Friday, March 11, 2022

Books for Witnessing Christians *

 Book Recommendations for Christian Reading


coming soon

Fire Fire

 Joseph's Story and the Gospel 

We just got news about my husband's cousin, whom he grew up with, lived next door to, and had been pretty close with all his life, a good 20 years, until (my husband) joined the military. They stayed in touch a couple times a year since then, and I had opportunity to chat with him a few times by phone and on facebook as well over the last 22 years.


We received news that there was a house fire where Joseph rescued everyone in the building that was on fire. Around 5 people. He got them out but he died in the fire. 

Many family, friends, and church members he knows are all shocked by the sudden death, having just seen him the other day on Sunday, or the night before the disaster. 

He was involved in his church in his home town, was active in sharing the gospel. And liked to sing.

After hearing about the news on facebook, my husband called family and was told the details.  We talked about it, and prayed for everyone, and the situation. After some time passed, I mentioned to him that even though this is tragic, there is an amazing thing about how I realized his death mirrors the Father (God) sending Christ to die for us, and the visual of Jesus rushing into the lost world to save souls from Hell through the offer of Salvation. It also mimics believers going into the world with the gospel (which has the power to) snatch souls from the flames of Hell.  

I said, it is very rare to find this kind of death happening in real life, someone running through a building on fire to get people out of it. John 15:13 says "Greater love has no one than this, than someone would lay down their life for their friends [others]." 

I pray that Josephs life and death will be talked about and remembered in such a way to bring glory to God, and help lead souls to Salvation. Among those he knows, those who know those he knows, and anyone who hears this story. 

Joseph leaves behind a wife, 6 children, his siblings and parents, and his church family. He was in his early 50's but is now walking the streets of Heaven singing Hallelujah and other songs.  


1 Thess. 4:13-18 "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who have died, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have died. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, sound the sound of the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise, first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.  Therefore encourage one another with these words."

If you do not have a personal relationship with God, and need to know how to be saved and spend eternity in Heaven - click here


If you are a born again Christian, feel free to reshare this story, simply copy the link, and post it on social media with a little note. 


Special Messages:

 What Happens to Christians who die? Part 1  Part 2


Next story - Firefighter's Faith 


Home

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Resources

 Resources to be listed here. (coming soon)  More to come

I wish there was a way to list all the sections here and have quick jumps to those sections. If I can figure out how to do that, I'll update this then. For now, scroll through. I tried to provide everything in the order you would likely look for each section. 


First Steps as a Believer 

* link: save yourself some pain


New Believers Bible Study

Study with audio 


Find a Biblical Church

* If you have questions, or to find a Biblical church, check out Church search link/. 

1-800-554-7223. (if there's no church near you contact the closest one and ask the pastor for a recommendation.)


Bible Recommendations

*Legacy Standard Bible (New & very good version from original language)

*NASB 2020 (very good version from original language)

*New Living Translation (an easier version to read through)

Tip for Bible reading: 

1.Start in John's Gospel in the new testament. Read through Revelation. And then start in Genesis. and read Gen thru Revelation. Then follow another pattern. Reading and being in the Word is a lifetime of daily reading through Scripture. 

2.After your first read through Scripture, I would suggest you start in Matthew, and re-read Matthew several times in a row, with or without a sermon study/commentary in your personal time at home in the Word. When you use a study, going through one book of the Bible, say the book of John using GTY.org sermons that go from John 1 through the end of John, just re-read John over and over in your daily reading time, while listening through this Book series of the sermon, wherever you are in your daily reading. So today you might be in John 3, and tomorrow in John 4, even though GTY sermon is in John 1. Just keep reading through John over and over, until you finish going through the entire book of John from the sermon series.  Then move on to Acts, and keep going that way till Revelation. Then start in Genesis, and any books or sections of books John MacArthur preached through in the OT (as I am aware there are some he did not, since he did focus most of his preaching career on the NT, but there are many ones OT in there), and just follow the same pattern. Reading Genesis 1 today, Genesis 2 tomorrow, or Genesis 1-5 today, and 6-10 tomorrow, and you might still be in Genesis 1 (in the sermons) by the time you are at Genesis 10 in your personal reading through the book of Genesis. It is quite fun and beneficial too. 

3. Get a generic Bible version to read through Scripture, that you can highlight verses in. It can be an inexpensive one, so you don't ruin a good costly one. Another tip is, for things you want to memorize, use a light green highlighter, that way other things you want to highlight you can use a yellow marker for.  Then when you are done going through that Bible, you can put it on the shelf, label the year inside it, get a new Bible, and start over. Then, at some other time, you can compare the memory verses you marked in the 1st Bible with the ones in your current one. *And put a star next to the ones you have already memorized. So you know which ones you still need to memorize.

I can say that as you read through the Bible, especially if you are re-reading that book of the Bible 7 to 10 times before moving on to the next book of Scripture, you might very well have memorized the verses you wanted to memorize. Plus, you can write it out on a student sized card and tape it to the mirror in the bathroom, so when you brush your teeth, you are spending that time memorizing the verse you are currently working on. And your family gets to see it and read it as well. 

This Bible is the one you can use when you are at Church, there's nothing wrong with that. However there is a chance you might lose that Bible or leave it behind by mistake. Then its all lost. However, if you want to keep 1 for going through MacArthur sermon studies, 1 for daily personal reading time, and 1 for church only, then that's fine too. You can get 2 inexpensive ones, and keep the MacArthur one at home. Besides, your pastor might use the ESV or the NASB or another version, and when you are in church, it's good to have that version with you so the words flow rightly as it's being read. And you can keep the other 2 Bibles safely at home.


Bible Studies

*Link John MacArthur's Study Bible - there is an NASB 2020 version and I would recommend that one, or the ESV or New King James version. They have the same study material inside. (If the church you attend uses NASB I would get that version. However, if you plan to keep your Study Bible at home, which I highly recommend, then just obtain another Bible for using at Church and for marking in). However if there is a Study Bible that comes out in the Legacy version then I would definitely get that one. For several reasons.

-You can get the Study Bible online, but it would be very beneficial to have a physical copy for studying through it. And personally, I wouldn't mark in that book. I'd keep a journal or notebook for making notes through each Book of the Bible, to keep the study Bible clean. 

* GTY.org - fantastic resource. Search to locate the Bible book you are reading through, and listen.  As you are reading through a book of the Bible (say John), simply read John every day, read it over and over, as you listen through John from the messages that go through the entire book of John. By the time you are done listening through that Book, you will likely have read the Gospel of John several times. And might even have memorized a few verses that are helpful in your daily Christian walk, as well as useful verses for sharing the gospel with others. 

* BibleGateway.com (a favorite!)

Bible Gateway has some great tools you can use, without having to install an app that takes up space on your phone. Simply create an account, and log in on the web version (on your phone or computer). Then use both the audio bible section (link) in NASB 2020 version, as well as open a tab for reading along while listening (during your quiet time at home). There are several benefits of the BibleGateway website. You can highlight verses, and it saves it on the website cloud for your account. You can also favorite a verse, and also make notes on the verse. You are able to make several notes on that verse. and over time when you are re-reading through Scripture, you can add additional notes. Or any notes you want to add there from something you learned at Church from a sermon, or from an online Bible study. It is a great place to review notes you've made year after year when you read through Scripture. 

- And it is a great thing to leave behind for your family as well, after you are gone.  Imagine your kids or grandkids reading through all your notes from Scripture, seeing what you highlighted, and having a keepsake that is digital. You could also get a physical Bible and print out all your notes into a document, to leave a copy for all of your children and grandchildren, along with a Bible with verses you highlight that you feel are important for them to read. Before 2010 most people highlighted their physical Bible, and wrote notes in it, and when they died, they would pass the Bible on to one family member. Now you can do so for all your descendants. 

*BlueLetterBible.org (under "study")

This site is limited, and in my opinion is useful for the free audios and commentaries. However you have to be very careful of who you read material from and who you listen to. Outside of John Macarthur's GTY.org, for Bible study material, there are few here that I would recommend, however there are some good material here you can use. See below list

> Audios

*Ray Comfort

These are many many audio messages Ray has given over the years on Evangelism topics, and are a great help for sharing the gospel, and helping a believer focus rightly along the way.


*Kent Hovind

Under Creation topic, there are several audios. 

Kent Hovind and Ken Ham from Answers in Genesis are great resources for believers regarding Creation, Evolution, and in that area. 


* JV McGee (has his entire Bible Commentary here! in Audio form!)

 I loved going through this as a young adult, and I would recommend that you stick with all of the sermon messages from GTY.org for commentaries, or the John MacArthur Study Bible, because, as of today he has spent 53 years putting together those sermons and materials. And every message has come from his study of the Bible, Bible knowledge, and referencing over 50 Bible commentaries. So you are getting very deep lessons through those sermons. After you exhaust the entire sermon catalog from gty, feel free to go through other commentaries such as JV Mcgee, and others listed here. 


* Matthew Henry Commentary 

This is a commentary that I am quite sure John MacArthur has referenced during his weekly sermon prep for 53 years, and I would say the same here, After you exhaust the entire sermon catalog from gty, you can go through this one by itself, as you read through Scripture in your daily reading of whatever Bible book you are on. 



Sharing the Gospel & Evangelism 

*How to share my Testimony - Link 

Gospel Messages  John MacArthur

Gospel Messages Ray Comfort 


*Ministries 

-  Grace to You 

-  LivingWaters.com

 - GotQuestions.org

-  Carm.org 


*Tracts 

*Sharing the Gospel 

Also, make sure to tell others about Jesus whenever you can. We can do this by sharing our salvation testimony (and include the Law and the Cross). You can also do so by sharing a gospel tract like this one, or with a internet based gospel message. It is better to share the gospel with your friends before you invite them to church. Church is the place for believers, and Christians go into the world to share the gospel. 

God has told us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” That might sound a little scary as a new believer, but you cant help but want to tell others about their need for salvation. You can also get simple training on how to share the gospel and can also use tracts. See www.SchoolofBiblicalEvangelism.com & from LivingWaters.com you can get free training at their youtube channel (under playlist of “Way of the Master season 1-4”). A simple gospel video https://tinyurl.com/agoodtest (includes a fuller gospel presentation “text” below the video) can also be useful to share, in various ways in a digital era. You can send it by text to those you know. It can even be included in the signature line of your email. Or posted online on social media. 

One final note, you do not need to have all the answers anyone might ask you when sharing the gospel. Simply share the gospel and if they ask something, say you do not know but could get back to them. Ask for their email address. If they genuinely want to know the answer, follow up after talking with a leader at church on what to say. Then include the gospel message (a link) if it is by email. Pray for them, and leave it with God. Be kind, & grateful to God for any answers you find out and never have a know it all attitude when you talk with others after you learn many answers. Be Humble. Focus on Jesus, not on yourself. 

At some point, if you go into the community to share Jesus, always go with 1-2 other believers for your own safety and for legal reasons, plus they are a great resource for answers, plus they can pray for the conversations you have and you can pray for theirs, in real time. 

*Online Witnessing Tips

 - Create a folder on your computer (laptop or desktop) with answers to questions people ask you, and use that as a cut and paste option so you do not need to spend additional countless hours retyping out everything you had already said to someone before. If you are on the go, and using your phone, simply type the Q&A into your notes, and move it to a cloud note app, and backup a copy on your computer in a document. As most cloud app services store the original on your phone, and if your phone dies, everything you had on that phone is gone from the cloud. Also, keeping it on your computer, helps you organize it in folders by topics such as Christian/Answers/Atheism or Christian/Answers/Cults/JehovahWitnesses or Christian/Answers/FalseReligions/Catholicsm or Christian/Answers/FalseReligions/Charismatic or Christian/Answers/ChristianLiving or Christian/Answers/General and things like that so you have it all sectioned off for easy answers. You can come up with folders to go under each sub topic, as you encounter them. And feel free to use information from GotQuestions.org to help you with some of the answer. You might want to tweak the answer you want to give from what they say, and provide additional thoughts or verses as appropriate. *the good thing about this is, you can also share it with your Christian family members, and your witnessing group at church, to help everyone save time. 

 - You can provide answers to people's questions by sending them either the generic link to GotQuestions.org or find the exact Q&A from that site and paste that link to them. Or send a link to a video that answers the question from Youtube. RedPenLogic is one that might be helpful, so are short clips that deal with various issues and questions from other channels, most are listed below. 


Youtube Channels

Living Waters.com (see playlists, otherwise it might seem overwhelming)

Evangelism Playlist (mine)

Sermons Playlist (mine) 

Grace to You (John MacArthur) 

Love Worth Finding (Adrian Rogers)

Ministry name (Charles Stanley) 

Ligonier Ministries (Steve Lawson) 


What is God up to?

 So how is my year going? I wonder what God is up to.


I just finished a regular physical, the blood work sent me to Hematology Jan 1st, and was diagnosed with a Rare blood cancer, plus anemia. I was told they have no cure for it. The problem is in my bone marrow and has to do with my platelets, and my blood reproducing messed up cells and causes blood clotting. Research shows varied range of life expectancy with the diagnosis, (10-15 years). Various problems from of the conditions can lead to early death, and if it mutates life expectancy is lowered to 1-3 years.


With my conditions symptoms cause various pain and issues as it progresses. Overall the summary is - It damages and destroys the bone marrow eventually, and blood clots & heart attack are inevitable. 

*No idea how I got this at all. Dr's also have no idea either. It's not genetic. Not much known. They're still researching on it to find out.

*Only 80k people in USA have this. It has been found globally.

* it can mutate to Leukemia. 

*I've learned there is no transplant option avail for those with my diagnosis, even if it mutates to Leukemia. Even if there was, it wont cure the problem of this particular diagnosis/disease I have.


There are other problematic possibilities as it progresses; I have no idea how debilitating or how fast my health & quality of life will go downhill, during my remaining time on earth. Even if I dont have a blood clot causing a heart attack btwn now and a major cancer, sleeping thru the night, as well as living thru every hour & day feels like a blessing. 


Though this is very sudden news, I know it's not the end because Jesus is my Savior. So, as one last thing I might be able to do, before I exit this life, I ask you to give real thought to something "for your own self", regardless what you think right now. Please go thru this briefly 

www.NeedGod.com <-- click here, now.

Whether you are not a Christian, or think you are, please click the link, even as a simple "courtesy" to my request, or out of curiosity what it's going to say. 


We are not guaranteed tomorrow; but we can know for sure where our tomorrow will be. God has told us Today is the day for salvation. We Can live every day in a relationship with God in our life; starts now and lasts for eternity. (*No matter what you think is true or believe, you should make certain to Know what God has actually said to ensure you were not told wrong your whole life). 

For those who are believers, please pray for me, as we know the prayers of His children is powerful.


If you do turn to Christ, below helps can assist you. As well as a few other posts here on the blog with resources. I hope it blesses you.


If you have questions, or to find a Biblical church, check out https://tms.edu/find-a-church/. 

1-800-554-7223.

(if there's no church near you contact the closest one and ask the pastor for a recommendation.)

As you start your new life with God here are some helps: www.saveyourselfsomepain.com

New Believers study with audio: https://www.gracebooks.com/fundamentals-of-the-faith-fof...

www.gty.org for Bible studies via messages (Genesis - Revelation)

Bible Recommendation: https://www.gty.org/store/bibles/44LSBHC/legacy-standard-bible- 

also NASB2020 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201...

free audio Bible of nasb2020 also at

https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/

Sharing your salvation testimony & learning to share the gospel: www.livingwaters.com and www.schoolofbiblicalevangelism.com


Computer Died

 So my computer died in 2016.

 I was unable to get a new one until 2022. It is hard to type anything out without a keyboard. Phone keyboards are so tiny and take forever to write anything. Plus I had no room on the phone for another app at that time till now. I always have cheapy or free phones so they are very limited. Praise God I now have a computer. A friend worked at a place where they sell old computers for $80. It has been 6 years without a computer. So much time was lost for things I could have been doing. Ironically, the computer is 6 years old. haha. I hope it lasts a long time! I am so grateful for this computer. You can check out several of my older posts (pre computer crash) on the blog. And for anything useful I'll post more here in the future.

Your Moment of Truth - Tract

 A MILLION DOLLAR Chance  

Imagine you were given the chance to win a MILLION DOLLARS on a very popular game show. Would you give it a try? The show is broadcast in all countries and seen by EVERYONE in the world. The show has a system that ensures you tell the TRUTH to 20 questions. Still interested?

THE QUESTIONS

Imagine if they asked you questions like:
Have you told lies in your life? How would you answer? Now, imagine the game show had the ability to display EVERY lie that you ever told, keep in mind that ALL THE WORLD is watching (*including* the very people you lied to). Have you ever stolen anything? Taken *anything* that belonged to someone else? Think honestly about this one. Remember, all the people watching KNOW what you've stolen, as it is being revealed to everyone.  

Have you ever been angry at someone, (which is actually the same as committing murder in your heart)? What if the whole world could see the thoughts you had toward someone in your rage? What would they see? Are those the kind of thoughts you would want others to see, INCLUDING the people you had those thoughts about?  

Have you ever sexually lusted after someone or silomething in your thoughts?  Again, imagine that they had the ability to show all those thoughts you had. All those deep dark thoughts are made clear for the ENTIRE world to see. What would your mother think? or your grandmother? or others? Now...

What about all the people you lusted after? What would THEY think? Remember, as clear as day, they would be watching ALL the thoughts you had about them, when you thought nobody would ever know. How would you feel about that? What if the whole point of the questions was to reach the final question: Are you a good person? Would you, in good conscience, be able to say yes to that?  


REALITY TV

You see, for all of us, this “game show” will actually be a reality some day. These questions you've looked at are from God's moral Law, the Ten Commandments. They are God's standard.   When you die, You will have to account. When you stand before God's Judgment throne. He “will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). How will you do on that day? How did you answer those four questions? Keep in mind that God sees EVERYTHING, even the things you think nobody knows about.


A BAD Person?

What did you answer on that last question “Are you a good person?” If you are reasonable, you will see that, just like the rest of us, you're *not* a good person, but a bad person in God's eyes. And forget what others think about you, as your situation is much more serious than offending men. Because, All sin is “against God”. The Bible says: “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). God also said “there is none that does good, no not one” (Romans 3:12).   And mankind is corrupt at it's core, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). We tell lies because our hearts are corrupt: “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). 


What Can You Do?
Because a sinner's is corrupt, it is impossible to please God. You are in big trouble because God says all liars, people who have sex before marriage, and all who violate His Law will be sentenced to Hell. Including those who are trusting in their own self-righteousness. You need to understand that there's nothing you can *do*. No works or other attempts to “bribe” God will work. You cannot save yourself from God's wrath. 
In God's eyes you are a criminal, a violator of God's Law.  God said “The wages of sin is death” and Scripture is clear the penalty for the breaking the law is an eternity in Hell. God is Just so has to punish sin. He cant just forget or pretend all of your crimes never happened. The punishment for the crime is severe – a never ending eternity in Hell. 

So while you can't do anything GOD can do something for you. You could never pay the high cost of the fine for your crimes to God. Someone has to pay the payment for the crimes you committed, it will either be you (for eternity in Hell) or a perfect substitute (that releases you from the penalty). There's only ONE person who *could* take your punishment - God himself. Just over 2,000 years ago God came to earth to be that Substitute. God became a man. He took on human flesh (when He was born of a virgin, & called Jesus). He lived a sinless perfect life which you and I could not. He then SUFFERED the wrath of God the Father when He was crucified on the cross. Jesus took God's judgment & punishment upon himself, which you and I deserve. Only HE could satisfy that wrath, Only HE could pay the sin debt by His death (Romans 6:23). Scripture tells us that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins”, and only a perfect substitute could take the sinners place (Leviticus 17:11). God showed He was satisfied (that the debt was paid) by raising Jesus from the dead! God Proved His love for you. And He revealed his attributes of perfect Love, Mercy and Grace to us in this way. 

 This is why Scripture reveals to us
  • While we were sinners Christ died for us.”

  • 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 . He died so you could be made right with God and receive eternal life. The Law revealed our sin, and Jesus made salvation possible.“The Law was a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ.”

  • God has told us that “there is salvation in no other, that Jesus is “the only way to God” and that

  • There is no other name in which men can be saved”. Jesus stated “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father, but through me.”


Please talk to God today, right now this very moment. He wants you to turn to him for salvation, so your debt can be paid. 160,000 people die every day, and today could be your last day. Tomorrow is never promised (Proverbs 27:1). God tells us in Scripture that “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this comes the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).  "The Lord is not wanting any to perish,  but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9).  God tells us in Scripture “Today is the day of salvation”.  Nothing is more important than getting right with God, immediately.  Do you want to be made right with God?

How To Get Right With God

Have you realize the seriousness of your sins against God, in their true state, and how God really sees you? Have you realized that there's *nothing* you can do (and nothing in you) that can please God, nor contribute to being right with Him? Have you realized His amazing offer of the free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ? If so, Call out to Him through prayer. 1. Repent of your Sin and 2. Put your trust in Jesus. If you do, you will receive forgiveness of your sins, and be made right with God. 

Tell Him your genuine heart desire to (once and for all) turn from sinning, and from now on you want to do what pleases Him. That you want to receive the free gift of salvation through trusting in everything Jesus did for you. This repentance includes turning from sin and turning to God. You can no longer live a selfish sinful life, but one of humble surrender and submission to God. 

We can thank and glorify God in his Goodness for doing this for us. We can turn our back on Sin and live rightly towards God through the salvation he offers in Jesus Christ, BY the power of the Holy Spirit. God will not leave you to do it on your own, but together with God you can live rightly as you walk in this world. 

If you genuinely ask God to forgive you of all your sins, He will save you today and give you “spiritual life” with new and right desires (through the power of the Holy Spirit). When you turn to God, He will immediately apply the payment Jesus made for you to your Case. Your sin debt will be paid for. God will then see you as one who has Christ's righteousness covering you. 

When you turn to God in prayer, a conversion happens. You are born again by the Holy Spirit, and He will live in you. He will guide you in righteous living, and help you become more and more like Christ. This happens through reading and applying the Bible to your daily life. The Spirit will help you walk through life (in difficult and good times). Jesus is our great High Priest interceding for us in Heaven, and we can pray directly to God. God says “to pray without ceasing”. And that “Jesus is our great High Priest who makes intercession for us to God”. We can pray directly to God in all situations, including if we are struggling with sin. We won't get rid of sin completely until Jesus brings us to Heaven and gives us a body fit for eternity. But Scripture and the Spirit help us live godly and become more and more like Christ.  


Living the Christian Life 
If you have just started a personal relationship with God (that begins now and lasts eternally) - God is now on the throne of your life, and as Jesus said “Father, not my will be done but yours.” Life is no longer about “me” but about living rightly toward God, and for Him. Earth is no longer your home, your life is now Heaven focused. Your first act of obedience to God is to get Baptized. So, find a born-again Bible believing Church in your area, and ask the pastor for baptism. This simply shows you have died to your old nature and have been raised from death to life through Jesus resurrection. Then get involved in a discipleship class to learn how to start living a Christian life. *If your church doesnt have a class for that, you can go through Fundamentals of the Faith class from GraceBooks.com. 

To find a church near you or  visit 
If you need church search assistance call ---  800-555-GRACE


For helpful steps as you grow in Christ, please visit 

God hasnt left us alone to fend for ourselves on earth as a Christian. You live out your Christian life through knowing and applying Scripture. Start daily Bible reading (God communicating with you), and daily prayer (you communicating with God), so you can obey what God tells you. Start in the New Testament of John as a starting place, and pray during that time of fellowship together. Note, God might not always say yes to your prayers, but pray for His will to be done, not yours. Just like Jesus “Father, not my will be done but yours.”

Attend Worship every Sunday, and fellowship with believers. Join a Bible study group through Sunday School or a fellowship group (a home group meet up). Grow in the faith and make Christian friends. 

Once you mature a bit, go meet your church leaders and find out how & where you can serve God. Of course we serve and help other believers in many ways in general, but, the Holy Spirit has given you a special gift to be used in serving believers in your local church. So make sure to obey God by serving Him in that way, and be a blessing to the Christians there. 

Also, make sure to tell others about Jesus whenever you can. We can do this by sharing our salvation testimony (and include the Law and the Cross). You can also do so by sharing a gospel tract like this one, or with a internet based gospel message. It is better to share the gospel with your friends before you invite them to church. Church is the place for believers, and Christians go into the world to share the gospel. 

God has told us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” That might sound a little scary as a new believer, but you cant help but want to tell others about their need for salvation. You can also get simple training on how to share the gospel and can also use tracts. See www.SchoolofBiblicalEvangelism.com & from LivingWaters.com you can get free training at their youtube channel (under playlist of “Way of the Master season 1-4”). A simple gospel video https://tinyurl.com/agoodtest (includes a fuller gospel presentation “text” below the video) can also be useful to share, in various ways in a digital era. You can send it by text to those you know. It can even be included in the signature line of your email. Or posted online on social media. 

One final note, you do not need to have all the answers anyone might ask you when sharing the gospel. Simply share the gospel and if they ask something, say you do not know but could get back to them. Ask for their email address. If they genuinely want to know the answer, follow up after talking with a leader at church on what to say. Then include the gospel message (a link) if it is by email. Pray for them, and leave it with God. Be kind, & grateful to God for any answers you find out and never have a know it all attitude when you talk with others after you learn many answers. Be Humble. Focus on Jesus, not on yourself. 

At some point, if you go into the community to share Jesus, always go with 1-2 other believers for your own safety and for legal reasons, plus they are a great resource for answers, plus they can pray for the conversations you have and you can pray for theirs, in real time. 

 
To study the Bible, a great resource is at GTY.org – simply search for the Bible book you are reading through, (Genesis thru Revelation), and you will find sermons based on those books and chapters. 

Bible recommendation is: the new 2021 Legacy Standard Bible at GTY.org $50, and free online version 
A great study Bible: the MacArthur Study Bible, has many helpful explanations as you read. It is currently available in the NASB version for $36 at GraceBooks.com , take a peek. And free through StudyBible.org 

A good free Audio Bible to listen to in your car or while you read along with Scripture is  https://tinyurl.com/AudioBibleNASB2020 

Free Christian podcast


Bonus!: New Believers tips and  RESOURCES 

 


If you have decided to reject this message, or have legitimate questions visit Section 3 <<<
 



 (c) 2008/2023 #GospelTract #Tract

YMOT

 Hello!

Did you receive a pamphlet?  This is an additional page of information to help you to learn more about God (section 3) or to begin your new life as a Christian (section 2) with additional tips and helps for you, and the 1st part is the gospel message. It explains why we need Jesus and how to get saved/be made right with God. Feel free to re-read it, or if you were linked here read it for the first time, there is a little more detail here, and then head to the next sections. If you have never understood the Gospel clearly, this will help. And FAQ are included. 


Section 1- The Message 

A MILLION DOLLAR Chance  



Imagine you were given the chance to win a MILLION DOLLARS on a very popular game show. Would you give it a try? The show is broadcast in all countries and seen by EVERYONE in the world. The show has a system that ensures you tell the TRUTH to 20 questions. Still interested?


THE QUESTIONS


Imagine if they asked you questions like:

Have you told lies in your life? How would you answer? Now, imagine the game show had the ability to display EVERY lie that you ever told, keep in mind that ALL THE WORLD is watching (*including* the very people you lied to). Have you ever stolen anything? Taken *anything* that belonged to someone else? Think honestly about this one. Remember, all the people watching KNOW what you've stolen, as it is being revealed to everyone.  


Have you ever been angry at someone, (which is actually the same as committing murder in your heart)? What if the whole world could see the thoughts you had toward someone in your rage? What would they see? Are those the kind of thoughts you would want others to see, INCLUDING the people you had those thoughts about?  

Have you ever sexually lusted after someone in your thoughts?  Again, imagine that they had the ability to show all those thoughts you had. All those deep dark thoughts are made clear for the ENTIRE world to see. What would your mother think? or your grandmother? or others? Now...


What about all the people you lusted after? What would THEY think? Remember, as clear as day, they would be watching ALL the thoughts you had about them, when you thought nobody would ever know. How would you feel about that? What if the whole point of the questions was to reach the final question: Are you a good person? Would you, in good conscience, be able to say yes to that?  


REALITY TV


You see, for all of us, this “game show” will actually be a reality some day. These questions you've looked at are from God's moral Law, the Ten Commandments. They are God's standard.  When you die, You will have to give an account. When you stand before God's Judgment throne. He “will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). How will you do on that day? How did you answer those four questions? Keep in mind that God sees EVERYTHING, even the things you think nobody knows about.


A BAD Person?

What did you answer on that last question “Are you a good person?” If you are reasonable, you will see that, just like the rest of us, you're *not* a good person, but a bad person in God's eyes. And forget what others think about you, as your situation is much more serious than offending men. Because, All sin is “against God”. The Bible says: “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). God also said “there is none that does good, no not one” (Romans 3:12).   And mankind is corrupt at it's core, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). We tell lies because our hearts are corrupt: “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). 


What Can You Do?

Because a sinner's is corrupt, it is impossible to please God. You are in big trouble because God says all liars, people who have sex before marriage, and all who violate His Law will be sentenced to Hell. Including those who are trusting in their own self-righteousness. You need to understand that there's nothing you can *do*. No works or other attempts to “bribe” God will work. You cannot save yourself from God's wrath. 

In God's eyes you are a criminal, a violator of God's Law.  God said “The wages of sin is death” and Scripture is clear the penalty for the breaking the law is an eternity in Hell. God is Just so has to punish sin. He cant just forget or pretend all of your crimes never happened. The punishment for the crime is severe – a never ending eternity in Hell. 


So while you can't do anything GOD can do something for you. You could never pay the high cost of the fine for your crimes to God. Someone has to pay the payment for the crimes you committed, it will either be you (for eternity in Hell) or a perfect substitute (that releases you from the penalty). There's only ONE person who *could* take your punishment - God himself. Just over 2,000 years ago God came to earth to be that Substitute. God became a man. He took on human flesh (when He was born of a virgin, & called Jesus). He lived a sinless perfect life which you and I could not. He then SUFFERED the wrath of God the Father when He was crucified on the cross. Jesus took God's judgment & punishment upon himself, which you and I deserve. Only HE could satisfy that wrath, Only HE could pay the sin debt by His death (Romans 6:23). Scripture tells us that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins”, and only a perfect substitute could take the sinners place (Leviticus 17:11). God showed He was satisfied (that the debt was paid) by raising Jesus from the dead! God Proved His love for you. And He revealed his attributes of perfect Love, Mercy and Grace to us in this way. 


 This is why Scripture reveals to us

“While we were sinners Christ died for us.”


“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 . He died so you could be made right with God and receive eternal life. The Law revealed our sin, and Jesus made salvation possible. “The Law was a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ.”


God has told us that “there is salvation in no other, that Jesus is “the only way to God” and that


“There is no other name in which men can be saved”. Jesus stated “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father, but through me.”


Please talk to God today, right now this very moment. He wants you to turn to him for salvation, so your debt can be paid. 160,000 people die every day, and today could be your last day. Tomorrow is never promised (Proverbs 27:1). God tells us in Scripture that “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this comes the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).  "The Lord is not wanting any to perish,  but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9).  God tells us in Scripture “Today is the day of salvation”.  Nothing is more important than getting right with God, immediately.  Do you want to be made right with God?


How To Get Right With God


Have you realize the seriousness of your sins against God, in their true state, and how God really sees you? Have you realized that there's *nothing* you can do (and nothing in you) that can please God, nor contribute to being right with Him? Have you realized His amazing offer of the free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ? If so, Call out to Him through prayer. 1. Repent of your Sin and 2. Put your trust in Jesus. If you do, you will receive forgiveness of your sins, and be made right with God. 


Tell Him your genuine heart desire to (once and for all) turn from sinning, and from now on you want to do what pleases Him. That you want to receive the free gift of salvation through trusting in everything Jesus did for you. This repentance includes turning from sin and turning to God. You can no longer live a selfish sinful life, but one of humble surrender and submission to God. 


We can thank and glorify God in his Goodness for doing this for us. We can turn our back on Sin and live rightly towards God through the salvation he offers in Jesus Christ, BY the power of the Holy Spirit. God will not leave you to do it on your own, but together with God you can live rightly as you walk in this world. 


If you genuinely ask God to forgive you of all your sins, He will save you today and give you “spiritual life” with new and right desires (through the power of the Holy Spirit). When you turn to God, He will immediately apply the payment Jesus made for you to your Case. Your sin debt will be paid for. God will then see you as one who has Christ's righteousness covering you. 


When you turn to God in prayer, a conversion happens. You are born again by the Holy Spirit, and He will live in you. He will guide you in righteous living, and help you become more and more like Christ. This happens through reading and applying the Bible to your daily life. The Spirit will help you walk through life (in difficult and good times). Jesus is our great High Priest interceding for us in Heaven, and we can pray directly to God. God says “to pray without ceasing”. And that “Jesus is our great High Priest who makes intercession for us to God”. We can pray directly to God in all situations, including if we are struggling with sin. We won't get rid of sin completely until Jesus brings us to Heaven and gives us a body fit for eternity. But Scripture and the Spirit help us live godly and become more and more like Christ.  


Living the Christian Life (Section 2)

If you have just started a personal relationship with God (that begins now and lasts eternally) - God is now on the throne of your life, and as Jesus said “Father, not my will be done but yours.” Life is no longer about “me” but about living rightly toward God, and for Him. Earth is no longer your home, your life is now Heaven focused. Your first act of obedience to God is to get Baptized. So, find a born-again Bible believing Church in your area, and ask the pastor for baptism. This simply shows you have died to your old nature and have been raised from death to life through Jesus resurrection. Then get involved in a discipleship class to learn how to start living a Christian life. *If your church doesnt have a class for that, you can go through Fundamentals of the Faith class from GraceBooks.com. 


To find a church near you – visit  TMS.edu/find-a-church or Gracechurch.org  

If you need church search assistance call ---  800-555-GRACE

Attend Worship every Sunday, and fellowship with believers. Join a Bible study group through Sunday School or a fellowship group (a home group meet up). Grow in the faith and make Christian friends.


For helpful steps as you grow in Christ, please visit --- SaveYourselfSomePain.com 

 

God hasnt left us alone to fend for ourselves on earth as a Christian. You live out your Christian life through knowing and applying Scripture. Start daily Bible reading (God communicating with you), and daily prayer (you communicating with God), so you can obey what God tells you. Start in the New Testament of John as a starting place, and pray during that time of fellowship together. Note, God might not always say yes to your prayers, but pray for His will to be done, not yours. Just like Jesus “Father, not my will be done but yours.”

 

Once you mature a bit, go meet your church leaders and find out how & where you can serve God. Of course we serve and help other believers in many ways in general, but, the Holy Spirit has given you a special gift to be used in serving believers in your local church. So make sure to obey God by serving Him in that way, and be a blessing to the Christians there.


 

Sharing the Gospel

Also, make sure to tell others about Jesus whenever you can. We can do this by sharing our salvation testimony (and include the Law and the Cross). You can also do so by sharing a gospel tract like this one, or with a internet based gospel message. It is better to share the gospel with your friends before you invite them to church. Church is the place for believers, and Christians go into the world to share the gospel.

  

God has told us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” That might sound a little scary as a new believer, but you cant help but want to tell others about their need for salvation. You can also get simple training on how to share the gospel and can also use tracts. See www.SchoolofBiblicalEvangelism.com & from LivingWaters.com you can get free training at their youtube channel (under playlist of “Way of the Master season 1-4”). A simple gospel video https://tinyurl.com/agoodtest (includes a fuller gospel presentation “text” below the video) can also be useful to share, in various ways in a digital era. You can send it by text to those you know. It can even be included in the signature line of your email. Or posted online on social media. You can even copy the website address of this page and share this post as the gospel message as a sort of digital tract.


  

One final note, you do not need to have all the answers anyone might ask you when sharing the gospel. Simply share the gospel and if they ask something, 1. look it up at www.GotQuestions.org and see if you can answer it right then, or 2.simply say you do not know but could get back to them. Ask for their email address. If they genuinely want to know the answer, follow up after talking with a leader at church on what to say. Then include the gospel message (a link) if it is by email. Pray for them, and leave it with God. Be kind, & grateful to God for any answers you find out and never have a know it all attitude when you talk with others after you learn many answers. Be Humble. Focus on Jesus, not on yourself. and 3. bring the conversation back to the gospel. Their immediate need is not to get answers to distractible issues. Their need is for salvation. Kindly stress the importance of getting right with God today. 

Paragraph break 

At some point, if you go into the community to share Jesus, always go with 1-2 other believers for your own safety and for legal reasons, plus they are a great resource for answers, plus they can pray for the conversations you have and you can pray for theirs, in real time.

  

Time with God

Read Scripture daily and pray daily, for the rest of your life. Reading Scripture is how God communicates with a believer, and prayer is how a believer communicates with God. 


To study the Bible, a great resource is here  – simply search for the Bible book or verses you are reading through, (Genesis thru Revelation), and you will find sermons based on those books and chapters. You can look up topics also.

  

Bible recommendation is: the new 2021 Legacy Bible at GTY.org $50, or for free here


A great study Bible: the MacArthur Study Bible, has many helpful explanations as you read. It is currently available in the NASB version for $36, or for free at StudyBible.org 

  

A good free Audio Bible to listen to in your car or while you read along with Scripture is 


Additional Resources are found on the post called Resources. Go check it out and bookmark it. 

 

*Bookmark this page so you can come back to use the resources listed above, and additional resources listed in another blog post here as well. 


 

More About God - Section 3

Well, I hope you are not putting off getting right with God today.

Most reasons people put off getting right with God is they have a false notion that they can live till they're 100 and on their dying bed get right with God. 

1. You could actually die today. 160,000 die every day in various ways.

2. Being right with God at salvation isn't just for getting into Heaven. When a person gets saved they live in a personal relationship with God that starts on earth and continues through eternity. 

3. Living on earth we not only obey God and live according to the teachings and commands in Scripture, but we are used by God, he works through us, to do good things on the earth that have a purpose, and that glorify Him. 

4. There are also rewards believers receive in Heaven that last for eternity, from obeying God and doing what he wants us to do when those opportunities arise to do good things, to share the gospel, to serve believers, to encourage and help believers, as we live in this life. If you are not participating in that, and are somehow wanting to live in sin until the very last moment, to enter Heaven by the skin of your teeth... you will not have anything for zillions and zillions of years, while everyone else has blessings and rewards for eternity. Why would you want to miss out on all that God has prepared for believers now and all those amazing things for eternity? You would seriously regret it. 

5. If you think Hell is some party place it is not. God has been very clear in Scripture that those who are in Hell, are in a place of no good thing. What are good things? seeing, smelling, tasting, walking, being able to make decisions. Hell is a place of individual torment that never ends. It is not void of God. Scripture is clear that God's wrath abides on all in Hell. His presence is there. Just as it is in Heaven. Scripture tells us in the old testament that there is no where that exists that anyone can escape from God. Not on earth, not in eternity.  

6. Sinful pleasure living like a computer that has a virus that's refusing a software update to fix the issue... why would you do that for 30 or 70 years of your life, living in total rebellion against God, when not only does he have so much more he wants to give you in this life, and in heaven, but to risk a measly 70 years of sin for zillions of never ending years in Hell - for eternity? You got to be absolutely bonkers to "sell your eternal soul to gain the piddily things of this world that have little to no value at all".  Eternity will be in the new Earth and there will be a new Heaven. God has told us there is a fantastic eternity awaiting us where sin will never be a problem for us again, where it will never cause problems, it won't exist, as all things will be made new. We will enjoy pleasures for eternity, and being with Jesus forever. The way the world was meant to be, before sin entered it.

7. Don't think that Christians are a bunch of boring people either. We are very fun and have a enjoyable life in many ways. God has given us all the good things of the world to use in a proper way. We can enjoy all kinds of activities, travel, eat good food, hang out with our friends, go on adventures. God wants us to enjoy what he has made, and use anything beneficial for us in a good way. And even when we face trials and difficulties that everyone faces in this fallen world. Because we have Jesus. We have the promise that God will help us through whatever we are going through, that He will use it to bring Him glory, and bring people to salvation. It will help strengthen our faith, cause us to rely upon God - who is the sovereign creator who is in control of everything. If God is in control, I can trust that he will do what is best and he will help me (through Scripture and prayer) to get through the situation, and come out joyful on the other side of it, because He is in control. It's fantastic! God cares so much about me and you, that he has not just offered salvation and left us on our own to fend for ourselves, he walks with us in our daily life, in a personal relationship. What an amazing God.

 

Please think about this. Life is short, but you can live in a right relationship with God, if you turn to Him right now. The value of Salvation is too great, embrace it. Embrace God today. Simply Pray.


A bit more to consider  


Questions & Answers 

Questions about the trinity can be answered here

Questions about the Bible's authenticity here

Other questions you might have can be answered: Got Questions  or here 


Helpful Book Recommendations:

50 Reasons We Believe, by Nathan Busenitz 

Hard to Believe, John MacArthur 


Video Recommendations

Man's Greatest Need 

Are you a Good Person 


https://tinyurl.com/YMOT4U 

#YMOT #tract #ChristianHelps #NewChristian #Gospel #GospelMessage