Over the past few years, on very much a part time basis, I have been studying towards a Diploma of Christian Ministry and Theology, this has proved useful as I have been able to study and read a variety of different texts and perspectives from Christian writers and authors etc.
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 I am pleased to announce that I will be involved in the growth of a Baptist fellowship in 2020 and hopefully beyond. Held the first Sunday of each month out of Sidmouth Hall, West Tamar.
West Tamar Baptist Fellowship is an outreach of Coastline Baptist Church which is based in the North West of Tasmania. Under the direction of Pastor Dave Westbrook we hope to create a thriving ministry with old fashioned Baptist preaching from The King James version of the Bible, a music ministry consisting of hymns, psalms and spiritual songs to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and an evangelistic approach to reaching the lost. We would love to see you at one of our meetings, for now meeting the first Sunday of each month at 2:30pm at Sidmouth Hall, 252 Batman Hwy, Sidmouth, Tas 7270. Please keep an eye out for our website www.westtamarbaptist.org which will go live soon. Kind Regards Phil  What are the some of the obstacles or hindrances that stop a person getting saved?
Why in a world of approx 8 billion people do so few find the truth? Jesus said in Matthew 7 "for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction" Some reasons that spring to mind are pride, living a sinful life, science falsely so called and false religion. Let's go through and look at some of those hindrances that might stop a person putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. There is a famous story In Mark 10:23-25 where The Bible reads: "And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." A proud/rich person will struggle with the true Gospel because they are proud and think they deserve to make it to Heaven on their own merit. They are Prideful and are used to trusting in themselves. The proud person wants to have to pay for salvation. But The Bible is clear, you go God's way or you don't go at all! A person has to realise that they need Jesus Christ and He gets all the Glory for Salvation. Jesus paid it all, all to Him we owe! During Jesus's earthly ministry it was the pharisees, so full of pride, that were the hardest to get saved. It takes a humble person to admit they are broken and a sinner and can't make it to Heaven on their own. Sin is a big factor, and this works both ways as living a particularly sinful life can prevent a lost person coming to Christ and likewise a sinner's refusal to give up sin can mistakenly prevent them from getting saved as they think that they are saved by cleaning up their life. On the issue of people living a particularly sinful and wicked life, this much is true, People who love darkness, unrighteousness and evil don't often come to the light, whereas people who are honest and love truth will often come to the light. "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 Some people probably think Hell is a great place, merely separation from God, who they don't like anyway. They probably think it's a place where the party continues and they can have fun with their friends. But The Bible makes it clear that those flames are real! The Bible tells us that, until death and Hell are thrown into the lake of fire, Hell is in the centre of the earth. Have you ever stopped and wondered where all that volcanic ash comes from? The other way sin can prevent a person coming to the truth is that there are people who don't get saved because they think they have to give up their sins or they don't want to admit that the things they do are sinful and wrong. They don't want the light shined on their sins. But if you had to give up your sins to be saved no one would be saved. If things were truly just in this world then we'd all be going to Hell for the Bible makes it clear that there is none righteous no not one! There is a false doctrine of works salvation that prevents many people getting saved. "You have to be willing to give that stuff up" the false teacher would say. But we're not saved by cleaning up our life. Faith alone in Christ is all it takes for salvation. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 You can clean up your life later, you can get in Church, hear some great preaching, get to know The Bible and become sanctified later! First and foremost though let's get you to first base... Let's get you saved! False teachers will try and add to the Gospel...being willing to turn from sin, being prepared to clean up your life, repenting of sin etc but that is works salvation. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 We are saved by Grace alone, Faith alone, Christ alone. There is no grey area when it comes to salvation, You must become child like here, the humble lost sinner is more likely to see the truth than the puffed up, prideful theologian who wants to add to the Gospel and make salvation difficult. "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:3 Another hindrance when it comes to people getting saved is science or what the Bible calls "science falsely so called" There are people who profess truth when it comes to science that it is almost a religion in it's self. Atheism is a religion then, as it takes faith in scientists and professors ect and their theories. People trust in these people and that their claims are correct. That is a belief system. But something can't come out of nothing, there has to have been a Creator. Only a fool would believe otherwise. "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." Psalm 14:1 The Bible is scientifically correct. Always ahead of it's time. True science marries up perfectly with The Bible. "He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." Job 26:7 "It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth" Isaiah 40:22 "The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas." Psalm 8:8 "The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land." Psalm 95:5 Most people deep down believe there is a God. They know there is a God on a deep, intrinsic level, For the laws of God are written on the hearts of man. The sincere and rational person understands there has to be a Creator, Someone who designed this incredible and beautiful planet, Someone who designed man. All this could not happen by accident. Which leads me to my next point. False religion is a major obstacle in getting people saved. There are people who are so steeped in a lie it is very difficult to break through that exterior. Whether it is a so called Christian denomination that promotes works based salvation or baptism based, or it is any other belief system that denies that Jesus Christ is The Eternal Son of God and The Saviour of the world, false religion leads people away from Biblical salvation and into darkness. "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:" 2 Corinthians 4:3 Some people are so brainwashed by false religion it is hard to break through with the truth. This can spill over to culture or nationality, which can also be a hindrance. People don't have to ditch their entire culture to receive Christ. God split the people at The Tower of Babel. God made the nations! But don't put your nationality, culture or ethnicity above Biblical truth. Indian people for example can keep some of the wonderful things in their culture such as music, food, family values, colourful clothing and sport but they would have to forsake Hinduism and turn to Christ alone as their saviour. You can't combine trusting on Christ with any other belief system to make it to Heaven. It has to be all your faith and trust in Him alone. Biblical Christianity can not co-exist with any other belief system. The Bible says that Christ tasted death for all man. Christ died for Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Atheists, Pagans alike. He died for the sins of the whole world. We love these people and want to get them saved! For God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 There is a saying that says, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, many a compromising preacher or televangelist has lead souls to Hell by trying to be too inclusive, too watered down. By deceiving people by saying that there are many ways to make it to Heaven when The Bible says there is One. The Bible is clear, if you don't know the Son you don't know the Father. It is clear then that in order to be saved you have to put all your trust and faith in what Jesus did for you. All other ways will fail you. Jesus said if you have Faith as big as a mustard seed you can move a mountain! Your Faith may be minuscule, but as long as it is in The Lord Jesus Christ, His finished work on The Cross and what He did for you, and is in Him alone, then The Holy Spirit will come upon you and you will inherit The Kingdom of Heaven and have Eternal life! Jesus said "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." John 14:18 When you preach the Gospel some people are going to get saved some are not. You can try your best to present it as best as you can and pray for them to get saved, but ultimately it is up to them, For God has given each person freewill to make their own choices. The power though is in God's word. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God". Romans 10:17 The last thing I will say is that many lost people don't even know they are lost. They are so busy with all the distractions of life that they lose site of what really matters. They know something is missing, something is not quite right, they are unfulfilled but they don't know that what they need is The Gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't claim to be a theologian or academic, Just a sinner saved by Grace through Faith like millions of others before me. I was lost for years myself, I saw the world through the eyes of a lost person, before my journey towards truth led me to The Cross, led me to the feet of Jesus. It is easy to get saved, as easy as taking a drink of water or walking through a door. If you're lost right now why not call on Him today? You can settle this now, The Bible says salvation happens in the blink of an eye. In a moment of time we are passed from death to life. Jesus said "Repent ye and believe" Repentance in a salvation context just means to turn, to change your mind about whatever it was you were believing or trusting in before to accepting the free gift of Salvation through The Lord Jesus Christ and receiving Eternal Life. The Bible says now is the day of Salvation. Please read on for more scripture Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. Acts 3:19-26  Where do people go after they die?
Words can't describe how beautiful heaven is. It's a place of beauty, where God lives with His angels. God wants people to make it to heaven. What is the opposite of heaven? Hell. A place of fire and brimstone. A place of darkness and torment. It is a place where you don't want to go. God doesn't want you to go there. The Bible tells us that people have two possible destinations when they die, either Heaven or Hell. I'm writing this because I want you to make it to Heaven some day. Before I present to you The Gospel, you need to understand who Jesus is and why He had to come here. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is The Son of God. Born of a virgin, He was a little baby at one point and grew up as a small child just as we did. He went on to work as a carpenter. Just like us He was tempted at all points and yet He never sinned. He was the only guiltless man to ever walk this earth. During His earthly ministry, Jesus performed many miracles like healing sick people, calming storms, walking on the sea and even raising people from the dead. He fed 5000 people with just five loaves and two fish and performed many more amazing miracles. The rulers and leaders of the day didn't like him and so they arrested Him. They trialled Him and even though He was completely innocent they found Him guilty and ordered to have Him crucified. They beat Him, spat on Him, put a crown of thorns on His head and nailed Him to The Cross. The Bible tells us that when He was on The Cross it was as if all of our sins were on there with Him. He died on the Cross for us. 3 days later He rose from the dead, this was a physical resurrection. His spirit re-entered His body and He ascended to Heaven to be at the right hand of The Father. The Bible tells us that God is 3 in 1. The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. We know this as The Trinity. 3 unique persons making up the 1 true God. So we see here that not only was Jesus the Son of God, He was God manifested in the flesh. So how do we make it to Heaven? Being saved is easy we just have to put all our trust and Faith in Jesus and we can have everlasting life. Everlasting life means it lasts forever and You can never lose it. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:" John 3:36 Jesus said "repent ye, and believe the gospel." Mark 1:15 Biblical repentance means to change...a change of mind, a change of heart. It means to change or turn from unbelief to now believing the Gospel and receiving the free gift of eternal life. The last thing I wanted to mention to you today is a passage in The Bible, taken from one of The 4 Gospels, The Book of John, where Jesus says "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3 What this means is that when we accept The Lord Jesus Christ as our personal saviour and receive the free gift of eternal life we enter into God's eternal family and are born again spiritually. Our spirit is quickened, the Bible says, and we are passed over from death to life. It is a spiritual rebirth, obviously we cannot physically be born again! The moment we get saved we are filled with The Holy Spirit and regeneration takes place. Physically we will remain the same for now, but inside everything will change for the better and you will feel a great sense of contentment, direction and purpose. Once this takes place we have been set free from the penalty of sin and have eternal life. We live life safe in the knowledge that we are now permanently part of God's eternal Family. We will still be tempted by sin, and indeed will still sin, as there will become an ongoing struggle between the spirit and the flesh. We may be disciplined or punished by God if we do wrong or even have future rewards taken away. Paradoxically, if we do good after we are saved, ie. find and attend a great church, help others, keep the commandments, tell others the good news about Jesus and generally live a clean life as best we can, then we will receive God's blessings in this physical life and rewards later on in heaven. Either way though, our salvation is secure. It is sealed. Once saved always saved. A Clear Gospel Presentation The Bible way to Heaven 1.)Admit you are a sinner "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3.23 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” Romans 3:10 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8 For no one is good enough to make it to Heaven on his or her own merit. No matter how much good we do, we still come short. 2.)Realize the penalty for sin “For the wages of sin is death” Romans 6.23 "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:15 Just as there are wages for good, there is punishment for wrong. The penalty for our sin is eternal death in a place called Hell. You must be saved to find your name written in the book of life. 3.)Believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again for you “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 "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.” Romans 10.9 “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.” John 3:16 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-10 4..)Trust Christ alone as your saviour "But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6.23 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” Romans 10:13 Eternal life is a gift purchased by the blood of Jesus and offered freely to those who call upon Him by faith. Anyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved forever. Being saved is a one time event. Jesus died, was buried and resurrected. “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Here is a prayer, please understand it's not mere words that save, but your faith in The Lord Jesus Christ. All glory to Him! Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and that I can't make it through on my own. But I believe that You died on the Cross for me. I call upon Your mighty name as my Lord and Saviour. Please save me and take me to Heaven when I die. I'm trusting only in You Jesus. Amen Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20  Dear friend,
As we come closer to Christmas and the end of another year, please consider a life changing decision for the eternal good of your soul. For Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who was God manifested in the flesh. Who came down to this earth, born of a woman. When we call on The Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour we are forgiven for all our sins and all of our future ones too.The blood of Jesus washes us clean, we are regenerated. When we get saved, we are also imputed into righteousness which means all the incredible acts of kindness and good that Jesus did on this earth are added onto our account! No wonder God holds His children in such high regard! Physically you will stay the same, you will still sin and face the same struggles that all people do, but when you get saved you are reborn on the inside, that is why The Bible says we must be born again to make it to heaven. (John 3:3) When you get saved, life will get easier for you, as your new best friend, The Holy Spirit will guide you through. He will protect you and help navigate you through life's biggest storms. (In The Christian faith we learn that God is 3 in 1. The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. 3 separate persons making up the One True God) You will find as you grow on your Christian journey you get smarter. For God has given us His Word, The Holy Bible to read and meditate on. 66 books with all of life's answers inside. The Bible says in The Book of Proverbs that The fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom. In The book of Proverbs alone there is a wealth of information, knowledge and wisdom that all the other books of this world cannot offer. "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple." Psalm 19.7 The book of Psalms meanwhile, contains the most amazing and beautiful poetry and lyrical content ever written. As a songwriter myself, I read them and think there is no way that mortal man could have written this on his own, this is truly God inspired! (I use a King James Bible also known as The Authorised Version) Many people think they can make it to heaven on their own merit but The Bible makes it clear that there is none righteous, no not one. According to Revelation 21.8, even 1 lie could disqualify you from making it to Heaven and we have all done things far worse than tell a lie, let's face it! Stealing, Fornication (sex outside of marriage) covetousness (desiring to have something that is not ours) lusting after another person other than our husband/wife are just some of the many things that would make us unrighteous in God's eyes. We were born into sin, this goes back to Adam and Eve and The Garden of Eden. We inherit this disease. Thankfully God knew this and sent His only begotten Son into the world, who lived a perfect and sinless life before becoming our sacrifice on The Cross when He was crucified by a cruel people who rejected Him. They rejected The Saviour of the whole world, can you believe that! They were without excuse, for during His earthly ministry, He had performed many miracles. He had raised the dead, healed the sick and afflicted, turned water into wine, fed 5000 people from only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, walked on water and all kinds of other cool stuff. His divinity was not in question. Jesus preached the truth and a lot of people didn't like it. He exposed them. When Jesus Christ died on The Cross it was like all of our sins, all of your sins, all of my sins, all of the world's sins were on there with Him. Jesus paid for them all in full by dying on The Cross. All you have to do to be saved is to trust in Him. Believe on Him with all of your heart, that is it. The Bible reads "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16.30-31 Jesus rose from the dead on the 3rd day, thus conquering death. This was a bodily resurrection. He rose with His Body completely intact with the only change being the hole's in each hand from where they had nailed him to The Cross. The Bible tells us that today he is sitting at the right hand of the Father in Heaven and that He will return again to this earth one day and rule for 1000 years. Jesus died for everyone in the whole world, but not everyone will make it to heaven. Sadly many will fail to accept this wonderful free offering. Jesus Himself spoke of this when He said "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction" Matthew 7:13 Many will try and work their way to Heaven and will fail. Salvation is a free gift offered to all those who chose to accept it. Salvation has always been, and will always be by Faith alone. People living in Old Testament times were saved by their faith in God's promise of a coming Messiah. We can't work our way to heaven, it was paid for in full by The Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 Grace is something given to us that is undeserved. We don't deserve salvation, nothing we do could earn it, but through God's grace you can have it by placing all your faith in His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross at Calvary. Being saved is a one time event, You are given eternal life and enter into God's Family. God gives us this security, this peace of mind. We in the faith call it the eternal security of the believer. You could never lose your salvation, it could not be called a free gift if you could, it could not be called eternal and everlasting life if you could. If you mess up in this physical life after you're saved God will punish you. But He is long suffering, kind and merciful. A great example of someone in The Bible being saved by Faith alone is the thief on The Cross. He was one of the 2 other men being murdered along with Jesus. He had lived a sinful life but The Bible makes it clear he made it to heaven through faith alone in The Lord Jesus Christ . This moving story, featured in 3 of the 4 Gospel accounts, perfectly illustrates how simple Salvation really is. Dear friend, tomorrow may never come. Don't risk an eternity in hell, separated from God. Trust in Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour today. Below is a clear Gospel presentation. The prayer at the end is a guide but you can word it to be more personal if you like. A Clear Gospel Presentation The Bible way to Heaven 1.)Admit you are a sinner "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3.23 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” Romans 3:10 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8 For no one is good enough to make it to Heaven on his or her merit. No matter how much good we do we still come short 2.)Realize the penalty for sin “For the wages of sin is death” Romans 6.23 Just as there are wages for good, there is punishment for wrong. The penalty for our sin is eternal death in a place called Hell. 3.)Believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again for you. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 "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." Romans 10.9 4.)Trust Christ alone as your saviour "But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord Romans 6.23 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved Romans 10:13 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever belietheth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3.16 Eternal life is a gift purchased by the blood of Jesus and offered freely to those who call upon Him by faith. Anyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved forever. Being saved is a one time event. Jesus died, was buried and resurrected. “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 Here is a prayer, please understand it's not mere words that save, but your faith in Jesus Christ. Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I deserve to go to Hell. But I believe that you died on the cross for me. Please save me and take me to Heaven when I die. I'm trusting only in you Jesus. Amen “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20  I wanted to write about the subject of the internal struggle that comes after we are saved.
We are saved by grace through faith. Christ paid it all on The Cross. We only have to believe on Him for our eternal salvation. "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." John 3.16 "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16.30-31 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 When you call on The Lord Jesus Christ as you're personal Saviour, you are sealed by The Holy Ghost until the day of redemption. When we become saved, we enter a new relationship with God, we are adopted into His Family. We become a child of The King! Spiritual rebirth takes place. All things become new. "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:" 1.1 John "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 But while everything changes on the inside and on an eternal and spiritual level, everything on the outside, for the time being at least, remains the same. When we get saved, God creates a new creature called the new man which lives inside us. A struggle then takes place. The Bible describes this in 3 different ways: The new man and the old man Colossians 3:9-10 The spirit and the flesh Galatians 5:17 The inward man and the carnal mind Romans 8:5-8 When you are saved, your inner man cannot commit sin. For inside us now, we have a new spirit, The Holy Spirit who cannot sin. The flesh and the spirit become opposed. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit the flesh. For the carnal mind is enmity with God. Every person born into this world is a slave to sin. This goes right back to The Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve's sin. We inherit this disease, but God has provided the perfect remedy for us all through His Perfect Son Jesus Christ. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." John 3:17 The Born-Again Christian can no longer enjoy sin, I speak of this anecdotally! It may provide a kind of numb feeling at best, but that which once seemed enjoyable and pleased the flesh, will now leave a vexed, guilty and convicted feeling. It is impossible to stop sinning entirely whilst we are in the flesh. The born again believer will still struggle with sin for the rest of his/her physical life. The will to do what's right may be there, but as Jesus Christ Himself said "The Spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak" As hard as it is though, we need to try our best to walk in the spirit and not the flesh. The backslidden Christian lives in a temporary state of misery, for one reason or another he/she gets out of touch with God and ends up out of fellowship with Him. They are still saved, still a child of God, still a Christian...albiet a careless, disobedient, unhappy and ineffective one. It's like the devil has a plan B for your life, his priority is to stop you getting saved, and he has a range of tactics he will use to achieve this, but once you enter into God's eternal family he doesn't stop there, his plan is then to slow down your Christian growth, show you what you used to enjoy, remind you of the 'fun' you once had and keep you chained to sin, hence making you an ineffective Christian and denying you rewards in Heaven for serving God. The Christian who is walking with The Lord, enjoying the fullness of blessing in Christ and living a dedicated life is extremely satisfied and content. The non-Christian meanwhile, can be happy to a point, blissfully ignorant of the measure of his/her downfall. They have never tasted the things of Christ and therefore do not miss them. The backslidden Christian is stuck between 2 worlds, both not being able to enjoy The Lord and not being able to enjoy the world either. Many Christians continue to live a life of sin...eat, drink and be merry, you've heard it said. But God wants us to come out from among them, He wants us to be a peculiar people. Not conformed to this world but transformed. Us Christians must live a Christian life, read our Bible daily and get right with God. We should take heed to ourselves. even a right hearted person needs to take diligent heed to God's warnings, establish rules and boundaries, meditate on God's word, Go to Church at least once a week. You may need to change your lifestyle, spend your time more wisely. Look after your body for it is the temple of The Holy Ghost which is in You. You're not your own, you were bought at a price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's. When we become part of God's Family, our body becomes the temple for The Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ lives inside our heart. Try and lead a good life, for the unsaved are watching, We are ambassadors of Christ's and should be a good role model whenever we can. The Bible says the prosperity of fools will destroy them. We need to be sober we need to be vigilant. The Bible says that when we are saved our sins have been dealt with, forgiven, forgotten and paid for in full on The Cross by The Lord Jesus Christ. However we will be judged by our works, by our deeds, our contribution to The Kingdom. Part of the great commission is to try and win people to Christ, you're literally pulling them out of the fire when you get someone saved. If you can't give them The Gospel, at least plant a seed, someone else may water it later on, for The Holy Spirit works in supernatural ways. If you're a backslidden Christian reading this, you need to repent and start turning back towards God and walking in the light once again. You will never be able to stop committing sin completely in this life, but you can still lead a clean, diligent, loving and fruitful Christian life working hard for God and securing eternal rewards in Heaven for later. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23  "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." 1 Peter 23-26 We are born again by the Word of God. The Word of God is the seed that makes that new birth possible and gets people saved. In the Parable of the sower found in three of the four Gospels, The seed is the Word of God. The Bible is the Word of God, it was in the beginning with God and it was God. Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh. "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1.14 The words of God are spirit and they are life and they bring Salvation. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10.17 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise." Ephesians 1.13 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Romans 1.16 You can't separate The Word of God with salvation, for the Word of God brings salvation. You can not be saved without the Word of God. You can not believe on Christ without hearing of Christ. We are saved by Grace through Faith alone in The Lord Jesus Christ. Faith grants access into Grace and Faith comes from hearing The Word of God. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4.12 If somebody tries to paraphrase the Gospel in their own words it has to be in tandem with scripture, You can not be saved without the Word of God. You could hear the Word of God and then later on someone could explain the Gospel to you in their own words, but the Word of God must have been heard at some point in order for salvation to take place as it is the seed of new life. It doesn't have to be the whole Bible, it could just be one verse, but hearing the Word of God is the essential seed needed for salvation. Here are some scriptures for you to meditate on: "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3.15-18 "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3.36 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." John 5.24 "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6.40 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." John 6.47 "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" John 11.25 "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." Acts 10.43 "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16.31 "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them" that believe: for there is no difference" Romans 3.22 "To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Romans 3.26 "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Romans 3.28 "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Romans 4.3 "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Romans 10.4 "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." Romans 10.9 "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Galatians 2.16 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." John 15.3  As I grow on my Christian journey I sometimes have to stop and realise just how far my life has changed in such a relatively short space of time since I came to The Lord.
From truth seeker to Born again Christian through to discipleship. The changes have been remarkable and I thank The Lord Jesus Christ every day for this new direction. In the unlikely setting of Melbourne's inner North, I am lucky enough to be in a position to sit down and talk with people on almost a daily basis. There, I have been able to present The Gospel to a considerable amount of people now. Sometimes, people are not ready to hear a Gospel presentation, however I will still try and share my own Christian testimony, or read them a Bible verse or two and hopefully plant a seed in their mind, before continuing on my way. Many people don't accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and as sad as that ultimately is (if they don't change) that is their decision and as a Christian worker or Disciple you have to respect their decision and move on, for God has given every person free will to make their own choices. The Bible tells us there are two major choices available to us, either we elect to come to God through the life and work on The Cross of His sinless and perfect Son or we choose to live in eternal separation from Him. "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3.18 "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16:30-31 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever belietheth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3.16-17 Thankfully, I do meet many people on my travels who do accept Jesus as their Saviour and are saved and it is always great listening to and sharing stories with fellow Christians, and I have learned a great deal from them. Worryingly though, there are many who claim to be Christian but are so far wrong on doctrine they are not saved. This is an area of major concern with potentially eternal ramifications. The Bible makes it clear that once you're born again and saved you're always saved, yet one of the biggest obstacles I see is people who believe in a works based Salvation. These people wrongly believe that it is faith plus their own good works which will take them to Heaven when they die. There is no ambiguity when it comes to Christ's finished work on The Cross. Salvation is a free gift. If you had to work for it it could not be considered free. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" Romans 3:24 "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Romans 4:5 You can not work your way to heaven no matter how much good you think you do. Time and time again in The Bible the question is asked "What must I do to be saved?" and over and over again the answer is simply to believe on The Lord Jesus Christ. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." John 6.47 "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" 1 John 5-10 "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 Another false teaching I sometimes encounter is a repent of your sins Gospel which proclaims that first of all we must stop sinning to qualify for salvation. This is commonly known as 'Lordship salvation' and again is works based, as it is declaring that it takes your own good works (stop sinning) plus Faith in Christ to be saved. What this means is that the person is not putting ALL their Faith in Jesus and are adding works to get them to heaven. Repentance is not ceasing from sinful bad habits, nor even being willing to turn from one's sins; God himself repented many times in The Bible and He is, of course, without sin. Repentance means to turn, to change. Repentance in a Salvation context is to turn towards God. Accepting that you can't make it through on your own and turning to The Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. Both John the baptist and Jesus Himself said 'repent and believe' They did not say repent of your sins and be saved. Repent means to turn, to change. Once again, for the unsaved unbeliever it would mean to turn from not believing or from whatever they believed previously, to believing on The Lord Jesus Christ. Not once is the term 'repent of your sins' written in the Bible. To repent of our sins is something us Christians should do every day (during prayer) as it is impossible to be completely sinless while we are still in the flesh. If you become backslidden and/or continue to live a life of major sin once you are saved, God will punish you in this physical life. He will discipline you like a parent would discipline their disobedient child, but this does not compromise your Salvation. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37 Many people have confused being a humble Christian with Discipleship. Jesus commands that the disciple pick up their cross and follow Him. Putting the Christian life first before everything and everyone else. Not every Christian has this will or calling. Others confuse Sanctification with Salvation. Salvation begins the very moment we are saved in Christ, where as sanctification continues on and on as we grow in the spirit. Many people claim to be Christian but don't truly know Jesus, they don't fully trust in him and so they don't truly know Him. If they don't change it will be too late some day. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:21-23 Salvation is a one-time event, it is only by the washing of the blood of Jesus that you are saved, once you are saved. You can not then do anything to lose your salvation. You are born again and have The Holy Spirit living inside you. All born again believers are permanently sealed unto the day of redemption by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Regeneration can't be undone. "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Ephesians 4:30 God is not the author of confusion. Once you've been saved you've been passed from death to life, It is a supernatural event. You are born into The Family of God and it is permanent. The eternal security of the believer is real. God gives us this promise, this peace of mind. "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one." John 10:28-30 "That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:12 We simply have to Believe to be saved. You simply have to accept salvation as a free gift. The Bible is clear, the only way to heaven and eternal life is through Jesus Christ. "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day" John 6:40 "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." 1 John 5:10 When we are saved we are given a new status, we are born again, we are right with God and forgiven. We enter into a new Family, we are included into God's people and we are offered a new future, we are transformed through Christ. We are liberated to love God and neighbour. The Blood of Jesus Christ washes away our sins and frees us from an eternity of suffering and condemnation. Believers are saved because of Christ's finished work on The Cross. We can do nothing to earn Salvation. It is a free gift given to all who chose to except it regardless of race, age, maturity or merit. Put all your Faith in Jesus, and let your good works become rewards in Heaven.  A Clear Gospel Presentation
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AuthorWritten by Phillip Ragan Archives
December 2019
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