The only thing we can do is to form a relationship.
Nothing else will do.
John 18:7-9 (NKJV)
7 Then He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?”
And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
8 Jesus answered, “I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,” 9 that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, “Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none.”
Selah
* Selah. Found in many Psalms. It means to pause and think about it.
I’ve thought about this quite a lot. Our national heritage and human nature abhors giving up control of the individual to another. When we Christians tell people that they must give up their lives to God, I can understand the thought process: “The hell I will! Nobody tells me what to do.”
I know that has changed in our country over the last 100 years or so, but people still long for personal freedom. But the thing with God is not that he want control over you to make you suffer. He takes your life that you give him and repackages it and give it back to you as his child.
Think of that – you now are a son/daughter of the creator; the maker of all things. He knows how you were meant to work better than you.
Sometimes I forget that and take back control. Then when things start going backwards and I feel desperate, I slap my forehead and say, “Doh! Sorry, God. I did it again.”
He’s better at being God than I am.
I’m a newbie with a lot to learn, but Claudia, you’re right.
Some things just have to be said.
Galatians ch. 1, v. 8-9
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach ANY other gospel [“good news”] unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach ANY other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
I post that because “give your heart to Jesus” and “ask Jesus into your heart” are VERY popular invitations but they are false gospels — they are not what the Word of God says we must do to be saved, and that makes them a VERY serious matter according to the apostle Paul.
A sincere but inept gospel presentation usually misrepresents what Christ did and what God expects us to do with it. As a result, it will lead someone to believe they’re right with God when they’re still unreconciled to Him.
Worse, believing a false gospel can immunize that person against ever believing the true, saving Gospel. Why? Because the false one infects them with religion. None of us really likes to admit we’ve believed something that’s false, especially when we’ve staked eternity on it. o the TRUE Gospel, once it’s heard, gets rejected as false. That person dies in his or her sin because they believed a message that couldn’t save them, AND WHOEVER PREACHED IT TO THEM IS ACCURSED BY GOD.
Have a look at this and if these matters interest you:
I was thinking about this very thing yesterday.
The only thing we can do is to form a relationship.
Nothing else will do.
John 18:7-9 (NKJV)
7 Then He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?”
And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
8 Jesus answered, “I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,” 9 that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, “Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none.”
Selah
* Selah. Found in many Psalms. It means to pause and think about it.
I’ve thought about this quite a lot. Our national heritage and human nature abhors giving up control of the individual to another. When we Christians tell people that they must give up their lives to God, I can understand the thought process: “The hell I will! Nobody tells me what to do.”
I know that has changed in our country over the last 100 years or so, but people still long for personal freedom. But the thing with God is not that he want control over you to make you suffer. He takes your life that you give him and repackages it and give it back to you as his child.
Think of that – you now are a son/daughter of the creator; the maker of all things. He knows how you were meant to work better than you.
Sometimes I forget that and take back control. Then when things start going backwards and I feel desperate, I slap my forehead and say, “Doh! Sorry, God. I did it again.”
He’s better at being God than I am.
I’m a newbie with a lot to learn, but Claudia, you’re right.
Some things just have to be said.
Galatians ch. 1, v. 8-9
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach ANY other gospel [“good news”] unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach ANY other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
I post that because “give your heart to Jesus” and “ask Jesus into your heart” are VERY popular invitations but they are false gospels — they are not what the Word of God says we must do to be saved, and that makes them a VERY serious matter according to the apostle Paul.
A sincere but inept gospel presentation usually misrepresents what Christ did and what God expects us to do with it. As a result, it will lead someone to believe they’re right with God when they’re still unreconciled to Him.
Worse, believing a false gospel can immunize that person against ever believing the true, saving Gospel. Why? Because the false one infects them with religion. None of us really likes to admit we’ve believed something that’s false, especially when we’ve staked eternity on it. o the TRUE Gospel, once it’s heard, gets rejected as false. That person dies in his or her sin because they believed a message that couldn’t save them, AND WHOEVER PREACHED IT TO THEM IS ACCURSED BY GOD.
Have a look at this and if these matters interest you:
https://expreacherman.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/the-gospel.pdf
Note the cartoon on page 2. It pretty much says it all.