We're so happy that you visited us! If you're here, you may be wondering what you heard at Pergamum. To help, the following was adapted from "Save Yourself Some Pain" by Ray Comfort:
Becoming a Christian is the most incredible event that will ever take place in your life. You have found peace with your Creator and everlasting life! Be assured--God will never leave you. He has brought you this far and He will complete the wonderful work He has begun in you.
Let's now look at some of those possible concerns. First, do you have "assurance" of your salvation? The Bible says to "make your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10), so, let's go through a short "checklist" to find out:
Think of it this way... You have violated the law and face a $50,000 fine. You go to court and tell the judge that you are truly sorry for your crime, but he answers, "You should be -- you have broken the law. Now, can you pay this fine?" He can only acquit you if the fine is paid. Jesus' blood pays that fine only if you believe and trust in Him alone.
Merely being sorry for your sins, or only confessing them to God, won't help you. You must turn from sin and trust in Jesus Christ. Again, you won't be perfect, but any habitual sin must stop. If you're not sure of your salvation, read Psalm 51 and make it your prayer.
Let's now look at some more important principles that can save you a great deal of pain, if you can quickly accomplish these, life will be much easier!
Becoming a Christian is the most incredible event that will ever take place in your life. You have found peace with your Creator and everlasting life! Be assured--God will never leave you. He has brought you this far and He will complete the wonderful work He has begun in you.
Let's now look at some of those possible concerns. First, do you have "assurance" of your salvation? The Bible says to "make your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10), so, let's go through a short "checklist" to find out:
- Did you realize that you have already sinned, and there was no way to get to Heaven on your own? You can't do enough good things to out-weigh the bad (for example, how many lies have you told in your life - versus, how much $$ have you donated to any charity?). If you haven't realized this, do you realize that you actually deserve to go to Hell for the crimes you've already committed? I'm sorry if this is shocking, but 'all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God', we were already on this path to Hell.
- Are you aware that God wanted to help you get to Heaven because He loves you? 'For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever should believe in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.' (John 3:16).
- Did you "repent" (stop the life of sin) and put your faith in Jesus? You won't be perfect, but habitual sin needs to stop.
Think of it this way... You have violated the law and face a $50,000 fine. You go to court and tell the judge that you are truly sorry for your crime, but he answers, "You should be -- you have broken the law. Now, can you pay this fine?" He can only acquit you if the fine is paid. Jesus' blood pays that fine only if you believe and trust in Him alone.
Merely being sorry for your sins, or only confessing them to God, won't help you. You must turn from sin and trust in Jesus Christ. Again, you won't be perfect, but any habitual sin must stop. If you're not sure of your salvation, read Psalm 51 and make it your prayer.
Let's now look at some more important principles that can save you a great deal of pain, if you can quickly accomplish these, life will be much easier!
Daily Bible Reading
A healthy baby has a healthy appetite. If you have truly been "born again", you will have a healthy appetite. Feed yourself every day by reading the Bible. This is how we hear from God. One recommendation would be to read a chapter from Genesis and Matthew each day and keep going. Try the YouVersion app for free.
Prayer
It has been well said that God always answers prayer. Sometimes He says, "Yes." Sometimes He says, "No." Sometimes He says, "Wait” so ask in faith, but rest in peace-filled patience. Pray every day. While reading the Bible is how we hear God, praying is how you talk to God. Just simply tell him what you are thinking. Give To God
If we surrender our heart to God, we should be able to surrender it all! Our time, energy, money, etc. He gave us these blessings and He promises to take care of us. We should not be fearful of giving anything away, if God is calling us to. How and what you do, is your choice. Prayerfully consider how God can use you so that more people can know Him. Fellowship
Pray about where you should find other Christians. Not everyone goes to church, but that's an obvious place to find Christians. Does your church believe the whole Bible? Are they loving to each other? There will be hypocrites in EVERY church, but Jesus will deal with them. Look for the folks that live what Jesus said to do. |
Faith
At first, it will be hard. You will stumble, you might be confused, and life doesn’t get easier. But, keep striving to read the Bible and believe that God will keep His promises. We will never know all the answers until after we die, but that doesn’t mean that God is mysterious beyond understanding. Keep the faith, but also grow! It will take a life of discipline.
Forgive
One of the hardest things to do! But, an absolute requirement. If God forgave you, then we should be quick to forgive others. We can never totally ‘let go’, but we can stop talking/thinking about it, and focus on good things. Forgive and KEEP forgiving. God is the one that will bring justice to those that hurt us. Let Him do that! Water Baptism
The Bible says, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." (Acts 2:38). There is no question that you should be baptized, it is your first big step of obedience and faith. The questions are how, when, and by whom? |
Evangelism
Jesus gives ‘The Great Commission’ (Matthew 28:19-20) to go out and tell everyone you know about how they can be saved from Hell. If we truly love people (our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc) then we should eagerly desire to save them! Begin by telling them your story, how God helped you, and what changed in your life. It can be scary, but you appreciated it when someone did that for you, right? Give it a try, God will help you!
Give Thanks
For a Christian, every day should be Thanksgiving. We should even be thankful in the midst of problems. Things can always be worse. Even if life is hard, we can still be thankful that He promises us Heaven to those that believe. How else can you be thankful? Your family, friends, the fact that you have food and shelter? If you stop and think, you likely have had thousands of blessings in your life. Troubleshoot
When you find an obstacle, pray and find other solid Christians that can give you good, Biblical advice. God doesn’t always remove the hurdles, sometimes He helps us to climb over them. Find out how to grow and how you can use that to help others. Still have more questions? Visit needHim.org to chat with someone live, learn about the accuracy of the Bible, what it looks like to 'grow in Christ', etc.
Questions about how Science affirms the Bible? Visit Answers to search a variety of science fields. We would love to hear from you too. Click 'Contact Us' to tell us what you think. Thanks again for visiting! And plan to join us again next year. We'll have something new to make your blood curdle! |