Assurance of Salvation Summary “How I can know I am saved when I put my trust in Jesus Christ to save me.” The Word Of God Eternal life is not just something to look forward to; it is a present reality once you place your faith in Jesus to save you. (John 3:36, 1 John 5:11-13). You have forgiveness of all of your sins (Acts 10:43, Colossians 2:13). You will not be condemned (John 5:24, Romans 8:1). You have been justified (declared righteous – not guilty) before God ( Romans 4:1-6, 25, 5:1). You have already been saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). You are called a child of God (John 1:12, Romans 8:14-17). The Work Of Christ Salvation is not by your …Continue reading →
All believers have a limited idea of what God is capable of doing. We may say He can do anything, but we still have unspoken reservations in some areas. Yes, God can heal the sick and raise the dead. He can part the seas and move mountains. He not only created the sun, which is incomparably more powerful than our biggest nuclear bomb, He filled the universe with hundreds of trillions of suns, all without breaking a sweat. His power is truly incomprehensible. And yet, when it comes to His work in our lives, there are some things we think He must have a difficult time doing. His purpose is to transform us into the image of His Son, Jesus …Continue reading →
You just found out someone has been spreading untrue and damaging rumors about you to all your friends, and now you know why most of them have been avoiding you. What conditions need to be met in order for you to forgive that person who has done serious and maybe permanent damage to your reputation? Questions about forgiveness seem to have different answers in Sunday School than they do in real life. it’s easy to say we need to forgive freely as a hypothetical situation when things are going our way, but let someone step on our toes, really stomp on them hard, over and over again… with a smile on their face, and the concept of freely forgiving goes …Continue reading →
We’ve all experienced what we call hunger to some degree or the other. Sometimes I’ll have only a banana for breakfast, or maybe just a hot cup of tea, and later on, as lunch gets closer, my stomach lets me know it wants some food. I’ll be at work, trying to do my job, and my stomach will interrupt whatever thought processes may be going on and say “A nice, thick, juicy steak would be just fine right about now”, or “Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!” And no matter how much I try to keep focused on the job at hand, I have no peace until I get some food in my belly. While we speak of being hungry at times, most …Continue reading →
Rewards come in many forms for many different things. There are trophies, ribbons, certificates, rings, plaques, belts, and medals, and they’re given for achievements in sports, music, science, business, and other areas. For those who served in the military, there are many different kinds of ribbons and medals. There’s the Good Conduct Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the WWII Occupation Medal, the Vietnam War Medal of Sacrifice, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Purple Heart, and many others. All of these have a value that transcends the cost of the materials that make them. Rewards are not jewelry. They may look good, but they’re not there to make someone look more beautiful. Instead, they symbolize the honor given to the recipient …Continue reading →
When Jesus walked the earth, He had a physical body, just like we do. He spent alot of time doing His Father’s work. He met physical and spiritual needs in the people who came to him, and sometimes people met His physical needs. Although Jesus is not walking the earth right now, He does have a physical presence. You and I are that physical presence. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. – 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NAS) Each believer is a member of the body of Christ. We represent Christ physically on earth. This idea works itself out in how we relate to others and to Christ. What We Do To Christ During Jesus’ life on earth, …Continue reading →
Salvation costs me nothing. Discipleship costs me everything. These are the results of a study on discipleship I put together for the Beatty Community Church, originally as a night class, then as part of the adult Sunday school. These notes are not in their final form and the degree of ‘finished-ness’ varies. Some of the quotes used in these notes were obtained from http://www.christianglobe.com/Illustrations and http://www.watchword.org, and others through my own reading. Please note that the various quotes by various Christian leaders, pastors, and teachers does not imply an endorsement of everything they taught or believed. For example, I quote Watchman Nee in some areas where he has very good insight, but he also has some very dangerous teachings. Always …Continue reading →
Introduction How can we identify the work of the Holy Spirit? What sets the Spirit's work apart from the work of man or a deceiving spirit? What makes the Holy Spirit's work unique? These are important questions for today's believer. Much supernatural activity goes on in churches that is assumed to be of God, but is it? Here are a few examples. As you read them, ask yourself, "Do these describe the work of the Holy Spirit? How can I tell?" News item: NEGLIGENCE – "Act of God" Defense, The Supreme Court of Louisiana has refused to allow application of the "Act of God" defense in a personal injury suit brought by one worshiper against another on allegations that defendant …Continue reading →
How far back can you remember? Try to remember the time you were 3 months old. Hard, eh? I can’t remember when I was 3 years old, but that doesn’t mean I never was 3 years old. The fact that I am alive now proves that I was 3 at one time. I just can’t remember it. I can’t remember things that happened to me back then, and I can’t remember my overall attitude or “world-view”. But, it’s not important. Even if I could remember it all, I wouldn’t be spending my time dwelling on the past. I can remember falling outside in the snow and knocking a tooth out when I was young. This was painful at the time, …Continue reading →
For this reason he {Jesus} had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. – Hebrews 2:17-18 (NIV) As the supreme example of becoming approachable, Jesus came to earth in human form and experienced life on the same level as the rest of us. Our Lord and God become one of us. Although this is hard enough to believe, the way in which Jesus chose to live among us is even more amazing. …Continue reading →
