- - In memory of the Gal who initiated my salvation - -
Salvation (or - So how do I get saved/born-again?)
John 3:3 says "Unless a man be born-again, he cannot see the kingdom of God".
Obtaining salvation is actually quite simple. It doesn't require doing anything, except, attaining Faith. However, obtaining faith is not a very simple process for the natural man, particularly if you weren't brought up in a christian atmosphere. So, how do you get faith? - Rom.10:17 says "faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ", i.e., the Bible, a friend, good books, preachers, or Bible teachers.
Following I've tried to provide a brief guideline for those who have not had much knowledge or association with religion, church, salvation etc. and could use a little direction.
1. While you're here, if you haven't already, you might check out the following comments: 10/30/14 Samantha, 3/4/15 Maria, 5/3/15 Lanier, 5/17/15 Danny, 8/7/15 Rashawn, 9/7/15 Kelly, 9/19/15 Kirsty, 11/5/15 Dylan, 11/8/15 Emma, 11/13/15 Dion, 12/12/15 Katrina, 12/14/15 Seline, 4/11/16 Celeste, 10/16/16 Samira, 10/21/16 Kelly, 10/30/16 Andrea, 12/11/16/ David, 2/2/17 Stephanie, 3/3/17 Eric, 5/13/17 Bobby, 6/29/17 Anony, 11/29/17 Neshia, 4/22/18 Wendy, 6/27/18 Alex, 11/11/19 Rain, 11/16/19 Stacey.
2. Pray. Do like Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know”. Ask Him to please guide you. If you're sincere, He will. Also Jeremiah 29:13 promises; "Ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Also Rev. 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door & knock; if any man hear my voice & open the door, I will come in to him & will sup with him, & he with Me."
3. Of course, if you haven't already, start reading the bible. Begin with the Gospel of John. On TV, look for "Through the Bible" with Les Feldick, a great bible teacher, (if he's available in your area). On the radio, Les or "Through the Bible" with J.Vernon McGee are excellent.
Bibles: New King James, NIV, Revised American Standard, or the New Living Bible are all very good translations; just choose one you're comfortable with. A Study Bible, one with commentary, can be helpful.
Need proof that the Bible is indeed authored by God Himself? See "Links"/Numbers.
4. Review that list of "yucky" programs on page 1. Listen to as many as you are able; you'll probably end up with 2 or 3 favorites. The one I would particularly recommend is The 700 Club. When I was 44, I knelt in front of my TV and prayed along with Ben Kinslow, a host at that time, and accepted Jesus as my Lord & Savior. You can then call their toll free number and receive some good new-born info (free, with no obligations) about how to proceed from there.
5. Find a church. This will probably be the most difficult, but very important step. Look for a bible-believing , preferably non-denominational, & friendly church. Bible-believing means that they believe that the whole bible, every word & story, is the actual & true revelation of God to mankind, given to Holy Spirit inspired writers (2nd Tim.3:16). Note that this generally excludes the Catholic church.
Alison 2-26-16, mentioned the BSF (Bible Study Fellowship International). This sounds like a great way to learn the Bible and a decent alternative to church, if there's a group in your area. There may also be a Bible Study group in your school.
6. Good Books: "The Case For Christ" and/or "The Case For Faith" by Lee Stroble, "More Than a Carpenter" & "The Resurrection Factor" by Josh McDowell, "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis.
Personally, there were a few really hard to believe things that I had to be convinced of before I could claim enough faith to go on to step 7. These books helped me tremendously.
7. The final and most critical step is using your faith (as I did in step 3), like Rom.10:9 says, "if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." And Rom.10:11 tells us, "Everyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame." These terms: believe, trust, & faith are very significant. Believing, giving intellectual assent, in and of itself, is not enough; it does no-one any good. Even Satan & the fallen angels believe in Jesus & the salvation story. Primarily because of self-will & pride, most of mankind are not willing to appropriate true salvation. Surrendering control of your life to Jesus Christ, to let him be Lord & Master over everything, can be quite difficult for many. They're not willing to humbly accept Jesus as their Lord & Savior; not willing to put their eternal destiny in God's hands by simply believing the work of the cross. Many don't even think they need a savior. But, Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Moreover, 2Corinthians 4:4 says, "The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers." Thus, with help from Satan & his cohorts, many have spurned the tremendous love & sacrifice of God through Christ and will end up Lost.
Bottom line, one has to appropriate or experience it. "It" being the knowing, the experience of possessing total faith, love, & reverence for God & Jesus for what they went through to prove their love for you and for their providing for your eternal salvation. It has to be a sincere total commitment, not just a mental assent. It's a knowing that the Holy Spirit has indwelt your being, your heart; so that you can truly believe that you are of the family of God, a co-heir with Jesus, and that you are unquestionably heaven bound!
From "The Gospel Daily": Mark 12:30 - "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength."
What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? It means complete and total surrender. It means you are ready to lay down all areas of your life, giving up the need to control everything and obey His commands. Loving God means putting Him first in every decision you make. You ask, “Will this please God?” And if not, you’ll not choose that decision because obeying Him is honoring Him. To love God with your mind is to constantly seek the truth that is in the Bible because that refreshes you and keeps you closer to Him. To love God with your soul means you live your life worshiping Him and acknowledging Him in all your ways. Loving Him with all your strength means giving whatever you’ve got. That includes whatever strength that you have in you, and using the gifts He has given you to share and bless the world. He loved us with all His life and we are called to do the same. -Commentary by: Theresa Landicho
Now, be aware, salvation, the born-again experience, is a one time event. And although this can sometimes result in an emotional or even supernatural feeling or experience, it generally does not. But, one way or another, God will let you know that you are now his child and you are a member of the family of God. Spiritual growth and christian maturity, on the other hand, will be a lifelong journey.
Wishing you Gods speed on this, the most important quest of your life. I know it was the most important, life changing decision that I and every other born-again believer have ever made!
Robert's Testimony: 10/6/2019: Robert Zane / California, USA. - "I recently found my sobriety in a very unconventional way. My life has an epic story that could leave most in tears. My addictions were all brought to a standstill from a single experience. But that was only the beginning. I soon had tremendous spiritual battles during the night. Waking up tired and exhausted but full of faith. An extreme amount of faith that has almost pushed a lot of people away, friends and family. And this is only the second week. Then I saw 3:33am when I would wake. Once, okay. Twice, hmm.. everywhere now! even on a toy from my sons happy meal toy. I did research to support my faith and bring some of these coincidences to light. Angels were the obvious sign I felt a connection to. Especially since when my enlightenment happened I started painting angels. But I have been completely reborn and live my life with complete FAITH! And share my experience with all who will listen. I’m not afraid of life anymore, I just live it in gods grace. September 15th I took my first breath as a Christian. I’m 31 and if it be the end soon I will be here to spread the word of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit till my time be done. If anyone has any questions my email [email protected] ."
Robert, Praise God!! Love your born-again & deliverance testimony. Jesus does transform our lives! I'm guessing your 333s encompass Gods acknowledgment of your son-ship in conjunction with His guidance for you to find this site and to somehow promote your growth or his plans for your end-time service. Welcome to the Kingdom.
Following I've tried to provide a brief guideline for those who have not had much knowledge or association with religion, church, salvation etc. and could use a little direction.
1. While you're here, if you haven't already, you might check out the following comments: 10/30/14 Samantha, 3/4/15 Maria, 5/3/15 Lanier, 5/17/15 Danny, 8/7/15 Rashawn, 9/7/15 Kelly, 9/19/15 Kirsty, 11/5/15 Dylan, 11/8/15 Emma, 11/13/15 Dion, 12/12/15 Katrina, 12/14/15 Seline, 4/11/16 Celeste, 10/16/16 Samira, 10/21/16 Kelly, 10/30/16 Andrea, 12/11/16/ David, 2/2/17 Stephanie, 3/3/17 Eric, 5/13/17 Bobby, 6/29/17 Anony, 11/29/17 Neshia, 4/22/18 Wendy, 6/27/18 Alex, 11/11/19 Rain, 11/16/19 Stacey.
2. Pray. Do like Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know”. Ask Him to please guide you. If you're sincere, He will. Also Jeremiah 29:13 promises; "Ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Also Rev. 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door & knock; if any man hear my voice & open the door, I will come in to him & will sup with him, & he with Me."
3. Of course, if you haven't already, start reading the bible. Begin with the Gospel of John. On TV, look for "Through the Bible" with Les Feldick, a great bible teacher, (if he's available in your area). On the radio, Les or "Through the Bible" with J.Vernon McGee are excellent.
Bibles: New King James, NIV, Revised American Standard, or the New Living Bible are all very good translations; just choose one you're comfortable with. A Study Bible, one with commentary, can be helpful.
Need proof that the Bible is indeed authored by God Himself? See "Links"/Numbers.
4. Review that list of "yucky" programs on page 1. Listen to as many as you are able; you'll probably end up with 2 or 3 favorites. The one I would particularly recommend is The 700 Club. When I was 44, I knelt in front of my TV and prayed along with Ben Kinslow, a host at that time, and accepted Jesus as my Lord & Savior. You can then call their toll free number and receive some good new-born info (free, with no obligations) about how to proceed from there.
5. Find a church. This will probably be the most difficult, but very important step. Look for a bible-believing , preferably non-denominational, & friendly church. Bible-believing means that they believe that the whole bible, every word & story, is the actual & true revelation of God to mankind, given to Holy Spirit inspired writers (2nd Tim.3:16). Note that this generally excludes the Catholic church.
Alison 2-26-16, mentioned the BSF (Bible Study Fellowship International). This sounds like a great way to learn the Bible and a decent alternative to church, if there's a group in your area. There may also be a Bible Study group in your school.
6. Good Books: "The Case For Christ" and/or "The Case For Faith" by Lee Stroble, "More Than a Carpenter" & "The Resurrection Factor" by Josh McDowell, "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis.
Personally, there were a few really hard to believe things that I had to be convinced of before I could claim enough faith to go on to step 7. These books helped me tremendously.
7. The final and most critical step is using your faith (as I did in step 3), like Rom.10:9 says, "if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." And Rom.10:11 tells us, "Everyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame." These terms: believe, trust, & faith are very significant. Believing, giving intellectual assent, in and of itself, is not enough; it does no-one any good. Even Satan & the fallen angels believe in Jesus & the salvation story. Primarily because of self-will & pride, most of mankind are not willing to appropriate true salvation. Surrendering control of your life to Jesus Christ, to let him be Lord & Master over everything, can be quite difficult for many. They're not willing to humbly accept Jesus as their Lord & Savior; not willing to put their eternal destiny in God's hands by simply believing the work of the cross. Many don't even think they need a savior. But, Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Moreover, 2Corinthians 4:4 says, "The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers." Thus, with help from Satan & his cohorts, many have spurned the tremendous love & sacrifice of God through Christ and will end up Lost.
Bottom line, one has to appropriate or experience it. "It" being the knowing, the experience of possessing total faith, love, & reverence for God & Jesus for what they went through to prove their love for you and for their providing for your eternal salvation. It has to be a sincere total commitment, not just a mental assent. It's a knowing that the Holy Spirit has indwelt your being, your heart; so that you can truly believe that you are of the family of God, a co-heir with Jesus, and that you are unquestionably heaven bound!
From "The Gospel Daily": Mark 12:30 - "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength."
What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? It means complete and total surrender. It means you are ready to lay down all areas of your life, giving up the need to control everything and obey His commands. Loving God means putting Him first in every decision you make. You ask, “Will this please God?” And if not, you’ll not choose that decision because obeying Him is honoring Him. To love God with your mind is to constantly seek the truth that is in the Bible because that refreshes you and keeps you closer to Him. To love God with your soul means you live your life worshiping Him and acknowledging Him in all your ways. Loving Him with all your strength means giving whatever you’ve got. That includes whatever strength that you have in you, and using the gifts He has given you to share and bless the world. He loved us with all His life and we are called to do the same. -Commentary by: Theresa Landicho
Now, be aware, salvation, the born-again experience, is a one time event. And although this can sometimes result in an emotional or even supernatural feeling or experience, it generally does not. But, one way or another, God will let you know that you are now his child and you are a member of the family of God. Spiritual growth and christian maturity, on the other hand, will be a lifelong journey.
Wishing you Gods speed on this, the most important quest of your life. I know it was the most important, life changing decision that I and every other born-again believer have ever made!
Robert's Testimony: 10/6/2019: Robert Zane / California, USA. - "I recently found my sobriety in a very unconventional way. My life has an epic story that could leave most in tears. My addictions were all brought to a standstill from a single experience. But that was only the beginning. I soon had tremendous spiritual battles during the night. Waking up tired and exhausted but full of faith. An extreme amount of faith that has almost pushed a lot of people away, friends and family. And this is only the second week. Then I saw 3:33am when I would wake. Once, okay. Twice, hmm.. everywhere now! even on a toy from my sons happy meal toy. I did research to support my faith and bring some of these coincidences to light. Angels were the obvious sign I felt a connection to. Especially since when my enlightenment happened I started painting angels. But I have been completely reborn and live my life with complete FAITH! And share my experience with all who will listen. I’m not afraid of life anymore, I just live it in gods grace. September 15th I took my first breath as a Christian. I’m 31 and if it be the end soon I will be here to spread the word of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit till my time be done. If anyone has any questions my email [email protected] ."
Robert, Praise God!! Love your born-again & deliverance testimony. Jesus does transform our lives! I'm guessing your 333s encompass Gods acknowledgment of your son-ship in conjunction with His guidance for you to find this site and to somehow promote your growth or his plans for your end-time service. Welcome to the Kingdom.
The Resurrection Number - 153
The following is taken from an article in the Feb.2015 edition of 'Prophecy in the News' by James Harrison, per his book "The Pattern & The Prophecy: God's Great Code". I'm relating this info for two reasons.
1) It illustrates the unique super-naturalism of the bible; just one of many proofs that the bible has truly got to be the inspired word of an all knowing, all encompassing God, the creator of all things.
2) It illustrates how God does indeed love to use numbers in a most wonderful, marvelous, and super-natural way.
John 21:6-11 "And he (Jesus) said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship and ye shall find. They cast therefore and now they were not able to draw it in for the multitude of fish. - Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of great fish, 153: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken."
The exact counting of the fish, 153, is very curious & unusual. Fisherman do not generally count their fish! Beyond this, John tells us that no fish escaped from the net; again, implying this number has special importance.
The primary significance of the number 153 involves the "Trinity Rule". If we cube each digit of the number 153, and then add these numbers, we find that the number 153 resurrects itself. (153 = 1x1x1 + 5x5x5 + 3x3x3 = 153) But, that's just the tip of the profoundness of this number! If we apply the Trinity Rule to each successive outcome of any number (that is divisible by 3), we will end up with the number 153, the Resurrection Number! Try it! And notice how special the Lord treats the #3! - Which is another reason why I've included this synopsis in examining the prominence of our number, 333.
Another aspect of the #3 in the 153 story is the significance of the 1/3rd factor. That is, only numbers divisible by 3, which is 1/3rd of all numbers, will matriculate to the resurrection number. Amazingly, this correlates with Zechariah 13:8-9; "And it shall come to pass that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My name and I will hear them."
A word of caution about interpreting this; this "going through the fire" probably applies only to the unbelieving Jewish nation during the tribulation, not to born-again believers.
Moreover, the phrase "sons of God" occurs 7 times in the Bible, and it's gematria is exactly 153! Additionally, the gematria of "joint heirs" is 153 x 7! Thus, referring back to Jesus telling his disciples that they will be "fishers of men", the #153 represents "we who are saved", "we who will be resurrected", from the 'sea' of unsaved humanity. God is amazing!!!
1) It illustrates the unique super-naturalism of the bible; just one of many proofs that the bible has truly got to be the inspired word of an all knowing, all encompassing God, the creator of all things.
2) It illustrates how God does indeed love to use numbers in a most wonderful, marvelous, and super-natural way.
John 21:6-11 "And he (Jesus) said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship and ye shall find. They cast therefore and now they were not able to draw it in for the multitude of fish. - Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of great fish, 153: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken."
The exact counting of the fish, 153, is very curious & unusual. Fisherman do not generally count their fish! Beyond this, John tells us that no fish escaped from the net; again, implying this number has special importance.
The primary significance of the number 153 involves the "Trinity Rule". If we cube each digit of the number 153, and then add these numbers, we find that the number 153 resurrects itself. (153 = 1x1x1 + 5x5x5 + 3x3x3 = 153) But, that's just the tip of the profoundness of this number! If we apply the Trinity Rule to each successive outcome of any number (that is divisible by 3), we will end up with the number 153, the Resurrection Number! Try it! And notice how special the Lord treats the #3! - Which is another reason why I've included this synopsis in examining the prominence of our number, 333.
Another aspect of the #3 in the 153 story is the significance of the 1/3rd factor. That is, only numbers divisible by 3, which is 1/3rd of all numbers, will matriculate to the resurrection number. Amazingly, this correlates with Zechariah 13:8-9; "And it shall come to pass that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My name and I will hear them."
A word of caution about interpreting this; this "going through the fire" probably applies only to the unbelieving Jewish nation during the tribulation, not to born-again believers.
Moreover, the phrase "sons of God" occurs 7 times in the Bible, and it's gematria is exactly 153! Additionally, the gematria of "joint heirs" is 153 x 7! Thus, referring back to Jesus telling his disciples that they will be "fishers of men", the #153 represents "we who are saved", "we who will be resurrected", from the 'sea' of unsaved humanity. God is amazing!!!
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