Given faith by God
You cannot become a Christian, receive salvation or become born again, until you first experience an opening of your eyes and your ears by God, as He moves you toward an opportunity to receive His gift of grace and faith.
Not everybody is given this opportunity. Most people in the world are blind and deaf to His Things. When God chooses a person to receive sight and hearing to obtain faith, He is showing great love for you.
Usually, when faith is given, you experience a curiosity and a driving need to learn more God and His Things. You are no different than every other Christian that has also received the great gift of faith. Things are very confusing at the start, especially when you are from a non-believing family or a non-believing culture.
Your soul knows God, and hungers for His touch...that is why you seek answers. Now your mind must understand.
God will provide you with exactly the things you need, to become more comfortable with His Things. He will provide you access to Christians that can answer your questions, and help you through these scary first moments of belief. His Bible will be made available to you, and will become your map as it speaks about all the things you need to know to begin your journey, and understand the things that you are thinking about in the first moments of faith.
Simply put...you are very special to God, and He has chosen you to move closer to Him. The closer you come to Him, the more peace and joy you will have. To get really close to Him, you must be brought to Him by Jesus.
The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross allowed death to be brought to sin. That means that your sins can also receive death. Because Jesus Christ resurrected from death, you also can receive eternal life. Once you no longer under the control of sin, and are resurrected into the life of a new believer, you can come closer to God.
Each step of the way, God is going to open your eyes and ears more and more. Thoughts that seem scary and crazy to you now will soon pass, as you receive the Foundation of Jesus Christ. Take a deep breath, be courageous, and walk toward the place that God is leading you.
Ask questions and read His Bible...and know that there are many Christians here today that will be praying that your path is made clear, and your eyes opened to receive pure faith in His promises! You are very, very special to be chosen by God to come closer to Him through His Son Jesus Christ!
Sinners Prayer for salvation
So you're being moved closer to God...and being introduced to Jesus Christ by Christians who love him dearly. Each has shared with you the scriptures that they hold dear and help them to understand the their Savior Jesus Christ.
That's the first thing you must understand. Christians love Jesus Christ very much. The reason that they love Jesus is because of His sacrifice for them. If Jesus had not been crucified, and then resurrected, no one would be able to receive victory over sin and death, or resurrection into a new life. Because He did this for us, and we believe in our hearts that he died for us, and because we believe in our hearts and minds that he rose from the dead, then his crucifixion and resurrection becomes our crucifixion and resurrection also.
When we believe that Jesus Christ did this for us, and know in our hearts and mind that as a result of this act, we will be forgiven of our sins, and allowed to be in the Kingdom of God forever. When we know these things for certain, it is called "faith". Belief in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the first step in faith.
Once you believe this with all of your heart and mind, then a simple prayer to to Jesus focuses your commitment. Usually the prayer goes like this...
Jesus,
I am a sinner. I know that I cannot stop sinning. I am sorry for all of the sins I have ever done. I need you Jesus, to be my savior, to save me from sin and death. I know that you can save me, because you died on the cross for me, and you died for me so that I could be released from sin and death. And then when you resurrected, I knew with certainty that I could resurrect with you, and become a new person. I want to follow you Jesus. Please be my Savior, and forgive me of all sin. Amen
When you say this prayer, you're letting Jesus know that you want to follow him and be taught by him and to live the way he asks you to live. It is not the prayer that saves you, but your belief in faith, that makes you a Christian. You are promised to receive forgiveness of your sins in the name of Jesus Christ upon your commitment to believe and follow His teachings.
Once you become a Christian, the next step is learning about all the things that Jesus Christ wants you to know. These things are called the "Foundation of Jesus Christ" and consist of six areas...I'll talk about them in the next post....
But right now, your focus must be on facing your beliefs on Jesus Christ, and deciding whether you want to commit the rest of your natural life, and your eternal spiritual life to following him. Don't take this decision lightly, and don't make it a spur of the moment decision. Make the decision to follow him only when you are certain of your belief and desire for him to be your Master.
The Foundation of Jesus Christ
Once you have said that prayer to Jesus, and believe in him with all of your heart, then you are saved from eternal damnation. On Judgment Day, all of the sins that you have ever done will be redeemed. This means that whe you are judged by Jesus Christ, your sins are made clean through his shed blood. He will forgive your sins, in the name of His Father, because you belong to Him and accepted the gift of sacrifice and grace before you died. You are "saved" the moment you say that prayer.
Once you have committed your life and faith in Jesus Christ, it is time for the Foundation of Jesus Christ to be laid. This foundation is the first principles and truths that Jesus Christ wants you to know and understand. Those Christians who are the strongest and accomplish the most works in Christ's name, are those who have a solid and firm foundation in Jesus Christ laid. It is important to learn all you can about each of these areas, from a true teacher of the Word of God.
These six principles of the doctrine of Christ for foundation building are: (Heb 6:1-3)
1. Sins (Dead Works)
2. Faith
3. Water Baptism
4. Holy Spirit Baptism (Laying on of hands)
5. Resurrection
6. Judgment
You will learn about these six subjects in many ways. Each of these subjects is explained in great detail in the Bible. These subjects are also taught in every Bible believing church everywhere. True teachers and followers of Jesus Christ are also well versed in these areas. Every Christian is honored to share there knowledge on these subjects with you.
It is very important that you learn about these things, and have a solid foundation in Jesus Christ laid. Choose your teachers well, and make sure that they use the Bible to teach you the Things of Christ and God.
Once this foundation is layed (preferably), you are given an opportunity that will absolutely astound you...
The Baptism of Jesus Christ
Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, and you have had a strong foundation in Jesus Christ layed, you are given the opportunity to receive two very special baptisms.
The first baptism, is the baptism of Jesus Christ. This baptism represents your death. In fact, spiritually speaking, when you are baptized with the baptism of Jesus Christ, you die in your grave at the moment you go under the waters. Guess what happens then?
Every sin that has ever been upon you can no longer dwell within you. Death causes sin to die. Everybody must die once because of sin. When you go under the baptismal waters, you die, and your sins leave you completely.
But hey.....you can't stay under those waters forever....who wants to lay in a grave at all? Your Savior Jesus Christ, was resurrected, and through your belief, you will be resurrected also. The minute you come up from your baptismal grave, you are resurrected. You receive a new birth into the Kingdom of God. You are a brand new person, sin free, righteous and holy, at that very moment you come out of the waters.
Once you have received the Baptism of Jesus Christ, you can never die again! At the moment of your physical death, you will be awake and alive and accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven. You will not feel the sting of death, and you will not lie in your grave for even a moment.
If you do not have baptism of Jesus Christ, then you lie in your grave until Jesus raises you up at the same time he raises the live Christians to Heaven in Rapture. If you are baptized in Jesus Christ, you are free from experiencing death again, and go and live in the Kingdom of Heaven for a while, when all Christians move on to the New Earth in His Time.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Once you receive baptism in Jesus Christ, you can also receive baptism in the Holy Spirit. When a Christian receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit, an actual portion of the Spirit of God goes inside your body. This Holy Spirit baptism is accomplished by the laying on of hands by a Christian apostle who has the Holy Spirit inside him. A portion of Holy Spirit is transferred in this manner, and will dwell inside of you while you are alive on this earth.
This Holy Spirit is given to you because Jesus Christ is in Heaven right now, and cannot guide you in all things in your direct presence. He sent the Holy Spirit to help Christians endure their separation from Him. This Holy Spirit brings many, many gifts to you when you receive Him. There are so many special things that come to a Christian through the Holy Spirit, and this post could never cover them all...but let me share a few of the things that new Christians realize immediately...
1. When you come up from those baptismal waters, you are holy and clean, without sin. If we weren't human and dorks, we could stay that way forever, until we got to heaven. Unfortunately, we are all stupid, and do stupid things. When we sin inadvertantly, the Holy Spirit burns those sins up the moment they get inside us, so we can stay righteous and holy for Him.
2. When the Holy Spirit is inside us, we can read His Word. Every scripture in the Bible becomes clear and understandable. The Holy Spirit guides us to understand the things that He wants us to know.
3. The Spirit bears witness to the LORD GOD that you are His child and He is your Father through the promised adoption.
4. The Holy Ghosts prepares you for the things to come in the End Times.
5. The Holy Ghost will be your advocate and counselor on spiritual matters, and remind you of Jesus Christ's teachings
And these things are just the beginning. You receive joy and peace and many other gifts as a result of His presence, that many other people as well as I would love to share with you when you are ready!
Judgment Day
First we will get the sad things out of the way...
On Judgment Day...
Those who reject Jesus Christ, and go to their grave without accepting him, will be judged for their sins, and face punishment.
Others of God's people will be judged by the law, and face punishment.
The Great News....
Those who have received both baptism and salvation through faith before their death, are resting in joy and peace in Heaven for awhile, while God's plans for New Earth and Judgment are set in motion.
New Heaven and New Earth
So the baptized and saved Christians receive rest in Heaven for awhile.
And the saved but unbaptized Christians, other faiths and non-believers lie in their graves for awhile. Before the Day of Judgement, the dead in Christ who are in their graves, will be raised to Heaven, which will be followed immediately by the raising to Heaven of those Christians who are alive at that time.
On the Day of Judgment, on a date that no man knows, Jesus Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. All of the dead in their graves will be resurrected and face Jesus on his throne.
All the nations of the world will be gathered before Jesus. (All people of all the nations that have ever lived must stand before the judgment seat of Christ).
Jesus shall set the judged men on either side of him. Those on his right, symbolized by sheep, inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world.
This will be eternal life.
Those judged people, symbolized by goats, are placed on the left side of him are cursed into the everlasting fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels. This is an everlasting punishment.
The Judgment of Christ is based on the righteous works. If the works of a person are righteous, he is judged favorably and rewarded with eternal life. If the works of a person were wicked, they are found guilty and damned.
The good news for Christians....we are redeemed and forgiven, and every work that we did to glorify our Father in Heaven, and magnify His Name, is rewarded greatly.
Then, the final end of the present heavens and earth are accomplished....
And the LORD GOD creates and establishes a new Earth and a new Heaven where all of His people begin a new life, on this new land ruled by Jesus Christ, and formed on His Word.
What a beautiful life it will be and how wonderful it will be to share my life with those who also love Him! Praise be to God... and come Lord Jesus quickly!
Bucker
You cannot become a Christian, receive salvation or become born again, until you first experience an opening of your eyes and your ears by God, as He moves you toward an opportunity to receive His gift of grace and faith.
Not everybody is given this opportunity. Most people in the world are blind and deaf to His Things. When God chooses a person to receive sight and hearing to obtain faith, He is showing great love for you.
Usually, when faith is given, you experience a curiosity and a driving need to learn more God and His Things. You are no different than every other Christian that has also received the great gift of faith. Things are very confusing at the start, especially when you are from a non-believing family or a non-believing culture.
Your soul knows God, and hungers for His touch...that is why you seek answers. Now your mind must understand.
God will provide you with exactly the things you need, to become more comfortable with His Things. He will provide you access to Christians that can answer your questions, and help you through these scary first moments of belief. His Bible will be made available to you, and will become your map as it speaks about all the things you need to know to begin your journey, and understand the things that you are thinking about in the first moments of faith.
Simply put...you are very special to God, and He has chosen you to move closer to Him. The closer you come to Him, the more peace and joy you will have. To get really close to Him, you must be brought to Him by Jesus.
The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross allowed death to be brought to sin. That means that your sins can also receive death. Because Jesus Christ resurrected from death, you also can receive eternal life. Once you no longer under the control of sin, and are resurrected into the life of a new believer, you can come closer to God.
Each step of the way, God is going to open your eyes and ears more and more. Thoughts that seem scary and crazy to you now will soon pass, as you receive the Foundation of Jesus Christ. Take a deep breath, be courageous, and walk toward the place that God is leading you.
Ask questions and read His Bible...and know that there are many Christians here today that will be praying that your path is made clear, and your eyes opened to receive pure faith in His promises! You are very, very special to be chosen by God to come closer to Him through His Son Jesus Christ!
Sinners Prayer for salvation
So you're being moved closer to God...and being introduced to Jesus Christ by Christians who love him dearly. Each has shared with you the scriptures that they hold dear and help them to understand the their Savior Jesus Christ.
That's the first thing you must understand. Christians love Jesus Christ very much. The reason that they love Jesus is because of His sacrifice for them. If Jesus had not been crucified, and then resurrected, no one would be able to receive victory over sin and death, or resurrection into a new life. Because He did this for us, and we believe in our hearts that he died for us, and because we believe in our hearts and minds that he rose from the dead, then his crucifixion and resurrection becomes our crucifixion and resurrection also.
When we believe that Jesus Christ did this for us, and know in our hearts and mind that as a result of this act, we will be forgiven of our sins, and allowed to be in the Kingdom of God forever. When we know these things for certain, it is called "faith". Belief in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the first step in faith.
Once you believe this with all of your heart and mind, then a simple prayer to to Jesus focuses your commitment. Usually the prayer goes like this...
Jesus,
I am a sinner. I know that I cannot stop sinning. I am sorry for all of the sins I have ever done. I need you Jesus, to be my savior, to save me from sin and death. I know that you can save me, because you died on the cross for me, and you died for me so that I could be released from sin and death. And then when you resurrected, I knew with certainty that I could resurrect with you, and become a new person. I want to follow you Jesus. Please be my Savior, and forgive me of all sin. Amen
When you say this prayer, you're letting Jesus know that you want to follow him and be taught by him and to live the way he asks you to live. It is not the prayer that saves you, but your belief in faith, that makes you a Christian. You are promised to receive forgiveness of your sins in the name of Jesus Christ upon your commitment to believe and follow His teachings.
Once you become a Christian, the next step is learning about all the things that Jesus Christ wants you to know. These things are called the "Foundation of Jesus Christ" and consist of six areas...I'll talk about them in the next post....
But right now, your focus must be on facing your beliefs on Jesus Christ, and deciding whether you want to commit the rest of your natural life, and your eternal spiritual life to following him. Don't take this decision lightly, and don't make it a spur of the moment decision. Make the decision to follow him only when you are certain of your belief and desire for him to be your Master.
The Foundation of Jesus Christ
Once you have said that prayer to Jesus, and believe in him with all of your heart, then you are saved from eternal damnation. On Judgment Day, all of the sins that you have ever done will be redeemed. This means that whe you are judged by Jesus Christ, your sins are made clean through his shed blood. He will forgive your sins, in the name of His Father, because you belong to Him and accepted the gift of sacrifice and grace before you died. You are "saved" the moment you say that prayer.
Once you have committed your life and faith in Jesus Christ, it is time for the Foundation of Jesus Christ to be laid. This foundation is the first principles and truths that Jesus Christ wants you to know and understand. Those Christians who are the strongest and accomplish the most works in Christ's name, are those who have a solid and firm foundation in Jesus Christ laid. It is important to learn all you can about each of these areas, from a true teacher of the Word of God.
These six principles of the doctrine of Christ for foundation building are: (Heb 6:1-3)
1. Sins (Dead Works)
2. Faith
3. Water Baptism
4. Holy Spirit Baptism (Laying on of hands)
5. Resurrection
6. Judgment
You will learn about these six subjects in many ways. Each of these subjects is explained in great detail in the Bible. These subjects are also taught in every Bible believing church everywhere. True teachers and followers of Jesus Christ are also well versed in these areas. Every Christian is honored to share there knowledge on these subjects with you.
It is very important that you learn about these things, and have a solid foundation in Jesus Christ laid. Choose your teachers well, and make sure that they use the Bible to teach you the Things of Christ and God.
Once this foundation is layed (preferably), you are given an opportunity that will absolutely astound you...
The Baptism of Jesus Christ
Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, and you have had a strong foundation in Jesus Christ layed, you are given the opportunity to receive two very special baptisms.
The first baptism, is the baptism of Jesus Christ. This baptism represents your death. In fact, spiritually speaking, when you are baptized with the baptism of Jesus Christ, you die in your grave at the moment you go under the waters. Guess what happens then?
Every sin that has ever been upon you can no longer dwell within you. Death causes sin to die. Everybody must die once because of sin. When you go under the baptismal waters, you die, and your sins leave you completely.
But hey.....you can't stay under those waters forever....who wants to lay in a grave at all? Your Savior Jesus Christ, was resurrected, and through your belief, you will be resurrected also. The minute you come up from your baptismal grave, you are resurrected. You receive a new birth into the Kingdom of God. You are a brand new person, sin free, righteous and holy, at that very moment you come out of the waters.
Once you have received the Baptism of Jesus Christ, you can never die again! At the moment of your physical death, you will be awake and alive and accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven. You will not feel the sting of death, and you will not lie in your grave for even a moment.
If you do not have baptism of Jesus Christ, then you lie in your grave until Jesus raises you up at the same time he raises the live Christians to Heaven in Rapture. If you are baptized in Jesus Christ, you are free from experiencing death again, and go and live in the Kingdom of Heaven for a while, when all Christians move on to the New Earth in His Time.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Once you receive baptism in Jesus Christ, you can also receive baptism in the Holy Spirit. When a Christian receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit, an actual portion of the Spirit of God goes inside your body. This Holy Spirit baptism is accomplished by the laying on of hands by a Christian apostle who has the Holy Spirit inside him. A portion of Holy Spirit is transferred in this manner, and will dwell inside of you while you are alive on this earth.
This Holy Spirit is given to you because Jesus Christ is in Heaven right now, and cannot guide you in all things in your direct presence. He sent the Holy Spirit to help Christians endure their separation from Him. This Holy Spirit brings many, many gifts to you when you receive Him. There are so many special things that come to a Christian through the Holy Spirit, and this post could never cover them all...but let me share a few of the things that new Christians realize immediately...
1. When you come up from those baptismal waters, you are holy and clean, without sin. If we weren't human and dorks, we could stay that way forever, until we got to heaven. Unfortunately, we are all stupid, and do stupid things. When we sin inadvertantly, the Holy Spirit burns those sins up the moment they get inside us, so we can stay righteous and holy for Him.
2. When the Holy Spirit is inside us, we can read His Word. Every scripture in the Bible becomes clear and understandable. The Holy Spirit guides us to understand the things that He wants us to know.
3. The Spirit bears witness to the LORD GOD that you are His child and He is your Father through the promised adoption.
4. The Holy Ghosts prepares you for the things to come in the End Times.
5. The Holy Ghost will be your advocate and counselor on spiritual matters, and remind you of Jesus Christ's teachings
And these things are just the beginning. You receive joy and peace and many other gifts as a result of His presence, that many other people as well as I would love to share with you when you are ready!
Judgment Day
First we will get the sad things out of the way...
On Judgment Day...
Those who reject Jesus Christ, and go to their grave without accepting him, will be judged for their sins, and face punishment.
Others of God's people will be judged by the law, and face punishment.
The Great News....
Those who have received both baptism and salvation through faith before their death, are resting in joy and peace in Heaven for awhile, while God's plans for New Earth and Judgment are set in motion.
New Heaven and New Earth
So the baptized and saved Christians receive rest in Heaven for awhile.
And the saved but unbaptized Christians, other faiths and non-believers lie in their graves for awhile. Before the Day of Judgement, the dead in Christ who are in their graves, will be raised to Heaven, which will be followed immediately by the raising to Heaven of those Christians who are alive at that time.
On the Day of Judgment, on a date that no man knows, Jesus Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. All of the dead in their graves will be resurrected and face Jesus on his throne.
All the nations of the world will be gathered before Jesus. (All people of all the nations that have ever lived must stand before the judgment seat of Christ).
Jesus shall set the judged men on either side of him. Those on his right, symbolized by sheep, inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world.
This will be eternal life.
Those judged people, symbolized by goats, are placed on the left side of him are cursed into the everlasting fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels. This is an everlasting punishment.
The Judgment of Christ is based on the righteous works. If the works of a person are righteous, he is judged favorably and rewarded with eternal life. If the works of a person were wicked, they are found guilty and damned.
The good news for Christians....we are redeemed and forgiven, and every work that we did to glorify our Father in Heaven, and magnify His Name, is rewarded greatly.
Then, the final end of the present heavens and earth are accomplished....
And the LORD GOD creates and establishes a new Earth and a new Heaven where all of His people begin a new life, on this new land ruled by Jesus Christ, and formed on His Word.
What a beautiful life it will be and how wonderful it will be to share my life with those who also love Him! Praise be to God... and come Lord Jesus quickly!
Bucker
2 comments:
Hey, neat things in here. You really need to incorporate scripture references in your work. People in todays world need proof that what you're stating is truth. Please reference more.
Laura,
Welcome to my Becker Bible Studies blog, and thank you for your comment!
All of our teachings on our site at http://www.guidedbiblestudies.com are heavily referenced with the Word of God.
In fact, it makes me nervous to write anything without Scripture to back up the the things I say published right next to mine. My words matter so little, and the Word of God matters so much too me.
I write this blog so students who have chosen to study with us at Guided Bible Studies can get to know me more, and can examine my personal views and natural/spiritual thoughts with my teachings. It is only then that a student of the Word of God can know with confidence that a Teacher is the real deal.
It makes me nervous. I would rather spend my time at our website, where everything I say is verified every time. But this is my thought process...if I rely heavily on publishing Scripture in the blog, then I am covering myself up in the Word of God, and preventing people from seeing and evaluating me.
It's a fine line, and I am glad you have written. It would be my pleasure to include more, and I will once again measure that line and see if I can do just that!
God's Blessings,
David "Bucker" Becker
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