HOW TO BE SAVED

HOW TO BE SAVED

Much modern evangelism is built on the heretical idea that anyone can and will respond to the gospel if it is presented in a clever enough way. That is not true. The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing and it always will be foolishness unless they are the ones being saved by God to whom it is the power of God. There's a massive theological error in the foundation of contemporary evangelism that misunderstands the whole issue. Christians cannot save anybody. The greatest orator in the world cannot save anybody … only God saves. All a Christian can do is to use the Bible to present the truth and the sinner will remember bits and pieces of those Bible verses. Every time the sinner hears a Bible verse, the truth will be locked away in his heart. If it is the will of God, someday, the Holy Spirit will use those bits and pieces to convict him of sin and lead him to salvation.

The Apostle Paul knew that it wasn’t his cleverness, good looks, style, or ability that converted people. It was just the simple gospel that touched the heart of the elect that brought about conversion.

1 Corinthians 2:1
1. And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.
2. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
3. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
4. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5. that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Christians are not called to persuade people by clever innovative speech. We are to simply present the gospel and then stand aside and let a sovereign God open blind eyes as He sees fit. Believers, who are the elect of Christ, must always remember that the gospel is veiled to those who are perishing.

2 Corinthians 4:3
3. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4. whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
5. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord,

Paul is saying, if no one accepts Christ, it's not due to a defect in the preacher or the message, it's the problem of the hearer. In the parable of the sower, Jesus explained the various responses that people can have to the gospel. The success of the gospel has nothing to do with who the sower is, the technique of the sower, or the quality of the seed. The success of the gospel has everything to do with the condition and receptivity of the soil and only God is in charge of the soil.

Matthew 13:3
3. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow.
4. "And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.
5. "Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
6. "But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
7. "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
8. "But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!''
10. And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?''
11. He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12. "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13. "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14. "And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: `Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive;
15. for the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their heart and turn, so that I should heal them.'
16. "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;
17. "for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
18. "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:
19. "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
20. "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
21. "yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
22. "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
23. "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.''
24. Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
25. "but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
26. "But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
27. "So the servants of the owner came and said to him, `Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'
28. "He said to them, `An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, `Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'
29. "But he said, `No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
30. `Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.'' ' ''
34. All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them,
35. that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.''
36. Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.''
37. He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38. "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
39. "The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
40. "Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
41. "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
42. "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus didn’t come into this world to be a great moral leader, to protest for civil rights, to march in immigration rallies, or to free the slaves. Jesus came to rescue doomed sinners from an eternity in the fires of Hell. The Apostles were not to waste their time on social issues. If Christ transformed a slave, he was not to revolt but to be the best slave he could be and remain as a slave until his master set him free.

1Corinthians 7:20
20. Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.
21. Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it.
22. For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave.

Both masters and slaves were being saved. Slaves were to be faithful to their masters and masters were to treat their slaves fairly.

1 Peter 2:18
18. Servants (Greek - oiketes - household slaves: higher in rank), be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.

Colossians 4:1
1. Masters, give your bondservants (Greek - doulos - regular slaves: lower in rank) what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

The Apostle Paul wrote to a Christian, Philemon, about one of his slaves, Onesimus, who had stolen money, run away, and turned up in Rome where Paul, who was a prisoner, led him to Christ. Unlike the Catholic Church, which illegally hides slaves and illegal immigrants, Paul told Onesimus to return to his master, Philemon.

Philemon 1:10
10. I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains,
11. who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.
12. I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart,
13. whom I wished to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel.
14. But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary.
15. For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever,
16. no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17. If then you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me.
18. But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account.

Christianity has no interest in your social standing or outward circumstances here on earth. Whether a Christian is rich, poor, slave, or free … it doesn’t matter … none of that has any spiritual value in the Kingdom of God. Jesus said that His Kingdom was not of this world.

John 18:36
36. Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”

Christianity is not the venue to solve all of society’s social injustices. Christianity is not about starting a social or political revolution but a spiritual regeneration. Spiritually transformed people will change a society like a little leaven changes bread.

Romans 14:17
17. for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

In the New Testament, various words such as bondservant, servant, and slave are used to describe the Christian’s relationship to Jesus Christ. In almost all of these instances, the correct translation should have been slave since most were translated from the same Greek word “doulos” which means an ordinary, regular slave. Paul was a slave of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and he was proud of it.

Romans 1:1
1. Paul, a bondservant (Greek - doulos - regular slave: lower in rank) of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God

The Greeks relationship to their gods was as a friend. The idea of slavery was utterly distasteful to them. The Christian Church was given a task that looks like this: take the gospel message to people who are spiritually dead and blind. Preach the good news to people who cannot understand in whom the god of this world has blinded their minds lest the light of the glorious gospel should shine unto them, who are dead in trespasses and sins. And to help you with that impossible task, take a message which is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks. Compounding that, the dominate metaphor for what you’re asking them to become is a slave and you have an almost impossible task … humanly. And that’s exactly what the gospel calls for. We are not asking people to let Jesus come into their lives so He can make them all they want to be. We’re asking them to become slaves. We are speaking to the dead and the blind about the foolishness of the cross and asking them to become slaves. What’s the difference between a servant and a slave? A servant worked for a wage and could go home. A slave was bought for a price, was owned, and could not quit. If he ran away, he would be arrested and executed. This was a hard sell in the ancient world. The only ones who ever responded to such an improbable message were God’s elect. Even today, slavery has not been eliminated. All believers are a slave to Christ and all sinners are a slave to sin. All slaves of Christ will be made sons of the living God.

John 8:34
34. Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
35. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
36. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Pastors such as the Reverend Martin Luther King, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and the Reverend Al Sharpton have been an embarrassment to God. God’s teachers should not be running all over the country protesting, being arrested, and thrown in jail. They should be at home tending to their church and preaching the gospel.

"There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs---partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs."
-- Booker T. Washington (1856 - 1915), American educator and author.

The only proper reason for a pastor to ever be arrested is if he were to continue to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ after he had been prohibited. Pastors should be home spending thirty to forty hours a week studying the Bible and distilling what they have learned into a one-hour sermon. The good news of Jesus Christ is a pastor’s only message. Unlike some of today's preachers, the Apostle Paul didn't waste his time preaching about worthless things.

1 Corinthians 2:2
2. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

If you cannot distinguish between a Sunday sermon and an article in your local newspaper, you’re in the wrong church. Some liberal preachers try to increase their church membership by preaching the prosperity gospel, “seeker friendly” gospel, “cotton candy” gospel, or “Sermonettes for Christianettes.” If you just think positive thoughts, you can get on the health, wealth, and happiness bandwagon. The ever-smiling Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, and Robert Schuller never preach about negatives such as sin or Hell. If they use Jesus at all, they just use Him as a jumping off point in their sermons. Instead of using the Bible, they might as well use a nursery rhyme such as “Mary Had a Little Lamb” to teach how being kind, caring, and compassionate can get you into Heaven.

Don’t think that becoming a Christian will be like winning a popularity contest.

John 15:18
18. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
22. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23. He who hates Me hates My Father also.
24. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.
25. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

Will becoming a Christian make you more healthy, wealthy, and happy? On the contrary, it might be the most divisive decision you will ever make. You might even be alienated from your own family. One evening, shortly after my salvation, most of my immediate family plus a few relatives sat around the kitchen table and told me I had made a big mistake. They tried to get me to turn from being a Bible-believing Christian.

Luke 12:51
51. Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.
52. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three.
53. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Matthew 10:34
34. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35. "For I have come to `set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.'
36. "And `a man's foes will be those of his own household.'
37. "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

My father attended the Roman Catholic Church all of his life and lived his life according to Christian principles but he thought he had to pray to Mary and earn his way to Heaven. For many months, my father and I talked about the false teachings of the Catholic Church and sometime later, while my father was in the hospital awaiting surgery, he and I prayed together. Some months later, when my father died, I had the satisfaction of knowing that he was trusting in Christ and Christ alone for his salvation and not in Mary or the Roman Catholic Church. Some years later, my younger sister also left the Roman Catholic Church and said that she became a Bible-believing Christian.

The greatest disappointment of my life is that my ninety-one year-old mother says that, just like Jesus, she has lived a sinless life and therefore doesn’t need a savior.

Luke 15:7
7. "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

Even Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, was a sinner and only a sinner needs a savior.

Luke 1:46
46. And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord,
47. and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

My mother told me that when she was a child, her mother spanked her for standing on some railroad tracks when she had been expressly forbidden because a very fast train would occasionally pass through without warning. In my mother’s ninety-one years on earth, that may be the only time that she ever received a spanking but, in order to fully understand sin, we need to understand God’s definition of sin.

Sin (Greek - hamartia) is an archer’s term that means to miss the bulls-eye. There are action sins and attitude sins. You could diligently take aim at God’s bulls-eye and slightly miss just because you had the wrong attitude while doing the right thing. God’s standard is so high and His bulls-eye is so small that all have missed the bulls-eye at some point and all have sinned.

James 2:10
10. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

1 John 1:8
8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

From our first parents, Adam and Eve, we inherited two arms, two legs, and a sin nature. Ultimately, it isn’t a matter of whether or not we sinned, we were born in sin.

Psalm 51:5
5. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

It is not that my mother is at war with God; it is that God is at war with my mother.

Matthew 12:30
30. "He who is not with Me is against Me,

God is so angry with sinners that He will one day have all unredeemed sinners, including my dear mother, thrown into the furnace of fire that is reserved for Satan and his angels.

Matthew 13:41
41. "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
42. "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

My mother attended the Methodist Church for a number of years so it is no mystery that she knows very little about the Bible. I gave her a Bible as a Christmas gift but she refused to accept it. I have tried to share the good news of Jesus Christ with her for years but, because of her hard-heartedness, my good, dear, and honorable mother has turned her back on Christ’s forgiveness. She has sentenced herself to spending an eternity in the fires of Hell. The prayer of my heart is that, even at this late hour, the Lord is not done dealing with her. I need some Christian friends and family members to step up and help me use every opportunity to make her understand that all have sinned.

Romans 3:23
23. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

If I were walking down the street and noticed that your house was on fire, should I continue to walk by without sounding the alarm? You would be angry with me if your house burned down and your wife and children were killed. Well, I have some bad news for you: If you’re a Christ rejecter, like my mother, your house is on fire! Don’t get angry with me for telling you the truth.

I attended the Roman Catholic Church when I was growing up but quit attending when I was in my early twenties. In 1974, when I was twenty-nine years old, my best friend, Mike Smith, and I helped the national football recruiter for the University of Nebraska, Rick Duval, on his recruiting trips to Southern California. Since I was familiar with the streets and could take a couple of days off work, I drove Rick to the various high schools and junior colleges to meet the coaches and players, watch game film, and meet the families.

We had plenty of time to talk as I drove around all day. Rick brought his Bible with him and occasionally he would ask me if I had ever heard of a certain saying and then he would read to me the Bible story from which it came. That was very informative. On this first trip, Rick was to be in Los Angeles for several days and in order to keep him from asking a lot of questions, I told him about my religious background. I said that I would be willing to go to church again if I could find a church that just taught what the Bible said and not some preacher’s opinion of current events.

I was hoping that he would say that there weren’t any such churches so I could get off the hook but to my astonishment, he said that the church he attended was just like that. His church in Lincoln, Nebraska was a nondenominational, evangelical church and there were thousands like it all over the country. Even though they were independent churches and not part of a large denomination, they all taught the same thing because they just taught what the Bible said. It’s just like using one tuning fork to tune a thousand pianos; it’s the same message wherever you go. One day, Rick had me stop at a shopping mall where we were able to find a Bible store and he cared enough to buy a Bible for me. That was the first Bible I ever read because, in the Catholic Church, you just needed a book to tell you when to stand up, kneel, and sit down.

I’m not one to let anybody lead me into anything. I’m pretty hard-headed. I like to do things on my own without any help. That Bible just sat on a shelf gathering dust for several years but the Lord kept making me meet Christian people and hearing Christians speak.

In 1979, I remember being at a Saturday night, fast-pitch softball double-header where a Christian team, Athletes in Action, was going to play. They were a new team in the Pacific Coast League and I was going to have to pitch against them in a few weeks so a few friends and I went to see what we were going to be up against. In the intermission period between the two games, they passed a microphone through the fence and their big, first-baseman, John, gave his testimony about how he received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Normally my friends and I would have been laughing and cracking jokes about someone out in the middle of a field, all by himself, talking about the Lord. My friends were laughing but I was not. It just wasn’t funny anymore. I took a step back for a second to soak in what I was seeing. I was offended at and felt embarrassed for my friends and the rest of the people in the grandstands who were laughing. The ballplayer was speaking truth to me and I listened to his every word. I will always remember that moment. I felt as though I needed to defend the Lord. I wondered to myself … what just happened to me?

In the future, whenever I would hear someone quote a bible verse, it was as if someone were grabbing me by the arm. I met a Christian family who gave me a small book entitled “More Than A Carpenter” and that really forced me do some deep thinking. I started reading my Bible to check on the Bible verses in that book. I studied and studied and finally came to the point where I said to myself that I have all the information I need to make a decision. I felt like, if I didn’t make a decision and just decided to wait on it, I may never have the chance or the Lord may never give me the chance to do this much studying again. I was thirty-three years old and I was at the point where I needed to say yes or no.

I was somewhat apprehensive. I didn’t know what was going to happen if I asked the Lord to take charge of my life. On the other hand, He certainly couldn’t do a worse job than the job I had been doing. Yes! Yes, I was a sinner who needed a Savior and I needed to get on my knees before the Lord and ask for His forgiveness. That evening, March 21, 1979, while I was alone in my apartment in Southern California, I embraced Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I placed my trust in an actual person and not in a religious system. While I was praying, I felt as though I had stepped through a doorway and into a new life. When I became a Christian, it was as if someone had gone into the store window of life and changed all the prices. Some things that used to be extremely valuable had been marked way down in price and some things that had been of little value were now priceless. I felt relaxed and at peace.

Philippians 4:7
7. and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

After not hearing from me for several years, Rick Duval was surprised when I called the next day. Since he was the one who got me started, I wanted him to be the first to know and he shared in my joy. I guess you could say that I was one of Rick Duval’s most important recruits.

In order to find my first church, Rick told me to open the Yellow Pages and read to him the names of some evangelical churches in my area. I circled a few names and tried the first one a few weeks later on Easter Sunday. That first church was a great church and I really enjoyed it. During the following week, I talked to a Christian friend, Bob Shepherd, who also pitched for Athletes in Action, and he told me about his church. The next Sunday, I met Bob at Grace Community Church in the San Fernando Valley with John MacArthur as the main pastor and I found a home. Thousands of other Christians and I believe that John MacArthur is the finest Bible teacher in the world today. His sermons, books, and CDs are translated into forty different languages and are heard all over the world.

Grace Community Church is one of the largest churches in Southern California with a membership of around 10,000 people but it feels like a small church because everyone is so friendly and helpful. When you are looking for a church, ask for a copy of their Doctrinal Statement so that you can see exactly what they teach and if that squares with what the Bible says. Go to http://www.gracechurch.org/about/ to read about Grace Community Church and the principles on which it was founded. Go to http://www.gty.org/ for free written, audio, and visual resources. I will be forever grateful for all of the materials and resources made available to help me study the Bible and learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ.

I was baptized at Grace Church shortly after I became a Christian. There is nothing magical about being baptized. Baptism is just an outward sign demonstrating to the world that an inward change of heart has already taken place. If someone says that they’re a Christian but they haven’t been baptized, I would doubt their salvation and they should doubt their own salvation too. Baptism is the first step in showing that you intend to follow Christ and if you won’t take that first step, something’s wrong! If someone is not willing to stand up as an adult, publically identify himself with Christ’s Church, and confess his faith in Jesus Christ, I suspect his so-called faith is just intellectual assent and not saving faith.

Of all the denominations, most Baptist churches faithfully teach all the truths of the Bible. Avoid any churches that constantly ask for money. Stay away from Assembly of God, Four-Square, Pentecostal, or Charismatic churches that teach about speaking in tongues, faith healing, and snake handling. Charismatics have bypassed their intellect and have given themselves over to their emotions. Because they let their emotions take control, Charismatics are notoriously poor Bible students, have a limited understanding of basic doctrinal truths, and are easily swindled by hucksters. Charismatic organizations such as the “700 Club” and its founder Pat Robertson, the “Trinity Broadcasting Network” (TBN) and its founders Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and Paul and Jan Crouch, preachers such as Benny Hinn, Jimmy Swaggart, Oral Roberts, Peter Popoff, Kenneth Copeland, TD Jakes, and others who make predictions, speak prophecies and heal people from low back pain are charlatans. Some years back, Peter Popoff was caught with a microphone in his ear and his wife was backstage feeding him the answers. In “the good old days” if a prophet made a prediction and it did not come true, the prophet was stoned until he died. Pat Robertson has said, "I have a relatively good track record. Sometimes I miss."

Deuteronomy 18:20
20. `But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.'

Fifty days after Jesus Christ rose from the dead, on Sunday, the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to live within all believers just as Jesus had promised. The Apostles spoke to a very large crowd and even though they were Galileans and could only speak in their own language, the thousands of people who were there heard the Apostles speak in their own native language so that no interpreter was needed. This would be like me speaking in English, but a French person hearing me in French and a Spanish person hearing me in Spanish and a German person hearing me in German, all at the same time! This was the true gift of languages.

Acts 2:5
5. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.
6. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.
7. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?
8. "And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?
9. "Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10. "Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
11. "Cretans and Arabs we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.''
12. So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?''

Before the birth of Christ, there were people in pagan religions who had given themselves over to speaking in an ecstatic, gibberish speech and engaging in wild sex orgies. Beginning around the early 1900s, in the Assembly of God churches, Satan reintroduced a perversion of the true gift of languages that they called the gift of tongues. This so-called special prayer language is not really a language at all but just a bunch of unintelligible sounds that the “holy rollers” made when they uncontrollably, flopped around on the floor in the Assembly of God and Pentecostal churches. The Charismatic movement has now invaded some of the major denominations including some Roman Catholic churches, Episcopal churches, Methodist churches, liberal Baptist churches, and others. The last Pope, John Paul II, even claimed to have spoken in tongues. The supposed all-knowing, main- stream news media always rushes to Rome to ask the Pope his opinion on matters pertaining to Christianity. The Pope is not a Christian. The Pope is the leader of the world’s largest cult and does not speak for Christians. Catholic priests, with all their robes and rituals, are the modern day version of the Jewish Pharisees.

I always have to laugh whenever I hear someone speak about Jesus Christ as if He were some namby-pamby type who was always going around hugging people. If you’re not a believer, you’re going to face a Jesus filled with wrath when He sits on His Great White Throne judging sinners and sending them to Hell.

Matthew 23:27
27. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
28. "Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
30. "and say, `If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'
31. "Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32. "Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.
33. "Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
34. "Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,
35. "that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth,

The word church (Greek - ekklesia - “ek” means “out” and “klesia” means “called”) is often misunderstood. Believers are the “called out ones” who are called to separate themselves and not participate in the deeds of a sinning world. The church is a body of believers and not a building or cathedral. You could sit in a garage your whole life and never turn into a car and likewise, you could sit in a cathedral your whole life and never turn into a Christian.

Anytime someone kisses the Pope’s ring, bows, or kneels, it is worship (Greek - proskuneo - to stoop to kiss). The Pope falsely accepts worship because only God can accept worship. The bronze statue of Peter in Saint Basilica’s Square in Rome has had half of his foot worn away by misguided Catholics who have kissed his foot for centuries. When he was alive, the Apostle Peter said that he was just a man and wouldn’t accept worship.

Acts 10:25
25. As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
26. But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself am also a man.''

When the Apostle John tried to worship an angel, the angel prevented it.

Revelation 22:8
8. Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
9. Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.''

“Worship God.” For further proof that Jesus is God, God the Father told the angels to worship God the Son.

Hebrews 1:6
6. But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all the angels of God worship Him.''

Most people think they will have plenty of time to make their decision for Christ. You’re a fool if you think that you’re going to live to be 120 years old. You may die in a car accident one hour from now.

Luke 12:19
19. `And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.'' '
20. "But God said to him, `You fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'

The problem isn’t that life is so short but that eternity is so long. Your years spent here on earth are but a blink of an eye compared to the forever you will spend in eternity.

James 4:13
13. Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit'';
14. whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

Jesus will be either your Savior or your Judge … it’s your decision.

Deuteronomy 30:19
19. "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life,

Isaiah 45:21
21. Tell and bring forth your case; yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me.

Regardless of the sin, all sinners can be justified (saved, made right with God). Sinners are justified freely by His grace (unmerited favor) apart from the works of the law.

Romans 3:28
28. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

Titus 3:5
5. not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us,

Do you think that God could never forgive you for the things that you have done? Even though you had a mountain of debt so high that it could never be repaid, Jesus paid your debt for you and all other sinners with His death on the cross. If you are willing to turn from your sin and ask for His forgiveness, He will give you the gift of eternal life.

Isaiah 1:18
18. "Come now, and let us reason together,'' says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

God saved the worst blasphemer on the face of the earth who fought against Jesus Christ Himself and who persecuted and killed His beloved saints. If He can forgive him, He can forgive you. The Apostle Paul was that person and the reason Paul gave his testimony, as being the chief sinner, was that he might be set forth as an example to the whole world that if God could save the chief sinner, He can save all the lesser ones, too.

1 Timothy 1:15
15. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Only the sick need a physician and only a sinner needs a savior.

Mark 2:17
17. When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous (like you Pharisees), but sinners, to repentance.''

You, no doubt, have heard the parable of the prodigal son who asked for and received his inheritance even before his father died. The middle-eastern culture is a culture built around honor and shame and to do what the son did was such a shameful act that they held a funeral for him because to them he was dead. When he wasted all his inheritance and was about to have to eat pig slop, he finally came to his senses and said, “I will arise and go to my father.” This is true repentance because not only did he turn from his sin but he also turned toward his father. And as he was going to his father, his father had already seen him from a great way off and was already running toward him (middle eastern noble men in long robes do not run anywhere because they would have to lift their robe to keep from falling and to expose their legs would bring shame on them). His father hugged him, kissed him, and restored him to his position as a son. His father forgave him while he was still in his pig-smelling, filthy clothes before he could do anything to earn his redemption. This always brings tears to my eyes to see the graciousness of God. I am truly humbled to realize that when I turned to the Lord, He, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, ran to greet me. All of Heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents.

Luke 15:11
11. Then He said: "A certain man had two sons.
12. "And the younger of them said to his father, `Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood.
13. "And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted (Greek - diaskorpizo - to disperse, to scatter abroad) his possessions with prodigal (Greek - asotos - dissolutely, profligately, immoral, extremely wasteful, recklessly extravagant) living.
14. "But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.
15. "Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16. "And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17. "But when he came to himself, he said, `How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18. `I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,
19. and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.'' '
20. "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
21. "And the son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
22. "But the father said to his servants, `Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
23. `And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;
24. `for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.

Even though the prodigal son still smelled like a pig, his Jewish father ran to him, hugged him, and kissed him on the neck. As the old song says … come to Jesus just as you are and He will do the rest.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to thee for dress;
Helpless, look to thee for grace;
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee;

We have a choice. For all eternity, we can be clothed with Christ’s righteousness or our own righteousness. All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. Incidentally, the “filthy rags” mentioned in the Bible are used menstrual cloths. This gives you a very graphic idea of how God views your own righteousness.

Isaiah 64:6
6. But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;

If your righteousness has to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, who can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven?

Matthew 5:20
20. "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Pharisees were the ultra-religious people of their day. Paul was one of the elite 6,000 Pharisees who believed they could attain salvation by perfect adherence to the law of God.

James 2:10
10. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. Paul claimed to have lived a perfect, sinless life. If anyone could have earned Heaven without Christ, it was Paul. He had always put all his confidence in his own human ability, his religion, his sincerity, his race, his tribe, his rank, and his self righteousness. Paul said he was perfect and blameless.

Philippians 3:4
4. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
5. circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6. concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

After he met Christ, Paul said that all of his self-righteousness and religious achievements were similar to animal excrement.

Philippians 3:8
8. But indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish (Greek - skubalon - refuse, animal excrement), that I may gain Christ
9. and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

Christ’s bodily resurrection assures us that He lives to keep the believer saved, to intercede for him, and to present him faultless before God’s throne.

Hebrews 7:25
25. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.

We must believe that Christ in His death and resurrection has done all we need to become saved. All God requires is that we believe and trust Him.

Romans 4:5
5. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

Only when an unsaved person places his trust in the finished work of Christ will he receive that life in Christ.

1 John 5:12
12. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The unsaved person is not asked to confess his sins to get saved (he couldn't remember all of them anyway). Rather he is asked to recognize his sinful condition and accept Christ's payment for him. The unsaved person is forgiven and cleansed of his guilt because of his acceptance of Christ's death for him. Salvation is accepting the work of Christ on the cross, on our behalf, as a free gift.

Romans 3:24
24. being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

The good news of Jesus Christ is a simple message. The whole Bible can be summed up in one verse.

2 Corinthians 5:21
21. For He (God the Father) made Him (God the Son) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Jesus doesn’t just change sinners on the outside, He recreates them.

2 Corinthians 5:17
17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

The first step in becoming a new creation is to admit that you are a sinner.

Romans 3:10
10. As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;
11. there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.
12. They have all gone out of the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.''

Romans 3:23
23. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23
23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 1:8
8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Isaiah 53:6
6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

In an ultimate sense, man condemns himself to Hell … not for what he did do but for what he did not do! This is the greatest sin of all. Rejection of Jesus Christ’s sinless life, propitiatory death, and bodily resurrection is greater than the sin of murder or acts of perversion. Rejection of Jesus Christ is the greatest sin of all.

John 3:18
18. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

If God did not spare His own Son, what makes you think that He will spare you?

Romans 8:32
32. He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,

You cannot fool God. The Lord knows what is in man’s heart.

Hebrews 4:12
12. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Repentance (Greek - metanoia - a complete change of perspective, a change of heart) is not only a turning from sin but also a turning toward the Lord. True repentance is a change of mind followed by a change of heart followed by a change of life. The Lord died for filthy rotten sinners like me even before I repented.

Romans 5:8
8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

If you are born once, you will die twice. However, if you are born twice, you will only die once.

John 3:3
3. Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again (born in the spirit from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God.''

All you have to do is accept God’s gift … the gift of His Son.

John 3:16
16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Even the faith that leads to salvation is a gift and cannot be earned. Grace is the unmerited favor and merciful kindness of God.

Ephesians 2:8
8. For by grace (unmerited favor) you have been saved through faith, and that (faith) not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9. not of works, lest anyone should boast.

The word confess (Greek - homologeo - say the same words, agree) means that you have to agree with God the Father and say that Jesus Christ is Lord. Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 10:9
9. that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.
11. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.''
12. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13. For "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''

There is no better time than right now to trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and be made right with God. You don’t need to have anyone with you. Just get down on your knees, admit you are a sinner, and ask for His forgiveness. In the quiet of your heart, just have an honest talk with the Lord. He is waiting for you now.

2 Corinthians 6:2
2. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Revelations 3:20
20. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.








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