without being stuck in preconceived notions and get those nuggets of Truth that may have previously escaped me. This is an online, one-person endeavor as my service to Jesus Christ. I'm just putting it out there as best I know how. The site exists for the enlightenment of the Body of Christ as well as evangelizing the staunchly unbelieving world and anyone who wants more information about Christianity. Upon God's Word we build our faith and doctrines which help us to mature in our spiritual walk and enrich our relationship with our Creator and Savior. On this site manmade traditions and popular beliefs and practices are sometimes questioned with the hope of unearthing God's Scriptural and revealed intentions. Research will be from the Word of God first as well as other sources of relative information. But the primary and final word on anything would be from correct interpretative reading of Scripture. Let me be perfectly clear, I'm not an academic Theologian or Biblical expert. I do not carry a lot of those high-end credentials from the Christian community. I'm just a saint who has been called to write for the Kingdom in various ways. So, I write.

     This online outreach will hopefully be helpful to people wanting to expand their biblical insight and walk more worthily in their Christian journey. It is for Truth seekers, God's Perfect Truth, not the world's anemic subjective truth. There is a lot of debate with varying views on many Christian tenets which can make it confusing and off-putting to try to understand or embrace the faith. Perhaps, this site, to some small degree, unravel matters we need to prayerfully ponder and clarify and then we can tell others The Way to everlasting life.

     My name is Marlene.  I'm just an ordinary person in most ways, no celebrity or anyone of particular interest.  However, I do have a calling on my life which prompted me to put up this website. I am a writer, a natural born storyteller. Since early childhood I was enthralled by good stories. That seed germinated into a God-given gift. Writing became my favorite form of expression and a vehicle for my vivid imagination. Another and most significant thing about me is being a born-again disciple of Christ Jesus, a woman of the WAY, a Christian. I am also a Kingdom writer and word warrior.  A Kingdom writer because I am inspired to write in service to God's Kingdom and a word warrior by having an innate warrior’s spirit with words being my weapons, the Word of God and my humble writings. What I write is how I fight for the Kingdom of God.

     I am a faithful work in progress, hopefully maturing in spiritual acuity and Christlikeness. To me words (language) matters; they are an important component of both our natural and spiritual lives. Words are more than just a system of communication among human beings. Words are Spirit, existing even before God created man. Words are powerful spirits in the heavenlies and on the earth; be it rhema, spoken words or logos, written words. This is demonstrated at the very beginning of the Holy Bible in the book of Genesis. Scripture chronicles Yahweh speaking everything into existence. Through His Omnipotent Rhema, He created the atmosphere and earth, plant life, sea creatures, birds and different animals out of absolutely nothing. He spoke it and it was... That is what creation truly means, making something out of nothing. Trying to fully wrap the brain around that is truly daunting. To us in the Family of Christian Faith the Holy Bible is an anchor and like any anchor it holds us steady in the spiritual waters of our lives. Scripture was given by God to inform, persuade, correct and direct us in Christlikeness; ultimately leading us to eternal life.  

     I take my God-given gift of writing serious. I pray that I walk worthy in my calling because I feel grateful to be entrusted to serve in this most honored fashion. To date I've written multiple novels, novellas, short stories, essays and articles, hopefully all to the Glory of Almighty God. Writing for me is sometimes exacting but is always a joy. It is my sincerest hope that whatever I write, be it fiction or nonfiction, His Divine Hand is on it. May my efforts, in some small way have a positive effect for God's Truth to spread. That I am always aware and obedient to the promptings of His Holy Spirit in my life.

     Salvation from sin is only through Christ Jesus' sacrifice on the tree (cross) at Calvary and His resurrection and ascension. His sacrifice undisputably defeats sin's consequence of death. Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, mankind's Savior, the Son of Almighty Yahweh (Father God) as well as the Son of man. The Savior Son now sits at the right hand of the FATHER. His supernatural conception, birth, ministry, death and resurrection and its eternal victory is called the Gospel or the Good News. 

    Christ Jesus, the Messiah was both Divine and human. He is the WORD and the WAY, Savior Son of our Holy Father Yahweh and the only way to everlasting life. Jesus of Nazareth was perfect, the only sinless man living in this world. Yahshua Hamashiach's death by crucifixion satisfied redemption of sin for all mankind. His resurrection marked victory over death, the consequence of sin. Our Redeemer's heavenly ascension sealed His rule and reign sitting at the right hand of Father Yah. These Truths are the corner stone of my Christian faith. 

    There is One True Living God Who manifests Himself to us as three entities, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is what is meant by the Trinity. Yahweh is One, singular, yet He is Triune in character. A Hebrew word meaning God in Scripture is Elohim. This word is often used in plural tense designating the three characterizations of our One True Omniscient God.

    The Holy Bible is the Inerrant Word of Almighty God, both First (Old) and Second (New) Testaments. The Inspired Word of God in its entirety is God's loving communication to humankind. Men who wrote the Holy Bible were Divinely inspired to pen scripture imbued with spiritual power. The Bible is far more than just a religious book. It is Truth, an effectual living organism, writings with divinely spiritual energy.

    God created the heavens, the earth and everything on, in and around it. He created the universe. The Creator also made man and woman, fashioning mankind, in some way, after His likeness. He instituted marriage of man and woman and the procreation of the species thereby constructing the family.

    Yahweh (Father God, the Great I AM) is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (everywhere). He is Creator and Sovereign Ruler of all things in our world and beyond.

    Water Baptism and Holy Spirit Baptism are both biblically validated. The Holy Spirit is indwelt and active in all born-again believers.

    Those who are born-again are saints of God. It is the saints who constitute an assembly or gathering of Christian disciples, the Body of Christ or the church. The church, in the true biblical sense of the word, is not a building or place and not a religious system. The people of God are the church, the redeemed disciples of the Savior Son.

    The existence of multiple Christian denominations is inconsistent with Scripture. The Word of God informs us that the Body of Christ should be unified, a body of believers. We should be linked together in faith and purpose. The splintering of Christianity by differing denominations or sects is not biblical, not of God. 

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:4-6 (BSB)

    Humankind exists in this time constrained physical world which presents limitations. Scripture makes it clear that there is another dominion, a spiritual realm, which we cannot perceive in the natural, but exists. The spiritual world has a direct connection to our natural reality. The ongoing war of good (God) versus evil (the devil) starts in the unseen spirit realm with its repercussions filtering down to our visible physical world. Scripture tells us God is Spirit. We human beings are like our Creator in that we are spiritual beings but encased in physical bodies. The Almighty Creator lives above, beyond and outside of time and above our natural world in the realm we cannot see. There are spiritual enemies operating in rebellion to Him and against mankind, devising their wicked schemes on earth toward us. Biblical accounts depict the enemy as cunning and deceptive, a spirit of prideful rebellious sin prowling the earth looking for any chance to cause chaos and initiate sin. The family of faith is called to be aware but not afraid, to war against such principalities in the power of our Omnipotent God and counter their destructive agendas.

    Saints of God who've read the Book of Revelations know Who wins this longstanding spiritual war and are aware of the end game, a blessed eternal destiny. We have no doubt Christ Jesus, our Savior and King is going to return some day, and He will judge, rule and reign for all eternity.