BiblicalGospel

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

*L ink 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.

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 <<<

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

THE QUESTIONS

Imagine if they asked you questions like:

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...

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 Can You Do?

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.”

How To Get Right With God

Living the Christian Life (Section 2)

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

Sharing the Gospel

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

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

Monday, July 23, 2012

Military pal gospel opportunity

7/23/12

I have been blessed to stay in touch with some folks from my military days, and today had a great opp to share the gospel and discuss Christianity and false converts with one, hoping seeds are planted for God's glory.

Friend: I know I have a lot of friends and family who believe in God and if I offend you I do apologize. I would like to say I do not have a problem with the idea of God. I have a problem with the many people who claim to believe in God and the Bible. Gang members, rapists, pedophiles, murderers, thieves and so many others who do so many wrongs against humanity claim to be believers and these people I call hypocrites.

These people do wrong over and over and over again and all they have to do is ask for forgiveness. All anyone has to do is ask for forgiveness. We are capable to know right from wrong, to feel empathy, when one crosses the line for no reason other for than personal gain or pleasure there is no asking for forgiveness, when one is right in the mind there is no going back and undoing what has been wrong.

you can't give a child his or her innocence back, you can't give life back, you can't give years of heartache back. One can find peace and move on because nothing can be undone. I hold myself accountable for my actions. I believe I have one life and I should live my life as best as I can to treat others as I would like to be treated. I have made mistakes and I like to believe I have learned from them. I have control over my actions and my destiny to an extent, society has control over the other extent.

My Reply: It is sad we are in a fallen world. But also cannot self righteously want to hold others accountable for things, but ourselves get away scot free. We cant say we are a judge over them and yet not judge ourselves the same. We cannot act as God and think we know better than Him who knows the heart, thought, intentions and deeds of others. So, if they are a real believer, Jesus paid for their crimes and they are free from eternal punishment.

I Agree with what you're trying to say about hypocrites. That word means liar. Either your saved and God is making you more like Christ, your growing godly and righteously or your not. You're either a disciple of Christ who studies the Bible, and is renewed by the Word thru the power of the Holy Spirit or your not. You're either producing fruit that reveals your a true believer or you produce bad fruit proving your not of Christ. You've either surrendered your life fully to Christ and he's your master or he's not and you're a false convert.

Ppl come to Christ for many wrong reasons, but the only right reason is for salvation. Jesus calls us to repent once and for all of crimes against God (violating the 10 Law he gave us) and trusting in and turning to Christ who paid the believers sin debt on the cross with his blood, to save us from God's wrath and eternal punishment, (and when we do....it includes giving us a restored relationship with Him, and a fellowship that is eternal). If people try to come some other way they won't make it. God has been clear in Scripture.

But, the redeemed of Christ, upon salvation also aren't perfect. God works on them to help them grow, to help them overcome their sins and defeat them. Defeat their sinful desires, the world and Satan, but it can take time. It does take time, plus many are weak or don't read the Bible and learn from God, they may not have good bible study teachers or preachers and God has to teach them and mold them to be more like Christ over time. Scripture explains "your not able to handle what I need to tell you now, but later yes" so may be true with many who need more from God over longer periods of time. They will mess up and sin, repent of that and learn from it. So we can't judge Christ based on his followers. We know imperfect men make mistakes. God works on them and if they don't heed his Word, correction, then they may be taken out to heaven as Scripture also says.

But, if they aren't saved, the truth of their hypocrisy will be known sooner or later, others when they arrive at the throne of judgment on judgement day. But God calls us each to repent and turn to Jesus, so we need to look at each "our own" lives as we truely are before God's eyes... and make sure were saved, because after death there's only judgement, as God explained in Scripture.

The false modern gospel, which is not God's gospel preaches forgiveness with no consequences and that's not representing the true God, the true Jesus nor the true biblical God given gospel. That's why we send people to read www.needGod.com so they can hear the truth. God doesn't forgive without justice.

"Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter" Isaiah 5:20

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

___

Reader, God will judge all the unredeemed in the end. They will all have different degrees of punishment based on their crimes. It could be your last day on earth. We are all guilty of crimes against God. All liars and thieves will go to eternal Hell. The redeemed and converted to Heaven. Will you?

I hope you will visit the above site to ensure you're really saved, or to surrender your life to Christ. Then live for him this day forward. Study the Bible daily, worship and praise Him on Sunday with other believers, and serve the saints there and the Lord every day.

God Bless, and thanks for visiting us today.

www.needGod.com

Sunday, May 06, 2012

Answers: How to reach my mo r m on neighbor

Reading some information about mor mon ism a Christian asked "What do you suggest I say to my mor mon neighbor who drinks Pepsi when her husband isn't looking, has faith in his god, has well-behaved children, and a best friend who is African American?". My answer is - I think it gives you a great springboard for a quick conversation and to see how far you can go to share the truth with them. The entry point seems to be the husband you can ask :Joe i noticed you drink pepsi. I'm ont sure you really believe in mor mon ism teaching. Just like catholicism, you cant pick and choose the parts you like. The better question is, what if you dont believe certian things because the whole religion is false? Have you ever considered whether mor mon ism is a false religion?" and then say "here are a few things to think about...." and go through one or two you find would be helpful to springboard into the gospel message. My last post gives a great example of an "in" for the conversation, and how to be specific about explaining out terms, so there's no confusion (since they use many terms we do, but with totally different meanings). Also, if you talk about the Commandments to reveal their "personal" sins against God, find a way to weave your testimony into the conversation, all while pointing to specific sins such as lying, and having a man made god - one of their own making in their own minds that they find more disireable, such as one that allows them to become a god, (allowing them to have sex eternally) and ask if they knew that Jesus said that if we look with lust we are sinning. Not just against man but against God who created the commandment. These things show us that we truely do need a "savior" to save us from our sins and God's wrath against sin. You may not be able to touch on all the points that he might bring up. Hypocrites in the church are just that, pretenders. It means they arent saved but just pretend to be. Either because they want to be seen as a good person or because they dont want to disapoint a family member or spouse, they live a wishy washy life away from church but clean up when they are at church... Your mo rm on friend can also relate to that in a way, because he is mo rm on, maybe not by practice (but by physicial birth into following that religion by his parents). You can point to hypocrisy in that, but it doesnt mean to straighten up and live a better mo rm on life - this is the place to point to the fact that if their religion is a false religion, which God's Word clearly states they are (believe and preach another gospel) then they are in a religion that doesnt save from God's wrath. It wont help them when they stand before God. Just like anyone who thinks they are good whether "pretending protestants" or "non practicing folks of other religions". What we need is Jesus Righteousness and there is only one way to get that. We must repent and trust in the Biblical Jesus. We must put on Jesus Christ according to Scripture, and God can forgive us of our sins right then and there, cause us to be spiritually born by the Holy Spirit by conversion from sinner to saint - from enemy of God to adopted child and follower of Christ. But the question is, will you look into Christianity for yourself. Not through the eyes or teachings of mor mo ni sm, but truely look at Christianity through God's revelation perfectly preserved through the Bible. I would steer clear of mentioning they have religious underwear, the gold tablets, or that they stole Utah from the people who lived there by dressing up as indians, slotering *all* the people there, then getting the military to wipe out all the indians in order to own Utah.... and other things... that are just "rabbit trails" the devil loves to use to sidetrack the conversation away from the gospel of salvation and into an abyss of useless conversation that ends with them angry and walking away. Satan doesnt want them to actually look at the truth, look at the Bible, or consider if the Christian gospel is really the gospel declared by God - because it is, and Satan wants what? .... to take as many to hell with him as possible because? he hates us and God. Satan is a deciever and too many fall for his lies, both in church, in false converts, and dup peopel into false religions such as m orm on ism. You'll find ways to share what Scripture says, if you memorize verses of Scripture that are useful to talking with them. Understand what God has revealed in Scripture that clearly blows holes in their false teachings. The pastor mentioned a few in his message, so memorize those. You may not use them in conversations now, but they may come up in the future. I'd focus the first conversation on the true gospel. Get to it as fast as you can. Use the Pepsi and above suggested conversation to get to the gospel. Then read books like "Mo rm on ism 101" by McKeever/Johnson, the Religions Next Door by Olasky, World Religions in a nutshell by Ray Comfort, the School of Biblical Evangelism book by Bridge Logos to help with mor moni sm and other cults and false religions; the book has may Bible bible verses to assist. You can also check out http://informedevangelist.blogspot.com/2010/01/witnessing-to-mo rm ons.html (remove spaces in their religion's name before (copy and paste) searching for that page online. In the end, make sure you leave them thinking about Hell, Sin, Judgment and the real reason they need Jesus Christ as their Savior. You want that to be the last thing they are thinking about, because they need true salvation. Hope this helps!

Mormonism, Christianity and the Truth

I recently heard a pastor speak the truth of Christianity. Christianity doesnt change for our government nor for our family and friends and coworkers and bosses nor for anyone. The reformation folks gave their lives for the truth, and we Christians will never change our beliefs to suit anyone or any government. We Christians stands soley on what "GOD" has said in the BIBLE [which is uncorrupted, totally true, and directly from God and preserved through all time by HIMSELF (for us to know the Truth, God, Salvation, how to live a born again life directed by the Holy Spirit, how to share the true gospel with the world, and what the future holds for those saints who are redeemed and belong to Jesus)].

I wish more Christians expose the lies of the mormon cult, like this pastor did. Some important points: Mormons dont believe in the (only existing) true God, they dont have the Christian Jesus Christ, God did not have sex with mary (discusting i know, but their religion is founded like Islam on the belief that they will have sex for eternity with multiple wives). They dont have the Christian gospel of salvation, they don't have the Christian Heaven or Hell, they dont have the Christian Adam or Eve, they dont have the true Satan and fallen angels, they live as legalists and in bondange to their religion and traditions created by mormonism, instead of knowing the truth and living free in Christ.

Christians need to know this. And while they use the same "terms" we use, they have TOTALLY different meanings. So you can be easily decieved by them, which they are counting on, and sucked into their cult or have a brain washed thought about them - thinking they are a Christian when in fact they are a counterfit false religion.

Mormons use words such as Salvation, Grace, Gospel, Born Again, etc. This is why when i run into those who have been decieved by this cult, i use very specific wordings, when i share the truth with them. There is only one God who has ever existed; three (uncreated) persons. They are co-equal, co-existant and co-eternal. If you look at the example God has given us on earth to sort of point to the word "God" just look at your family. What is a family? A family is not a family until there are three persons. Three who are united together as one family - they are called a family. We look at The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and they are One God - called "God". So Jesus, who always was God, came to earth and took on human flesh - covering his glory and divine nature by putting on flesh, kind of like if you were to put on a full body suit. He was fully God and fully man. He lived a perfect life on earth, because only God can live a perfect life, he did that for an important reason. He also died for an important reason. God, through Scripture, declared there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood. Since man is sinful (rebellious towards God because he was born in Sin and violates God's 10 commandments), man cannot do anything to get right with God, so God did something wonderful for us, because he loves us even though we were his enemies (because of our sins).

Jesus perfect life was lived on purpose and his death was on purpose, part of God's plan to save us from himself, from the wrath that is to come on all those who are not forgiven by God. In the old times people only needed to be redeemed if they were enslaved. They could be bought with a price from the slave owners. We are slaves to sin and Jesus has come to "redeem" us from our sins by paying our fine in his life's blood. When he died, he died as a sacrifice - a payment was made to God for believers. If anyone repents of their sins (totally turns from their rebellion towards God once and for all, according to God's terms as explained in the Bible, and trusts in the Biblical Jesus Christ, then Jesus payment on the cross is applied to us. His resurrection proved he was victorious over the grave and completed the work necessary for us to be saved from the coming wrath and eternal Hell that we deserve.

Plus, when God looks down on us, he sees Jesus Christ. He took our place and it's as if we took his place - he lived a perfect life on earth as a human as part of the ministry work of salvation he did for us. It wasnt just about the cross, everything he did was to fullfill the Law of God so that we could be free. This is why Jesus is the only perfect sacrifice available for mankind, becuase only God is unstained by sin, and is totally holy and perfect. So God can see us as totally perfect through Jesus live, sacrifice, death and resurrection. Now if we turn from our sins and turn to Jesus to save us, then God's Spirit converts us and we are spiritually born "Born Again".
Jesus said we must be born again. So if you have followed a false god, one that was invented by men, or by your self, you are not following the true God who is revealed in the Bible. God's word is eternal, and it never changes. God never changes, Jesus never changes, his Word will never change, and has never changed. So what you need to do is forsake your false religion, and turn to the true God. Repent of your sins, turn your back on sin and false religion, and surrender to the true Jesus Christ. If you do, God will convert you right here and right now. You will be able to read the Bible with a new eye and a new heart and a new way, seeing the truth and have the ability to live it, and the Christian life free from legalism and rules, by the power of the Holy Spirit. He will guide you and help you become more and more holy and righteous as he brings you to to become more like Christ and to spiritual perfection revealed on the day of Jesus return. You wont have to fear death or God's wrath or Hell. You will walk in truth and life and liberty in Jesus Christ.

But if you decline Jesus free gift of salvation (which he paid for), you will have a worse place in Hell for all eternity according to Scripture. Think about this - no one goes around proclaiming "I'm in a cult." Yet, if you look at Catholicism, Jehova Witnesses, Heavens Gate cults you would see that they are not Christian, just as mormonism is not Christian. They are all created by Satan, who was a spirit created by God (not by sex, but by speaking them into existence), to serve God, yet Satan rebelled and wanted to be God. Satan still dupes people today into thinking they can be a god; cults teach this as you know. So.... You can read the Bible in the Old and New Testament to find out the truth about Satan. But these religions are created by Satan for a purpose. He Hates humans because God forgives humans of their sins, but will not forgive Satan and the fallen angels for their rebellion against God in Heaven. They were in the presence of God serving Him and knew who God is. False religions pop up all over the world either as counterfit Christian religions or other world religions through Satan. Scripture says he is an angel who can masqurade as an angel of light when he's really an angel of evil. Satan's goal is for people to live morally (but never to repent and trust in the real Jesus Christ and never to follow YHWH according to the Bible), which only leads to being damned by God after they die (because moral people, and those who live by rules....they arent saved from their sins. We can only be saved/forgiven on GOD's TERMS)... See, Satan's goal is to take as many people to hell with him as possible. He hates us and hates God. Why would anyone serve Satan and be a slave to sin when they can be free from sin and satan through the true Jesus Christ? We arent guaranteed antoher breath or day on this earth, and eternity is too wrong to be long. If mormonism is wrong, and it is according to God's holy Word (Bible), then you'll be damned for eternity and punished severely eternally. So do as God commanded - repent and trust in the True Jesus Christ and live in a right relationship with God now, and eternally with Him. visit www.NeedGod.com and give SERIOUS thought to what God calls every human to do. Either we will obey God or we will obey men. Men are decieved by Satan very easily, so i'd follow God. Your eternity is dependant upon what you do with what you now know.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Airplane Evangelism

Mom had her first airplane witnessing encounter!

She was thinking on the plane for a way to be a way to talk to the lady next to her about the gospel. I told her that since people talk about where they’re from, where they’re going, plans they have, stuff about life and family, that she’d be able to say that she does graphic designing for Christian materials, and be able to give a tract to the person she spoke to. Well….she said she planned to do just that. I told her it was very easy to do, and it flowed in the course of a regular conversation.

Cindy sat between her husband and my mom on the plane. Dad was in a different seating area, as they couldn’t get seats next to each other. I think in the future this is a good idea for Christians. Divide and conquer! Lol.

Mom was able to talk to them about an hour before the flight. They had to fill out the customs form when on the plane they got to Hawaii. She wanted to chat with the wife, and so she asked the husband if she was filling out a portion of the form correctly. He showed her what she needed to know and thanked him. A few minutes later the guy said something to her, and then his wife Cindy started talking to mom. The wife switched seats with her husband so mom and her could talk for a little bit. Cindy and mom talked about where they were from, ancestry; which turns out to be almost the same. How they had never been to this island, they talked about what they did. By doing this, mom got a chance (which she hoped to do) to slip in there that she does graphic art work for me on Christian websites and tracts. She wanted to bring up the gospel so she shared this with the lady. Cindy asked what kind of software she uses. Mom says its old software and she has no training for graphic art work or animation, but enjoys doing it. Cindy said her mother also does graphic art, but has training from college for it, and it's her full time job. This is neat that God set THIS lady next to my mom! So Mom was able to discuss some of those things with her, and then learned that Cindy and her husband go to church. Mom doesn’t know if they are saved, but she was able to give Cindy one of my gospel tracts and encouraged Cindy to check out the website as well. She also offered for Cindy to contact her to talk in the future. So we’ll see how that goes.

Cindy’s husband joined the conversation and they talked about snorkeling and stuff. Mom shared some things about locations in the area that are good (and bad) spots, that we knew from last year’s experience. She told them there are new things on the island that she learned about as well; Some things aren’t there anymore, some cost a lot now, and others have changed. Mom told him she always checks things like that online so she knows ahead of time when they return to places they like to travel what they can and can’t do this time.

When mom left the plane, she left tracts on a couple of seats for passengers getting off or the flight staff to get.

I was so proud of her for doing her best to share the gospel. Mom is very shy around strangers, but is outgoing around family. This was a real step of faith for her. Last year in Hawaii I was able to get her and my dad to go street evangelizing with some Christians I know who witness in Kona every week. We all went out and even my young nephew was participating by handing out tracts. She was shut down a few times during that afternoon, and we shared that information in the Hawaii post (click here to read). She also has spoken to people at her small church whenever witnessing conversations comes up in Sunday School, and she has offered really good tips that encouraged the ones she spoke to. I first shared biblical evangelism material with her at Christmas 2005, and after reading the information and watching videos about it she agreed it was the real gospel, and stopped using modern evangelism methods and materials that are not biblical. She tracted places but not people. Then after a few visits (a yearly thing) when we went as a family to Los Vegas, for vacation at their time share, I was finally able to get them to go out one early evening and hand out tracts near a popular tourist attraction on the strip. Since then she hasn’t gone out, until last year in Hawaii. She does tract regularly wherever she goes, but this was the first time she talked to someone on an airplane about the gospel. She has beat me on that one! Haha. Well, it has never worked out for me to be able to do that; circumstances and the people around me on the planes have prevented it. Though, on hindsight….I could have done like Kirk Cameron and tracted the whole plane on the way to my seat. Perhaps I’ll do that next time I fly somewhere. I rarely fly anywhere, but I’ll have to keep it in mind next time I do!

So I’m exited that she did this, and hopeful that she’ll try for a gospel conversation on the return flight home.

Note: You don’t have to follow a specific method to sharing the gospel. What you include in the gospel is important, but how you get to the gospel conversation can vary. You simply have a conversation and swing naturally from the conversation to spiritual things. This is another example of that. For more examples, read more of the blogs here.

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Missed Opportunity

Have you ever had one of those days where you wish you could rewind, even for a few seconds, to make sure you got in there to share the gospel? Today was one of those days for me. I went to take care of some things with my vehicle today at the D*M*V*. We’ve been trying for 4 years now to get the title to one of our vehicles. Finally found the lien holder company (they had changed their names twice since we had paid the vehicle off in the late 90’s). They had their name issued on the title instead of my husband’s so this has been a small nightmare. Anyway, today I decided since I had heard that you can’t tract at the D*M*V*, I didn’t bring a stash. But I had a couple Your Moment of Truth tracts in my purse. I took my MP3 player with my Christian Radio programming on it, and decided to listen to that while I waited.

When I got there at 9am the line was wrapped around the building all the way around. This was going to be a long morning. About 10 minutes after standing in line an older lady came out of nowhere and cut in front of me. She said she had forgot something at home and had to come back, and the guy in front of her “saved her spot”. Now, I know that those things are invisible, lol, but with such a line around the building, who cares if someone else is in front of you. I don’t. So I figured maybe this was a divine appointment. Her name I later found out was Nadia. When we started talking she was chit chatting about her vehicle not passing smog inspection and worried about it. I felt bad for her because she was older, and had an older vehicle, and probably couldn’t afford a new one. I took my earphones out of my ear, to make me more approachable. Then, while her back was to me, I told her [to chit chat] I had come to the D*M*V* yesterday both at this location and one another town over, but the lines were far too long and it took so long to wait for a parking spot that I decided to come back today, this morning. She said yesterday was windy, today is nice and sunny, and Sunday was sunny. [I was about to say that I was glad Sunday was sunny, because I do not like to be in the rain when I go to Church, and then I was going to ask her if she goes to church somewhere nearby, and find a way to hand her a good tract, but that didn’t come out of my mouth. And a few seconds later she picked up her phone and started calling people to handle some things while she was in line].

We moved closer to the entrance, and I noticed a sign that said “Products or services provided by advertisers are not promoted or indorsed by D*M*V*” And I wondered, can we hand out fliers here? I thought it wasn’t legal. Maybe the law changed, or maybe they can’t seem to stop the people who do it. I wondered if people leave fliers on the vehicles also. So I started watching the flow of people and looked for security cameras. There were no cameras.

Then, when we were close to the door I found out she cleans apartments and helps older people shop. I told her I had a few friends who do that. I have one friend who actually lives with a very old lady and assists her. I said it’s great when people help out older people, and its such a “blessing” that they have lived so long. I then told her that I have a friend who is turning 100 next weekend. She said Wow. [We were in the door at this point and she was next in line to grab her “number” to be seen. I had hoped we would run into each other again and I’d make sure to give her the tract, and mention to her that I might like someone to come and clean my apartment if she is not fully booked]. She went off her way and I went off mine. I had 35 people in front of me, and it ended up taking 3 hours of my time.

I heard a few people coughing and so I decided to go outside and wait around, popping in every 10 minutes or so to see what “number” was being listed available for the section on my ticket. I noticed a security guard behind me on the side of the building (where he had full view of the side doors and those on the sidewalk in front of it), I had no idea they had guards there. I then noticed another sign saying the same thing as before. Posted on each side of the building. I was walking around, avoiding any one coughing or smoking at the corners (which blows the smoke right to the door and down the side of the building, so the “no smoking 20 feet in front of the doors” sign was useless, because the smoke still blows that way. I started watching the security guard, in spy mode, lol. Wondering what his patrol patterns are. He was on foot. I turned around to see where he was a minute later, and he was gone. I have no idea where he went. How could he move so fast on foot, so quickly. Nothing was happening for him to be so fast. When I looked down the other way, I noticed another security person was there. I thought maybe they turned over at shift change, but not long after that I saw someone else. So I think they have 2 – 3 security people there regularly. Weird. Going to be hard to try and tract this place. And the funny thing was, once I got in the door originally, there was another sign saying said “Products or services provided by advertisers are not promoted or indorsed by D*M*V*” within the first 15 feet in the doorway, heading to the reception desk where you get your “number”. I am interested in seeing if I can tract there sometimes. Even if I get shooed away, there are other ones in the county I can go to.

I saw Nadia ½ way down the walkway as she was returning from her vehicle and entering the building again. I thought “bummer!” cause I wanted to catch her, speak to her for a minute saying it was nice to have met her, and then give her the tract. I kept an eye out for her to go back to her vehicle again, or to leave having finished her purpose there. Since I was outside most of the time it was easy to try to do, but unfortunately I did not see her again. Such a missed opportunity. I suggest anyone who has the slightest opening to say something to someone while you’re in line somewhere…DO IT!, don’t pause to think or wonder, just do it. Give the tract and say something to them related to what you were discussing.

The D*M*V* issue wasn’t resolved. I had the letter documentation from the lien holder bank, but not the D*M*V* forms my husband was supposed to sign. grrr... oh well, next time I'll be prepared with tracts!