What Will You Do?

The Apostle Paul said that he became all things to all men so that by all possible means some may be saved. What will you do that some may be saved? Are you willing to step outside your comfort zone and talk to a stranger about Jesus? How about travelling to a foreign country to show the love of Christ to someone less fortunate than you? I know, what about inviting someone to come to church with you this Sunday. Will you do that?

A lot of Christians say it's the job of the preacher to tell people about Jesus or the job of the missionary to visit the foreign countries. Well intentioned believers in the Son of God would never even think of inviting someone else to come to church with them. After all, that's someone else's job.

Well, the truth is that we're all ambassadors for Christ after we enter into a personal relationship with Him. He has left us here in this world to represent Him among the unsaved. Are you doing that? Are you representing Him or are you simply relying on someone else to do it? Yes, it's the job of the preacher, missionary and "average Joe" Christian to tell about, show and live Christ before a watching world. So let's start small...this Sunday when you leave your house to go to church, invite that neighbor of yours that's always out working in the yard. They watch you leave for church week after week (assuming you go that often) but you've never even bothered to invite them to go with you. Who knows, they might just surprise you and say give me a few minutes to get ready or I'll meet you there. In any case you will have represented the One that gave His life for you.

Once you start inviting people to go to church with you then you may get bold enough to start telling others how Jesus has changed your life. Then it's on to foreign countries and...OK, that's wishful thinking on my part but I think you get the point. Paul became all things to all men--what will you do in order that some may be saved?

I'm praying for you,

Pastor Greg

You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

I've never tried blogging before but I suppose if it's another way to reach someone for Christ then it's worth the effort. Our Webmaster asked me if I would begin blogging for our website and I consented. I'm sure as I attempt to keep up with the weekly postings you'll very quickly learn that I'm not that computer savvy and I don't know all the correct terms to use but there is one thing I know very well and that's how to become a Christian. I've decided that will be my aim in doing this...to introduce someone to Jesus Christ so they can change their eternal destination from a place called hell to a place called heaven (and yes, I believe both are literal, eternal destinations).

It's really simple--do nothing and end up in hell; accept Christ as your personal Savior and end up in heaven. Now, I think everyone knows how to do nothing so I really don't have to talk about that but you may not know how to accept Christ as your personal Savior so let's consider that option. Again, it's really simple but before I tell you how to do it I have to give you the reason why you need to do it.

A long time ago, in a place called the Garden of Eden a man named Adam broke a very clear command that God had given him. God said, "Don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Adam, on the advice of his wife (Eve), decided to go ahead and eat some of the fruit from that tree anyway. He thought he knew better than God so he broke the one rule that God had given him. That's called sin...when we break the rules that God gives us. Well, Adam's sin had severe and immediate consequences. That sin brought disease, destruction and death into the world. The death caused by the sin is twofold: it's a physical death...you see evidence of it every day; and it's a spiritual death...sin causes a separation from God. That's the ultimate consequence of sin, you can't go to heaven to be with God unless your sin has been forgiven. Oh, I forgot to mention that becuase Adam sinned and we all come from Adam's seed (I think we'll skip the biology lesson for now) then we all have a sin nature and we all sin. Think about it...God says in the Bible that we should always tell the truth. When you tell a lie--and I'm sure you have--you sin and that sin has to be paid for by someone who's perfect. Well, that's not you because you're a sinner and unless a perfect person pays for your sin then when you die you wind up in hell eternally seperated from God who's in heaven. Get the picture? You need someone perfect to pay for your sin so you can be forgiven and be restored to a relationship with God. Here's some great news...that person's name is Jesus and He's already paid for your sin when He gave His life on the cross at Calvary. All you have to do is accept Jesus as your personal Savior and that's where we started.

How do I accept Jesus as my personal Savior? I've already told you it was simple and here it is...ask Him to save you! Call out to Him in prayer and ask Him to come into your life and forgive you of your sin. Now before you freak out and say, "I don't know how to pray." Prayer is just talking to God. If you're really ready to enter into a relationship with God...to accept Jesus as your personal Savior, pray this prayer or one like it: "Dear God, I'm sorry for all the bad stuff I've done in my life. I'm sorry for all the times I've broken the rules you gave me. I'm sorry for my sin. Please forgive me and show me how to live the way you want me to live. I want to get to know you better and I know this is the first step. I don't understand it all but I want Jesus as my Savior. Thanks for listening to me and thanks for saving me."

If you pray that prayer or something similar to it, then congratulations you're saved! Jesus just became your personal Savior. Go tell someone--right now--what you just did. You need to share with someone...anyone...that Jesus saved you. Who knows, maybe they'll want to have Jesus as their Savior, too.

I'm praying for you,

Pastor Greg