"To say what you really mean.... the whole of it.... and nothing more or less than what you mean...." --Chasing Furies
Believing in Jesus is the only way to get to heaven. That and you must accept Jesus as your personal savior.
" Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
John 14:6-KJV
" I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness."
John 12:46-KJV
" And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"
John 11:26-KJV
" I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."
John 10:9-KJV
"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
John 8:12-KJV
"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 6:44-KJV
" And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. "
John 6:35-KJV
(1) Jesus loves you SO very much. Wanna know how much? He died for you... He was tortured for you. Jesus Christ came to this earth to suffer the punishment of your sins so you wouldn't have to. He stepped in your place and took the pain for you.
"But He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,
and by His wounds we are healed."
Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)
"For Christ died for sins once for all,
the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.
He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit"
1 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
"And, once made perfect,
He became the source of salvation for all
who obey Him." Hebrews 5:9 (NIV)
"For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 6:23 (NIV)
(2) It's not hard to know Him. He's not some unobtainable goal. The Bible says if you confess that you are a sinner, believe in Christ, His death, and His resurrection, and ask Him to be your Savior... then you're "saved"! (Pray the prayer now.)
"And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the
Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the
Son of God, God lives in him and he in God." 1 John 4:14-15 (NIV)
"Now this is eternal life: that they many know You,
the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom you have sent." John 17:3 (NIV)
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
(3) One day, Christ will return for His followers, and if you have not accepted Him, you're stuck here.
".... and the dead in Christ will rise first.
After that, we who are still alive
and are left will be caught up to meet the Lord
in the air. And so we will be with the
Lord forever." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NIV)
I know a lot of people don't believe it, but it is possible to "fall away from God." It happens to a lot of people. As a matter of fact, it happened to my youth leader, and now he is one of the most Godly people that I know. So it doesn't mean that you are bad, low, scum.... whatever. It means you need God again.... you can't make it without Him, and you have to be willing to admit it.
There are lots of ways you can forget your first love. Maybe you weren't really serious about the commitment you made to Christ. Maybe you let your troubles overwhelm you. Maybe you gradually stopped talking to Him, until you hardly knew Him anymore. But He is still waiting for you. If He did it for you once, He'll do it for you again. He's waiting for you to come to Him, and ask. Need to? (I'm not saying that you have necessarily lost your salvation.... maybe just your closeness to God.) If so, it's time to come home. Know the story of the prodigal son?
He's waiting for you.
"The greatest single cause of Atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." from What If I Stumble by dc Talk
One thing that really bugs me is a hypocrite.... someone who fits the role of the verse and lyrics above. And as annoying as they are, it's also very sad. They know that they are living wrong, but put up a "holier than thou" front to fool people. They pay lip service to Christianity, but their actions speak volumes.... more than anything they could ever say.
They're called do-gooders. They only profess Christ when other people are watching, or when they know they will benefit from it.
People like that don't really know God. True goodness comes from knowing God, from having a personal relationship with Him. It comes from the heart, and it expresses itself in right actions.... not just when someone else is watching. Knowing Him means you should present a lifestyle that brings honor to Him all the time!!
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.
The heavens will disappear with a roar;
the elements will be destroyed by fire,
and the earth and everything in it will be
laid bare." 2 Peter 3:10 (NIV)
"For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven,
with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ
will rise first. After that, we who are still alive
and are left will be caught up to meet the Lord
in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NIV)
"Life is short, it seems
Quick it comes, how quick it leaves
We search for life in passing things
I see bits of you in me
I've got something you should see
I am poor in most everything
But I will get a crown of Kings
I don't know where you'll be
I hope it's with me in the sky
Looking down way below
Waving Goodbye
I watch the time with you pass
I wish so much that it would last
But if the thief comes here tonight
I hope to see you on the other side"
---Waving Goodbye by Bleach
(This is truly my wish.... that we'll be kickin' it together in heaven!)
Scan over the first three topics. See anything you need to work on?
"For we must all appear before the judgement seat
of Christ, that each one may receive what is due hum for
the things done while in the body,
whether good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV)
Are you absotively, posilutely sure you're ready for "judgement day"? If so.... awesome! You'll hear this:
If you're not.... you'll hear this:
This is the grand prize for those who don't know God.... who haven't personally accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.
•It will last forever. (Matthew 25:46)
•It will be punishment for sin and unbelief. (2 Thessalonians 1:8)
•It will be separation from God. (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
It's described in the Bible as "the second death." (Revelation 21:8) Hell will be eternal death for the unbeliever.
C.S. Lewis said that sin is a person saying to God, "Go away and leave me alone." Hell is God finally saying to that person, "You may have your wish," and leaving him or her alone for eternity.
Ever dreamed of life without any troubles or conflicts? A life of peace? Well, you're in luck, ‘cause you just found it! If you are a child of God, that is.
The Bible describes heaven as the place where God lives (Matthew 6:9). Heaven is the very presence of God.... for eternity! Doesn't that sound awesome? It also says that heaven is our real home (Philippians 3:20-21). The world is just our temporary place of residence.... sort of like a foster home.
Good ole' Webster defines heaven as: (def. 1) the abode of God, the angels, and the spirits of the righteous after death; (def. 6) a place or state of supreme happiness.
In other words, heaven is a fulfillment of the deepest longings of our hearts: pure ecstacy!
E-mail me if you have any questions please.
