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Are you hurting, discouraged, lonely, or wondering what this life is really about?
We are here for you.
We are a ministry for the seamen, we love you and Jesus loves you so much that He gave is life so that you could have eternal life. And you can have this life without working for it.
“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Saviour] shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16
We know the life of the seamen is not easy, especially with covid, but we are here to encourage and pray for you. Psalm 107:28-31 says,
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
This is God's promise for you, that He will bring you out of your troubles and you will experience the joy of the Lord, and He will be your strength. When you become a child of God, all things work for good no matter what you are going through. You are not alone and we pray that God will give you peace and comfort, that He will bless your family and keep you safe while you are at sea. We pray that you will be protected from accidents and sickness, and that He will protect your ship wherever you go from collisions and debris in the ship's path, and that all the machinery will run efficiently with no breakdowns of any kind. That the stanchions and cables on the log ships will hold through any weather. That God will bless the captains and officers with favour with your company, with every port authority, and good relations with the crew. That He will keep you healthy and protect you from any injury or disease, and that you will return safely to your loved ones.
The storms in this life will pass, and if you become a child of God (see below), He will protect you and keep you from harm (Psalm 91 - see below).
We care about you and pray God's richest blessings over you, and please let us know how you are doing by sending us a note on the contact page.
There is great power in prayer, and we pray for you all the time.
God bless you. Amen
Gary S
We are a ministry for the seamen, we love you and Jesus loves you so much that He gave is life so that you could have eternal life. And you can have this life without working for it.
“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Saviour] shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16
We know the life of the seamen is not easy, especially with covid, but we are here to encourage and pray for you. Psalm 107:28-31 says,
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
This is God's promise for you, that He will bring you out of your troubles and you will experience the joy of the Lord, and He will be your strength. When you become a child of God, all things work for good no matter what you are going through. You are not alone and we pray that God will give you peace and comfort, that He will bless your family and keep you safe while you are at sea. We pray that you will be protected from accidents and sickness, and that He will protect your ship wherever you go from collisions and debris in the ship's path, and that all the machinery will run efficiently with no breakdowns of any kind. That the stanchions and cables on the log ships will hold through any weather. That God will bless the captains and officers with favour with your company, with every port authority, and good relations with the crew. That He will keep you healthy and protect you from any injury or disease, and that you will return safely to your loved ones.
The storms in this life will pass, and if you become a child of God (see below), He will protect you and keep you from harm (Psalm 91 - see below).
We care about you and pray God's richest blessings over you, and please let us know how you are doing by sending us a note on the contact page.
There is great power in prayer, and we pray for you all the time.
God bless you. Amen
Gary S
Psalm 91
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall [c]bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honour him.
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall [c]bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honour him.
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
What does the bible say about salvation?
The book of Romans makes it very clear about sin and salvation:
God's Anger at Sin:
Romans 1:18-20 " But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
God's judgement of Sin:
Romans 2:14-16 "Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law (the laws of Moses and the 10 Commandments), show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life."
All People Are Sinners:
Romans 3: 9-18 "Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous--not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don’t know where to find peace.” “They have no fear of God at all."
Forgiveness of Sin through Jesus Christ - here's the Good News!
Romans 3: 21-22 "But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are."
Romans 3:23 "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard" None of us can reach the perfection to be accepted into God's Kingdom by our own efforts, through trying to obey the 10 Commandments, or our own good works! Since "everyone has sinned" and we can't compensate for that sin through our own efforts (going to church, doing good things, obeying rules and traditions, reciting prayers, being baptized, etc), then salvation must come from God himself.
Romans 3:24-25a, 26b "Yet God, with undeserved kindness (grace), freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past" "God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus."
Romans 3:27-31 "Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law (or being a good person, or going to church, etc). It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
God's Anger at Sin:
Romans 1:18-20 " But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
God's judgement of Sin:
Romans 2:14-16 "Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law (the laws of Moses and the 10 Commandments), show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life."
All People Are Sinners:
Romans 3: 9-18 "Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous--not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don’t know where to find peace.” “They have no fear of God at all."
Forgiveness of Sin through Jesus Christ - here's the Good News!
Romans 3: 21-22 "But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are."
Romans 3:23 "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard" None of us can reach the perfection to be accepted into God's Kingdom by our own efforts, through trying to obey the 10 Commandments, or our own good works! Since "everyone has sinned" and we can't compensate for that sin through our own efforts (going to church, doing good things, obeying rules and traditions, reciting prayers, being baptized, etc), then salvation must come from God himself.
Romans 3:24-25a, 26b "Yet God, with undeserved kindness (grace), freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past" "God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus."
Romans 3:27-31 "Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law (or being a good person, or going to church, etc). It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
I have good news and bad news for you. which do you want first?
Haven't we all had someone come up to us and say that? Which one do you choose first? I usually go for the bad news first so that I can end on a positive note with the "good news."
Actually, the news that all of us desperately need to hear is "bad news for good people." I know that sounds strange, but don't we all, at some level, think that we are good people, yet, if we're truly honest with ourselves, each of us has said, or done, or even thought of things that we deeply regret. I mean, all of us try our best to live good lives, to do good for others and ourselves, but the world we live in is just too overwhelming most of the time. From childhood we are all subject to disappointments, hardships, unfair treatment, and the list goes on and on. We react to those things by taking life into our own hands instead of trusting those whom we thought would care and provide for us as we needed or wanted. I'm not blaming others; they're in the same evil world that we're in and they're doing the best that they can, given their circumstances. And then as we get older, the deficits from our past weigh us further and further down in a never ending spiral of trial and error as we attempt to better ourselves and our lives.
So, what's this "bad news for good people?" It's that we all fall short of living as the good people we hope that we are. Again, if we're totally honest with ourselves, we just can't live the life that we hope we could. This '[falling] short of living as the good people we hope that we are" is what God calls "Sin," "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The word sin means to "miss the mark." It's an archery term meaning that the archer has missed the bulls-eye in the middle of the target. God's standard for us is absolute perfection, as He is absolutely perfect. That is the only way that mankind could live eternally; perfection. That means that in God's original creation there was no sin; no lies, no murders, no gossip, no stealing, nothing evil at all. But, since the fall, we have inherited a nature that leads us to lie, gossip, steal, and do other things that offend God. Things that we regret, but somehow can't stop doing no matter how hard we try.
Now for the "good news."
Since we can't live the perfect lives that we so desperately try to live, in our own strength, the good news is that we can exchange our current life for something much, much better. The truth is is that our past is embedded into our life and memory and that can't be just zapped out of us. The result of that would be that we'd become a vegetable. But, the good news is that all of those painful memories, disappointments, shortcomings, frustrations, and more, can be exchanged for a new life.
No matter how hard we try to live up to our own standards of life, or the standards imposed upon us from our jobs, families, governments, religions, etc, we fall short. And, when we think of the standards of perfection that God has for us (set out in the 10 commandments), we find that we are totally without hope. But, as we see in John 3:16, God is the one who seeks us and has made a way for us to come back to Him through his Son, Jesus Christ.
And not just a new life here on earth, a new life for eternity.
But it gets much better. The power of our past, the power that other people have over us, the power of this evil world that we live in can be defeated and we can live a life of true joy, true peace, true love, and true freedom. Don't be fooled, people have worked all their lives to achieve these things through religion, but all they really get for their efforts is temporary relief. This good news that we're sharing with you here is lasting joy, lasting peace, lasting love, and lasting freedom, and the best part of it all is that we don't (and even can't) work for it. It's a gift!
Remember at the beginning how I said that I like the good news last so that I can end on a positive note, well here it is:
"God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die." John 3:16
So, I encourage you to explore the videos, testimonies, and resources on this website. Everyone who has contributed to this website is a living testimony to the change that comes through being honest with their lives (admitting that we have done many things that violate God's laws), and embracing the truth that brings true peace, love, and freedom.
This exchanged life is not just one more thing that we have to "work" to get; we must receive it. That is the only way; receive it and live into it.
There is no better "good news" than to be saved from your past, saved from the present, and saved for eternity.
Oh, and there's one more "good news" that I have for you; once you admitted that you've done some bad stuff, once you have been honest with God, and seen just how great He is, embraced the truth about how "bad" life has really been for you, and come to Jesus Christ for salvation, then you must realize that "there is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1.
That's right, by coming to faith in Christ you're free.
are you a christian already? Are you sure?
Coming to Christ Jesus for salvation is very much mis-represented in the world overall. There is so much mis-information about salvation and a lot of it promotes that you can simply be baptized to become a Christian, or just say a prayer and you're in the Kingdom. In reality, you must follow a process to first prepare your heart for salvation; in other words, you must come to a place where you see salvation in Jesus Christ as the only way. As long as we hold any confidence in our own actions, talents, good deeds, gentle manner, or anything that we do, salvation will be out of reach for us. This preparation comes as we take a hard and honest look at our lives. Most people whom we ask "if you were to die in your sleep tonight and stood before God, and He asked you "Why should I let you into Heaven?" would say, "because I'm a good person." This is Satan's biggest lie of all. You see, we are all commanded to "be good" anyway, so if you say that you "are a good person," congratulations, you're doing what you should be doing anyway. But being "good" doesn't get you into heaven, ever!
Take a look at this list and let's see how good you are:
So, now you have a choice. If you cannot enter heaven by your goodness or works, then you can do one of two things:
Yes, God is the one who reaches out to each of us. Oh yes, we think that we do everything but in reality, God is the one reaching for us. Jesus said, "no man can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44). So, if you're here reading this, that's great news because God is drawing you back to Him; he loves you, and wants to save you, but it must happen in His way and on His terms.
How does He draw you to Him, through Jesus? By the hard times, the tragedies, and the things that take all the joy out of life. If you're hurting inside, lonely, being mistreated, these are all things brought on by the god of this world, Satan, and they are there so that you will not trust in yourself, or this world (through alcohol, drugs, pornography, etc), but to put your faith in God, because God paid the price for your sin through his only son, who shed His blood on the cross to pay the price for your sin. All sin requires payment. Could a man rob a bank and then just tell the judge that he was sorry and would return the money? No! That would make a mockery of the justice system. Every sin must be paid for, but we, the sinners, can't pay the price. The bank robber could never be trusted to never rob a bank again, or to not even think about it ever again! No, we have sin ingrained in us, so only one who didn't sin could rightly pay the price for us. That someone was Jesus Christ. He lived here on earth to show us what it's like to walk with God, and he never sinned, so He is the only one qualified to pay the price for our sin. He took the punishment of hell so that we wouldn't have to. He died for our sins, once for all, and He rose again on the third day, and then rose up to heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father. He's not on the cross any more, He doesn't have to be crucified every time you confess a sin; goodness, who would want to go through that?
No, he died once for sin and if we accept Him as our saviour, we are forgiven of our sins; past, present, and future.
So, what is the difference between having to attend mass and confessional, over and over again to be absolved from sin, and being a "True" Christian? Well, see my next article, below.
Take a look at this list and let's see how good you are:
- Have you told a single lie? (no matter how small)
- Have you ever used God's name as a swear word?
- Have you looked at a woman (or woman at a man) with lust in your heart?
- Have you stolen anything, or taken anything without permission? (no matter what the value).
- And those are just 4 of the 10 commandments!
So, now you have a choice. If you cannot enter heaven by your goodness or works, then you can do one of two things:
- You may pay for your sins by spending an eternity in the lake of fire in hell.
- Or, you can abandon all attempts to please God, work for Him, do good things for Him, and accept that the only person who was qualified to pay for your sins was Jesus Christ, who shed his blood on the cross to pay the price for sin for all humanity.
Yes, God is the one who reaches out to each of us. Oh yes, we think that we do everything but in reality, God is the one reaching for us. Jesus said, "no man can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44). So, if you're here reading this, that's great news because God is drawing you back to Him; he loves you, and wants to save you, but it must happen in His way and on His terms.
How does He draw you to Him, through Jesus? By the hard times, the tragedies, and the things that take all the joy out of life. If you're hurting inside, lonely, being mistreated, these are all things brought on by the god of this world, Satan, and they are there so that you will not trust in yourself, or this world (through alcohol, drugs, pornography, etc), but to put your faith in God, because God paid the price for your sin through his only son, who shed His blood on the cross to pay the price for your sin. All sin requires payment. Could a man rob a bank and then just tell the judge that he was sorry and would return the money? No! That would make a mockery of the justice system. Every sin must be paid for, but we, the sinners, can't pay the price. The bank robber could never be trusted to never rob a bank again, or to not even think about it ever again! No, we have sin ingrained in us, so only one who didn't sin could rightly pay the price for us. That someone was Jesus Christ. He lived here on earth to show us what it's like to walk with God, and he never sinned, so He is the only one qualified to pay the price for our sin. He took the punishment of hell so that we wouldn't have to. He died for our sins, once for all, and He rose again on the third day, and then rose up to heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father. He's not on the cross any more, He doesn't have to be crucified every time you confess a sin; goodness, who would want to go through that?
No, he died once for sin and if we accept Him as our saviour, we are forgiven of our sins; past, present, and future.
So, what is the difference between having to attend mass and confessional, over and over again to be absolved from sin, and being a "True" Christian? Well, see my next article, below.
What is a "true" Christian?
A "true" Christian is one who is like Christ. That's the whole point of it all!
God doesn't save us so that we can go out and live our lives as we did before saying that we accepted Jesus as our saviour. He didn't send Jesus to die for us just to have us wear salvation like some badge on our sleeve. And it takes much more than saying a prayer and being baptized to be truly saved.
God saves us so that we will become "like Christ." We are to become "children of God," to be like Jesus was in his walk here on earth. Jesus was opposed by the religious leaders (the ones who said that you could please God by following a set of rules) because He showed them through His life that He was one with the Father, that He was dependent on the Father for everything, and that religion was actually in total opposition to God's plan. Those law-abiding religious leaders (Pharisees) had taken the 10 Commandments and made them into over 600 rules for pleasing God, and God wasn't pleased with any of them! When Nicodemus, one of the top three Pharisees in Jerusalem, came to Jesus in the night, (John 3), Jesus didn't acknowledge any of his religious work to please God. He confronted him wth the truth.
Here's what He essentially said (my paraphrase):
Nicodemus, you are missing the whole point of the law. It was put there to show you that you can't earn your salvation. God said that if Adam and Eve ate from the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" that they would die. Now, they didn't die physically because Adam lived over 900 years. No, they died spiritually; they lost their intimate connection with God through His Spirit. Adam and Eve became independent of God and so God had to banish them from the garden so that they wouldn't eat from the "tree of life" and live in a state of sin for ever. You see, if they had just chosen to eat from the tree of life, they would have declared that they wanted to live dependent on God (not independent from God) and he would have then clothed them with His righteousness. That's why they were naked, God was waiting to see whom they chose and He would clothe them accordingly; if they chose God, they would get a robe of righteousness and have eternal life, but if they chose Satan (independence from God) they would be clothed with animal skins and kicked out of the garden. Because of their choice of independence from God, death came into the world, even before the law was given (you see, between Adam and Moses, there was no law to follow, but people still died, so if someone thinks that they "don't sin" then they are still going to die). Well, sadly they were deceived by Satan and from then on an animal would take their punishment (sacrifice for sin) as a sign for Jesus taking our punishment for sin on the cross many centuries later.
So, Jesus plainly told Nicodemus that he must be "born again" to enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus, not understanding this asks how he can enter his mother's womb to be "born again," but Jesus corrects him; "that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit" John 3: 6. What He was saying is this; your parents conceive you and give you a body, but only the Spirit of God can unite you with God; to re-connect you to God in your Spirit. We are all born with 3 parts; a body, a soul (mind, will and emotions) and a Spirit. It is the Spirit that died when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and Jesus came to pay for the sins of all humanity so that God was able to bring us back into relationship with Him. Now, remember the tree of life, well Jesus is that tree of life, and when we totally abandon all attempts to earn our way to God, but accept that Jesus is the only way, then we become re-connected wth the Spirit of God, and this, as Jesus said, is to be "born again."
Now, I understand that there are religions out there that forbid their congregants to be "born again," but they are wrong! Jesus clearly says that we must be "born again" to enter the kingdom of God, and here's why: we cannot live the Christian life, the "true" Christian life without Christ dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit. Romans 8: 3 says, "For the life giving Spirit has freed you from the law of sin that leads to death." You see, the Holy Spirit was in Jesus the whole time He was here on earth; yes, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and not an earthly father, so that is why He never sinned. And it was the Holy Spirit that gave the power, and the words, and the healing, and everything that Jesus did on earth. And, it was the Holy Spirit that took Jesus through the crucifixion; the most horrific death any person could have gone through.
So, here's what it all comes down to: when we fully abandon ourselves to salvation in Christ alone, the Holy Spirit joins up with our Spirit, and we become one in Spirit with God. Now God sees us not as sinners anymore, because our sins are all forgiven; past, present, and future, in Christ. Not only that, when Jesus died on the cross he did two things:
1. He shed his own, innocent, blood and presented it to God as a sacrifice for sin for all humanity.
2. He overcame the flesh. You see, Satan threw every insult, mockery, physical, psychological, and cruel punishment and torture at Him that he could, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was victorious over all that punishment. He endured the cross for the joy set before Him and scorned its shame.
Essentially, He conquered every way that Satan could control Him here on earth. Now here's the great thing; when we become a child of God, a "true" Christian, the Holy Spirit takes away every power that sin has over us. We, as Christians, don't have to follow the lust of the eyes (beautiful things/people that tempt us to sin), the pride of life, or the things of this world that trap us. They are powerless to control us any more, so the effect is that as we mature as Christians, we sin less and less and have more and more fellowship with God.
Jesus didn't die on the cross to just free us from sin, He also died on the cross to give us a taste of eternal life right here on earth! You will know that you are a "True" Christian by your new relationship with God, the Father. He will instruct you as you read the bible, He will provide a way out from temptation, He will make all things in your life, no matter how bad they are, work out for good for you. As 2 Corinthians 5: 17 says, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are gone, behold, all things become new!" (emphasis added).
You will literally become a new person and everything that has hurt you or controlled you from your past, everything that threatens to hurt or control you in your present or future, will not have control over you any more!
Think about this: the Holy Spirit is also your guarantee for eternal life, so if you're just living as best as you can in your own strength, and you're going to church on Sunday to get absolved from sin, and then going back out and living your life of sin again, and the cycle goes over and over, then you are not guaranteed to get into heaven, because that is not the life that God has for you. What kind of god would have you become a slave to sin and cleansing only to send you out to fail at not sinning again and have to come in for cleansing every week. God doesn't want you put through the wringer washer every week, He sacrificed His only Son, Jesus Christ, to cleanse you once and for all; done! Forgiven! Yes, every sin Forgiven! No more pleading, no more uncertainty, no more slavery to a church, just freedom in Christ. Freedom from sin, guilt, evil, and everything that would prevent you from going to heaven. Christ Jesus died to set us free from all the trappings of this world! When He was on the cross he said, "it is finished!" And He meant it. He's not on the cross any more; He's living in the hearts of all his "true" believers through the Holy Spirit.
Do you want to be free from the slavery of church, and sin? You must first acknowledge, agree with God, that you are a helpless sinner who cannot pay for his, or her, own sins by good works. Then you must agree to abandon all attempts at pleasing God and agree that only by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who shed His innocent blood on the cross to pay for your sins, past, present, and future, are you truly saved. Then ask Him to send His Holy Spirit to join with your Spirit and make you a "true child of God." Thank Him for saving you and praise Him for doing all the work of bringing you to the place where you know and understand the truth, that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone.
You're not done yet. You need to start reading God's word and meditating on it, being open to His Holy Spirit to now teach you about Him. Start with the book of John because it talks about who Jesus was as God and man. Read short sections and then pray to God the Father that He will help you understand His Word, because only people who are born of the Spirit of God can understand the Word of God. Everyone else who is still trapped in religion has a veil over their understanding (see 2 Corinthians 4: 3-4). They are blinded from understanding God's word, but as a new believer you are not, and He will teach you. Then, find an evangelical church to join and fellowship with other true believers and they will disciple you in the Word. You will grow in your relationship with God and He will bless you. Don't be afraid of anyone not agreeing with what you have done because God Himself will protect you and keep you save.
Please let us know, through the contact page, when you have prayed to receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour and become a "true" Christian.
May the Lord God richly bless you as you become His child.
Amen!
God doesn't save us so that we can go out and live our lives as we did before saying that we accepted Jesus as our saviour. He didn't send Jesus to die for us just to have us wear salvation like some badge on our sleeve. And it takes much more than saying a prayer and being baptized to be truly saved.
God saves us so that we will become "like Christ." We are to become "children of God," to be like Jesus was in his walk here on earth. Jesus was opposed by the religious leaders (the ones who said that you could please God by following a set of rules) because He showed them through His life that He was one with the Father, that He was dependent on the Father for everything, and that religion was actually in total opposition to God's plan. Those law-abiding religious leaders (Pharisees) had taken the 10 Commandments and made them into over 600 rules for pleasing God, and God wasn't pleased with any of them! When Nicodemus, one of the top three Pharisees in Jerusalem, came to Jesus in the night, (John 3), Jesus didn't acknowledge any of his religious work to please God. He confronted him wth the truth.
Here's what He essentially said (my paraphrase):
Nicodemus, you are missing the whole point of the law. It was put there to show you that you can't earn your salvation. God said that if Adam and Eve ate from the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" that they would die. Now, they didn't die physically because Adam lived over 900 years. No, they died spiritually; they lost their intimate connection with God through His Spirit. Adam and Eve became independent of God and so God had to banish them from the garden so that they wouldn't eat from the "tree of life" and live in a state of sin for ever. You see, if they had just chosen to eat from the tree of life, they would have declared that they wanted to live dependent on God (not independent from God) and he would have then clothed them with His righteousness. That's why they were naked, God was waiting to see whom they chose and He would clothe them accordingly; if they chose God, they would get a robe of righteousness and have eternal life, but if they chose Satan (independence from God) they would be clothed with animal skins and kicked out of the garden. Because of their choice of independence from God, death came into the world, even before the law was given (you see, between Adam and Moses, there was no law to follow, but people still died, so if someone thinks that they "don't sin" then they are still going to die). Well, sadly they were deceived by Satan and from then on an animal would take their punishment (sacrifice for sin) as a sign for Jesus taking our punishment for sin on the cross many centuries later.
So, Jesus plainly told Nicodemus that he must be "born again" to enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus, not understanding this asks how he can enter his mother's womb to be "born again," but Jesus corrects him; "that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit" John 3: 6. What He was saying is this; your parents conceive you and give you a body, but only the Spirit of God can unite you with God; to re-connect you to God in your Spirit. We are all born with 3 parts; a body, a soul (mind, will and emotions) and a Spirit. It is the Spirit that died when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and Jesus came to pay for the sins of all humanity so that God was able to bring us back into relationship with Him. Now, remember the tree of life, well Jesus is that tree of life, and when we totally abandon all attempts to earn our way to God, but accept that Jesus is the only way, then we become re-connected wth the Spirit of God, and this, as Jesus said, is to be "born again."
Now, I understand that there are religions out there that forbid their congregants to be "born again," but they are wrong! Jesus clearly says that we must be "born again" to enter the kingdom of God, and here's why: we cannot live the Christian life, the "true" Christian life without Christ dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit. Romans 8: 3 says, "For the life giving Spirit has freed you from the law of sin that leads to death." You see, the Holy Spirit was in Jesus the whole time He was here on earth; yes, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and not an earthly father, so that is why He never sinned. And it was the Holy Spirit that gave the power, and the words, and the healing, and everything that Jesus did on earth. And, it was the Holy Spirit that took Jesus through the crucifixion; the most horrific death any person could have gone through.
So, here's what it all comes down to: when we fully abandon ourselves to salvation in Christ alone, the Holy Spirit joins up with our Spirit, and we become one in Spirit with God. Now God sees us not as sinners anymore, because our sins are all forgiven; past, present, and future, in Christ. Not only that, when Jesus died on the cross he did two things:
1. He shed his own, innocent, blood and presented it to God as a sacrifice for sin for all humanity.
2. He overcame the flesh. You see, Satan threw every insult, mockery, physical, psychological, and cruel punishment and torture at Him that he could, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was victorious over all that punishment. He endured the cross for the joy set before Him and scorned its shame.
Essentially, He conquered every way that Satan could control Him here on earth. Now here's the great thing; when we become a child of God, a "true" Christian, the Holy Spirit takes away every power that sin has over us. We, as Christians, don't have to follow the lust of the eyes (beautiful things/people that tempt us to sin), the pride of life, or the things of this world that trap us. They are powerless to control us any more, so the effect is that as we mature as Christians, we sin less and less and have more and more fellowship with God.
Jesus didn't die on the cross to just free us from sin, He also died on the cross to give us a taste of eternal life right here on earth! You will know that you are a "True" Christian by your new relationship with God, the Father. He will instruct you as you read the bible, He will provide a way out from temptation, He will make all things in your life, no matter how bad they are, work out for good for you. As 2 Corinthians 5: 17 says, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are gone, behold, all things become new!" (emphasis added).
You will literally become a new person and everything that has hurt you or controlled you from your past, everything that threatens to hurt or control you in your present or future, will not have control over you any more!
Think about this: the Holy Spirit is also your guarantee for eternal life, so if you're just living as best as you can in your own strength, and you're going to church on Sunday to get absolved from sin, and then going back out and living your life of sin again, and the cycle goes over and over, then you are not guaranteed to get into heaven, because that is not the life that God has for you. What kind of god would have you become a slave to sin and cleansing only to send you out to fail at not sinning again and have to come in for cleansing every week. God doesn't want you put through the wringer washer every week, He sacrificed His only Son, Jesus Christ, to cleanse you once and for all; done! Forgiven! Yes, every sin Forgiven! No more pleading, no more uncertainty, no more slavery to a church, just freedom in Christ. Freedom from sin, guilt, evil, and everything that would prevent you from going to heaven. Christ Jesus died to set us free from all the trappings of this world! When He was on the cross he said, "it is finished!" And He meant it. He's not on the cross any more; He's living in the hearts of all his "true" believers through the Holy Spirit.
Do you want to be free from the slavery of church, and sin? You must first acknowledge, agree with God, that you are a helpless sinner who cannot pay for his, or her, own sins by good works. Then you must agree to abandon all attempts at pleasing God and agree that only by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who shed His innocent blood on the cross to pay for your sins, past, present, and future, are you truly saved. Then ask Him to send His Holy Spirit to join with your Spirit and make you a "true child of God." Thank Him for saving you and praise Him for doing all the work of bringing you to the place where you know and understand the truth, that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone.
You're not done yet. You need to start reading God's word and meditating on it, being open to His Holy Spirit to now teach you about Him. Start with the book of John because it talks about who Jesus was as God and man. Read short sections and then pray to God the Father that He will help you understand His Word, because only people who are born of the Spirit of God can understand the Word of God. Everyone else who is still trapped in religion has a veil over their understanding (see 2 Corinthians 4: 3-4). They are blinded from understanding God's word, but as a new believer you are not, and He will teach you. Then, find an evangelical church to join and fellowship with other true believers and they will disciple you in the Word. You will grow in your relationship with God and He will bless you. Don't be afraid of anyone not agreeing with what you have done because God Himself will protect you and keep you save.
Please let us know, through the contact page, when you have prayed to receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour and become a "true" Christian.
May the Lord God richly bless you as you become His child.
Amen!
How to Be a Child of God
This video will lead you through the gospel of Jesus Christ. For more on what it means to truly be a Christian, see the publications and articles below the video.
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Testimonies
Below you will find testimonies from people whose lives have been transformed by their relationship with Jesus Christ.
Below, left is the gospel in Mandarin, and below, right, is the gospel in Cantonese.