Usually, everyone uses one type of investment. Either you work for someone, or you run your own business; you are an investor. Investing is spending something and expecting to recoup what you put in, plus the profits. Therefore, a farmer is an investor. The farmer sows the seed, and when the time for harvest comes, he will reap what he has planted and more. The trader invests his money to buy or produce services or products and will earn what he invested with interest after selling the product or service. Anyone who knows of a lucrative business will invest everything they have in this business to get the maximum profit available. Jesus said: “The kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, then in his joy, he went to sell all that he had and bought this field (Matthew 13:44). “Who would not do all in his power to obtain this treasure? I know I would. I think you would too because we are intelligent people. Because we know that if we get our hands on these precious metals, we could become rich for the rest of our lives on this earth. But we come to this world for a short time: we only last 70 years and for the hardest 80 years. Yes, I know some of you will say: I know people who live much longer than that. You are right; there is a small group that lives 100 and even 107 years. But after 95 years, they become like babies again. Even if they are rich, they no longer have any control over their wealth. Their children or someone else will take charge of their money. These people will tell the 95-year-old how to eat when to sleep, and what to do. However, on Abraham’s day, things were different. After Sarah’s death, Abraham was 137 years old; he took another wife named Keturah and had six more children (Genesis 25). The reason I mention this is that nowadays, our life expectancy is shorter than before. Therefore, we have less time to enjoy the material things that we collect on our journey in this world. 

Investing in material things in this world can be lucrative, but it doesn’t last long because the world is passing, and everything in it is. However, as our life is getting shorter and shorter, why not invest it in the Kingdom of God so that we can get it back forever and ever? Listen, brothers and sisters, we say that “we reap what we have sown,” Which means if we sowed rice, we could not reap anything other than rice. And your harvest will come from the field where you planted your rice. Likewise, if we sow our life in the Kingdom of God, we will reap it in Heaven, and we will live forever and ever in the Kingdom of God. Yes, I am not talking about money, but your life. You can do something better with it. You can spend it in the Kingdom of God and get it back for eternity in the Kingdom of God, and also get more material things for this life than you could ever think of having. Think about what the world would be if Christians were more concerned with their rewards in Heaven than those in the world. You could say okay, but how could anyone invest in the kingdom of God? Others might respond; you can do this by bringing your tithe and your offerings. The question is correct, but the answer is only ten percent right. I say this because someone cannot go to Heaven. After all, that person gives the tithe and the offerings. Because God once said that: 

“Hear the Word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 

 “The multitude of your sacrifices—What are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. 

 When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? 

 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. 

 I hate your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 

 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! 

 Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. 

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow (Isaiah 1:10-17).” 

This passage shows that tithing and offerings cannot guarantee a place in Heaven. However, Jesus tells us how we can invest and secure a place in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Later in the New Testament, the Bible says, “As Jesus was beginning his way, a man ran towards him and fell to his knees before him.” Good teacher, “he asked,” what must I do to inherit eternal life? ” ” Why do you call me good? “Jesus answered.” No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You will not kill, you will not commit adultery, you will not steal, you will not bear false witness, you will not defraud, you will not honor your father and your mother. “. “Master, “he declared,” all these I have kept since I was a child. ” Jesus looked at him and loved him.” One thing that you lack, “he said.” Go, sell. Whatever you have, give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. So, follow me Mark 10: 17-21. ” This rich man did much more than the tithe and the offering, but Jesus told him. It is not good enough. He must abandon everything and follow Jesus. Even the disciples of Jesus could not believe this answer from Jesus. At that point, they asked, “Who can then be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man, it is impossible, but not with God; everything is possible with God (Mark 10: 26-27).” Now the only ambiguity we might have been when Jesus said, “Then come, follow me.” Suppose you don’t understand what Jesus meant by that. Let me explain it clearly: it means learning and practicing the Word of God and teaching others to do the same. Now, brothers and sisters, since I have put the truth before you. I have a question for you: could you sincerely say that you have already reserved your place in Heaven? Or do you want to know how to book it? If your answer to the first question is yes, my place in Heaven is secure, then my job is done with you. But if you’re like the rest of us trying to be successful with the help of the Holy Ghost, then read on, knowing that you might come up with some exciting ideas that might help you on your journey. 

Many people teach that accepting Jesus is the only thing we need to go to Heaven. This sentence might not be 100% accurate if the person receiving Christ is not about to die. So, if you don’t, accepting Jesus is just a step towards the kingdom of God. From a business standpoint, it’s like deciding to invest in a particular company. Based on your research, you know that you will profit from it, and it will help you someday become a billionaire if you invest in this business. Investing is the first step toward your goal, but it is not the destination. To achieve your goal, you will need to perform many other movements. Likewise, accepting Jesus is the first step on the journey to Heaven. For me, I think the new convert will have to take two more steps. He will have to be baptized and take up his cross. These two points require much discussion, but I’ll do my best to make them as simple as possible. 

Baptism 

The first person to introduce baptism to the people of Israel was John. It was there that he got the name of John the Baptist. During his time, the Jews complained about John but not about the concept of baptism itself, which is funny because it was a new idea. Even though influential Jews did not receive baptism themselves, they could not deny that it was from God (read Luke 20: 3-7). Jesus himself received the baptism from John. (Matthew 3: 13-17). So, if someone wants to follow Jesus, the second thing that person has to do after accepting Christ is to be baptized. Jesus said: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)”. Furthermore, to show the importance of baptism, Jesus adds: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:16)”. To keep things simple for everyone, believing here means accepting Jesus as your master and savior. Or consider Jesus as the Son of God. After making Jesus your Lord and Savior, the next step is baptism, which will also help you keep a place in Heaven. You cannot receive baptism until you believe in Christ. You must first believe or accept Jesus and then get baptized. An example of this is the Evangelist Philip and the Ethiopians. “The eunuch asked Philip:” Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else? “So, Philip began with this very passage of Scripture and told him the good news of Jesus.  As they traveled along the road, they came to water, and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can prevent me from being baptized? “And he gave the order to stop the tank. So, Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him (read Acts 8: 26-40). “You see, accepting Jesus is just one step in getting a place in Heaven. 

Take your cross 

Teaching lets people know that if you accept Jesus and get baptized, you already have your place in Heaven. Then you can do whatever you want; you can’t lose it. This idea could not be further from the truth. Even before Christ came, God told His people. “But if a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits a sin and does the same detestable things that the wicked do, will he live? And because of the sins they have committed, they will die (Ezekiel 18:24). “Some of you might say it, but we are not living in Old Testament times; things are different now. Not really; things are not that different because Jesus also said:” At that time, many will turn away from the faith and betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. The love of most will grow cold, but those who stand firm to the end will be saved (Matthew 24: 10-13). ” You see, even after you have accepted Jesus and been baptized, your place in Heaven is not sure. The status of your heavenly reservation depends on whether you continue to obey Jesus’ command or not. God will override it at any time if you choose to give up the faith. You must continue to practice and obey the Word of God if you want to be with God in Heaven. Another way I like to refer to this part is to pick up your cross and follow Jesus. I did not invent this expression; Jesus did it. “Then Jesus said to his disciples:” Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24). ” 

Now, what does it mean to follow Jesus?  It means that we must learn the commandments of Jesus, apply them in our lives, and teach others to do the same until we leave this earth. That is the last command Jesus gave to his disciples before going to Heaven. Another meaning of taking up your cross is to love Jesus more than you love yourself or be willing to sacrifice yourself to defend your faith. When we do these things for the rest of our lives, we are guaranteed a place in Heaven. Therefore, you could say, like Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:7).” 

We must keep in mind that Paul wrote these things on the last day of his life. That’s why he said he had “finished the race.” Besides, he did what God asked him to do, which was to spread the gospel among the Gentiles. He defended his faith wherever he went by preaching the Word of God in more than twenty cities in Asia Minor and Rome, which resulted in the establishment of many churches, e.g., the Church of Corinth, Rome, Thessaloniki, Philippi, etc. Paul brought the gospel of Jesus to kings until the Word reached Caesar, the most powerful king on earth at that time. Paul indeed had a good fight. Despite all things and all persecution, he endured for his faith. He did not give up faith. He has been beaten several times. And even left for dead in Lystra, the Bible says, “But the Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and after persuading the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, assuming that ‘he was dead (Acts 14:19). “He never gave up his faith in Christ. So yes, he kept the faith. Since Paul endured all of these problems and did all of these works, then he won a place in Heaven where he would live with his master forever and ever. Every Christian should recite these three sentences that Paul mentioned above before leaving this earth. 

Now, if you still don’t understand what it means to take up your cross. Let me explain it to you in a simple way. It just means putting your hands in the works of God and keeping the faith even when you face the most difficult challenge. As you can see, Paul invested in God’s mission so that he could obtain a treasure that was greater and better than anything on this earth. We do not know precisely at what age Paul began his work for Christ and when he died. But theologians think he may have been 58 and 62 when he left this earth. We know that he was born between 5 and 6 AD. And we know in the year 33 AD. He could not participate in the stoning of Stephen; the Bible said: “57 So they covered their ears and, screaming aloud, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats on the feet of a young man named Saul (Acts 7: 57-58). “We know Paul began to preach right after his baptism (AD 33) in Arabia, and three years later, he was returned to Damascus, where he met Jesus to continue his work either in AD 36 or AD 37. In AD 44, he was in Tarsus preaching the gospel of Christ. We know that he served with Barnabas at the church in Antioch from AD 44-47. We know that his apostolic career began in the year 47 AD and ended between AD 64 and AD 67. Therefore, even if most people do not talk about his ministry in Arabia, it’s relevant that he was important because he was doing what he expected of him. Paul invested most of his life in the work of God. So, he can have the crown he mentioned above. 

It’s one thing to have a fortune; it’s another thing to have time to enjoy it in peace and security. If, for example, you invest your money and make a profit of $ 100 billion, you are only 40 years old. I think you might want to live another 300 years to take advantage of that money. But you know that won’t happen. Your time to enjoy your wealth can vary from a minute to maybe 67. I’m sure you won’t be so happy that you don’t have enough time to enjoy the money. I would be like that, too; this is why investing is different from investing in the Kingdom of God and investing in the world’s affairs. You reap where you sow your seed. If you sow on earth, you will reap on earth. If you planted in Heaven, you would reap in Heaven. Paul and the billionaire both have a fortune as a result of their investment. But which one will be the happiest? Paul will have more joy since he invested his 30 and older years in the Kingdom of God. Then, he will get his reward in Heaven. Therefore, Paul will enjoy his profit for all eternity. Moreover, he will live in the presence of God where there will be no death, no disease, no cry, no insecurity, but joy forever and ever. However, the billionaire will be much less happy because he has a short period to enjoy his reward, and if he is not careful, this money could also cause his death and even send him to eternal hell. 

As you can see, the Kingdom of God is the best place to invest your life. This investment always pays off. Everyone can do it. All you need is love, faith, humility, perseverance, knowledge of the Word of God, and a servant attitude. Listen, brothers and sisters, today I am not asking you to take your money and use it as seed in the ministry of the House of YHWH as others often urge you to do. For us, in the House of YHWH, a soul is more precious than all the riches of the earth combined. Every time somebody becomes a believer, it makes God happy to the point that He throws a party for that new soul. You cannot imagine what God will do for this soul when he stands firm until the end of his life. In YHWH’s House of Ministry, we want to make God happy until the end. Our job is to do our best to help others fight and keep the faith so that you can get your crown in Heaven. In my opinion, nothing is more precious than someone’s life. Therefore, we must treat our lives with respect and the values attached to them and do the same for the lives of others. And the only equipped place where a person can invest their life is the Kingdom of God. So, I urge everyone who reads or hears this blog to take a minute to think about the meaning of their life. And how can he use it in the Kingdom of God to reap eternal life? Paul said, “25 Everyone who participates in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore, I do not run like this. Someone who runs aimlessly; I don’t fight like a boxer beating the air.27 No, I strike my body and make it my slave so that after preaching to others, I won’t be disqualified for the price. (1 Corinthian 9: 25-27) “. 

Finally, my brothers and sisters, everything I have mentioned above shows that getting to Heaven is not as easy as some people might think. If a person becomes a believer in the last second of his life, that person will earn a place in Heaven. Jesus gave a house in Heaven to one of the two people on the cross with him. The Bible said, ” Then one of the hanged criminals blasphemed him, saying,” If you are the Christ, save yourself and us. ” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying: God, seeing that you are under the same condemnation? And we are truly righteous, for we receive the just recompense of our deeds; but this man has nothing hurts. ” Then he said to Jesus,” Lord, remember me when you enter your kingdom. ” And Jesus said to him, “Certainly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23: 39-43).” This guy who got this award was about to die. But we may not all be so lucky; you can suddenly die at any time and end up in hell. That is why we must prepare our place in Heaven. To do this, we need to follow the three steps I mentioned earlier: accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, getting baptized, and taking up your cross. This process is a requirement for every Christian who wants to have a place in Heaven. Now, some might take the verse where it says, “For by grace you were saved by faith, and not by yourselves; it is the gift of God, not works, lest anyone boast (Ephesians 2 2: 8). “And hold that grace is enough to get them a place in the Kingdom of God, so they don’t have to work to get it. The verse is correct, but those who interpret the word ‘work’ as they don’t ‘need not preach the gospel to others or that it is not vital to help those in need are missing the gist of the verse. If Paul believed that preaching and good deeds were not vital, why did he do them? Paul explained what he meant in the next verse where he said: “10 For we are his work, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to walk in them (Ephesians 2:10) “.  What kind of good works did God create in Christ Jesus for us to walk in them? These are the tasks that he left us: to believe in him, be baptized, and take up your cross. The lack of any of these three things is a storehouse for hell. Jesus said to his disciples: “My Father’s house has many rooms; if it had not been so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I am going to prepare one for you? Instead, I will come again, and I will take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am (John 14: 2-3). “A few verses below, He says:” Truly I say to you, whosoever believeth in me will do the works which I have made, and he will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father (John 14:12). “And the last words of Jesus to his disciples were: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to obey all that I have commanded you. Indeed, I am always with you until the end of the age (Matthew 28: 19-20). ” 

 As you can see, investing in the Kingdom of God takes a little effort, but it is worth it. I can even say that the world’s affairs are much more demanding than the affairs of God. At the same time, its reward is uncertain and far less than what someone will reap if they invest in God’s business. We can and should all be part of God’s business; that’s what God expects of us. Would you be prepared to invest in this business? If you want to do it now, please say it, dear Jesus: I am sorry for all the sins I have committed. I beg your pardon; please become the Lord and Savior of my soul, heart, mind, and body. After making this prayer, please get in touch with us, and we will be happy to guide you on this journey.