Sometimes as new believers, it is difficult to see where to begin reading the Bible. The Gospels, especially the Gospel of John, are a great place for you to begin your reading. Jesus said that man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from God-- the Word of God, your Bible, is the 'food' or the nourishment that your spirit needs to live a healthy life in Christ. It is more important that the food for your body! Just as your body suffers greatly if you fail to care for and feed it properly, so your spirit will suffer if you neglect it. So don't neglect it. Form a habit of daily reading and praying to the Father in Jesus name.
Just one other little suggestion: If you don't own a Bible,or even if you do, I suggest you get a King James Version if you don't have one (for memorization especially). Other versions may be fine for casual reading, but the KJV Bible has had careful attention and accuracy in translation that most other English versions lack. Don't say I didn't warn ya!:)
Here are some recommendations for a quick, overall understanding of the basics that the Bible teaches:
The Holy Scriptures
God Inspired II Timothy 3:16,17
The Eternal Godhead
God is Triune: Father, Son and Holy Ghost
II Corinthians 13:4
The Fall Of Man
Romans 5:12
The Plan of Salvation
John 3:16 & Romans 5:8
Repentance & Acceptance
1 John 1:9
The New Birth
2 Corinthians 5:17 & Galatians 2:20
Baptism Of The Holy Spirit
Acts 2:4
Water Baptism & The Lords Supper
Romans 6:4 & Acts 2:41
May you grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Examine Yourself!
The Word says that when we are born again all things are made new in us:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
When we meet the Savior, our lives change radically. The evidence of a changed heart is evident to all, and should be evident to you in your own life. This is why the scripture tells us:
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5
I say this especially for those who have heard the Word of Truth in the past, and like me, may have made past confessions of Christ, but failed to see the evidence of faith produce fruit in their hearts and in their lives. True repentance and true salvation is evidenced after the rebirth by the inner witness of the Holy spirit we have recieved.
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Romans 8:15
and again:
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Galatians 4:6
We should have this inner witness, as well as a life that is changed and ongoing evidence of the fruit of that witness, the Holy Spirit.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
When we meet the Savior, our lives change radically. The evidence of a changed heart is evident to all, and should be evident to you in your own life. This is why the scripture tells us:
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5
I say this especially for those who have heard the Word of Truth in the past, and like me, may have made past confessions of Christ, but failed to see the evidence of faith produce fruit in their hearts and in their lives. True repentance and true salvation is evidenced after the rebirth by the inner witness of the Holy spirit we have recieved.
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Romans 8:15
and again:
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Galatians 4:6
We should have this inner witness, as well as a life that is changed and ongoing evidence of the fruit of that witness, the Holy Spirit.
An Understanding of Salvation: What just happened to me?!
The best authority on the way of salvation is the Word of God. Let's examine what it has to say:
Ephesians 2:1-10
By Grace Through Faith
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
John 3:1-21
The New Birth
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.
3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mothers womb and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.
Romans 10:8-10
Repentance and Confession
8 But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart(that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
God is faithful to his promises. If you believe His word, act on it! You can start by talking to Him right now and telling Him that you believe that He exists and that you believe what He has said. If you approach Him in all sincerity and with a humble heart, He will answer your prayer.
But don't stop there! The Word says that when we are born again all things are made new in us:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
When we meet the Savior, our lives change radically. The evidence of a changed heart is evident to all, and should be evident to you in your own life. This is why the scripture tells us:
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5
I say this especially for those who have heard the Word of Truth in the past, and like me, may have made past confessions of Christ, but failed to see the evidence of faith produce fruit in their hearts and in their lives. True repentance and true salvation is evidenced after the rebirth by the inner witness of the Holy spirit we have recieved.
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Romans 8:15
and again:
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Galatians 4:6
We should have this inner witness, as well as a life that is changed and ongoing evidence of the fruit of that witness, the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:1-10
By Grace Through Faith
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
John 3:1-21
The New Birth
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.
3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mothers womb and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.
Romans 10:8-10
Repentance and Confession
8 But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart(that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
God is faithful to his promises. If you believe His word, act on it! You can start by talking to Him right now and telling Him that you believe that He exists and that you believe what He has said. If you approach Him in all sincerity and with a humble heart, He will answer your prayer.
But don't stop there! The Word says that when we are born again all things are made new in us:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
When we meet the Savior, our lives change radically. The evidence of a changed heart is evident to all, and should be evident to you in your own life. This is why the scripture tells us:
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5
I say this especially for those who have heard the Word of Truth in the past, and like me, may have made past confessions of Christ, but failed to see the evidence of faith produce fruit in their hearts and in their lives. True repentance and true salvation is evidenced after the rebirth by the inner witness of the Holy spirit we have recieved.
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Romans 8:15
and again:
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Galatians 4:6
We should have this inner witness, as well as a life that is changed and ongoing evidence of the fruit of that witness, the Holy Spirit.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
God's Plan of Salvation
God's Word, the Bible makes the plan of salvation simple and clear. But just knowing the plan is not enough to be saved. First, we must see our own need for salvation.
This is the reason that God first gave us what we know as "The Ten Commandments" in Exodus chapter 20 which are:
1. You shall have no other gods before me.
"other gods" according to scripture are any other thing to which people dedicate and devote thier lives and full attention
2. You shall not make for yourself and idol in the form of anything.
people make idols of any and everything from other people they admire (think: "American Idol"), to just things they admire, or things that represent what they admire (an example: some people make an idol of education or work- they may be very proud of the wall of their office that is decorated with many academic degrees and career accomplishments)
3. You shall not take the name of God in vain.
Most people have at times or do often use "God" Jesus" "Jesus Christ" "Lord Almighty" ect. as curse words to express disgust or displeasure about something. His Word says he will not hold people guiltless for breaking this command.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
God gave us this command, to remember He, as the Creator of the World, rested from work, and to give mankind a day of rest from labor. Because our culture makes a god of labor, we now have a culture that works 24/7!
5.Honor your father and your mother; with a promise: long life
6. You shall not murder
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not lie.
10. You shall not covet (or be envious) of anything that has been given to another.
Jesus summed it up and made it even easier to understand: The foremost command is love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind and the second is like it; Love your neighbor as yourself. On these commands depend the whole law and the prophets.
But He also took it to a further understanding: In Matthew 5, Jesus said that the law says do not murder, but that if we are angry or hate another, and say 'You fool!' we are in danger of hell fire! So it is not just our outward actions, but the attitudes and intent of our hearts for which God will hold us to account!
So, it is on this standard of perfection that ALL men will face judgment:
Hebrews 9:27 As it is appointed unto man once to die, and afterward judgement.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ
Upon which NO MAN will be found guiltless:
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
I John 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
The bible has made it clear that when judged by the high standards of perfection, not one of us will escape the condemnation in which we already stand.
Most people have heard of John 3:16:
For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten son that whosoever beleives in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
Many people are not aware, though, that verse 18 says that to him that does not believe, he stands condemned already!
Thank God for verse 17: For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 1:12 promises that 'as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in His Name.'
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