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.
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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.
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
https://tinyurl.com/YMOT4U
#YMOT #tract #ChristianHelps #NewChristian #Gospel #GospelMessage
