Thank You Jesus for your precious blood: Thank You Jesus--Lord I love You so much-- Your blood washes away my sin and stains: Thank You Lord for taking away my chains

( Above poem courtesy of FaithWriters.com - used by permission )

YOUR FREE GIFT !! - FROM GOD !!
By : Pastor Mike

' Brothers and Sisters' ; I am often asked " How do I get Saved ? " And that question is usually followed up by , " I want to get Saved , but it seems there are a lot of contradictions in the Bible about Salvation , Why is that ? "

And these are valid questions . I KNOW - because I used to ask them MYSELF before I got Saved .  I'll also say from the outset , that there will probably be many who will disagree with me , as , frankly - I am NOT a 'politically correct' type of person , nor , do I care to be , and that is , of course , their prerogative . I tell people what they NEED to hear . . NOT , what they WANT to hear ! Just as the prophet Elijah did in his ministry . Elijah was sent to CONFRONT - NOT 'comfort' . Jesus , as well was NOT 'politically correct' , when HE confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees .

Oftentimes , people (both the Saved and Un-Saved )  will simply 'take for granted' what any 'Christian' and / or pastor , minister , etc . tells them , without seriously researching AND studying the Bible itself - which is a ' MUST ' for EVERYONE !!

When ANYONE - begins to study the Bible , they MUST do so with the INTENT of finding the TRUTH , as well as the answers to their questions , as opposed to ' looking' for whatever chapter and verse that 'fits' THEIR agenda and/or comfort zone. I hear many Christians , as well as non-Christians - make the statement when it comes to interpreting a specific chapter or verse in the Bible , " Well , I BELIEVE it means . ."
But what they DON'T understand ,is it's NOT what the reader BELIEVES - what matters is the TRUTH !! When people ask me questions concerning various issues , IF I KNOW the (Biblical) answer , I tell them , and refer them to the chapter and verse , as well as the biblical source and will discuss it with them , if they so choose . IF I DO NOT know the answer , ( as I am still learning , myself ) - I'll tell them , " Gee , I don't know . Let's see what the Bible says about it." And we will then learn TOGETHER . If they haven't the time right then and there , I'll tell them I'll FIND the answer via the Bible and from reliable and accepted Biblical scholars and get back with them .

So , why should you accept God's FREE GIFT of Salvation ? Please read on . . .

FACT : You were created by a LOVING GOD ! You have GREAT value ! God LOVES YOU and wants to have a PERSONAL relationship with you .

Now , much of the secular world tells us that we are "accidents" of nature . That we began as some type of "ooze" in a pond , evolved into apes , and finally into humans . We live , we die , so we should grab for all we can get in this life - after all , that's the only way to fulfillment . In contrast , the Bible tells us that we are NOT accidents ! We were created by a loving God who knew about us BEFORE we were even born ! We are here for a purpose , and we can find ultimate fulfillment by finding a relationship with Him .

Psalm 139:13-16 tells us , " For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. "

God knew you BEFORE you were born - even while you were in your mother's womb . He knew all about your family and your life until now . Now , you may have had some extremely difficult times in your life , and asked yourself , " Where was GOD ? " I can tell you that He has NOT been absent , but has been drawing you to Himself . He wants to give you a brand new start , and a new way of living . He can do that when you give Him your life . Why would you do that ? Because . . .

He wants to have a PERSONAL relationship with you .

John 17:3 says , " And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. "

God is NOT some "force, " an unspeaking or unseeing idol , or merely another name for your own self-esteem . Instead , God is a person , your Creator , who created you to be in relationship with Him . Why ? Because . . .

God loves you .

John 3:16 says ," 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. "

You can turn your life over to God's control because He loves you and wants the very best for you . In fact , He loves you so much that He gave His Son , Jesus , to die on the cross for you . I'll explain more about that in a minute . I just want you to realize that when you trust God , you are actually trusting the One who created you . When you turn your life over to Him , you are giving your life to the One who knows you inside and out . Don't you think that's a good place to put your trust ?

FACT : Your sin keeps keeps you from having a personal relationship with God .

We live in a fairly amoral world that believes each person can decide what is right ,what is true , and what is "moral" - whatever that might mean . Television and movies don't help with their portrayals of happy people blatantly living sinful lives . You have to understand that God has set some standards about right and wrong , and there is such a thing as "sin ."

So , what IS sin ?

Well , let's look at James 4:17 , " Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. " and . . .

1 John 3:4 , " Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. "

God is holy and perfect ; people are sinful . You probably already know that for yourself - if you tried to be perfect for a day , you'd quickly discover that you COULDN'T DO IT !! So , sin is not caring about what is "right." You defy God when you KNOW what is right , but refuse to do it .

So , WHO has sinned ?

Romans 3:23 tells us , " For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God . " and . . Romans 5:17 , " For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. "

The Bible says " ALL have sinned , " notice the word " ALL " There is not ONE single human being on the face of God's planet that deserves to be called " holy " or " holy father.' !! When Adam sinned , sin entered the human race and sinfulness is a part of our natures . You might be asking , " So what ? "

What's so bad about sin ?

Well , Romans 6:23 , " For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. " and , Isaiah 59:2 ," But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. "

Sin leads to DEATH , my friends . That's a BIG problem ! Because God is perfect  He cannot have anything to do with us because we are sinners . He wants to have a personal relationship with us but He can't because of sin . So what did God do ?

FACT : ONLY through Jesus Christ can you have a personal relationship with God .

Now , I realize that sometimes people don't understand the concept of having a "relationship" with a being they cannot see or touch - ( I know I sure didn't understand it )  .  Yet it IS a reality . That's why Jesus Christ came . He was a human being who lived on this earth so that we could understand what God is like . Now many of you may be asking at this point , " How can God be God , and also Jesus ? " The answer is Jesus is God incarnate . Jesus is the " only begotten Son " ( John 3:16 ) . The Greek word translated 'only-begotten' is MONOGENES which means 'unique , ' one of a kind ' . Jesus is the unique Son of God , because He IS GOD by HIS VERY  NATURE ( see above ) . And believers in Him become 'sons of God ' BY ADOPTION ( Galatians 3:26 , " For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. " and  4:7 , " Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. ") .

So , you see , having a relationship with Christ , IS a spiritual REALITY that MUST be experienced , and once you obtain that relationship by accepting His free gift of Salvation , you will be surprised how many of your other questions will be answered via the Holy Spirit .

Why Jesus Christ ?

John 14:6 , says , " Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. "

Remember how God can't have anything to do with us because of sin ? Well , He decided to deal with our sin . Problem was , He had made it clear throughout the Old Testament that sin leads to death . In the Old Testament , people sacrificed animals as a way to show how sorry they were for their sins . And that was only temporary . God's plan all along was to send His Son Jesus - a perfect human being - to be the FINAL AND ULTIMATE SACRIFICE !!  And DO NOT let ANY "religious" demonination , leader , priest , pope , pastor , minister , or whoever . . TELL YOU DIFFERENTLY !!

Now , why did Jesus have to die ?

Let's see what it says in 1 Peter 3:18 about that , " For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit . "

Jesus died to take the PENALTY that OUR SINS DESERVED ! He paid a debt for us that He never owed , because we could NEVER pay it !! In essence , He took OUR punishment so that WE wouldn't have to ! Now , because of Jesus , the way is prepared for us to be able to have a PERSONAL relationship with a HOLY GOD !

Now , Jesus did not stay dead . He rose from the dead , which is a promise to us that WE will also rise from the dead and go to heaven to be with Him . So, what do you need to do next ?

FACT : You must personally respond by trusting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior .

Now , even if you grew up in a church , you STILL need to accept Jesus PERSONALLY .  Even if you've led a terrible life of sin , NO ONE is "too bad" for God ! And again , DO NOT LET ANYONE TELL YOU ANY DIFFERENT !! A person does NOT have to "clean up his act" BEFORE coming to Christ ! In fact , Jesus died to take away all that sin and to help a person start anew . So , therefore , being "good" is NOT good enough , yet NO ONE is "too bad" to be able to be forgiven . God wants ALL people to come to Him . ALL people NEED to TRUST IN JESUS in order to be saved !

How do we respond with belief in Christ ?

Romans 10:9-10 tells us , " That 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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. "

You simply need to BELIEVE ! . . . PERIOD !! That doesn't mean that you don't have any questions or that you understand everything . It simply means recognizing that you are indeed a sinner in need of a Savior . You recognize that you cannot be good enough for a perfect God on your own . And you understand that God loved you so much that He sent Jesus to save you . If you believe that , SAY SO  !!

Respond by receiving Christ .

John 1:12 , " 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 . "

" Receiving Christ " means acknowledging your belief in Christ , inviting Him to come into your life , turning to God from your present way of living ( repentance ) , and then beginning the adventure of letting God direct your life ! And the moment you ask , IT'S DONE !! JESUS HAS COME IN !!

Now , my friends , may I humbly ask if you would like to accept Jesus as your Savior ?

If you're ready , you can express belief and trust in Christ through prayer . Now , prayer is simply talking to God , just like you talk to your friends . It IS NOT chanting useless repetitions of some denominations definition of "prayer." It is NOT "praying" with a useless set of some type of pagan beads !

God knows what you mean , even when it's difficult to express . Use YOUR OWN words , or you can repeat the following :

Dear God , I know that my sin has separated me from you . I accept Jesus Christ this day as my Lord and Savior , and ask Him to come into my life , and thank Him for cleansing me of my sins with His precious blood from the cross . I now turn my entire life over to you , Lord . I give you thanks for choosing me and I accept your free gift of Salvation . .  In Jesus' Name , Amen . .

That't IT !! You are now a member of God's family ! We are brothers / sisters in Christ .

But please remember , that just as a baby isn't left to fend for him / her self after being born - neither should a BORN again Christian ! You are vulnerable to all sorts of predators - and BELIEVE ME - SATAN HAS 'EM !!

I urge you to get into a good Bible-based church , where , on issues of doctrine(s) - the Bible is the FINAL authority - NOT MAN !!

Fellowship with other Christians , check with your pastor about getting into Bible-study , and CONTINUE to seek the truth for YOURSELF !!

" . . with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."  ( Acts 17:11 )

And , by all means , if I can be of any assistance to you , please DO NOT hesitate to contact me at : pastorstahl@aol.com

May God's Grace , Love , and Peace be with you always . . .

Your brother in Christ ; Pastor Mike