Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Keeping this handy!

http://autos.msn.com/as/minishow/default.aspx?s=geneva2006

Monday, March 06, 2006

Some of my basic beliefs outlined:

What does it mean to accept Christ as one’s personal savior?

Ÿ The Bible tells us that we have all sinned. No man can measure up to the standards of God’s holiness. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Our sin separates us from a loving God who wants us to live with Him in heaven when we die. In order to be rid of this sin someone who hadn’t sinned had to die to make the payment for our sin. We couldn’t earn our way to Heaven because we had already sinned, “But God Commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Ÿ A sinner is a person who has done something that will keep him from being in fellowship with God because God cannot look upon sin. Being a sinner also comes with a death penalty because the wages or payment that we owe for sin is death. Romans 6:23 “For the Wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” John 1:8-9 “If you say that you have no sin (have not sinned) you are deceived, If you will confess your sins he will forgive and cleanse you.”

Ÿ We cannot save ourselves but God loves us, and he gave us the gift of salvation through grace by sending His son Jesus to die for our sins. This grace keeps us from being separated from Him. “For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is a gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

Ÿ He sent Jesus his son to die in our place. The Bible says that if we believe that God’s Son Jesus died in our place and if we are willing to accept His gift of salvation, we will be saved (9) “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead thou shalt be saved.
(10) For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation ” Romans 10:9-10

Ÿ He gives us a way of escape from our sin. He says that we are to call on His name and be saved. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” John 1:12

Ÿ He died to save everyone. That includes you! Jesus Christ is the advocate (intercessor, consoler, or comforter) for our sins, but not for ours only! He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world.1 John 2:1-2

Ÿ Call on His name today and be saved. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” John 10:13

A sinner is a person who has done something that will keep him from being in fellowship with God. The Bible tells us that we have all sinned. God loves us, and He gave us the gift of salvation through grace by sending His son Jesus to die for our sins. If we believe that God’s Son Jesus died in our place, and if we are willing to accept His gift of salvation, He gives us atonement for our sin. He says that we are to call on His name and be saved. He died to save everyone, that includes you! Call on His name today and be saved.

A Sample Prayer:

Dear Lord,
I come before you today realizing that sin separates me from you. I know that you cannot look at sin and that my sins will keep me from being with you in Heaven when I die. I believe that you sent your Son Jesus to die for my sins, and that He rose from the dead. Please take over my life. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse my life, I want you to become my Lord and Savior. Come into my life and save me.
I ask these things in the name of Jesus.
Amen


Eternal security

I believe that when a person becomes a Christian he is given eternal security. This security is received through salvation as a gift from God.
I am secure in my salvation for these reasons:

 I have heard His voice and know Him. He has given me the gift of eternal life.

John 10:27-30 “My Sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

 After hearing the Word of truth and trusting in the gospel of salvation, I believe I was sealed with the Holy Spirit. The Lord takes pleasure in giving us this gift.

Ephesians 1:7, 9, 10, 13
(7)“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;”
(9) Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself.”
(10) “that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him:”
(13) “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise.”

 My works will be judged, but I shall be saved.

1 Corinthians 3:15
“If any man’s works shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet as by fire.”

 Jesus blotted out the handwriting against me.

Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.”

 God keeps his promises.

Hebrews 1:16-20
“(16) For men verily swear by the greater oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
(17) Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by oath:(18) That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: (19) Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entered into that within the veil;(20) Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

 Christ said it was finished when He died.

John 19:30b “He said it is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost”

 I have become a new creature in Christ.

2nd Corinthians 5:17-21 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself be Jesus Christ, and hath given us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

 I am persuaded that nothing can separate me from the love of God.

Romans 8:37-39
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Relationships with unsaved individuals and organizations:

In my relationships with those that have not yet known the forgiving grace of my Lord, I strive to be a genuine example of love and hospitality. It is important to present a living example of what it means to be a Christian. For this reason, I try to limit my activities with people to things that I know are pleasing to the Lord. I believe that Christ loves the unsaved and that, as his representative, He is able to demonstrate that love through me.
Relationship is a broad word. I do not believe that a Christian should marry someone who isn’t saved or hold them as a close friend. In the case of unsaved children, a mentoring type relationship is acceptable in most cases. When speaking of adults, a casual, friendly relationship seems to be the surest way of pointing them to Christ. In extreme cases, a relationship may not be possible at all.
My relationship with organizations vary slightly. If an organization is not openly defiant to the Word of God and has an activity that does not conflict with Scriptural principles or my personal convictions and standards, then I am very likely to participate in some aspect of it.

View on Speaking in tongues:
I have never personally spoken in tongues. I believe that the Scripture teaches that the gift of tongues is a communication tool the Holy Spirit uses to make His message clear through a speaker to a crowd of mixed languages. It bothers me to see a service or prayer time disrupted with utterances of an undistinguishable nature as I believe that God is a God of order and not confusion.