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In your
personal opinion, what do you understand it takes for a person to go
to
heaven?
I'd like to share with you how the Bible answers this question.
There is a word that can be used to answer this question: FAITH.
F
is for Forgiveness.
We cannot have eternal life and heaven without God's forgiveness.
"In Him (meaning Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins" Ephesians 1:7a
A
is for Available.
Forgiveness is available. It is available for all. "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." John
3:16. But forgiveness is not automatic. Jesus said, "Not everyone
who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 7:21a
I
is for
Impossible.
It is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven. God is love as
we mention above, but He is also holy and just. "For judgment is
without mercy." James 2:13a. Man is sinful even a "good" person. No
one measures up to Jesus. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God."
But how can a sinful person enter heaven,
where God allows no sins?
T
is for Turn.
Repent in the Bible means to change directions or turn. Turn from
something--sin and self. "But unless you repent you will all
likewise perish" Luke 13:3b. Turn to someone; trust Christ only.
The Bible tells us that "Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third
day according to the Scriptures." I Corinthians 15:3b-4. "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." Romans
10:9.
H
is for Heaven.
Heaven is eternal life. It's here. Jesus said, "I have come that
they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John
10:10b. It's also the hereafter. Jesus said, "And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to
Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:3.
H
also stands for How.
How can a person have God's forgiveness, heaven and eternal life,
and Jesus as personal Savior and Lord?
FAITH
stands for something else too. Forsaking All I Trust Him.
That Him is Jesus. If you turn from your own way and reach out in
Faith to Jesus, you will know that you are on the right road to
eternal life. Remember what we said earlier, 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, that is all that you
need to start to have this relationship with God.
Understanding what we have shared, would you
like to receive this forgiveness by trusting in Christ as your
personal Savior and Lord?
Pray to accept Christ:
Dear Jesus, I believe that You died on the
cross for my sins and that You arose from the grave. I now ask You
to forgive me of my sins and to save my soul. Amen.
The next step is to publicly announce your
decision to follow Jesus. Coming to the front of the Church during
the response time and telling the Pastor or telling family and
friends your decision to follow Christ does this. It’s a way of
telling people you are not ashamed of Jesus. Jesus tells us that if
we are ashamed of following Him, then He will be ashamed of us when
He goes to God on our behalf. So if we say that we are followers of
Jesus before people, Jesus will not be ashamed of us when He goes to
God.
Pray for commitment/recommitment:
Dear Jesus, thank you for saving my soul. I do
not want to be ashamed of You. Instead, I want to publicly stand
before Your church, with other Christians, as soon as possible.
Amen.
We Invite you to seek a Sunday School Class to
help you learn what it means to be a Christian.
We appreciate you letting us take up a lot of
your time.
If you said this prayer, we would like to
celebrate with you. Please contact us at 281-458-4181. Thank you.
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