Have you ever looked up the word "salvation?" Some 40,200,000 searches have been made on the Google Search Engine. Forty Million! That's a lot of searches.
One of the first searches you might see if you go to Google is: God's plan of Salvation. The very next search is: Are You Really Sure Of Your Eternal Salvation? On and on and on the searches are recorded.
I think you can agree this is a popular search item, salvation.
I am happy to see so many interested in the term. It is, after all, a very important subject. Salvation is what every soul on this earth needs. If you ever expect to go to Heaven, you will have to receive the Lord's salvation.
How is this possible?
You must first recognize that you are in need of this salvation. You must understand you are lost. You are deserving of Hell. In fact, that is where you will end up without God's salvation.
How can you earn this salvation? You can't earn it. You must accept it as a gift from God. This is absolutely essential. You must accept His free gift.
Now His salvation, while offered freely, was not free for Him to provide. It cost God, the Father, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. It cost Jesus His sinless condition--He actually became sin that we might become the righteousness of God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21).
When did Jesus become sin? On the old rugged cross. When He died on that cross He died for our sins. That was what a righteous God required for a sinner to pay. Jesus willingly paid that price for me, He paid it for you. He provided a free salvation for you by paying a debt we owed so we wouldn't have to pay it.
The beauty of His payment and His death--He didn't stay dead. He was raised from the dead and today is alive. He is seated at the right hand of God, the Father. There Jesus makes intercession for us.
Do you have His free salvation? If not, please turn to Him today and ask Him to come into your heart and save your soul. God help you to do this.
Learn more about his great salvation by going to my Christian blog, Salvation Links. http://www.salvationlinks.com
There is a message printed there, The Resurrection of the Human Body, by William E. Munsey. Read that and know the unsearchable riches of God's grace. Listen to the wonderful message by B. R. Lakin on Heaven. That message is recorded there for you to listen and learn about our future home.
If you still have questions about salvation be sure and read Dr. John R. Rice's sermon, "What Must I Do to Be Saved?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Teach Us To Pray: The How and The Why
Have you noticed how many people talk about prayer. It is common in some circles when one of your relatives or friends is in the hospital to ask you to pray for them. Ministers are always talking about the importance of praying. Little children are often taught to say their prayers at bedtime.
There are other friends who never mention prayer. These friends do not attend church, or make any mention of religious affiliation. Are we to assume these friends never think about God, or church?
There is an old saying that people seem to honor that says, "Avoid talk about politics and religion." These matters are so personal that people are shy about discussing or broaching the subject.
This little post is to say a word about prayer for any who might be interested. Jesus certainly prayed. He prayed a lot. His disciples were so inspired by observing Him in prayer that they asked Him to teach them how to pray.
The fact that they asked this of Him makes me know that there must be a formula or some set of rules to successful prayer. This thought was confirmed when I see that Jesus responded to their request by giving them the words to a simple, but powerful prayer. Here is the prayer Jesus taught His disciples. Since these words are found in our Bible we must assume He intended all of us could benefit from the instruction. One of the disciples is speaking and asks Jesus about prayer. Let's listen in on this conversation found in Luke's Gospel, Chapter 11.
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
Apparently John had spent quality time with his disciples and actually taught them the best way to pray. John the Baptist was very popular in certain Jewish circles. He certainly was a crowd drawing celebrity. People from miles around would follow him out into the wilderness to hear him preach and watch him baptize his converts. Perhaps his disciples were observed praying. This impressed the disciples of Jesus and they now are seeking His advice on prayer.
Jesus did not seem to hesitate and immediately shared the following little prayer with them. This prayer seems to be a formula that He would have them use and it was recorded in the Bible for us to use.
"And he (Jesus) said unto them (His disciples), When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. They kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil." Luke 11:2-4
We learn from this lesson that you are to pray to a person. In this case Jesus is telling His disciples to pray to Jesus' Father who was in Heaven. "Our Father" is the way He instructed them to address God. He is letting all of us know that prayer is a "say" matter. You are to speak the words or form the words in your mind. "When ye pray, say." Jesus let's His followers know that His Father has a wonderful and powerful Name, therefore it should be "Hallowed." We are not to be careless or flippant by using God's Name in vain. We are to treat the heavenly Father with reverence and respect and love.
We should learn to ask for specific things. In this example Jesus is teaching them to call on God, the Father for His kingdom to come to earth. It was not then on the earth, but the prayer implies it would be coming. "Thy kingdom come."
The Old Testament teaches that the kingdom of David would one day be rebuilt or return to the earth. That kingdom has been missing for a long, long time. Jesus was on the earth with a mission to reestablish that long, lost kingdom of David. So He was right to have His disciples to pray for the return of the kingdom.
Then Jesus infuses His prayer with a remarkable request. "Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth." Remember Jesus came from Heaven to earth. So He knows how things operate in Heaven. He is letting His disciples in on a powerful truth. That truth was this. In Heaven God's will was always done. Heaven is an orderly place. Jesus calls for the same kind of order down here. He is saying, "Just as your will is always done in Heaven, we want the same here." Earth will be one more great place to live when this takes place. Jesus had every intention of ushering in that Heavenly Order and He would be the King. The only problem, the Jews would have to agree to it. They would have to recognize Him as their King and surrender their will to His.
His prayer teaching continues when He says, "Give us day by day our daily bread." Verse 3. Now Jesus is teaching His disciples that it is appropriate to ask God to provide us things. Things that we need. Things that we might want. In this case He uses the term, "daily bread." In other words He is saying ask for your daily needs or wants.
If Christians would get in the habit of praying this prayer every day before they start their day, then God could be given the credit for providing our food, our clothes, our fun and every thing we obtain. After all, we could not do one thing without His help. He gives us the very air we breath. It would be a wonderful thing to give God credit for it all. Honor Him with our requests and acknowledge that it is He that provides everything we have.
Then Jesus says, "Forgive our sins." There is no question that God forgave our sins when we became a Christian. That's a given. But what about our daily sins? Those things we do that detract from our testimony. Those things we fail to do that we know should be done. Sins of omission and sins of commission. Jesus is saying we should daily ask God to cleanse us from whatever contaminates us in our walk and in our practice. He also wants us to forgive those who sin against us. In fact if we are not willing to forgive them, we should not expect Him to forgive us. We should also pray for God to guide us away from temptation. Help us avoid those situations that would make us confront temptation to do wrong. If we avoid trouble, that's a whole lot better than trying to get ourselves out of trouble. God can and wants to help us avoid such sins. He can actually deliver you from evil.
I encourage you to read this simple prayer that Jesus taught His disciples. You will become a better Christian when you learn to pray like His disciples were taught. May God grant you His wisdom to study this prayer and to incorporate it into your daily practice.
Visit my blog, Salvation Links for additional material on prayer, the Christian life and all kinds of spiritual resources to help you grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. The Bible teaches that salvation is of the Lord. http://www.salvationlinks.com
There are other friends who never mention prayer. These friends do not attend church, or make any mention of religious affiliation. Are we to assume these friends never think about God, or church?
There is an old saying that people seem to honor that says, "Avoid talk about politics and religion." These matters are so personal that people are shy about discussing or broaching the subject.
This little post is to say a word about prayer for any who might be interested. Jesus certainly prayed. He prayed a lot. His disciples were so inspired by observing Him in prayer that they asked Him to teach them how to pray.
The fact that they asked this of Him makes me know that there must be a formula or some set of rules to successful prayer. This thought was confirmed when I see that Jesus responded to their request by giving them the words to a simple, but powerful prayer. Here is the prayer Jesus taught His disciples. Since these words are found in our Bible we must assume He intended all of us could benefit from the instruction. One of the disciples is speaking and asks Jesus about prayer. Let's listen in on this conversation found in Luke's Gospel, Chapter 11.
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
Apparently John had spent quality time with his disciples and actually taught them the best way to pray. John the Baptist was very popular in certain Jewish circles. He certainly was a crowd drawing celebrity. People from miles around would follow him out into the wilderness to hear him preach and watch him baptize his converts. Perhaps his disciples were observed praying. This impressed the disciples of Jesus and they now are seeking His advice on prayer.
Jesus did not seem to hesitate and immediately shared the following little prayer with them. This prayer seems to be a formula that He would have them use and it was recorded in the Bible for us to use.
"And he (Jesus) said unto them (His disciples), When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. They kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil." Luke 11:2-4
We learn from this lesson that you are to pray to a person. In this case Jesus is telling His disciples to pray to Jesus' Father who was in Heaven. "Our Father" is the way He instructed them to address God. He is letting all of us know that prayer is a "say" matter. You are to speak the words or form the words in your mind. "When ye pray, say." Jesus let's His followers know that His Father has a wonderful and powerful Name, therefore it should be "Hallowed." We are not to be careless or flippant by using God's Name in vain. We are to treat the heavenly Father with reverence and respect and love.
We should learn to ask for specific things. In this example Jesus is teaching them to call on God, the Father for His kingdom to come to earth. It was not then on the earth, but the prayer implies it would be coming. "Thy kingdom come."
The Old Testament teaches that the kingdom of David would one day be rebuilt or return to the earth. That kingdom has been missing for a long, long time. Jesus was on the earth with a mission to reestablish that long, lost kingdom of David. So He was right to have His disciples to pray for the return of the kingdom.
Then Jesus infuses His prayer with a remarkable request. "Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth." Remember Jesus came from Heaven to earth. So He knows how things operate in Heaven. He is letting His disciples in on a powerful truth. That truth was this. In Heaven God's will was always done. Heaven is an orderly place. Jesus calls for the same kind of order down here. He is saying, "Just as your will is always done in Heaven, we want the same here." Earth will be one more great place to live when this takes place. Jesus had every intention of ushering in that Heavenly Order and He would be the King. The only problem, the Jews would have to agree to it. They would have to recognize Him as their King and surrender their will to His.
His prayer teaching continues when He says, "Give us day by day our daily bread." Verse 3. Now Jesus is teaching His disciples that it is appropriate to ask God to provide us things. Things that we need. Things that we might want. In this case He uses the term, "daily bread." In other words He is saying ask for your daily needs or wants.
If Christians would get in the habit of praying this prayer every day before they start their day, then God could be given the credit for providing our food, our clothes, our fun and every thing we obtain. After all, we could not do one thing without His help. He gives us the very air we breath. It would be a wonderful thing to give God credit for it all. Honor Him with our requests and acknowledge that it is He that provides everything we have.
Then Jesus says, "Forgive our sins." There is no question that God forgave our sins when we became a Christian. That's a given. But what about our daily sins? Those things we do that detract from our testimony. Those things we fail to do that we know should be done. Sins of omission and sins of commission. Jesus is saying we should daily ask God to cleanse us from whatever contaminates us in our walk and in our practice. He also wants us to forgive those who sin against us. In fact if we are not willing to forgive them, we should not expect Him to forgive us. We should also pray for God to guide us away from temptation. Help us avoid those situations that would make us confront temptation to do wrong. If we avoid trouble, that's a whole lot better than trying to get ourselves out of trouble. God can and wants to help us avoid such sins. He can actually deliver you from evil.
I encourage you to read this simple prayer that Jesus taught His disciples. You will become a better Christian when you learn to pray like His disciples were taught. May God grant you His wisdom to study this prayer and to incorporate it into your daily practice.
Visit my blog, Salvation Links for additional material on prayer, the Christian life and all kinds of spiritual resources to help you grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. The Bible teaches that salvation is of the Lord. http://www.salvationlinks.com
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Jesus Christ Loves You!
Some people go through life not having any assurances that any other person on earth gives a hoot about them. It's tough being lonely. It's tough not having a close friend. It's tough not having anyone who loves you.
If this somewhat describes you--I have good news for you. Jesus Christ loves you. God is love. He loves you so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die on that old rugged cross for your sins. That's love! That's genuine love! So hold up your head. You do have someone that loves you. It is God the Father, and God the Son, Jesus Christ. God the Holy Spirit will inspire you to believe this great truth. God to http://www.salvationlinks.com/ and find a treasure trove of wonderful helps and spiritual resources. The first message you see when you open the site is: "Six Pressing Reasons Why You Should be Saved Today" by John R. Rice. Read that powerful message. At the end of the message is a simple prayer you pray and receive God's salvation. There are also some Scripture verses that will help you gain positive assurance. Mark those verses in your Bible, or print them out and keep them handy. You should read them every day for a month or so. Let those verse filter through your mind and heart.
If you have questions write to the editor@salvationlinks.com You will receive a personal reply.
Here are some verses of Scripture that you can think about right now. Each one is true. Each one is from God. Meditate on them. Muse on them. Let them filter through your thoughts as you ride, drive or work.
John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
John 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Acts 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Remember the important salvation link: www.salvationlinks.com
If this somewhat describes you--I have good news for you. Jesus Christ loves you. God is love. He loves you so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die on that old rugged cross for your sins. That's love! That's genuine love! So hold up your head. You do have someone that loves you. It is God the Father, and God the Son, Jesus Christ. God the Holy Spirit will inspire you to believe this great truth. God to http://www.salvationlinks.com/ and find a treasure trove of wonderful helps and spiritual resources. The first message you see when you open the site is: "Six Pressing Reasons Why You Should be Saved Today" by John R. Rice. Read that powerful message. At the end of the message is a simple prayer you pray and receive God's salvation. There are also some Scripture verses that will help you gain positive assurance. Mark those verses in your Bible, or print them out and keep them handy. You should read them every day for a month or so. Let those verse filter through your mind and heart.
If you have questions write to the editor@salvationlinks.com You will receive a personal reply.
Here are some verses of Scripture that you can think about right now. Each one is true. Each one is from God. Meditate on them. Muse on them. Let them filter through your thoughts as you ride, drive or work.
John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
John 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Acts 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Remember the important salvation link: www.salvationlinks.com
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