Ron Rhodes is an excellent teacher and preacher of the Scripture. Look out for his books and online preaching and teaching. He will benefit your faith greatly. Rapture of the Church

See this important Link on the issue: Lordship Salvation This debate is about a critical issue, but it is not a debate about Jesus being Lord. Both sides of this issue agree that Jesus is Lord, and we are called to obey Christ because if we love Him, we will keep His commandments, the 5 Crowns of Reward. The problem is when pastors tell people that their disobedience is a sign that they were never saved in the first place. This teaching is false, and it is never found on the lips of any author in the Bible. When our ministry teaches a "Cross-'n-Crowns" ministry, we mean exactly that, the cross is our salvation that is never questioned. The moment faith is placed in that Cross, the resurrection belongs to you, and you are saved with an eternal love that never fades nor forsakes. The Crowns, however, are our planned rewards that may be abandoned by the believer. Therein lies the confusion of those "Lordship salvation" advocates: you don't lose salvation, but you may lose rewards. Why else would Jesus command us to never let anyone steal our crown (Rev 3:11)? But some will retort with Matthew's warning: "not everyone who says to me "Lord, Lord" will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So what does that mean? Firstly, what is the circumstance of this passage? Its the entrance of the Kingdom, the era of the millennium. Secondly, this is not entrance into the Church, is it? The word "Church" is not anywhere near this passage because it is spoken to Israel, the Jewish people, entering the millennial reign of Christ when He sits on His "glorious throne" in the Jerusalem Temple. While the Church began in Acts 2 and will end its dispensation in Revelation 4, when we are rewarded the Crowns, the entrance of the Millennium is the Second Coming of Christ in Rev 19. The millennium occurs only after the stages of the first resurrection are completed (compare 1 Cor 15:23–24; Rev 4:1-10; 11:11-12; 20:4-7). The lesson of this post is this: never question the salvation established by the work of Christ, the cross. But always examine ourselves to see whether we are working toward our rewards because the 5 Crowns of Reward determine our Christian maturity.

We need faith that when we speak God's Word to others, the truth of the gospel in Scripture, that it will never return void one way or another but will go to work in the lives of them we speak it to. Jesus told us this is a season of sowing seeds, which is the Word of God: "the seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11). Patience is the key to dealing with seeds. We sow them, and God gives the gain. What about those who reject the gospel? Let's keep in mind the object of their rejection--the seed itself. Now, for them to feel this rejection, they first must feel the presence of the seed, right? That's a seed you sowed. Keep in mind, there is no telling when they may accept that seed at some later point in life. When pressures hurt, when times are tough, when loneliness sets in, or other matters remind them of the solution you gave them, that seed. When we send God's Word to work in other's lives, when we share our faith and Scripture, we are rewarded the Crown of Rejoicing. Never let anyone talk you out of that practice. Never let anyone steal your crown (Rev 3:11). Make sure to stop the steal, hold to your crowns and the practices they point us to.

This topic is confused by bad theology and many others who quote those bad theologians, borrowing their authority to do so. Lets start with what the Church is NOT, then we will capitalize on what the Church actual IS designed to be. What the Church is NOT: #1 The Church is NOT the Kingdom age. Many bad theologians confuse people by using Kingdom-age terms to describe the Church. Phrases like "we are building a Kingdom" and "we win souls for the Kingdom" confuse people and set the wrong agenda. The Church is the Bride of Christ, so never does any queen (i.e., Bride of the King) build a Kingdom to hand it to her husband. NEVER. The Kingdom age is marked by several key issues: 1. Satan is overthrown and locked in the abyss (Rev. 20). 2. The knowledge of God will be free across every nation without resistance. 3. Jesus Christ will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem and rule every nation with an iron fist for a thousand years. So the Church is not the Kingdom. #2 The Church is NOT the nation of Israel. This is not a controversy, but many theologians get this wrong. The Church is not Israel for many reasons. Firstly, Israel is the descendants of Abraham-Isaac-Jacob with faith in their messiah, Jesus Christ. While some of these descendants have joined the Church, as they should in this era of history, they are joining the Body of Christ, which is the Bride of Christ, where Paul has stated there is neither Greek, Jew, slave or free but all are in one in Christ (Gal 3:28). The nation of Israel is God's Kingdom program for earth, while the Church is designed to be resurrected, raptured, and taken to the hand of Jesus Christ in heaven until He returns to earth. Israel is one nation, while the Church is taken from every nation until God restores "the tent of David," which is the nation (Acts 15:14-16). What the CHURCH actually IS: #1 The Church is designed to earn her 5 Crowns of Reward in this life Every member of the Church is designed to be taken from every nation on earth. Why? Because after they earn their 5 Crowns of Reward in this life, Jesus will rapture them (that means resurrect them, and take them to himself at His throne in heaven, see Rev 4:1-10) and reward them with these crowns. What is the purpose of these Crowns? The answer is to prepare for His Second Coming, where each member receives the authority over the nations as God's Kingdom rulers alongside Jesus Christ on earth. Jesus says this: "To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations." Being resurrected, they are perfect to rule in God's place on earth.

This post under the Crown of Rejoicing, Share your faith, has to do with sharing the Word of God because you have faith in God that it can save the souls of those who hear it. That's real faith in God's Word, and Paul reveals to us this very issue: 1 Cor 15:1-2 ESV Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. It is the Word of God that produces salvation, the gospel message of salvation and the coming Kingdom, that saves you and anyone you share it with who receives it in faith. Jesus likens this word of God to seeds that are sown all over a road and a field, see the parable of the sower on this analogy (Mark 4:14-20). That means the seed produces according to God's design, just as a seed produces various trees, shrubs, vegetables, and other plant life. Just as the seeds are designed, they produce according to the power of God, and humanity receives the gain, so too does the word of God never return void, so therefore it demands that all men come to repentance, see Acts 20:21. What, then, do we have faith in as we share God's Word? We dig deep into our Crown of Righteousness to drive our study of the "whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27) so that in the key moment, we can feed those who will become God's sheep and watch their growth in the Spirit unto the glory of Jesus Christ. So study your Bible. Learn every word. Let the Spirit give you remembrance at the key moment, and watch those you preach to grow in their faith, should they receive it well. That's faith in God's Word.