It’s been a while since I’ve been able get some time to post here. Expect the Foxe’s Book of the Martyrs to start again soon. In the meantime, my wife posted some things from our trip to the Deeper Conference here:
It was absolutely AWESOME! We were on the set of Wretched!, I met most of the guys from Way Of The Master Radio and even gave my testimony (short version) on the radio live. It was a lot of fun. The conference was more than I could ever have imagined and we’re planning to go to the next one on September 11-12, 2009. We’re going to block out the week and take the kids. It was a lot of fun. Anyway, look at the links for more info.
To get this ball rolling, or re-rolling I suppose, here’s a post I put up on another site just before heading to GA. Enjoy!
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
Why should you evaluate your view of God and your relationship with Jesus?
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
See what He says there? “I will declare… ” Jesus Himself will deny them access to Heaven because they never knew Him – and that’s even directed to those who are in the church and some that were even pastors and evangelists but who were presenting a false gospel and a false image of Jesus. What of those who say that they can be saved through other methods or through other religions – through just “being a ‘good’ person”?
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
That sounds pretty exclusive to me. Examine yourself – see if you’re in the faith. If you are not saved, review the ten commandments, by which you will be judged – see if you’ve been able to meet all of those requirements. Have you always put God before yourself? Have you ever lied, dishonored your parents through your words or actions, or stolen anything? Have you ever desired something that belonged to someone else? Jesus said, ““You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.“. Have you ever desired anyone that you’re not married to sexually, including porn? Then you will not be found guiltless and you will be placed into the lake of fire:
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
What is the right response to this? Repent of your sins – turn not only your mind away from those things which separate you from God but turn you actions as well. Ask Jesus to forgive you for your actions against Him (because it’s against God alone that we sin), then trust in Him to save you. Put your trust not in your actions (holy works and deeds), but in the work that was already completed by Jesus on the cross. He alone can save you and He has already done the work. The Holy Spirit will come into your heart and change you forever. If you don’t have this experience you need to go back to the beginning and continue in it until you are forever changed – you’ll know when it happens and there won’t be any doubt in your mind. There is no one prayer to “save” anyone, and God won’t force anyone to love Him or accept His gift of salvation – you have to seek it out yourself.
Examine my motives here – what can I possibly gain by sharing this information? I’m obviously not doing it to gain friends or to have you send me anything, nor am I asking you to vote for anyone. I’m not telling you to join any church – just read, understand, and believe.