Here’s a story to make you think. It is used with permission of the author, Steffi Rubin.
In the land of DONTBELIEVE, long ago, there lived a sad little people called the DONTBELIEVITS. They were little because they didn’t believe they could ever be tall. And they were sad, because they didn’t believe they could ever be happy.
In this land of DONTBELIEVE, people walked down the road and greeted each other by saying, “I don’t believe it.” The customary reply to this greeting was, “Me neither.”
The king’s name was DONTCOUNTONIT VII. He was mean and made his people work very, very hard. Every week work began early Monday morning and ended late Sunday night.
Naturally the king didn’t believe in vacations, sick pay, coffee breaks or social security.
Occasionally, the people of DONTBELIEVE would plead with the king for a day off. But the king simply grunted and recited his own name: “Don’t Count On It.” And that would be that.
At the same time a quiet young man lived in the land of DONTBELIEVE. He lived in a modest home in a poor section of the country. He worked hard in a menial job and seldom spoke.
A neighbor once greeted the young man with “I don’t believe it.” He replied, “WHY NOT?”
This unusual behavior created quite a stir. Some thought he was secretly trying to overthrow King DONTCOUNTONIT VII. Perhaps he was a rebel or a revolutionary!
Others suggested that the quiet young man bore a resemblance to exiled old King HOPE-A-LOT. They thought he was the old king’s great-great grandson.
Legend had it that hundreds of years before King DONTCOUNTONIT VII, there was an invasion. Before that time the land of DONTBELIEVE was called the LAND OF MIRACLES. It was a place where wonderful things happened every day.
Then one morning the gloomy army of King DONTCOUNTONIT III from the neighboring country of DONTBELIEVE charged across the border. He swept across the sunny countryside and overcame sweet old King HOPE-A-LOT.
The invaders brought dark clouds of negativity and depression. For centuries, there wasn’t a glimmer of hope in all the land…until the day the quiet young man asked, “WHY NOT?”
Opinions about the young man flew thick and fast: “Well,” said one, “if he is the great-great-grandson of the old king, where are his royal robes?” “Quite true,” said another, “and where is his royal horse and servants?” “Of course,” said a third. “Where is his royal ring and scepter?”
So it was decided that he was not, in fact, a king at all. And that was sad.
Indeed, the young man was the true heir to the throne of the land. He was the great-great grandson of King HOPE-A-LOT. But the people of the land just kept sighing their customary sigh: “I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it.”
Nearly 2,000 years ago a king came to the Jewish people. He didn’t wear royal robes; he didn’t ride a royal horse; he didn’t carry a royal scepter. He lived quietly among his people and came to them as a soft-spoken carpenter. So they didn’t believe he was their king.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God is more than the rightful king of Israel. He asks you to make him king of your life. He died so that we DONTBELIEVITS can have a new life. And he rose from the dead to dispel the clouds of doubt and fear so we can live in the sunlight of God’s love.
The Bible says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Showing posts with label believe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label believe. Show all posts
Monday, September 14, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Living Words
Is the Bible just empty words--or do its pages point us to a path leading to eternal life?
There is no doubt the Bible is unique. It is the only book ever written where you need to know the author for it to make sense!
You can read it and understand the history. But you have to meet the author in the person of Jesus Christ for it to change your soul.
“Now hold on just a minute! How can you meet Jesus? Didn’t he live 2,000 years ago?”
You meet him in the New Testament of the Bible. He changes your life when you personally accept him for who he claimed to be: the divine Son of God and the Savior of the world.
Unfortunately not everyone who reads it believes it. In fact there have been people who memorized much of the New Testament but never met Jesus or believed in him.
On February 11, 1962, Parade Magazine published a brief article about such a person called “Still Munching Candy.”
“At the village church in Kalonovka, Russia, attendance at Sunday school picked up after the priest started handing out candy to the peasant children. One of the most faithful was a pug-nosed, pugnacious lad who recited his Scriptures with proper piety, pocketed his reward, then fled into the fields to munch on it.”
“The priest took a liking to the boy and persuaded him to attend church school. This was preferable to doing household chores from which his devout parents excused him.”
“By offering other inducements, the priest managed to teach the boy the four Gospels. In fact, he won a special prize for learning all four by heart and reciting them nonstop in church.”
“Now, 60 years later, he still likes to recite Scriptures, but in a context that would horrify the old priest. For the prize pupil, who memorized so much of the Bible, is Nikita Khrushchev, the former Communist Premier.” [Khrushchev died in 1971, nine years after the article was written.]
As this story illustrates, the “why” behind learning is just as important as the “what” that is learned. The same Nikita Khrushchev who mouthed God's Word as a child, later declared God to be nonexistent -- because his cosmonauts had not seen Him.
Khrushchev memorized the Scriptures for the candy, the rewards and the bribes, rather than for the meaning it had for his life. Artificial motivation produced artificial results.
Sadly, Nikita didn’t believe what he read in the Bible. For him it was dead words.
But Jesus said, “The words I have spoken to you are life.” So what happened to Nikita?
Jesus once compared the good news of the Gospel to seed. Even though seed resembles an inanimate object (like a pebble), it contains life.
For the life to show itself, the seed must be planted in good soil. If you put seed in a rock garden it will never take root or bear fruit.
A receptive mind seeking truth is good soil for God’s word. When a person hears the good news that Jesus died on the cross for their sin and rose from the dead to give them new life, the seed is sown. When they believe it and trust it to be true, new life takes root in their soul.
“Believe” is the key word. The reader must personally believe Christ died for him or her and trust in him. When they do, God forgives their sin and gives them the gift of eternal life.
This is why the Scripture says, “For the word of God is living and active.” Far from being dead words, the Bible is the only book in the world that can bring hope and life to the hopeless.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
There is no doubt the Bible is unique. It is the only book ever written where you need to know the author for it to make sense!
You can read it and understand the history. But you have to meet the author in the person of Jesus Christ for it to change your soul.
“Now hold on just a minute! How can you meet Jesus? Didn’t he live 2,000 years ago?”
You meet him in the New Testament of the Bible. He changes your life when you personally accept him for who he claimed to be: the divine Son of God and the Savior of the world.
Unfortunately not everyone who reads it believes it. In fact there have been people who memorized much of the New Testament but never met Jesus or believed in him.
On February 11, 1962, Parade Magazine published a brief article about such a person called “Still Munching Candy.”
“At the village church in Kalonovka, Russia, attendance at Sunday school picked up after the priest started handing out candy to the peasant children. One of the most faithful was a pug-nosed, pugnacious lad who recited his Scriptures with proper piety, pocketed his reward, then fled into the fields to munch on it.”
“The priest took a liking to the boy and persuaded him to attend church school. This was preferable to doing household chores from which his devout parents excused him.”
“By offering other inducements, the priest managed to teach the boy the four Gospels. In fact, he won a special prize for learning all four by heart and reciting them nonstop in church.”
“Now, 60 years later, he still likes to recite Scriptures, but in a context that would horrify the old priest. For the prize pupil, who memorized so much of the Bible, is Nikita Khrushchev, the former Communist Premier.” [Khrushchev died in 1971, nine years after the article was written.]
As this story illustrates, the “why” behind learning is just as important as the “what” that is learned. The same Nikita Khrushchev who mouthed God's Word as a child, later declared God to be nonexistent -- because his cosmonauts had not seen Him.
Khrushchev memorized the Scriptures for the candy, the rewards and the bribes, rather than for the meaning it had for his life. Artificial motivation produced artificial results.
Sadly, Nikita didn’t believe what he read in the Bible. For him it was dead words.
But Jesus said, “The words I have spoken to you are life.” So what happened to Nikita?
Jesus once compared the good news of the Gospel to seed. Even though seed resembles an inanimate object (like a pebble), it contains life.
For the life to show itself, the seed must be planted in good soil. If you put seed in a rock garden it will never take root or bear fruit.
A receptive mind seeking truth is good soil for God’s word. When a person hears the good news that Jesus died on the cross for their sin and rose from the dead to give them new life, the seed is sown. When they believe it and trust it to be true, new life takes root in their soul.
“Believe” is the key word. The reader must personally believe Christ died for him or her and trust in him. When they do, God forgives their sin and gives them the gift of eternal life.
This is why the Scripture says, “For the word of God is living and active.” Far from being dead words, the Bible is the only book in the world that can bring hope and life to the hopeless.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Astronaut Christians
Are you an Astronaut Christian? I hope not!
Several weeks ago, a pastor friend in Trinidad remarked to our visiting team that many people in church on Sundays are “Astronaut Christians.”
Intrigued by his remark, I asked, “What is an Astronaut Christian?”
“Astronaut Christians just take up space!” he replied with a smile.
Everyone laughed--but I knew he was right! Every church has “Astronaut Christians.”
My friend explained how some people seem to believe that, once they’ve attended church, they’re “covered” for the week. As if church were a good luck charm that lasts seven days.
Astronaut Christians come to sit in the building. To take up space. Once they’ve done that, they think they’re OK for the week—that God can’t complain because they’ve done their duty.
How sad. It’s sad because they miss out on the one thing that’s important to God.
“Well, hold on for just a minute! Shouldn’t God at least be happy they came to church?”
Maybe. But there’s so much more God offers than just an hour a week in church! And if we will listen, Jesus tells us what is important to him. What he really wants from us.
One day Jesus visited in the home of some friends. The Bible says, “A woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.”
So Martha went to Jesus and said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
It was a reasonable request in light of tradition and duty. And Martha probably expected Jesus to say, “You’re right. Mary, go help your sister.” But he didn’t.
Instead, Jesus’ answer clarifies for us what was most important to him.
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
What was important to Jesus? The fact that Mary wanted to be with him. To develop a personal relationship with him. To be his friend. That’s the “one thing” that is better.
To become a friend of God is better than knowing about him, doing things for him or following traditions. God wants a close personal relationship with each of his children.
The Bible says, “To all who received him [Jesus], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Later it adds, “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The secret of the “one thing” Jesus said is needed is in the two words, “believe in.”
To believe in Jesus is more than just knowing about him. It means to trust and to love him.
When you enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you’ll have the one thing that’s most important. And it includes God’s gift of eternal life and forgiveness for your sin. Wow.
A relationship, a friendship with God is good for so much more than one hour a week! It leads to a life of blessing and a confidence in God that’s unshakeable. And it leads to a life of joyful service that grows out of that relationship with God.
God wants you to be more than an “Astronaut Christian” who takes up space. He wants a personal, one-on-one, heart-to-heart relationship with you. And it starts with trusting in Christ.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Several weeks ago, a pastor friend in Trinidad remarked to our visiting team that many people in church on Sundays are “Astronaut Christians.”
Intrigued by his remark, I asked, “What is an Astronaut Christian?”
“Astronaut Christians just take up space!” he replied with a smile.
Everyone laughed--but I knew he was right! Every church has “Astronaut Christians.”
My friend explained how some people seem to believe that, once they’ve attended church, they’re “covered” for the week. As if church were a good luck charm that lasts seven days.
Astronaut Christians come to sit in the building. To take up space. Once they’ve done that, they think they’re OK for the week—that God can’t complain because they’ve done their duty.
How sad. It’s sad because they miss out on the one thing that’s important to God.
“Well, hold on for just a minute! Shouldn’t God at least be happy they came to church?”
Maybe. But there’s so much more God offers than just an hour a week in church! And if we will listen, Jesus tells us what is important to him. What he really wants from us.
One day Jesus visited in the home of some friends. The Bible says, “A woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.”
So Martha went to Jesus and said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
It was a reasonable request in light of tradition and duty. And Martha probably expected Jesus to say, “You’re right. Mary, go help your sister.” But he didn’t.
Instead, Jesus’ answer clarifies for us what was most important to him.
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
What was important to Jesus? The fact that Mary wanted to be with him. To develop a personal relationship with him. To be his friend. That’s the “one thing” that is better.
To become a friend of God is better than knowing about him, doing things for him or following traditions. God wants a close personal relationship with each of his children.
The Bible says, “To all who received him [Jesus], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Later it adds, “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The secret of the “one thing” Jesus said is needed is in the two words, “believe in.”
To believe in Jesus is more than just knowing about him. It means to trust and to love him.
When you enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you’ll have the one thing that’s most important. And it includes God’s gift of eternal life and forgiveness for your sin. Wow.
A relationship, a friendship with God is good for so much more than one hour a week! It leads to a life of blessing and a confidence in God that’s unshakeable. And it leads to a life of joyful service that grows out of that relationship with God.
God wants you to be more than an “Astronaut Christian” who takes up space. He wants a personal, one-on-one, heart-to-heart relationship with you. And it starts with trusting in Christ.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Beyond Belief
Do you have strong beliefs? Then brace yourself. This could come as a shock.
It doesn’t matter what you believe.
“Say what? Now hold it right there for just a minute! All these religious people who talk about faith and ‘Just Believe’ –and now you say believing doesn’t matter? What’s up with that?”
I didn’t say believing doesn’t matter. I said it doesn’t matter WHAT you believe.
What matters is what is TRUE. Belief by itself is not enough. We must believe in truth.
Do you believe there is nothing after death? Or reincarnation? How do you know that to be true? What evidence have you found that convinced you to gamble your eternity on that belief?
Or maybe you’re an atheist. You believe there is no God. Tell me, what evidence have you found to prove that? And if there’s no evidence to prove your belief, then it’s blind faith.
Many people base their eternal future on something that isn’t fact and they haven’t fully investigated. They heard about it or read about and it sounded good to them. They hope it’s true.
Some people when asked why they believe what they do say, “I believe in my heart it’s true.”
That’s nice. But have you ever believed something with all of your heart and later found out it wasn’t true? Most of us have. Maybe it was the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny.
Many people like to think that we’re free to believe whatever we want about eternity. Sort of a “pick your own ending” approach. But we can’t all be right.
Well what if you’re wrong about eternity? Wouldn’t you want to know?
Someone might ask, “What if you Christians are wrong?” Good question.
Consider this: Christians believe in the only faith that has evidence to back it up. It’s true. If you doubt that, check out Josh McDowell’s book, “New Evidence that Demands a Verdict.”
Here’s something else: believing in Jesus Christ has changed my life. God made me a new person. I have peace. I have a purpose for my life that is greater than me.
But, in spite of all that, if I am wrong—I will die and go to my grave and that’s all there is.
But if someone chooses not to trust in Jesus Christ and then dies and is wrong, they are literally choosing hell for all of eternity. Is that a good choice?
If you sincerely seek truth I encourage you to read the Bible. Why? Here are some facts.
The Bible is the best selling book in the world. With that kind of record there’s a good chance it contains at least some truth. Why not read it and find out? Start with the Gospel of John
Another thing to consider is that the Bible claims to be written by God. What if it’s right?
Historical evidence also supports the Bible. No one has found an historical mistake anywhere in the Bible. That wouldn’t be true if only men wrote it.
What about archaeology? When I traveled to Israel, evidence was constantly being unearthed that proved the Bible to be true. To date not a single piece of archaeological evidence has been found to disprove the Bible!
Finally, the Bible is the only book in the world that contains hundreds of detailed prophecies about the future. The same cannot be said for any other “holy” book. And except for the few remaining prophecies about Jesus’ return to earth, every other prophecy has come true.
Who is the only one who can predict the future with 100% accuracy? God.
So when the Bible says about Jesus, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” –it’s worth a second look!
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
It doesn’t matter what you believe.
“Say what? Now hold it right there for just a minute! All these religious people who talk about faith and ‘Just Believe’ –and now you say believing doesn’t matter? What’s up with that?”
I didn’t say believing doesn’t matter. I said it doesn’t matter WHAT you believe.
What matters is what is TRUE. Belief by itself is not enough. We must believe in truth.
Do you believe there is nothing after death? Or reincarnation? How do you know that to be true? What evidence have you found that convinced you to gamble your eternity on that belief?
Or maybe you’re an atheist. You believe there is no God. Tell me, what evidence have you found to prove that? And if there’s no evidence to prove your belief, then it’s blind faith.
Many people base their eternal future on something that isn’t fact and they haven’t fully investigated. They heard about it or read about and it sounded good to them. They hope it’s true.
Some people when asked why they believe what they do say, “I believe in my heart it’s true.”
That’s nice. But have you ever believed something with all of your heart and later found out it wasn’t true? Most of us have. Maybe it was the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny.
Many people like to think that we’re free to believe whatever we want about eternity. Sort of a “pick your own ending” approach. But we can’t all be right.
Well what if you’re wrong about eternity? Wouldn’t you want to know?
Someone might ask, “What if you Christians are wrong?” Good question.
Consider this: Christians believe in the only faith that has evidence to back it up. It’s true. If you doubt that, check out Josh McDowell’s book, “New Evidence that Demands a Verdict.”
Here’s something else: believing in Jesus Christ has changed my life. God made me a new person. I have peace. I have a purpose for my life that is greater than me.
But, in spite of all that, if I am wrong—I will die and go to my grave and that’s all there is.
But if someone chooses not to trust in Jesus Christ and then dies and is wrong, they are literally choosing hell for all of eternity. Is that a good choice?
If you sincerely seek truth I encourage you to read the Bible. Why? Here are some facts.
The Bible is the best selling book in the world. With that kind of record there’s a good chance it contains at least some truth. Why not read it and find out? Start with the Gospel of John
Another thing to consider is that the Bible claims to be written by God. What if it’s right?
Historical evidence also supports the Bible. No one has found an historical mistake anywhere in the Bible. That wouldn’t be true if only men wrote it.
What about archaeology? When I traveled to Israel, evidence was constantly being unearthed that proved the Bible to be true. To date not a single piece of archaeological evidence has been found to disprove the Bible!
Finally, the Bible is the only book in the world that contains hundreds of detailed prophecies about the future. The same cannot be said for any other “holy” book. And except for the few remaining prophecies about Jesus’ return to earth, every other prophecy has come true.
Who is the only one who can predict the future with 100% accuracy? God.
So when the Bible says about Jesus, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” –it’s worth a second look!
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Truthiness or Truth?
Do you believe in truth or truthiness?
“Truthiness” is a word that television comedian Stephen Colbert popularized in 2005. He came up with the word “truthiness” minutes before taping the first episode of “The Colbert Report.” He decided the word “truth” in his script wasn’t ridiculous enough.
“We're not talking about truth, we're talking about something that seems like truth—the truth we want to exist,” he explained. “Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything.”
Colbert added, “Truthiness is ‘What I say is right.’ It's not only that I FEEL it to be true, but that ‘I’ feel it to be true. There's not only an emotional quality, but there’s a selfish quality.”
Many people call themselves “Christians” and believe truthiness instead of truth. In fact it’s common for them to describe their faith as “choosing what I want to believe.” --As if the Bible was a cafeteria line, picking what you like and leaving what you don’t!
Well hold on just a minute. Isn’t that how most Americans view their faith?
Probably. But while some religions may include that approach, the Bible does not.
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Notice that Jesus said he is “THE way” and not “A way.”
Another time he added, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
Think about that. For the truth to set you free you must believe it’s true and act on it. It’s not an option for you to adjust the truth to your preferences or make it fit your view of reality.
We can’t adjust truth in a math class. What makes us think we can do it with faith?
Many people say they believe the Bible and believe in God. They’ve heard the gospel story and agree that Jesus lived, died on a cross for the sins of mankind and rose again on the third day. But hearing it and agreeing with it is not the same as believing in it.
If you truly believe something it changes your behavior. In this case you decide to put your trust in Jesus Christ to forgive you and save you from sin’s penalty—eternal separation from God. And then you choose to obey him.
The Bible says that Christians are people who “no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” If you’re a Christian you live for Jesus.
Some don’t see the need to obey Jesus. They don’t believe his teaching is the only truth.
Instead they believe the truthiness about Jesus. They think what THEY want to believe is true.
They might say, “I’m a Christian. I believe in God. I pray and attend church. I do the best I can.” And if asked what they’ll find on the other side they might say, “Heaven--I hope.”
Contrary to popular opinion, God doesn’t grade us on our efforts. The Bible says salvation is a gift of God received through faith and not by works.
According to the Bible, when you decide to follow Jesus Christ and “believe” in him, you receive eternal life. It says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
God sent Jesus so we could KNOW our sins and mistakes are forgiven and so we could KNOW we have eternal life. And when you know that, you can finally forgive yourself.
Jesus Christ lived, died and rose from the dead to give sinners a full and blessed life now and eternal life in Heaven later. That’s the truth. And that truth is worth celebrating this Easter!
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
“Truthiness” is a word that television comedian Stephen Colbert popularized in 2005. He came up with the word “truthiness” minutes before taping the first episode of “The Colbert Report.” He decided the word “truth” in his script wasn’t ridiculous enough.
“We're not talking about truth, we're talking about something that seems like truth—the truth we want to exist,” he explained. “Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything.”
Colbert added, “Truthiness is ‘What I say is right.’ It's not only that I FEEL it to be true, but that ‘I’ feel it to be true. There's not only an emotional quality, but there’s a selfish quality.”
Many people call themselves “Christians” and believe truthiness instead of truth. In fact it’s common for them to describe their faith as “choosing what I want to believe.” --As if the Bible was a cafeteria line, picking what you like and leaving what you don’t!
Well hold on just a minute. Isn’t that how most Americans view their faith?
Probably. But while some religions may include that approach, the Bible does not.
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Notice that Jesus said he is “THE way” and not “A way.”
Another time he added, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
Think about that. For the truth to set you free you must believe it’s true and act on it. It’s not an option for you to adjust the truth to your preferences or make it fit your view of reality.
We can’t adjust truth in a math class. What makes us think we can do it with faith?
Many people say they believe the Bible and believe in God. They’ve heard the gospel story and agree that Jesus lived, died on a cross for the sins of mankind and rose again on the third day. But hearing it and agreeing with it is not the same as believing in it.
If you truly believe something it changes your behavior. In this case you decide to put your trust in Jesus Christ to forgive you and save you from sin’s penalty—eternal separation from God. And then you choose to obey him.
The Bible says that Christians are people who “no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” If you’re a Christian you live for Jesus.
Some don’t see the need to obey Jesus. They don’t believe his teaching is the only truth.
Instead they believe the truthiness about Jesus. They think what THEY want to believe is true.
They might say, “I’m a Christian. I believe in God. I pray and attend church. I do the best I can.” And if asked what they’ll find on the other side they might say, “Heaven--I hope.”
Contrary to popular opinion, God doesn’t grade us on our efforts. The Bible says salvation is a gift of God received through faith and not by works.
According to the Bible, when you decide to follow Jesus Christ and “believe” in him, you receive eternal life. It says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
God sent Jesus so we could KNOW our sins and mistakes are forgiven and so we could KNOW we have eternal life. And when you know that, you can finally forgive yourself.
Jesus Christ lived, died and rose from the dead to give sinners a full and blessed life now and eternal life in Heaven later. That’s the truth. And that truth is worth celebrating this Easter!
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
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