You are saved? Great!…
I wrote a book called “You are saved? Great! What are you going to do with it?” It is about moving forward after asking Jesus to forgive your sins and become your Lord. The goal of being saved in the first place is to become more like Jesus; to have a close relationship with Jesus and God the Father.
Without a plan it is easy to become a casual Christian, maybe a little more moral than your unsaved neighbors. Eventually you could lose your relationship with God and end up instead with enough religion to make you miserable. Nobody wants that. Unfortunately, that is all too common.
Below is the introduction. You can buy (or download for free) the whole thing at my LULU.COM Storefront or download it free.
1 Introduction
Hi new Jesus Follower!
Since you are reading this I assume that you have decided to have a relationship with the creator of the universe, Jesus, our savior. That is great and I thank God that you have come into the family. If you walk out of here and get run over by a truck you would go to heaven and spend the rest of your life with Jesus in heaven, [1] where he happens to be right now.[2]
Since that is not likely I think you are going to want to know what comes next. A few things you are probably wondering are:
- Just what is “salvation” anyway?
- What does God want me to do with the salvation He has given me?
- What do I need to know right now to get started?
- How do I go about growing in Jesus, to become a mature believer?
That is what this guide is here for. Hopefully you have an older believer to walk with you as you grow. In that case, this handbook will be like a reminder and a reference to use when your mentor is not available. If not (or even with a mentor) remember that Jesus is living in the new heart he gave you, the Holy Spirit has sealed your spirit and the Father is watching and protecting you, so you are never alone. You are in a new relationship with the creator of the universe. To enter this relationship all you had to do is believe God when he said it was possible. He did all the heavy lifting to get you started and He will help you get along, so always pray before studying. The Holy Spirit promises to teach you all things
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
John 16:13-14 (KJV)
[1] Jesus said to the thief that believed I Luke 23:43 “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
[2] 1John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places], – Read the whole first chapter of Ephesians
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The Lie ~ Bible Prophecy Today
Self explanatory treatise on the lie.
While this one is specific on the lie perpetrated at the end of the age, my take is much broader. I consider the lie as anything that asserts itself above God, His risen Son and His indwelling Spirit.
This is the essence of all sin.
The Lie ~ Bible Prophecy Today
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Expelled Movie – The Ruse
From the mouth of a “smart” “scientist,” he’s basically saying man comes from rocks!
And because of the seeming necessary need for a designer, a conclusion of the field of science known as intelligent design, there are scientists who now push for the idea of panspermia. Panspermia is a belief, yes belief, that life came from spores in space… or some other race made us.
It is my firm conviction, that atheism is a rejection of God and morality, and therefore an act of the will.
Paul described this very well in Romans 1:18-23:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
This is the rallying cry for the powers of darkness… “Where is your God?” Notice the voice in the “song?” Scary, huh?
Paul ended with a warning, sorta, Romans 1:28-33:
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Oh, the scoffers have arrived as in 2 Peter 3:3. And people are asking the question in 2 Peter 3:4. But Peter explains it further in 2 Peter 3:5-8, thus:
For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
He is not slow, but very patient!
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What is it About the Tea Party Movement?
Some of the sweetest words printed in any English language document are “Congress shall make no law…”
There is much debate whether the United States is a Christian nation or not. Frankly, I do not care. I know that among the founding fathers there were strong Christians. There were others who had a foundational knowledge of Christianity and a healthy respect for God.
The tyranny of King George forced these men to make a decision, one they did not make in haste. All knew the cost… it could be their lives and fortune. When they met at the First Constitutional Convention, it was Benjamin Franklin who suggested they open the meeting with prayer. This was no ordinary prayer, it lasted three hours! How many of us could sit through that?
When they crafted the Constitution, they knew firsthand the tyranny of a government of the elite. They also knew the great conflict to the other extreme, the God given liberty of the individual. The form of government they crafted was somewhere between these two extremes.
They also knew there must be a moral component to government, since government was bestowed upon men by God. They carefully chose words and crafted the Constitution of the United States. It would be this governing document to which ordinary men would give fealty. It was this document that created a nation governed by laws and not men. A nation founded on a document that constrains elitists from imposing their will upon us.
We come to a crossroads… They say that those who do not heed the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. We live in a time where those who find themselves in the service of government make every effort to destroy the Constitution. It is not just mere words on paper, but an ideal that nurtured humanity’s free spirit. This freedom created an atmosphere of creativity and accelerated ingenuity, and arguably the greatest nation on Earth!
It is these times we find ourselves at a crossroads similar to those that preceded the Civil War. The two party system then consisted of the Whigs, the materialistic party of westward expansion and fiscal responsibility. The other, who purposed continuation of slavery at all costs, was the Democratic Party.
In the Presidential election of 1856… the Democratic rallying cry was “Anybody but Pierce!” (Sound familiar?) After the election, the Whig party disintegrated, mainly over the morality of slavery. The fledgling Republican Party formed to fill the void.
It was in the next presidential election of 1860… the same pressures of tyranny that the founding fathers quenched had again made inroads into the governance of this nation. This time the tyranny came in the form of the morality of slavery. The controversy threatened to rip the heart from this nation. A young lawyer from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, the fledgling Republican party candidate for president understood the foundation of the Constitution.
It was on 15 October 1858 at his last debate with Democratic Party candidate Steven Douglas that he said…
“It is the eternal struggle between these two principles — right and wrong — throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time; and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the common right of humanity, and the other the divine right of kings.”
This is the delicate balance the founding fathers enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Does the Constitution constrain the elite from foisting their ideas upon individual men?
Abraham Lincoln knew the only answer was to abolish tyranny in all of its forms. He continued…
“It is the same principle in whatever shape it develops itself. It is the same spirit that says, ‘You toil and work and earn bread, and I’ll eat it.’ No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principle.”
Yes, Lincoln knew tyranny. His supporters also knew tyranny. When there is no morality, then all things are permissible. It was this Republican Party that espoused the idea that everyone is entitled to the fruits of their own labor. Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
The Democratic Party and its leaders in the south, broke a national compact and stole states from the United States, creating the Confederate States of America. Lincoln’s only choice was to declare war to keep the Republic and further the moral truths imprinted upon our hearts by God Himself. Eventually right prevailed, and the Confederacy conceded defeat and the nation began reconstruction, but not with a massive loss of life!
As the nation began to heal, the Democratic Party continued to perpetuate the tyranny of elevating one man above another, the Republican Party furthered the moral fight by limiting; and ultimately extinguishing slavery.
It is today where we again find ourselves at a crossroads. We must ask, do Abraham Lincoln’s words transcend time and mean the same as they did then?
You betcha! That is precisely what guides the Tea Party today.
It is the Republican Party that recently has found itself a party of materialists devoid of a moral compass. Since, there already exists a party devoid of morality; it has been around since the inception of this great nation. It is because the Republican Party that wants to emulate the Democratic Party by seeking to deprive men of the fruits of their own labor and bestow them upon another who has not earned them.
This Tea Party movement is an assembly of regular individual Americans who believe as the founding fathers. They want to steer the governance of this country back to the foundation document, the Constitution. Some call the Tea Party a third party… it may well be, but so is the Republican Party. The Tea Party movement is helping to correct the course of the party of morality and thus correct the course of this nation. Those Republicans who choose otherwise should graciously step aside… but, it is the Tea Party that does not need the Republican Party.
Perhaps there is an older lesson in history that our founding fathers, and Abraham Lincoln knew about. It is a lesson God wanted the nation of Israel to learn. We would do well ourselves to heed the instruction given to us by the One Who created governance in the first place. Do we do it His way, as a nation who owes fealty to the law, or one who bows to a king?
Read it for yourself in 1 King 8:1-18…
“When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
Will we be like the Israelites who forsook God by crying for a king?
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Broken
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Surrender
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Theologian: Most Christians Infected with Prosperity Gospel
Whilst we must all be Bereans and be very careful that what we are taught is what is written in scripture… this article is very poignant.
This false prosperity gospel borders on heretical… In this country we have comfort, and people are urged to expect that from God as some sort of birthright. Does this not eventually produce the signs Paul warned us about in 2 Timothy 3:1-5?
This danger is so prevalent in our society and our churches… where there is a prevalence of this shallow Christianity. It is a symptom of a baby Christianity sustained on a diet of milk. These people never grow, and eventually demand teachers who dilute the milk of the gospel. They look for teachers that tickle their ears, telling them what they want to hear. Not necessarily providing truth, but a sort of feel good thing with a tiny bit of truth.
What then shall we do?
It means digging out our Bible and feeding for ourselves. We all must learn the deeper truths of what God is telling us on our own… For we cannot learn that from the pulpit of even the most gifted speaker!
Thankfully, God provides the true prosperity gospel in 2 Peter 1:5-11. It starts with yielding to the Spirit within, and with His help reading the Bible for ourselves! We must seek the true prosperity offered there, and add to our faith. We must grow!
And we shall find God is faithful… faithful in all that He says. He will give to us true joy. A joy that transcends all.
But, there is only one catch… Since it is freely given to us, we must therefore, give it away. If we do not it stagnates!
Theologian: Most Christians Infected with Prosperity Gospel | Christianpost.com
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Balance
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Rev 6:8 Critters
When God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, God released ten “plagues” on the Egyptians to convince them to release the Hebrews. The plagues were specifically targeted at ten of the gods worshiped by the Egyptians.
In a similar fashion, the various “plagues” released during the seal, bowl and vial judgments in the Revelation are similar to what we are doing to corrupt the earth, only magnified. For an example, let’s look at Revelation 6:8.
Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
We have great ingenuity creating weapons and systems for so people can “kill with sword”. Between religious practices that make certain animals sacred, causing food to be wasted to the point where humans starve and political acts that result in famines, we kill with hunger today. I am not sure what killing with death is, but we probably do it. The last method is killing with the beasts of the earth. Some of what is happening with beasts today may surprise you.
Apparently bears are becoming more aggressive because of acclimation to the presence of humans and human encroachment on their habitat. It is on the History Channel and in the newspapers. According to one resident of Alaska there used to be maybe one bear attack on humans every ten years. Nowadays there are at least 2 attacks every year.
For some smaller beasts, just look to the hybrid Killer Africanized Bees. There was a geneticist in Brazil in the 50’s that tried to create a bee that produced like African bees and was gentle like European bees. Oops! Before the work was finished an assistant removed the guards that kept the queens inside the hives. A bunch of queens left for the wild with their colonies right behind them. The swarms have made it as far north as Flagstaff Arizona, breeding with local honeybees and picking up traits that allow them to survive in high altitudes and cold temps. Swarms hit people and sometimes kill them, others survive as many as 4000 stings and end up in ICU.
There are even smaller beasties we have killing people. Besides weaponized versions of anthrax bacteria and smallpox and ebola viruses, we have some nasty critters in the wild, such as MRSA and “flesh eating bacteria” or necrotizing fasciitis. These are bacteria that have adapted to the insane measures taken to sanitize facilities and equipment in hospitals.
Of course, the judgments of Revelation have not started yet. What we see in terms of what will be seen is just a foretaste. If you think it is bad now, dealing with a hostile environment that is just going to get worse, you do not want to be here when the seals get broken, the trumpets sounded and vials get dumped.
Accepting the free gift of salvation that Jesus provides now will keep you from having to navigate through the worst living conditions man has ever seen. If you wait until the meat grinder starts up to ask Jesus to forgive your sins, chances are good you will end up with your head cut off. That might actually be a good thing according to Revelation 7, to die during the seven year period of rule by the man of evil. The biggest problem with that strategy is the lying wonders that could deceive even those that belong to Jesus. If you wait, you might just miss the whole thing and end up on the wrong side of history.
Me personally, I do not want to see any of it. I would much rather spend that seven years in heaven with Jesus, getting ready for the second coming and the start of the 1000 year kingdom to come.
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Meant to Be
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