AN INVITATION? YES!
I'd like to invite you to meet an amazing Man, Jesus Christ. Oh, I'm not talking about Religion.
I HATE RELIGION!
Religion is man's attempt to be “good enough” for God – a bunch of rules and regulations; a bunch of “No-No-No's!”
What I'm talking about is RELATIONSHIP.
Think of a relationship with Someone who loves you completely just the way you are. He's always loved you and has waited patiently for you to turn away from everyone and everything else — and turn to Him.
You know that void – that hole on the inside of you that nothing can seem to fill? No drug, no alcohol; there's not enough money or things, no other relationship or momentary high can fill it.
That missing piece is PEACE. And Jesus is the Prince of Peace — He IS the Source of what you have been looking for.
WHAT IS SALVATION? SOUNDS LIKE RELIGION TO ME.
Salvation is one of those words we may have heard a lot without really understanding. Or we may assume it means one thing, but it actually means so much more.
The Hebrew word for salvation is “shalom,” which means “peace” as well as “nothing missing, nothing broken” and “complete wholeness.”
We can be “saved” (made whole) and washed clean from our sins.
ICK! SINS!!! Who believes in that nonsense?!!!
I know, I know. I thought that, too.
But do you know what “sin” means in Hebrew?
Sin means “Missing the mark.” Like an archer aiming an arrow at a target, and missing the bulls-eye.
And the mark or bulls-eye in this case is complete holiness and perfection, like God.
Wow, I've sure missed that mark. Haven't you? Of course, you have. We all have!
That's where the Lord Jesus Christ comes in. He gave the greatest gift, His life, and paid the dearest price for everyone's missing the mark throughout all time.
God is just and holy. He IS the ultimate Judge — and He made a way for YOU to be FREE from the pain and penalty of sin by taking the judgment and punishment for you — in His Son Jesus.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND
That's okay. You don't have to understand why God did it this way. I didn't either.
All I knew was that I came to the end of myself one day. I was ready to “let go–and let God BE GOD” in my life.
ARE YOU?
You can be FREE from all the pain, the emptiness, the longing, the need to control, the feelings of inadequacy, and the “looking for love in all the wrong places.”
You can be made completely whole and experience PERFECT PEACE and JOY. Absolutely!
Who wouldn’t want that?
Another term for salvation is being “born again.” Jesus said, “I tell you the truth unless you are born again (born anew, from above) you cannot see the Kingdom of God" (John 3:3).
You don't need a “Second Chance.” You need a NEW BEGINNING.
God has made becoming "born again" a very, very simple thing to do.
If it weren’t simple, how could the simple receive salvation?
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).
It’s that easy!
God also promises, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).
We know the name of the Lord is JESUS.
Is the Lord speaking to your heart? Are you ready to come home?
I INVITE YOU TO PRAY THIS ALOUD WITH ME, PLEASE.
Dear God in Heaven, I come to You in the name of Jesus. Your Word says “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”
Thank You for wanting to take me in!
I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead. I confess out loud with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. I am calling on the Name of the Lord—I am calling on Jesus—so I know I am now saved.
I have been born again!
Thank You for making it so very simple to receive everlasting life from You right this moment!
Jesus is the Lord of my life. I am saved! I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. I’m a believer in Jesus, a true Christian, and Jesus is in my heart. Thank You, Father!
You have removed my filthy rags and clothed me with Your righteousness. I am now in “right standing” with God IN Christ Jesus.
AMEN!
Signed ___________________ Date ______________ (You can download this message & prayer and sign it HERE – you will remember this day always!)
WELCOME HOME!
If you prayed that prayer for the first time, or for the first time in a long time, I want you to know that God heard you and has changed you on the inside. You have been given a new, recreated spirit on the inside of you, and the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ Himself now lives on the inside of your spirit!Here are several things you can do that will help you grow in your new walk with the Lord Jesus.
1. Tell someone what you just prayed and did! How about that friend or relative you know who has been praying for you? Jesus said that if you confess Him before others, He will confess you before the Father (and that's a very good thing!).
2. Get a Bible and start reading the book of John. This is God speaking to you! Read your Bible every day. Study it. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. He will! This will help you renew your mind. You'll begin to think more clearly, more in line with God's will and way. It's very exciting!!!
3. Pray every day. Prayer is speaking with AND listening to God. The more t-i-m-e you invest into your relationship with Him, the clearer His “still, small voice” will become to you. He does not speak to your mind but to your newly reborn spirit.
4. Find a Bible-believing church to go to on a regular basis (if not sure, contact us and we may be able to help you!). There you will find other believers who will love you and pray with you, and be brothers and sisters in the Lord to you.
5. Tell the Pastor you would like to be baptized. That is something Jesus says we are to do when we become “born again.” It is an outward visible sign of what has happened on the inside of you!
Here are some of the scriptures quoted above:
*Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again (born from above) you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3, New Living Translation).
* “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved” (Romans 10:9-10, New Living Translation).
* “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13).
* Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37).
May God richly bless you!
Feel free to share this with others. It is SO easy to receive peace from God and be given a NEW BEGINNING!
Let us know how we may serve you. God is faithful and true—and loves you completely.
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2) on the Word of the living God!
With love, rejoicing,
Dr. Laurette
