|
This month I am departing from the type of articles I have been writing in order to relate an outstanding example of a local church seeking to fulfill the mission given to it by Jesus Christ.
First Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs, Texas does not just talk about evangelism and missions. The church is actively involved through personal participation, prayers and finances.
This year the church has sent out mission teams to the country of Nicaragua, the states of Kansas, Michigan, Wisconsin, the cities of Austin Texas and Sulphur Springs, and to the Rehoboth Baptist Association (includes this county and beyond). On one Sunday over 100 people were out on mission trips. These mission involvements included construction, medical missions, sports camp, puppetry, Vacation Bible Schools, Bible distribution, and various other missions/evangelism efforts.
The members of these mission teams pay part of their own expenses (usually $350-$400 each) and the church pays the rest. No one is left out because he/she cannot afford the financial cost. Members within the congregation who have the money but cannot go, voluntarily provide the needed money. No one knows who the donors or recipients of these funds are (except the one administering the funds) so there is no embarrassment. In addition, the students going on these trips are given the opportunity to do work at the church for a week to cover their expenses.
The past two Sunday evening services have consisted of reports from the various mission teams. Dr. Hardage and his family also go on some of these mission trips and work just as hard as anyone, whether it be painting, construction, or direct ministry. I attribute the strong missions spirit of this church to the pastor's heart for missions and his dynamic leadership. Dr. David Hardage is beginning his 12th year as pastor of FBC.
The youth choir, directed by Rev. Fred Randles, is going to New York soon, where they will sing at the United Nations building, among other places and distribute Bibles. Last year they went to California and gave open-air concerts, distributed Bibles in three languages, worked in a soup kitchen and did personal evangelism.
First Baptist Church of Sulphur Springs also receives an annual offering for associational missions (administered by the area association of churches), another annual offering for state missions (administered by the state convention), another for North American Missions and one for International Missions, administered by their respective boards. The church also includes a substantial percentage of its budget for missions through these agencies.
We regularly have people in other countries serving in short-term missions, up to about two years. Others are involved in Campers for Christ. The church is actively participating in the "Shoes for Orphan Souls" campaign, sponsored by Buckner Baptist Benevolences to provide shoes for orphans in Russia.
An evangelism outreach team, in addition to the regular church visitation, meets regularly to receive assignments, pray, and give reports on evangelistic visits made.
There are other missions involvements, but this gives you an idea of the heart and soul of First Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs. We have an outstanding staff, and support staff. Currently, the church also has seven summer youth interns consisting of new high school graduates and college students, all of whom have commited their lives to the ministry in this church. They all work together beautifully. Perhaps one of these days I'll twist Dr. Hardage's arm & get him to write a guest article in place of the one I write.
The Church Staff Consists of:
Pastor: Dr. David Hardage (led the Milwaukee Wisconsin team for the past four or five years)
Assistant Pastor/55+ Ministries: Rev. Fred Lewis (led the Michigan team)
Minister of Music: Rev Fred Randles (taking the choir on a missions-type tour to New York)
Minister of Education: Rev. Bruce Welch (co-led the Sulphur Springs team)
Children's Minister: Rev. Alan Michael (co-led the Sulphur Springs team)
High School Minister: Rev. Jimmy Reynolds (led the Kansas team)
Middle School Minister: Rev. Ty Musser
Business Administration/Missions: Tommy Johnston (led the association team)
Preschool Coordinator: Carolyn McKinney
Hispanic Mission (Iglesia Primero Bautista) Pastor: Rev. Amadeo Miranda
Black Mission (Liberty Fellowship) Pastor: Rev. Raymond Hawkins
If you happen to be in the Sulphur Springs area on a Sunday or a Wednesday evening, drop by First Baptist Church and pay us a visit. The church is on the city square at Oak & College. Sunday worship services are at 8:30 a.m., 11 a.m. (televised) & 7 p.m. (televised). Bible Study (Sunday School) is at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday evening service is at 7:00.
This article is different from those I have been posting in this space. If you need help in your relationship to God, contact me. I'll listen (read your e-mail) and respond in the best way I can. I would like to know about a decision you are making or contemplating. Just click on the e-mail link below or go to the "Contact Us" page of this website.You may also want to contact a Christian pastor or Christian friend for help and encouragement.
Your correspondence stays with me and God. Your name will not go on anyone's mailing list and I will not be asking for money. If there is a local church of which you can become a part, that is the ministry you should support.
-- Don
At school, Josh was good in arithmetic but poor in spelling. Jessica was good in spelling and sat opposite him. On test day, Josh forgot many of the words and the temptation came to him, "Look on Jessica's paper; she has them right." So Josh copied several of the words, and the teacher saw him. She intended to talk with him after school. She had thought Josh was honest. About that time a boy came by taking up the papers. As he came to Josh's desk, the teacher saw Josh tear up his paper and say, "I haven't any." She knew that he had decided to take a zero rather than hand in a dishonest paper. When school let out, she called Josh aside and said, "I saw your struggle, and am proud of a boy who conquered temptation."
Just as in the above parable, temptation is an everyday experience. Everyone is tempted. It's not a sin to be tempted. What you do with the temptation is the important thing. A selfish or lustful or vengeful thought may enter your mind. That in itself is not a sin. It will happen. But if you harbor that thought and feed on it, that is sin. Harboring such thoughts damages you. It may also lead to action that harms someone else. Either way it is wrong.
In the Bible (God's word to us), you can read about one Person who overcame every temptetion. He is the only human who ever lived that never sinned even one time. But he was tempted. The Bible says that he was tempted in every way that you and I are tempted, yet without sin. He is our example. Who is this Person? He is Jesus Christ, the Son of God the Father.
You may say,"If Jesus was the Son of God, no wonder he didn't sin." But he had the capability to sin. There would have been no temptation if he was not capable of giving in to it. God's Son allowed himself to come to earth in the form of a human, taking on the limitations of people. This was a voluntary self-limitation. He could become tired, hungry, thirsty and suffer pain just as you and I. He could choose what he would do in each situation. But he never gave in to temptation.
All of us have sinned. Even the "best" among us have sinned. In the Bible, we are told that "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We may think that we are pretty righteous, and observe the laws of God and man. But a few verses before the scripture just quoted, God's word says, "No one will be declared righteous in his (God's) sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify" (Romans 3:20-21). The next verse (22) is the clincher as to how we become righteous in God's sight. It says,"This righteous from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." Believe what or how? Read on.
To receive eternal life, making available a full and meaningful life here on earth and a continuation of life in heaven after we die, we must be declared righteous before God. But we have already said that every one of us has sinned. Therefore we have become disqualified to enter heaven. Not only that, but we have become doomed to eternal separation from God at death in a place the Scripture speaks of as where the "fire is not quenched." There is nothing we can do to make up for sins we have committed. That's where Jesus Christ comes in.
Jesus lived a perfect life, without sin. He said (paraphrasing several of his statements), "I'll offer myself as a sacrifice to God for the sins of the people so that all who will believe in the effectiveness of this sacrifice, turning their lives over to God for his direction, will be saved." To "be saved" is to receive the eternal life we spoke of earlier. Actually this was God's plan in sending his Son. In the Bible's New Testament, Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
We receive eternal life, not because of our own righteousness, but by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, God's Son, who died on the cross for us, then rose back to life three days later. We can stand before God as righteous because when we believe, Jesus' righteousness is imputed onto us. His righteousness covers our sins.
Sure, you will still be tempted, and sometimes will will fail miserably by giving in to temptation. But because you have turned your life over to God, you want to serve him and not sin against him. Your new Christian conscience, guided by God's Holy Spirit, will convict you that you have done wrong. You can ask God's forgiveness and out of his mercy and grace, he will forgive you. As a member of God's family, you do not lose your eternal life because you sinned, but you will not want to sin. Just as parents do not kick their child out of the family each time the child disobeys them, God does not kick his children out of his family. But it means a lot to a parent when a child comes and says, "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry, please forgive me." The same is true of God.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, there is no better time than right now. You can ask God to save you through his Son. If you really mean it and turn control of your life over to him, he will do it.
If you don't know how to ask God to forgive you and save you, contact me and I'll tell you how, including an example of the words you may use.
You may also want to contact a Christian pastor or Christian friend for help and encouragement.
Feel free to contact me. In fact, I would like to know about a decision you are making or contemplating. Just click on the email link below or go to the "Contact Us" page of this website.
Your correspondence stays with me and God. Your name will not go on anyone's mailing list and I will not be asking for money. If there is a local church of which you can become a part, that is the ministry you should support.
-- Don
Recently my wife, Nora, and I went to Hawaii to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. While there, I went scuba diving with Captain Devon Merrifield, marine coordinator and scuba instructor for AquaZone, and his crewman, Jerry. There we saw octopuses, large eels, huge turtles and beautiful fish of about every shape and color. The coral was also colorful. The ocean water was crystal clear, whether near the surface or 35 feet down where we explored the creatures on bottom. On one occasion, an octopus went under a rock. Devon had me watch as he pulled the rock back slightly, then let it back down in place. As he moved the rock, the octopus took off, leaving a black stream of its ink -- a brief blackout. With this type of defense, a predator would not be able to see it.
Our God is the Master Creator/Artist. We see his beauty, wisdom and power in the various colors and types of vegetation, minerals, animals and the heavens above. The underwater world is every bit as beautiful and awe-inspiring.
Psalm 104:24-25 in the Bible says, "How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number -- living things both large and small."
Several years ago when our son-in-law, Ron, was in the military, he took his family to the park one day. He was feeding the squirrels and one of them bit him. Ron went to the infirmary. While there he was required to fill out a form relating to an injury from an animal. One of the questions asked for the type of injury. He wrote down, "Squirrel bite." The next question was, "Where did it take place?" He answered, "In the park." Then a question asked, "Who owns the pet?" Ron wrote down, "God." It was not the answer expected or desired. I don't think the military person who received the form appreciated the response. He thought Ron was trying to be "smart." Of course we know that God does own everything and we are his stewards.
I think most of us want to know God better. But we become so focused on our work and other activities that we put God in the background of our minds. When trouble comes or we have a special need, we remember to call on him. In a sense, we act as though God is our servant, rather that our serving him.
We can grow in our knowledge and awareness of the Lord through communication with God.
Real communication is a two-way street. We talk to God and listen for God to talk to us. Through the Bible, primarily God talks to us. Through prayer, we primarily talk to God. With the two-way conversation, we can have communication between our spirit and his Spirit. Romans 8:16, in the New Testament of the Bible, says, "His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God."
Prayer and Bible study go together. Often we simply need to read the Bible and let God speak to our minds and hearts. Our minds and hearts must be receptive to God's direction for our lives.
We can have a greater appreciation of the power of God by observing his works.
The same God who reveals himself in his Scripture, also reveals himself in his creation. In this day of science, we think that everything must be proven, even God. In proving God, we try to make him conform to our ideas about him. Faith has gone out the window. Yet, there are some things that our finite minds cannot comprehend. One of those is space. It seems that space must eventually end somewhere. But what is beyond the end? Eternity is another subject that our minds are not equipped to understand. Our minds are not made to comprehend this. However, we can see God in all of his creation.
The God who created the universe and established all of the laws of nature is a personal God.
This is the same God who loves you and me as individuals so much that he gave his only Son to suffer on the cross to atone for our sins. It was so we could be saved from eternal separation from God in a place called hell. The Bible speaks of it as a place where the fire does not end. It was also so that we could be saved to the eternal presence of God in a beautiful place called heaven. In addition, we are saved to a full and meaningful life while we are still alive on earth.
Because he loves us as individuals, Jesus (God's Son) left the glory of heaven and lived a perfect life here on earth, experiencing all that we experience, yet without sin.
Because he loves you and me, Jesus fulfilled every prophecy (prophecies made in the Bible's Old Testament, before he came to earth) about his life, death and resurrection from the grave. He provided the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
Because of his love for us, he was victorious over the grave and paved the way for us.
As the Scripture said, "Know that the Lord is God; it is he who made us and we are his."
When we accept what God's Son, Jesus, did for us and place our lives into God's hands, we are born into God's family.
When we are born into God's family, we are his, not only because he created us, but because of the new relationship we have with him. We can call him Father because we are his children.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, there is no better time than right now. You can ask God to save you through his Son. If you really mean it and turn control of your life over to him, he will do it.
You may also want to contact a Christian pastor or Christian friend for help and encouragement.
Feel free to contact me. In fact, I would like to know about a decision you are making or contemplating. You may do so on the Contact Us page of this website.
Your correspondence stays with me and God. Your name will not go on anyone's mailing list and I will not be asking for money. If there is a local church of which you can become a part, that is the ministry you should support.
-- Don
Several years ago I worked as a sales clerk in a White Auto Store in Tucumcari New Mexico. I was a 20 year-old bi-vocational pastor of a small church there. One day a man came in and bought a small item and gave me a check. I cashed it without requiring any ID. Back then we trusted people and IDs were not often checked. About 30 minutes later a police officer came into the store and asked me if I recognized the check. I indicated that I did. After returning the money, he filled me in. This man and another were going to several stores in town and doing the same thing, but were caught.
A few years earlier, as a high school senior in Cortez Colorado, I worked at the Cortez Hardware store. A man came into the store and bought a small item and gave me a $20 bill. You guessed it, I must have looked like an easy mark and my action proved my naiveté. I took the bill hardly looking at it and gave the man "his" change. The bill was counterfeit.
The apostle Paul, an outstanding character in the New Testament of the Bible, said his life before knowing Jesus Christ had the appearance of real worth, but it was worthless -- counterfeit.
In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul said,
If anyone else thinks he has reason to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything as loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ -- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith
(Philippians 3:4b-9 NIV).
Paul's Counterfeit Life Had the "Right" Heritage
Paul started off on the right foot. He was circumcised on the 8th day in accordance with Levitical law. He was an Israelite, born of Hebrew parents (rather than being a proselyte to Judaism). He was a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin. The tribes of Benjamin and Judah had alone held to the Davidic royal house under Rehoboam. So he was a true-blue Israelite.
Remember that hot check I received? It was on the kind of paper any other check was written on. The name of the bank was known. The man's name imprinted on the check was a well-known citizen of the town.
Paul had all the credentials. What more could one ask?
There are people today who rely on their own credentials. "My parents grew up in the church." "I am an upright citizen, faithful to my country. I pay my taxes." "I belong to the church."
Much importance is attached to heritage -- belonging to the right family, being associated with the right church, having membership in the right lodge or club, being a graduate of the right school, being associated with the right company, driving the right car (or truck), knowing the right people, having the proper number of digits on the bank account statement.
Paul could have bragged about his heritage.
Paul's Counterfeit Life Had the "Right" Appearance
Paul lived by the law. What could be wrong with that? It is very commendable. He was a Pharisee. The Pharisees were a very strict group of people who prided themselves in being Abraham's children. They paraded their "good works" before the people. The Pharasees were the "separated ones." They would not even eat in the house of a non-tither (one who didn't return 10% of his possessions to the Lord) for fear that the food had not been tithed. They also held a dominating position in the Sanhedrin (a Jewish governing body). They stressed the unity and holiness of God, and the absolute authority of the Scriptures.
Paul's zeal could not be questioned. He had been active in persecuting the church, because he thought it was the right thing to do.
Back to that check. It had the right appearance & the right name. It appeared authentic but it was worthless. The wrong person had signed it. He signed the right name but it was a forgery. The signee was a forger; he had no bank account & tried to draw from someone else's account by signing that person's name. It looked legitimate but it was counterfeit.
Paul's Counterfeit Life Was Exposed by Jesus
When his supposed righteousness was exposed to the light of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord, he saw it all as evil. He was not just indifferent to the past. Repentance is not merely an indifference to one's past. It is a recognition of it as false, as bad, as evil -- so evil that one turns from his or her past to Jesus Christ. Things cease to control his or her life. Jesus becomes Lord.
When we meet Jesus and his love is revealed to us, God shines his light on our lives and we can see how dirty and corrupt they are. Our lives may have appeared beautiful and clean, or at least OK outside of his light. But the Holy Spirit now convicts us of our wrong-doing, our attitude of rebellion or indifference toward God, and we see ourselves as wicked & sinful.
Paul's Counterfeit Life Was Exchanged for the Genuine Life in Christ Jesus
Paul recognized that, as glorious as his past had seemed, he had no righteousness of his own. Many live good moral lives but they are simply going their own way instead of allowing God to direct their lives.
Paul came to recognize that the only true righteousness is that which comes from the only righteous One. It is the righteousness that comes from God, which depends on faith in his Son, Jesus Christ.
God has written the check and signed it himself -- signed in the blood of his dear Son who gave himself as a sacrifice for your sins. His account of grace is fully sufficient to cover you. He offers you genuine life & he will clothe you in his righteousness, as you have none of your own.
After Paul told of this change in his life, he said (a few verses later), "Join with others in following my example." The Holy Spirit may already be convicting you and prompting you to do just that. Jesus Christ will make your life worth living and give you a home in heaven to boot.
Need help? Feel free to share with me your questions and concerns about trusting Jesus. Just go to the "Contact Us" page of this website and enter your comments. Don't worry, I have no list asking anyone for support. I will not be asking for money. The Christian should become a part of a local church and help support the ministries of that church. Now is the time to take that step.
--Don
Valentines Day is a time when our thoughts turn to love. For me, a good working definition of love is "a genuine caring concern." Love of self is a caring concern for oneself. Love for others is a caring concern for others. An excessive concern for oneself, is an egotistical, self-centeredness that reduces or excludes love for others.
Love is not something you fall into or out of. A person chooses to care or not to care.
Attraction is not love. A boy sees a girl (or a girl sees a boy) and is attracted to the other person, perhaps because of looks or personality. They may be attracted to each other and want to be together. That is not love. That is attraction. That attraction can be a plus in beginning to develop love (a genuine caring concern) as they get to know each other. But attraction can also be used for selfish purposes as well, so attraction is not love.
Love has nothing to do with sex. Sex before marriage certainly is not love. It is using the other person and it is disobeying God. It is a selfish act. A man can have sex with a prostitute for whom he cares nothing. A husband or wife might be unfaithful to the other. That certainly is not a genuine caring concern.
Sometimes we confuse love and relationship and sort of lump them together. Love is expressed differently, depending on the relationship. The young man and woman dating have a courting relationship. Their actions can remain appropriate to that type of relationship and let a genuine caring concern (love) grow. Some use each other with actions inappropriate to that type of relationship. A father & mother will express their love for one another differently than for their children because the relationship is different. But the type of love is the same.
There is a difference between love and relationship. With varying degrees you will love, but the relationships will differ in type & the love will be expressed differently. With this definition of love, it is no threat to me for my wife to love (have a genuine caring concern for) many people, both men & women, as well as children.
The degree of love will differ. We will care more for those who are near and dear to us. Moving further out from us, relationally or in terms of awareness, our genuine caring concern (love) lessens.
The Bible makes it clear that we should love (care for) everyone. But what about those in other parts of the world, of whom we are unaware? Our love for them is such that as we become aware of their needs, our caring concern is activated. Events sometimes bring them into our awareness, such as the earthquakes in El Salvador and India. Knowing of their losses and hurts, our hearts went out to them. We decided to care and reach out. Or, decided not to care.
We use the English word "love" in different ways. We may say, "I just love ice cream" (we like its taste). We use the same word for sexual attraction and to indicate our care for friends, family and God.
The Greek language, in which the New Testament of the Bible was written, has several words that are often translated into the one English word, love. Here are 3 of them: Eros is erotic love. There was a time when we used the word "lust" for this, but that word has about dropped out of our usage. Phileo is brotherly love used to denote love among family members and friends. Agape is the highest form of love (a complete devotion to). Phileo can grow into agape in which the welfare of the object of love is more important than one's own life. This agape love is the type of love God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ showed for us in providing for our salvation at such a cost.
On one occasion Jesus asked Simon Peter, one of his disciples, (shortened paraphrase)"Peter, do you agape me?" Peter replied, "Lord you know that I phileo you." Jesus asked Peter a second time, "Do you agape me?" Peter replied, "Lord, I phileo you." Then Jesus asked Peter, "Do you phileo me?" Peter replied that he did. Jesus accepted Peter where he was but held before him the type of love for which he was to strive. When we follow the life of Peter, it becomes clear that his love for Christ became agape love.
Our love for God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit is to be this supreme love.
Here is what the apostle Paul said about love in I Corinthians 13:1-7, 13. If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. . . . And now, these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
We live in a world that is sadly lacking in love, but can you imagine a world without any love? Everyone is hateful or indifferent to one another. What a horrible thought! We would have difficulty surviving.
Lovelessness versus Love
Mary (in the Bible, Martha's and Lazarus' sister) once took a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume, and poured it on the feet of Jesus. Judas could only see the value of the perfume and how he would like to get his hands on some of the money it would bring if sold. Here is a vivid contrast between love and lovelessness. Judas was condemned for his words but Mary was commended for her actions. One had love; the other did not. Mary's heart was focused on the sacred but Judas' heart was focused on the secular.
Why not examine your own heart. Which best describes your heart, your motivation for living? It is easy to focus on self & become insensitive to others. We need one another. If you look around you with eyes of genuine caring concern, you will see poverty; physical ailments; broken families; no money to buy adequate necessities and perhaps a little extra; loneliness, people wandering through life with no purpose and without Christ. You will see all kinds of needs experienced by Christians and non-Christians. It would be easy to withdraw into oneself, but remember what Paul said: If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If love is the greatest thing, then the worst thing for a Christian is lovelessness. Lovelessness will not reach out and help a hurting person. Where there is selfishness & bitterness, there is lovelessness.
What Love Will Do
Love causes a person to be grateful. In Matthew 8, Peter's mother-in-law was ill. Jesus,in an act of love, healed her. In her gratitude, she got up and served him food. Love identifies with the feelings and needs of others. James 1:17 reminds us that every good gift is from above. We should, then, be grateful to God.
Love will find a way to express itself. It isn't always easy to love. Some people seem almost unlovable & some try our patience or act unkindly toward us. But God loves us even though we have often been unkind & indifferent toward Him. God is love & with His love, we can love.
When our son-in-law was stationed in Germany, our daughter, Jeannette was chairman of the room mothers for our grandson's grade at school. Instead of exchanging toys at Christmas, each child brought one of his or her own toys. They took a field trip to a refugee camp and gave the toys to the children there. They brought refreshments and had a party with them. The children learned sharing. They saw the faces of the underprivileged children light up and they felt good about making it happen. Where there is love, it is more blessed to give than to receive.
God loves
us so much that, in spite of our selfishness and sins against him, he sent his Son to experience what we experience, live a perfect life and then offer himself as a sacrifice for our sin. Jesus conquered death and he lives. You too can have eternal life, as well as a full and meaningful life here on earth. You receive it by turning from your self-directed life, accepting the sacrifice of Jesus for your sins and letting God direct your life.
Need help? Feel free to share with me your questions and concerns about trusting Jesus. Just go to the Contact Us page of this website and enter your comments. Don't worry, I have no list asking anyone for support. I will not be asking for money. The Christian should become a part of a local church and help support the ministries of that church. Now is the time to take that step.
-- Don
Several
years ago, a gentleman was watching a ship getting ready to leave New York Harbor, bound for Liverpool, England. He said to a friend, "If I had certain information about that ship -- its tonnage, displacement, the size of its engines, its speed of travel, and the trustworthiness of its crew, I could take a pencil and paper and know that if the ship left New York Harbor at a given time, it would arrive in Liverpool at the time shown on my paper." He then said, "The ship sailed. It didn't change my life a bit. I slept in the same bed, ate breakfast at the same table, and went to the same job. The ship arrived in Liverpool without me." Then he said, "Let's just change one thing. Before the ship sailed, I walked across the gangplank and took my stand on the deck of the ship. Now, everything has changed. The ship's fate is my fate. If the ship flounders at sea, I flounder at sea. If the ship goes down, I go down. If the ship arrives at Liverpool, I arrive at Liverpool."
Trusting
Jesus Christ, God's Son, for salvation is like walking across the gangplank. When you leave your old life and take your stand with him, "cross the gangplank," you commit your life into his hands. He is trustworthy and will see you safely to heaven's shore. In the meantime your whole life has changed.
The life
of the Christian is like crossing the gangplank and taking a stand on the deck of the ship. The Christian life is to be a total commitment of faith. In 2nd Thessalonians 1:3-4 (in the New Testament of the Bible), the apostle Paul was writing to the church in Thessalonica. In these verses, faith is related to three areas: There is the faith committment to the Lord Jesus Christ, to one another, and to the world mission to which Jesus called us. Here is what those verses say:
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers,and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
Faith Commitment to the Lord
The whole
Christian Life is a walk of faith. It begins that way, stays that way and ends that way. The Bible says, "The just shall live by faith." Faith is an active word. It is not a matter of just believing the facts. You can believe that Jesus in the Son of God, that he lived a perfect life on earth, that he died for our sins and rose to life on the third day, that he ascended to heaven and has the power to save, and still be just as lost as a goose in a hailstorm. The bible says that the devils believe and
tremble.
You must
cross the gangplank. Commit your life to God through his Son, Jesus Christ. This involves letting him be master of your life. His will must become your will. Your life will be lived out in light of this new relationship. The life of the Christian is not always easy, in fact, sometimes it is just the opposite. But God will put purpose and meaning into your life and give you strength and wisdom with which to meet the trials of life.
Faith Commitment to One Another
One
Sunday morning while getting ready to go to church, my wife, Nora, called me to look out the window. There I saw what I had never seen before. A flock of sparrows were in the yard eating grain we had thrown out. One of the grown sparrows had a bill that had never developed and it could not pick up the grain. We saw at least three other birds pick up grain and drop it into the open bill of the one with the deformed bill. I thought that among birds and animals the rule was only "survival of the fittest."
Christians ought to be like the sparrows. We should be closely knit, caring for one another. When one hurts, we all hurt, when one experences the blessings of God, we are all happy with and for that person. The Christian fellowship is one of love. When differences occur, we should quickly settle them and forgive one another. We accept one another with our differences. God made each of us a unique person and we need to accept that.
Faith Commitment to World Mission
This is
obvious in the passage of Scripture above, only if you know why the Thessalonian Christians were being persecuted. It was because they were being faithful to the world mission Jesus had given to all Christians. Because of their witness, people were turning from their pagan gods to the one true God. This angered government leaders and those who profited from the pagan worship. The Christians were in danger for their lives. But they remained faithful. We, too, are to be faithful in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ wherever we go in the world (family, friends, neighbors, strangers). If you look, you will see a mission field all around you.
If you wish to commit yourself to the life of faith that has been presented above, there is no better time than right now. Just cross the gangplank and take your stand on God's ship. He will give you some responsibilities to carry out on the way. You will be under his care for the journey and will arrive safely on heaven's shore.
If you are a Christian, but are shirking the responsibilities, now is a good time to re-commit your availability to the Crew.
If you need help establishing or strengthening your relationship with God, contact me. I'll listen (read your e-mail) and respond in the best way I can. I would like to know about a decision you are making or contemplating. Just click on the e-mail link below or go to the "Contact Us- page of this website.You may also want to contact a Christian pastor or Christian friend for help and encouragement.
Your
correspondence stays with me and God. Your name will not go on anyone's mailing list and I will not be asking for money. If there is a local church of which you can become a part, that is the ministry you should support.
-- Don
If you live in the United States, you may recall this television advertisement for life insurance. It's about a businessman who thinks that he was almost hit by a car. Somewhat ruffled, he says, "Whew, that was close! I didn't think I was going to make it." Suddenly two men in white suits join him on the busy street, and one of them replies, "You didn't!"
The three men engage in some light talk as they begin walking together. The businessman remarks that at least he has peace of mind because he knows his family is covered by insurance. Then they all mysteriously walk through some solid objects to show that they are now existing in a new dimension. The real punch comes in the last line of the ad, however, as the man and his two escorts are riding an escalator up into the clouds. It is then that you hear him say, "I'm sure glad we are going up!"
That last line was meant to provide some comic relief, but for the thoughtful person it raises the serious issue of heaven and hell. It reminds us of Jesus' words in the Scripture that not all people are "going up." He said that in the resurrection some would rise to the resurrection of life and some to the resurrection of condemnation. Jesus is the only One who can give us eternal life. When we place our trust in Jesus Christ, who died for us, he assures us of an eternal home in heaven.
Here is what he says in John 5:24 (in the New Testament of the Bible):
"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me [God the Father] has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."
Who Receives Eternal Life and Goes to Heaven?
In the Bible Jesus says (John 3:16-17), "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him."
Some people think they will be treated well in the life after death if they treat others well and live a good moral life. That is not so. It is based on what God has done, out of his love, -- not on the things we do. Those who reject God's Son will not be saved. Those who accept God's Son will be saved.
It is a type of new birth. One must have a spiritual birth as surely as he or she has had a physical birth. In John 3:6-7 Jesus says, "Flesh gives birth to flesh but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'"
Stay with me a little longer and I'll tell you how to receive this new birth. but first let me tell you what happens to those who do not accept God's Son as Savior.
Who is Condemned and Going to Hell?
John 3:18 says, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
In other words, if you do not believe in Jesus Christ, God's Son, you are already in a state of condemnation. You are lost and, after death, will experience an eternal existence in a burning hell.
God does not hold young children responsible. They are safe and if they die before being able to understand, they will go to heaven. However, if you are reading this, you are old enough to understand right from wrong. When you do something wrong, you are sinning against God. As a child understands this, the child is no longer safe and becomes lost. He or she must accept Jesus Christ as Savior to become saved. Because He loves every person, he stands ready to save.
You can pass from that state of condemnation to the possession of eternal life and the assurance of heaven when you die.
Where Do Works Come in?
One who is committed to Christ is also committed to a life of doing good because Christ has control of that life and Christ is good. The works of a saved person reflect his or her faith in the Savior. The works do not help to obtain salvation. Even saved people trying to live an upright life will get careless sometimes and sin. But that person does not loose his or her salvation because of it. The person should ask God's forgiveness for the sin, but God will not kick that person out of His family. However, if a person says he/she has trusted Jesus Christ as Savior and continues to live a selfish, evil life, with no willingness to let God change that life, it becomes evident that the person has not responded to Christ in faith, and has not passed from condemnation to life. When Jesus is Lord, he changes the person's life. The life is lived to honor God. Even when we fall short, our inner desire is to please God.
It is gratitude that prompted an old man to visit an old broken pier on the eastern coast of Florida in the United States. Every Friday night, until his death in 1973, he would return, walking slowly and slightly stooped with a large bucket of shrimp. The sea gulls would flock to this old man, and he would feed them from his bucket.
Many years before, in October, 1942, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was on a mission in a B-17 to deliver an important message to General Douglas McArthur in New Guinea. But there was an unexpected detour that would hurl Captain Eddie into the most harrowing adventure of his life. Somewhere over the South Pacific the Flying Fortress became lost and beyond the reach of radio. Fuel ran dangerously low, so the men ditched their plane in the ocean. For nearly a month Captain Eddie and his companions would fight the water, the weather and the scorching sun. They spent many sleepless nights recoiling as giant sharks rammed their rafts. The largest raft was nine by five feet. The biggest shark - ten feet long.
But of all their enemies at sea, one proved most formidable - starvation. Eight days out, their rations were long gone or destroyed by the salt water. It would take a miracle to sustain them. And a miracle occurred.
In Captain Eddie's own words, he said, "Cherry," that was the B-17 pilot, Captain William Cherry, "read the service that afternoon, and we finished with a prayer for deliverance and a hymn of praise. There was some talk, but it tapered off in the oppressive heat. With my hat pulled down over my eyes to keep out some of the glare, I dozed off." Captain Rickenbacker continued, "Something landed on my head. I knew that was a sea gull. I don't know how I knew, I just knew. Everyone else knew too, No one said a word, but peering out from under my hat brim without moving my head, I could see the expression on their faces. They were staring at that gull.
"The gull meant food...if I could catch it." And the rest, as they say, is history. Captain Eddie caught the gull. Its flesh was eaten. Its intestines were used for bait to catch fish. The survivors were sustained and their hopes renewed because a lone sea gull, uncharacteristically hundreds of miles from land, offered itself as a sacrifice. You know that Captain Eddie made it.
And now you also know that he never forgot. Because every Friday evening, about sunset, on a lonely stretch along the eastern Florida seacoast, you could see an old man walking -- white-haired, bushy-eybrowed, slightly bent. His bucket filled with shrimp was to feed the gulls to remember the one that, on a day long past, gave itself without a struggle, like manna in the wilderness. -- (From Paul Harvey's The rest of the story "The Old Man and the Gulls" 1977)
Salvation is received because of what Christ did for us on the cross. Works are the expression of a grateful life.
How Does a Person Get to Heaven?
We have touched on this already but I'll try to make it very clear. God made it simple. We often make it seem difficult.
Let me refer back to Jesus' words in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
In this verse, the word "in" is important. In the original language for this passage, either of two words could have been used for this preposition. One word was peri corresponding closely to the English word "about." To believe in, using this word would mean to believe the things about Jesus. That word was not used.
The word that was used is eis corresponding to the English word "into." A literal reading would be "whoever believes into him will not perish but have eternal life." Let me illustrate.
There is a chair here at my computer. I am looking at it. It is well constructed with strong materials. I believe it will hold my weight. I believe the things about the chair. I am now sitting in the chair, trusting it with my weight. I have believed into it. That's how we believe in, trust, Jesus Christ. Just as I would not sit in the chair without believing the things about it, you must believe the things about Christ, before you are able to believe into him.
Here are the things about Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God the Father. As such, he is God who left the glories of heaven to be born of a virgin woman. He lived on earth to experience all of the hardships and temptations we experience, yet without sin. In fulfillment of prophesies, he offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins. That was necessary because heaven is a holy place and even one sin disqualifies us from entering. The Bible says all of us have sinned. Jesus rose from the grave and ascended to heaven. Actually, he was on earth for forty days after his resurrection before ascending to heaven. People, over 500 of them on one occasion, saw him and talked with him. They then witnessed his ascension. One day, before the end of the world as we know it, he will return to earth for a period of time. He has the authority and power to save you.
To trust him as Lord and savior is first to believe the facts about Jesus. But this is not enough. In sorrow for your sins, you must turn to Jesus and ask him to take control of your life. No longer is life to be centered around self. It is to be centered around Jesus. When you do this his Holy Spirit comes to live within you. He will help you to know right from wrong, to understand the Scripture, and encourage and strengthen you.
God demands that we obey Him, but He is a loving, caring God and tempers justice with mercy. God is everywhere and He knows even your thoughts. When you pray, you are talking to God. He will hear your prayers.
You may wish to pray a prayer such as this: "Dear God, Creator of the Universe and all that is within it, I recognize your authority over my life. I have sinned. I am sorry for my sins and turn to you. Thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, and the salvation you offer through him. I now invite Jesus into my life to take control of it. My life now belongs to you. It is in the name of Jesus Christ your Son that I pray. Amen."
If you prayed this prayer or a similar one that you worded, and really meant it, you have been saved and are now a child of God. You are a Christian. A lot of people are called Christians because of their nationality or heritage, but they are not Christians unless they have had a spiritual birth, as you have just had.
Now, it is fitting that you thank God for saving you. Just put the prayer in your own words.
Be sure to tell someone very soon about your conversion (acceptance of Jesus as Savior). Jesus instructed us to tell others.
Also be sure to let me know so I can keep you in my prayers. I will not put you on a mailing list and I do not ask for money. But it will help me to know and it will be good for you to share. I will be happy to help you with questions you may have, and I can also make suggestions about baptism.
Go to church somewhere Sunday.
-- Don
|
.
The use of information or software downloads from QuestGems©, or from any of its links, is at the sole responsibility and risk of the user.