FAITH & RELIGION - "We're on a Mission from God"
Our Practice
The Last Supper
Even though the famous Last Supper is one of the most important events in the Bible, living the Christian life is less about Christ's bloody sacrifice, and more about His magnificent resurrection from the dead. His conquest over death is what gives us Power today to overcome any obstacle and lead productive and joy-filled lives.
Path To Salvation
The Roman Road
Introduction
Receiving salvation, eternal life, being saved, etc. all mean the same thing. It means that when your earthly body dies, your spirit will live in Heaven with God the Father, our creator, forever and ever. Being "born again," that means being saved, is a personal decision that you can choose. It is easy to do, and the following explains, from bible scripture, why we should do it, and how to do it.
Realize Our Present Human Condition
We must realize what our human condition is now. We are all sinners in God's eyes. The bible says in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And furthermore, the cost of our sin is death (Romans 6:23).
In our present unsaved state, none of us deserves to enter God's presence. But God made us and loves us and wants to fellowship with us. Therefore, according to Romans 5:8, while we were yet sinners, God showed His love for us by letting His Son, Jesus Christ, die as a sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus Himself even said, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Whoever accepts Jesus as the Son of god has the right to be called a child of God (John 1:12).
We need to accept Jesus' sacrifice. Paul, the apostle, put it this way is Romans 7:24-25: What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So How Do We Accept Jesus?
It's easy. We simply accept Jesus' sacrifice to God for our sins. How to do this is spelled out in Romans 10:9-10, 13: If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (NIV)
Are You Ready?
Are you ready to take the step, through faith, that leads to eternal life? You should be! Say the following prayer out loud, and mean it in your heart: Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus Christ is your Son who died for my sins. I believe that you raised him from the dead so that I may conquer death and have eternal life with you in Heaven. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.
Congratulations! Your place in heaven is now assured!
What Do I Do Now?
Now it's time to attend church regularly so you can fellowship with other Christians. You are always welcome to attend the Power of Christ Ministry, or find a local church. Ask them how you can get baptized, and start to read the bible a little bit every day. Ask others about the parts you don't understand quite yet. This will help you become aware of God's Holy Spirit who now lives in you.
You've been born again! Enjoy your NEW life!
Peace To You
What Is Peace?
A standard dictionary gives nine or ten definitions for peace that boil down to two ideas. One is “lack of conflict,” the other is “freedom of the mind from annoyances, distractions, and the like.”
This talk is not about peace as a lack of conflict. For our purposes, the definition of peace is - to be free from harm in your spirit, mind and body. The opposite of peace is worry – to live in fear of harm in your spirit, mind or body.
Notice that true Godly peace is a condition of your spirit, mind AND body together. A worry state exists if there is fear in your spirit, mind OR body.
Where Does It Come From?
First of all, since worry comes from fear, we know that it is not from God: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 NJKV). So worry should not be a part of a Christian’s life.
Now let’s look at peace. The obvious Scripture is Philippians 4:6,7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus” (NKJV).
Note that it says the peace of God surpasses all understanding. That’s why Proverbs 3:5 says to trust the Lord with all your heart and LEAN NOT on your own understanding. Furthermore, 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all our cares on God because He cares for us – in other words – DON’T WORRY!
Now back to Philippians and God’s peace guarding our hearts and minds. Imagine a picture of a circle with your heart and mind inside that circle. That circle is God’s protective wall around us and it is consistent with what is written in Psalm 139:5 – that God builds a hedge of protection around us.
Is God a good builder? According to Matthew 16:18, God built His church on the rock (Peter) and not even the gates of hell can prevail against it. That means God is a good builder. Such a good builder in fact that the wall of peace that He builds around our hearts and minds is so strong that even the devil himself cannot knock it down!
Should We Have It?
Peace is something we should strive to receive from the Holy Spirit. Why? Because the Bible says so. In Psalm 34:14 we are told to avoid evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it. Then, in Colossians 3:15, Paul tells us to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. The word “let” means that we don’t even have to try to do anything. We just need to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us.
Finally, when you have God’s peace in your heart, you will automatically spread that peace around – you will be a peacemaker. Do you remember what Jesus said about peacemakers? In Matthew 5:9, Jesus said “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” (NKJV). Do you want to be a child of God?
How Do We Get It?
Alright then. Now you know that God’s peace is a good thing to have. The question you are probably asking yourself right now is – How do I get God’s peace?
Well Micah 5:5 gives us a pretty good idea. Micah chapter 5 talks about the ruler who shall come from Bethlehem. Verse 5 says that He shall be our peace.
Here comes the good news. By the way, whenever you hear the term “good news” you should immediately think of Jesus. Why? Because the word gospel means “good news” and the gospels are about Jesus.
I turn your attention to John 14:27 (KJV) Peace I leave you, my peace I give unto you.
So we don’t need to try and get peace, we already have it! All we need to do is use it. Read John chapter 14 twice and put Jesus’ words into action. The peace that surrounds you will surpass all your understanding.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, I know I have the peace of your son Jesus in me. Thank you for giving me this great gift of comfort. Your peace keeps me calm when worry comes my way. When life’s troubles are upon me, please help me to allow Your peace to guard my heart and mind. I ask this in the name of your son, Jesus. Amen.
Our Mission Statement
"I would rather stand with God and be judged by the World, than to stand with the World and be judged by God."