Salvation Has Entered
By Pavel Goia
In Luke 19 Jesus offers to enter Zacchaeus’ house. Then Jesus says, “Today salvation has come to this house” (verse 9). When Jesus lives in your place, heaven is there. And before you can enter God’s kingdom, God’s kingdom must enter your heart. In John 17 Jesus prayed not that His followers would be separated physically from the world but that they would not be of the world (John 17:15, 16).
We must get used to already living here as we would live in heaven. If we focus on the things of the world, we will become like the world. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21, NKJV). But if we focus on God and on His kingdom, His kingdom will move in us and around us. “The faces of men and women who talk with God, to whom the invisible world is a reality, express the peace of God. They carry with them the soft and genial atmosphere of heaven” (Medical Ministry, p. 252).
On one of my evangelistic trips to Cuba, many children and their parents came to listen. I found out from the pastor that all these visitors came because of one lady. I asked her what she said to get them to come. She replied, “It is not what I said to them,” and then she invited us to visit her the next day and watch. So we went.
She had an extremely small house, like a tool shed. No furniture inside except two bunk beds, a small table, two small chairs, and a camping stove. Early in the afternoon she went out in front of her home. And then they came—almost two hundred children! She had them sit down on the dirt and show her a paper signed by their parents. Then the kids formed a line and she gave them all rice. They sat down and ate.
While they were eating, she explained to us that most of her neighbors didn’t have a job, but she was blessed to have one. Her salary wasn’t enough to buy a variety of food, but she could buy rice. And then she said, “We are called to be like Jesus, to show what God’s kingdom is like so people desire it. We are to use Jesus’ method. To feed them and build friendships. If I live for myself, how am I like Jesus? And if I just give people physical bread, how does it really help them? So I am using rice to show these children love. Then I also give them spiritual bread. But kids often get distracted. To make sure that the kids listen, they must go home and, as proof that they have paid attention, tell their parents the story and the song they learned today. In this way I also reach the parents. Now that I’ve been doing this for a while, they all love me, trust me, and are willing to listen.”
As soon as the kids finished eating, she started to teach them about Jonah and then taught them a song. Afterward, they gave her hugs and thanked her. I heard them saying, “We love you, Auntie!” She had a big grin on her face. She said, “It is not only that I am trying to show them God’s kingdom, but they also bless me and fill me with joy too. A greater joy is to see them coming to church and praying and learning about God. But my greatest joy will be to see them in heaven. So I want them to taste a little drop of heaven now.”
Jesus is coming soon! But for you to be ready to enter His kingdom when He comes, you must have His kingdom live within you now. You must daily pray, “Lord, please come with Your kingdom into my heart today.” God is calling you to make His kingdom a reality today. Through daily prayer, study of the Word, and joyful service, live here as you would in heaven. Let heaven live in you. Be God’s hands here, just as people of faith were His hands in the past.
God wants to move His kingdom into your heart and home today and every day. He wants you to get used to living in His presence as citizens of heaven. Daily invite heaven into your heart and let His love spill over to others through your actions.
Pavel Goia is the editor of Ministry Magazine and the associate secretary of the Ministerial Department of the General Conference. This story was featured in this year's 10 Days of Prayer at www.tendaysofprayer.org.
World Church Prayer Requests
March 14 — 20, 2025
- Pray for the upcoming "Back to the Altar: 100 Days of Prayer," starting April 4th, 2025, to be a life-changing experience for all those that enroll. (To learn more visit: www.backtothealtar.org)
- Pray for the latter rain of the Holy Spirit to empower our witness and enable us to engage in the work God have given us to do before His return.
- Pray for wisdom to search, understand, and follow God’s Word. Pray that God will teach us to rightly divide the words of truth and faithfully share them with others.
- Pray that Adventists around the world will offer practical aid and encouragement to those who are suffering. Pray that God will give us courage, creativity, and an unselfish spirit when our neighbors need us most.
- We pray for Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) as they meet practical needs worldwide.
- Pray that God will inspire Seventh-day Adventists worldwide to pray as never before. Pray that we will learn how to claim His promises and expect Him to move mountains when we pray.
- Pray that God will teach us to proclaim our fundamental church beliefs with clarity, creativity, and biblical authenticity. May the love of Jesus be at the core of everything we believe.