Explores
SALVATION
INTERVIEW WITH BJ ARNETT
Life Envue: Mrs BJ Arnett She is a journalist, an actress, a writer, a philanthropist, she wears so many hats it is amazing! How are you doing, beautiful?
Mrs. BJ Arnett: I am well, sister I'm really well God is continually amazing me every day Every morning, every night, in the midst of all of the things that I do I do wear multiple hats
Life Envue: Salvation is a complex concept that has been debated and discussed by theologians and religious scholars for centuries. At its core, salvation refers to the act of being saved or rescued from something. In a religious context, salvation often refers to being rescued from sin and its consequences. The debate over salvation continues to this day, with different religious groups offering their own interpretations and beliefs. What is Salvation BJ?
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Gosh, you know, you spoke about it so well. The church has been dealing with this forever. I think one of the things that makes the church deal with this, over and over again, is that sometimes as "The Church", keeping in mind that the church is each and every one of us who have proclaimed Jesus Christ as Savior. So the simplicity is to say, I'm saved. Look at me, I'm saved. The simplicity. But sometimes we put so many things over the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord, and the only way to get to the Father God is through his son Jesus Christ, that we literally push the person away who is starving for the true and living waters of our Lord Because we've masked it with our stuff
Life Envue: Right
Mrs. BJ Arnett: We've just masked it with our stuff. The simplicity is that Romans 10:9-10 gives us the simplicity of, say this, just say this. I have often had the situation where I've had to say to someone, if you can't say anything else, just say, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. And he will be there for you. But salvation is clearly the first step to living out a full life with our Lord and Savior.
Life Envue: Right.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: The first step in gaining a connection to the Father God.
Life Envue: Yeah. And some people think that as long as you know God or say God, then that means you have some kind of relationship. But saying God does not say that you have relationship any more than me saying Camy means that I have a relationship with Camy Right? I mean, it takes intimacy, it takes relationship Talk to us about that
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Relationship takes time. Look, let's face it. We were all, and I'm speaking to us who call on the name of Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we were all sinners. And the consequence of sin is absolute death, physical, spiritual. It is death. But forgiveness for your sins is what we look for when we call on Jesus as Lord and as Savior. Where we are then willing to give up our sin and believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior and that he died for our sins and that through him we are saved Now we have a connection, a fellowship with our Lord God
Life Envue: Well, let's stop right there Why do we need Jesus? Like, can't you be saved? Lately, these last few years, this arch of spirituality has kind of permeated even the church You don't have to have Jesus to be saved Some people, which has been the crisis in the church, a lot of people feel like if we force Jesus on people, then they'll stop coming to the Church
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Then you just need to just say you are not a Christian. Just throw the Bible out and do what you do. Let it do what it do and if it's working for you, go ahead.
Life Envue: Do you and die is what I say.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Look here, you've got to rest in the understanding that there is only one Lord and Savior. There's only one Father God. That word that we've been given, the Bible, is the instruction manual to living out a whole, clean, and perfect life. Now, here's the kicker, the salvation part is just the beginning. There is the other part, the best part, the part that will last forever in your world, is to become a disciple. Now that'll make you twist your wig sideways because a disciple don't look like everybody else. A disciple may be simply walking alone and sounding like a crazy person, like John did. Sounding crazy because a disciple says what the Lord God says, and what he says is straight in his word.
Life Envue: Why Jesus? Tell me why I got to have Jesus.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Because His word says there's only one way to the Father. That is through his Son, period. There's no comma there. There's only one way you got me jumping up and down in this chair.
Life Envue: I knew you would feel the unction of the Holy Spirit because it's impossible to love you and not love what comes with you. What's introducing me to you, right. Someone cannot say they love Camy, but I can't stand BJ or I want to go around BJ to get to Camy, because all I really need is Camy to do something for me. And God himself said, tell him girl before I throw something at this screen.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: If you openly declare Jesus as Lord and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved You'll be made right with God because Jesus took on all sin for you But you got to openly declare your faith You got to openly declare that he is Lord You got to openly say that he is Lord There's no separating that concept, there's no separating that Salvation is not an old and antiquated way of thinking Salvation is the only way to get to the Father It is thus saith the Lord in his word As I went back to Romans, when we take a look at what our lives were like before, if your life's so good, then do what you do.
Life Envue: Yeah, yeah.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Okay, do what you do. But let me go back to my salvation journey. I was a complete and total mess, and I knew the Lord, but I didn't KNOW the Lord. What we like to say is, oh, I believe in God. Well, which God you talking about? Because there's a whole bunch of them.
Life Envue: There's a whole bunch of them. Come on.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: There's only one that is correct, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus gives us interest to our Lord God. There's no separating those two. When I think about my salvation journey, and here I am, a pk of generational pk. So you already know a sister was under attack from birth. Now I take a look at the fact that I had a choice to receive him wholly into my life or straddle the fence I had a choice Straddling looks good for a minute until you really look into yourself I love to give analogies from the way we live Michael Jackson said in one song, the man in the mirror, when you look in yourself, you should not see you You should see the Christ in you, the hope of glory, that is, if you have received him as Lord and Savior Before salvation, when I looked in the mirror, I saw pain, agony, depression I saw suicidal tendencies I saw a runner, a hider I didn't see the glory
Life Envue: So let me ask you this, then. The problem we have is with Jesus, is it sin? Is it because in order to accept Jesus, we have to say we're sinners? In order to say, like, if I don't have to say I'm a sinner, if I don't have to say that what I'm doing or how I've done or what I've done is wrong, I can go to God, right? I'm cool with that. As long as we ain't got to put me on display. You start talking about Jesus, you're basically saying, oh, I got to confess to a whole bunch of stuff that I really didn't think was bad.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Well, here's the cool part. Once you confess, it's gone. That's the really cool part. You're a new creature in Christ. Once you confess it, you receive him as Lord. You're a new creature in Christ. Old things are passed away. So when somebody comes to you with that old mess, you have the right to say, I'm sorry. I don't know who you're talking about or what you're talking about, because I'm not her anymore. I'm not him anymore. Jesus Christ died for that person.
Life Envue: So is that the problem with Jesus, though? Is that one of the reasons why people won't come or don't believe they need Jesus because they have to confess they're sinners in need of a savior?
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Part of that is absolutely true The big part of that is, as humanity has decided that they are bigger, better, stronger than any name that we must confess I got it together
The only time that humans think they don't have it together is when everything begins to crumble. And then that's when we begin to call out on the name of Jesus, because we don't know anything else Life Envue: And you know what I noticed? It can't just crumble for them It crumbles for them, then it's God attacking them But if everybody's getting some crumbling going on, then now we got to call on God to save us, because it looks like it's more community wide, more nationwide, more global When we had the pandemic, oh, God didn't just forsake me and mine He forsaken the entire planet We all need to get on our knees and pray now Pray to whoever God you believe in Like, this is the boat that we all in right now. Call on whatever God you believe in.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: But, see, what was interesting about that period is, and you said it correctly, people were calling them whatever God they believe in. But there's only one true and living God that shifted the tide. There's only one. So, many people said, I went through this and this and this and this. Well, when the pandemic happened, my husband and I declared that we were coming out of this better than we went in. God did what he said he would do. See, when I confessed him as savior, what I think is of no consequence. It is what he says that is the consequence. So when we, as a couple, as husband and wife, declare together that we are going to come out of this pandemic better than we went in, we were putting our stake in the ground and saying, okay, we are believing God for all that he has for us all the time. Now, that looks crazy. I get it. It looks crazy and it feels crazy. And the crazier it looks, the crazier it feels, the more you push into it. It's like lifting weight. The more you lift over and over again, the stronger you become in the very thing that you were fearful of approaching in the first place I think that as the body of Christ, we need to get an understanding of who we actually are When God says in his word, was it Joshua 1:9, be strong and courageous, that means there's something to be strong and courageous about I love the sisters walk around in a t shirt to be strong and courageous Sister, do you not realize that you're going to go through some stuff, and as you're going through, you're going to have to be strong and courageous Okay? So when he says that if you openly declare Jesus is Lord, and you believe with your heart that God, I, God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved, he didn't mix words. So you are declaring your belief at that point, once you've received him, that's just not the end of it. That's the beginning of it. Yes, people who knew you when you weren't saved are going to approach you as the person that you were. So that means you're going to have to be strong and courageous enough to say, I'm not that woman anymore. She died.
Life Envue: So let me ask you this. That was the perfect segue way to my next question. So, BJ, when we are calling on the name of the Lord, and the Lord promises us salvation, are we really, truly looking to be saved or are we looking for God to salvage? Because if you're looking to be saved, that's a new creature if you're looking to be salvaged, you want him to fix the old creature. Let me do what I want to do. Salvaging this life. I don't want no new life. I want you to make everything bad in this old life, instead of saying, I want a new life. Is that what we're really saying? We don't want to be saved, we just want to be salvaged.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: I love that analogy. And it made me think about going to the salvage yard for your car. And there are cars that have a part that you need, but that part, if the car is in the salvage yard.
Life Envue: Yeah
Mrs. BJ Arnett: They've been through something I'd rather go to the dealership and get that brand new something off the lot and pull that Let me get that But God makes you a new creature But the new creature has to accept their newness Here's the thing that we continually do that has always been interesting to me, and it fits with your analogy God is still working on me He what? Is he God? It only took him seven days to create all this stuff. So why does it? He's still working on you. No, you still have not accept him as Lord. See, Lord means something. Lord means something. When it comes to your mind that I want to go buy that car that I cannot afford. Going back to that analogy, I want to buy that car that I cannot afford. God's going to bless my pocketbook so I can buy it. No, don't buy it until you can afford it.
Life Envue: Yeah. So are you saying then don't get saved until you can live saved?
Mrs. BJ Arnett: No, get saved. Get in a church home that will walk you through the muck and the mire of your old mind. You've got to put that old mind away and think of the new things that God is doing and being inside of you. Literally take the word of God and apply it to your life like you would going to school, because you are really going to school.
Life Envue: Yeah.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: People think that, and you said it in your open, that being saved is out of touch, that it is something we don't need anymore But if we take a look at the muck and the mire the country and the world is in, it's not working
Life Envue: Yeah.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: So when you're declaring him as Lord, Lord means that the decisions that you would have made, you don't make anymore He's already given you the instruction manual for living life, use that manual
Life Envue: Use the manual, right In saying that, we understand, you and I are not ignorant We know that living this life is a heart habit It's not something that you just wake up one day and all of a sudden you got it right We understand that There are steps, redemption and sanctification, all of these terms to the world don't make sense. What I got to be set aside from what? And who is he to tell me I can't live? Like now all of a sudden I can't live? And that's not the case. It's now all of a sudden you won't die. That's what you need to be more concerned with. You need to be concerned with, even Jesus said, don't be impressed with all the works and miracles and stuff that you can do. You need to be happy that you ain't going to die.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Yeah, that you have an eternal life, that you're not going to die.
Life Envue: That you're not going to die. I understand floating and walking on water and breaking bread, that's impressive stuff. I'm impressed, I do good stuff. But you need to be glad that when you cross from time into eternity, you ain't going to wake up and see my Father, because after this. BJ, tell us about the after, because I don't think people really believe. I'm not trying to talk negative about dead folk or nothing like that, but Carlton Pearson or whatever the bishop's name was, that just passed away He had this doctrine or theology that God loved you so much, he's not going to put anybody in hell But how do you have somebody in your house that don't even love you, don't like you? Isn't that being a tyrant? You're going to force me to live eternity in a situation I didn't want to live in time with?
Mrs. BJ Arnett: The interesting part of this is difficult, yet not The interesting part of the understanding of heaven and hell is that we rejoice with the thought of if I am a good person, I am going to heaven. But God never says a good person is going to heaven. He never says that. If we simply look at the word, receiving Christ is the beginning of our step towards living a Christ life. Then we get to Matthew 28:18 and he says that we are to go about being just like him and seek and save the lost, basically, and pull them in.
Mrs. BJ Arnette: Whatever he did for us, we have to do for someone else. So we're building this family of heavenly people to go. But what about the ones who didn't receive him? Do we really believe based on the word that we have been given, that it is just a swinging door, that you who have denied him, are going to just walk right in. That's not what it says.
Life Envue: What up, Jesus?
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Right? And it does not say that. See, You can receive Christ just before your last breath, and he's going to say, oh, baby, I love you. But then there's levels of intimacy that you miss out on. Why not receive him now? Receive that intimacy on this earth. Because you are receiving intimacy if you are delving into his word, applying it to your life, delving back into the word, applying it to your life I think part of it, what scared us in the first place, and I know for me this is true, is that when I read the word, the first thing that I thought was, I'm not all that Well, that's what he's saying You not boo, you not all that But when you receive me, you become a new creature Then I'm going to set you to a place where you're going to walk with me every day through my word And as you continually study and use the word I do believe it says something about study to show yourself proved Well, that's just like going to school and getting a grade Some folk get an a, some folk get a b, some folk get a c, some folk get a d, and there are those who get an f. So salvation is only the beginning. We've got to walk into the whole wholeness of what God has and really believe him. And then when we get to the understanding of heaven, we should be pulling a heavenly presence onto this earth so that people who are not saved look at us and say, wait a minute, there's something about them that's just so good, so cool, so wonderful, I need to find out what's making that happen.
Life Envue: It's like the difference between giving God the tree versus a piece of paper.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Exactly.
Life Envue: Right.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Exactly. The word does not say everyone going to get in. No, it's very clear. There is no relationship there, it's got to be the relationship with God. It is not emotions or flutter, It is a relationship. A true path to him, is building a relationship with him. Now, here's a funny thing that'll really make you scratch your head The understanding is that even though you may go through something on this earth after you've received Christ as savior and you walk with him as a disciple, using his word, you shouldn't be looking like when something happens that you don't believe that there's a God who understands and already knew that it was going to happen
You should be the one that even though they said breast cancer, thus saith the Lord, I am healthy and whole and I am healed. You should be looking like someone who is constantly declaring the goodness and greatness of God, not someone who is succumbing to every other commercial and be tossed to and fro So it looks different, it looks different I'm going to tell you, someone who is walking within the Holy Spirit looks different to the point that they are so attractive to the person who is looking to be relieved of these pressures, fakeness, and foolishness that you can't help but draw them But when they come to you, there's a word that says, church don't make them as bad as you are. That means you got to not be bad. You can't be talking about by and by Lord because he's a now God. You see we get ourselves in trouble. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen. Faith is the foundation of where we live. So you can't be stepping as if you are saved yet not faithful. Those two things don't work.
Life Envue: Yeah. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. You are dropping some mad crazy nuggets. If you were a rapper, we would say you are spitting, dropping some serious knowledge on us. We talked about salvation, the steps of salvation, the statement of salvation and the Son that is required for salvation. Let's talk about. Well, let me skip right onto this. I'm going to read this bit of scripture and then we're going to exegete this text. Ezekiel 18:24 says, "but if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things that the wicked person does", so this is a state of being in one thing and then returning to another, the dog returning to his vomit. Right? "Will they live?" Will they have eternal life basically "None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed " But then in that same scripture, it goes on to say that, "can the wicked who repents from their wickedness and now do what the righteous was doing, can he now live and not die?" Because God is not sitting around planning and plotting on who he can throw into hell this week So the righteous person who was righteous, Paul, says, be faithful until the end. Run this race, you have got to be faithful. Him that goes to the end shall be saved. There's this thing that, and I don't know, I have to say, even as a Christian, I struggle because I don't believe once saved, always saved. I believe if saved, you saved.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: That's good. I like that, if saved, you saved. Pastor Terri, I think what we get all twisted is that that means we never make a mistake. And that's not the case. Here's the case. My daddy used to say this. My dad used to say this to us as children, and he would say it to me because I was the oldest. He would say, you see that brick wall? And I say, yes, sir, this is when I was in trouble. And he said, see that brick right there? When you're in trouble, when your dad speak to you, it hurts your heart. And I would say, yes, sir, I see that brick right now. He says, see, you keep beating your head on that same brick. There are all these other bricks, but you hit that same mistake over and over and over again. He would say, when are you going to repent and turn away from that brick? And I was like, did he just slap me in the face with some scripture? Yeah, he did. See, we can make a mistake, but we must repent. Turn away from those ways, and I'm going to use that ugly word, evil ways
Life Envue: Yeah
Mrs. BJ Arnett: That turn-away means to turn away from it in totality Don't go 360 degrees and come back to that sin Turn away from that sin and don't come back to it
Life Envue: Right
Mrs. BJ Arnett: We can make another mistake. Lord have mercy let's not be the same. Do something new. But see, when we go back to that same mistake over and over again, we didn't repent. To repent is to turn away from it.
Life Envue: Yeah. And that's basically what the scripture is saying. It's saying if you turn away from righteousness, that means you've turned away from God.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: You've left him, he didn't leave you. The word says, he'll never leave us nor forsaken us. What we love to say is, God left me. God, why are you not with me? No, God hadn't changed. He's the same. Yesterday, today, and ever. Turn from your, here's that word again, evil. Turn away from your vomit. Turn away from it. Repentance clearly is one of the most difficult things for us to wrap our minds around, because we do think that it's something that you just say. Actually, it's something that you do. There's a scripture that he says, be doers of the words, not hearers only, not fooling your own self. See, you think when you are listening to the word, you got your headphones on and you're on the exercise machine and you listening to the word, that you have spent time with God No, you heard a good message, but you haven't used it You haven't done anything with it And I think I've been there I get it It's easier for me to drive in the car and listen to the word as I'm coming to work
But the real work that prepares me for the earthly work is taking the time to spend in work with my Savior through his word. So when I walk up in this office, I'm in my office right now, I'm not ready to karate chop somebody because I've spent time with God
Life Envue: Yeah I got to be my own usher I got to be my own usher
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Okay I just didn't just listen You can't just listen to that thing You got to listen to it and go, oh, you was talking directly to me with that Okay, I'm going to break it down to the breakdown. Wives, women, we love to go get our Essence and Vogue magazine. Come on, somebody. We want to look great, have our face beat. That hair got to be dead. It could be 14 different people's hair in our head. I'm just saying.
Life Envue: She ain't talking about you all she's talking about other folks.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: And all this looked great on the outside and on the inside you cussing that lady out that was real slow, putting your groceries in your bag. Even your wallet got a cross on it. You pull your wallet out and she sees the cross but you rolling your eyes at the little cashier lady because she don't know how to count fast enough or she didn't put your stuff in the bag fast enough because you were late getting to work and you stopped for the espresso that your behind didn't need in the first place. Come on. Your dirty inside is what the Lord is looking at. He's not looking at your cute outside. He's looking at the core of you. So when he says, be doers of the word and not hearing only, don't confuse yourself. He's looking at you He's looking at me He said, look, wives Well, if my husband would just stop doing that God is not looking at our husbands He's looking at us Our relationship
Life Envue: Yeah, our relationship with God and our trust in him being enough to be like Jesus, having the form of God, taking that off, undressing himself to become this nasty, feel everything, mad about something, hungry, sleepy flesh There's this thing called autonomy that says, I'm my own God. And like Jesus said, I have the right to declare myself God. I got the right to make you all worship. If I was to tell you who I really was, you all would be worshiping me. And if I was to just give you a peek underneath this little nasty temporary skin, you all wouldn't act the way you all act. Why did God give us that kind of permission, that kind of will, if he wanted us to live in this theocracy, this monotheistic life where it's just him?
I know the answer, but I'm just saying, for some folk who might have just tuned in and stumbled across, why did God make me with the ability to resist if he want me to be saved. If he wants me to live holy, if he wants me to go to heaven and all this, it's so good, it's so wonderful, then why did you give me the right to will, not to serve you?
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Here's the interesting thing. When we go back to Genesis, all the way back to the beginning, God made us in his image and his likeness. So, if you will, were we not meant to be like him on the earth? He said, made in my image and my likeness. So when sin originally occurred, it came through Eve. But the responsibility of it was Adam, because he made him the head. So when we take a look at who we are originally supposed to be from Genesis one, and we recognize what God did in his graciousness, bringing himself to this earth in human form, born of a mother, then what he's saying to you is, I am showing you how to walk out life the way I originally planned it
Life Envue: Yeah
Mrs. BJ Arnett: We need to go back to our origin We trying to stick the swab in our mouth and find out? No, we need to go back to our true origin We weren't supposed to be what had occurred Now we get the right, now we get the right and the privilege to use what Jesus did to set our life straight, right. Just by declaring him as Lord. And then further, we get the opportunity to walk out life as a disciple. I mean, what is he saying? It's not simple, but it's simple. Life Envue: There's no credit check, there's no background check.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: And no sin is greater than any other sin. Somebody said to me the other day, well, you know, she a big old sinner. Because she did so and so, I said, "did you really say that?"
Life Envue: Big sinner? Maybe she meant weight. She a little overweight. Maybe that's what she meant.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: No sin is greater than any other. It's sin.
Life Envue: And God talks about this in Old Testament. So people say there's no salvation in the Old Testament. Well, you can't have salvation period if you don't have Old Testament.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: That's right, you got to have Old Testament
Life Envue: Jesus is all in the Old Testament. But God says even in the Old Testament that when he engrafted the gentiles in from the Israelites or from the Hebrews, don't get it twisted, because if I can put one in, I can take one out So the ones I put in, they can come out too Basically, paraphrasing, don't get excited because you've replaced these Hebrews in the body I'm using you to get to them, okay? So to make them jealous to want to be with me So don't get excited that somebody had to be removed and you took that space Come on, Esther and Vashti, y'all know what I'm talking about Don't get excited because if she can get booted out, you show enough can get booted and get replaced too.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: Yes.
Life Envue: Let's close with this. Give us the rundown on what the steps are to be saved, and you and I are going to have to do this again. We're going to have to do this again. Give us the prayer of salvation for somebody who might be watching us and listening. I want to give the last five minutes to you. You go ahead and tell them what they need to do to get saved. And you pray for somebody right now who wants to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: And you know the word of God says if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart, that confession is so important. Sure, we are all sinners, but we are saved by his grace. Sin is death and we don't want that anymore. It's not just physical death, but it's an eternal separation from the Lord God. And we have to understand that he gave us the out and we should be excited about that. He gave us the out. Asking for forgiveness is not saying that I am weak and that I am awful Asking for salvation, asking for forgiveness of sin is a way to reach the Father God So let's just say that everything I've tried has not worked All the good things that I've done I sent a check to Israel I walked over there and gave that man a dollar I spoke to the lady that I know she's just eyeing my husband I did something good But see, in your heart there's a willful attachment to I
Life Envue: That's good.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: So I will say, if you openly declare Jesus as Lord and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made whole, right with God. And it is by openly declaring that faith, your faith, now it's your faith, that you are saved. And after that there's the fullness of life for God himself speaking to you in that voice that is like no other.
Life Envue: Yeah.
Mrs. BJ Arnett: And then there'll be a point in your life where you are speaking to him in a voice that is like no other. You will have a life like no other. Salvation is not old and antiquated. It is living life to the fullness of what the Lord God, through his son Jesus Christ and his demonstration, has given for you. Receive him and become his disciple So, Lord God, I just thank you, Father, for every person who reads this, everyone who thinks about it and says yes And everyone who says just yes and I'm not going to think Just those who are saying yes to you, Lord God, I thank you, Father, for what you are doing and have already done in their lives, Father And I thank you, Father, for what you have done in my life and apostle Terri's life Father You are no respecter of person, Father, what you've done for us you will do for any So I thank you Father, that you are gracious, loving and amazing God, there is none like you. You are truly, truly a gentleman. I thank you that you have made us your dear princesses and that you wrap your loving arms around us each and every day, and that you hold us tight and that you gird us up with your word Father. I thank you Father, for all who are in hearing. I thank you Father, for those who are coming and those who are already here, in Jesus holy name. Amen and amen. *
Salvation: GOD’SPLAN
Chief Presiding Bishop Dr. Christine C. McGee The Way of Holiness Church Inc. 1088 E. Weber Rd. Columbus, OH 43211
Salvation: deliverance from power and effects of sin. Recovery, redemption, ransom, reconciling; all used interchangeably to describe the intent, will and purpose of God's plan offered to whosoever will come and claim this great blessing, by obedience through faith. Throughout the Holy Bible and with exception to our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, nothing is more widely emphasized than the salvaging of mankind This promise was revealed through redemption in the Garden of Eden. The Lord God made a covering by the shedding of blood for skins to cover Adam and Eve’s sin (Gen. 3:21.) Salvation is the theme, operable "even before the foundation of the earth," because the Lord did foresee man's creation, satan's temptations, man's fall and yet redeemed man through Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Salvation concerns the "standing' or position of the believer, settled “on earth as it is in Heaven,” completed from the very moment Christ is received by faith. Nothing in a true believer’s life can add to the predestinated will of God. Through faith alone, standing in the specific position God placed us in is conferred. People make the mistake of thinking this Christian life is all about their lifestyle- “It's about me, it's about what I want, what I need, my desires, my friends, me-me-me!” But no matter what happens, God’s Work must go on! It is a true believer that must refuse and resist change to remain firm, resolutely withstanding the enemy of our souls. Moses proved to be absolutely inflexible through faith, stationed in his position, not changing, wavering, nor altering God’s will for his people (Heb. 11:24-29). Though at times Israel was stubborn through fear, Moses unwaveringly believed everything God had spoken to him.
He held fast the form of sound words! Not the wisdom or cunning craftiness of man, not what Israel saw, their “state of mind,” their “reality” based upon situations and circumstances, he remained unmoved. Remember, you are “standing upright” in your position- Salvation- which outweighs your state, your condition! Is there darkness in your life? Have you almost suffocated beneath the weight of your rebellion; because of the nature of your sin, have you lost hope in this world? Are you walking in your own ways and stubbornly resisting the grace of God, seeking peace in your own pace and joy at your own price? Then, be very careful not to rebel against what God has chosen us for! Jesus came, not as a Vacationer or Traveler, but he came taking care of His Father’s business, reconciling those in the world that belongs to the Father “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” II Cor. 5:18-19
Whatever your issues are, they are connected with your worship, so however you worship God is how much you believe he can solve issues, so that the assignment God has given you can be completed. Worship gives us a feeling of sonship that distinguishes us from every other creature. It is celebrated in word and act-with prayer and sacrifice. However, worship must be accompanied by faith. So give to God your surrendered life. Surrender: an agreement to stop fighting, hiding, resisting. We come short of many things as individuals, but Salvation is yet calling for a surrendered life. We were born in sin and shaped in iniquity; because we are born of DNA of our mother and father, we have crises going on in the bloodstream. Many times the blood cries out for things that are in opposition against the righteousness of God. God wants a surrendered life for each of us-we must be born again! The Lord God will never relinquish nor abandon us because of rebellion. He didn’t tolerate it in Heaven and won’t do it for any person or creature, no principality nor power nor might, for in all things He has the preeminence! (Col 1:18) Let us Celebrate this Great Change- Salvation! God’s will is predetermined for His people. Thus, He provides cycles of life, each with its work for us to do. Problems that seem contrary should not be barriers to believing in him, but rather opportunities to discover that, without God, life’s problems have no lasting solutions. The great Salvation is an act of love by the Creator for the creature He created. God refuses to abandon man even though man often abandons God. Through Jesus Christ's obedience to the Will of God on Calvary, the way back to the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life was made possible Kingdom mentality and Kingdom work! The kingdom is at hand and it is time for God's work to go forth, not just in deliberating what Salvation is, who it’s for, is it needed- but with demonstration and in Holy Ghost power God is advancing his work through willing vessels, not those carried away with the multitude, but the humble, willing to set aside your time, talents, will and energy for him The world does not want the Saints to have Victory so many stumbling blocks and obstacles are thrown in their way. But in Christ we have the victory, because God's work Must Go On. Praise God for a made-up mind and a fixed heart APULLQUOTEISANIMPACTFULQUOTETAKENFROMTHEARTICLE. YOUCANPLACETHEQUOTEYOUWANTTOHIGHLIGHTHERE.
..worship must be accompanied by faith. So give to God your surrendered life.”
When a person submits to God's plan of Salvation, He is doing three things: 1. He is identifying himself as the one for whom Jesus died. He acknowledges, "It was my sins Jesus died for on Calvary." 2. He is exercising faith in the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, LORD and SAVIOR, 3. He is obedient to the Word of His Lord, and embraces a New Life of Holiness. The reader may ask: “How can I be saved?” “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” Rom: 10:8-11 You might say this prayer: “Father, in Jesus’ name, I know that I am a sinner. I believe you died on the cross to save me. I repent and ask you to forgive me for my sins. I confess you Jesus, as my Lord and Savior; come into my heart and live through me. In Jesus’ name, Amen!” God calls us back to the light of Salvation through His son Jesus Christ! Into the dark night of the soul comes the Light of the World! Amen!!! If you would live, bid the darkness flee, invite the light of God in Jesus Christ to dispel your darkness. In Him the darkness gives way. “How can we escape, if we neglect so Great Salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3). Get in the Gospel! Maintain your position in God. Let the Inside Match the Outside- Because the Gospel Works! Salvation lasts forever! God's predestination is perpetual. “Even the creation itself groans, waiting to be redeemed back its creator- God!” (ref Rom 8:19-22) “ It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10, 12). ††Chief Presiding Bishop Dr. Christine C. McGee is founder of The Way of Holiness Church Inc., in Columbus, OH, with churches in Ohio, Louisiana & Michigan. Established in 1979, her mission is to “train men, women and children to go into the world and be a Sign of God’s Word ” She organized the church’s curriculum to include: Bible Survey; Ecclesiology- Church Government; Practical & Advanced Theology; Ministerial Training, Licensing & Ordination. Bishop McGee has degrees of Bachelors in Religious Education (Int’l Seminary Plymouth, FL); Masters in Christian Education and Doctorates in Humanity, Ministry, Divinity, Philosophy & Theology, (I.A.U.G.T., Dayton, OH). She has assisted Bishops and Pastors countrywide in church organization with policies and procedures, curriculum development, and ordination. The wife of the late Bishop Dr. Frank H. McGee, they have 10 children, 2 sons-in-law, 4 daughters-in-law, 42+ grandchildren, 60+ great-grandchildren and 17+ great-great grandchildren. “Salvation” is compiled from Bishop McGee’s Sermons: † Salvation †The Surrendered Life †The Gospel Works † The Darkness Gave Way †Let the Inside Match the Outside † No Matter What Happens, God’s Work Must Go On References MerriamWebster: Salvation, Surrender Wikipedia The Believer’s Standing and the State (Scofield, Sermon Index.) Bibles King James Version New International Version *
Comic Comic Comic
IIllumi-nate llumi-nate
Christian Christian Hero Hero
SUMMER SUMMER ‘‘24 24 SAGA! SAGA!
Illumi-Nate
Our Saga picks up where our Superhero, Illumi-Nate is attempting to stop his nemesis, Dark-Nessa & her sidekick, Eniq Whitty from taking over the hospital where his girlfriend and others were being held hostage. He was able to get word to Mr. Ray and his dad through Ms. Desi at the front desk. Nate had already invoked his superpowered verse from Psalm 119:105 ‘Thy Word is a Lamp Unto My Feet, and A Light Unto My Path’ and he’d transformed into Illumi-Nate! He was stealthily moving about the Emergency Room to keep the patients calm and devise a plan to rescue them without the evil-doers even knowing he was there. As he awaited his father and Mr. Ray to come, he prayed ‘Lord send my help & show me what to do until they come so that I may rescue these, your people.” He snuck into the cafeteria area where the people there had no knowledge of what was going on in the Emergency Room. There, he saw Sister Annie, one of the Mother’s of his church sitting with a group of members. She saw him out of the corner of her eye and got up and walked away from the group to an area behind a column and winked and motioned for Nate to come to her. He went over and she greeted him with a whisper, ‘The Lord has shown me why you are here and we are here to help.’ He responded just as quietly, ‘Mother Annie, how did you know it was me?’, She responded, ‘boy, God revealed a lot to me about you, son! Well before the explosion! That’s why I kept encouraging you so much at church! Now, we have work to do, eh?! Let’s show these villains what our God is capable of!” She walked back to the group, announced that it was time and began to hum and sing Hymn #527 ‘Shine On Me’ and they all stood and began to pray as they sang. They continued praying from one member to the other and began to sing, ‘This Little Light of Mine’. As they sang, they prayed and sang, they got louder and louder and it looked like the group grew larger and larger! Nate thought the doors were locked so where they came from didn’t even matter! He had help and knew it was time to move!
He rushed to the ER where terrified patients were relieved to see him return.
‘How did you get here ‘Light Boy!”- Dark-Nessa exclaimed!
“You want me to take him down, Boss?’- Eniq shouted! Just then, more praying and singing would be heard. “Who!?, What is going on!?”
Sister Annie began to speak over the singers, “We intercede on behalf of our son in Christ! We come by order of the Holy Spirit and by His power command you to leave this place!”
Eniq turned to Dark-Nessa, ‘You said he couldn’t make it back in time and he’s here with all of this backup! Time to abort this mission as you clearly don’t seem to know this dudes strength and his connections!’ and they ran off.
Lyric came from the back and ran to Nate with an embrace! ‘How did you get here so quickly and with so much help!’ Nate explained how she’d dropped her badge in his car at lunch so he never even made it back to work at the lab.
As he turned around and came back, he saw the two villains starting their plan to take the Emergency Room by siege! Mother Annie chimed in and explained how the mission team had come to pray at the hospital as they always do and when they saw ‘Illumi-Nate’ they knew there was more going on!
Just then, Mr. Ray and Nate, Sr arrived and everyone laughed, explaining how God handled it before they even arrived. ‘All divine intervention!’ -Nate explained. ‘I thought my help was coming from somewhere else and God already had it here for me! Psalm 46:1’.
NEWS ANCHOR: “Another evil plot thwarted by the Superhero, Illumi-Nate who responded to our reporters by saying ‘This was truly nothing but God that turned around what could’ve been an awful outcome.’ *
LetUsTalkAbout SALVATION
By Dr. H. Jean McEntire
We will begin by defining salvation. Salvation means being saved from sin, and Christians believe that salvation is the only way to have a relationship with God while on earth and to have eternal life with God in heaven after death. It is the saving of human beings from sin and its consequences which include death and separation from God By Christ's death and resurrection, He justified our sins He died on the cross, and when we receive salvation, it is just as if we never sinned. You receive salvation when you repent of your sins and, by faith, believe that Jesus is the Son of God. You confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God sent Jesus to die for your sins.
Some believe that the concept of salvation is antiquated and no longer exists. However, they could not be more wrong. Salvation came through Jesus Christ, and He is forever. The Bible says in Acts 4 11-12 that Salvation is found in no one else,” for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Who is the one this verse is talking about? Jesus! Therefore, salvation shall never be outdated It is the way to eternal life In 1 Corinthians 1:18, we read, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” Those who don’t have salvation may think it is antiquated and no longer relevant today, but the most precious gift to humanity is salvation.
Every human being needs salvation. It is the only way to have a relationship with God, and without a relationship with God, no man can enter heaven. Jesus said, “He is the way, truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) One cannot be good enough to go to heaven, and no one can do enough good works to go to heaven The only way is through acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior No, there is no other way We need salvation because, without God, we are headed to torment. There are consequences to sin. The most essential aspect of our repentance and faith is its object. The Bible says we are saved when we place our faith and trust in Christ.
Our salvation depends solely on the person and work of Jesus Christ. As we continue to trust in him, we will experience the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives to make us more like Jesus We have a choice to receive salvation or not. We determine if we will accept what Jesus did for us through His death, burial, and resurrection ONLY GOD CAN DETERMINE WHERE YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY. Let us address the question of a loving, benevolent God sending someone to hell; we need to correct a few wrong assumptions Our definitions must be biblical, and our assumptions must be correct. “How can a loving God send someone to hell?” The first fallacy in the question is to assume that allowing people to go to hell is an unloving act on God’s part. To decide that God is somehow wrong to let sinners pay their deserved penalty is to declare that we are more loving than He is We have set ourselves up as a judge of Almighty God and closed the door to deeper understanding. Therefore, the first step in answering this question is to agree with Scripture that God is love; everything He does expresses His perfect love.
The second misconception presented by the question
“How can a loving God send someone to hell concerns the word send, which signifies an action on the part of the sender If a man writes a letter, that man does the action No pa Ho un ap ha th in ete 3:1 qu th it i ac be vic co pe Go ca sa rig ete to se reward, which is torment in hell
It is my prayer that if you have not received the gift of salvation, you will do so NOW! Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6 1a )
Dr. H. Jean McEntire
‘It is my prayer that if you have not received the gift of salvation, you will do so NOW!
Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6 1a.)’
A S T E T H I S
TBAKEDSPAGHETTI
Preheat Oven to 375
Boil the spaghetti pasta to al dente in water adding a couple dashes of salt.
No Meat or Meat Variations given 2 0 2 4
2 -24oz Cans of Spaghetti Sauce
1- 12oz pack of spaghetti
1- 8oz pack Shreded Sharp Cheddar
1-8oz pack Shredded Mozarella Cheese
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
Once boiled, drain and add to a lightly oil sprayed 13 X 9 baking pan. Add the spaghetti sauce with Sugar, Worcestershire Sauce (other seasonings to taste/garlic powder, italian seasoning) and add 1 Cup or 1/2 of your Shredded Cheddar Cheese, & 1 Cup or 1/2 of your Shredded Mozarella Cheese to the pasta in the pan and combine together with a large spoon.
On top of the mixed ingredients, spread the remaining cups of shredded cheeses the dish. Bake in the oven at 375 for approx 20mins until the cheeses are melted and bubbling on top. Serve with a salad and garlic bread if desired.
Variation: Brown 1lb of ground beef or ground turkey, seasoned to taste and drained. Add to the mixture before adding the top layer of cheese & bake as directed above.
Pastor Patricia Douglas on Salvation
Is it too late for salvation? It’s never too late for salvation as long as you have breath in your body Recently I learned that the definition for salvation means three words: Recoverd –Meaning something that was not in my possession, but I have it back Restored –Means Jesus death burial and resurrection. The bible says the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives on the inside of me And lastly Preserved – Meaning him sending the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost to fill us his earthly representatives, his ambassadors, his sons and daughters to be able to equip us In other words, to help us to maintain our daily walk with the Father we cannot do it without holy spirit.
But it’s never too late to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life and to ask him to come into your heart, and to ask Jesus to live and sit on the throne of your heart and your life. Who can be saved? Again, I go back to the answer to my first question, anyone that first recognizes that they are a sinner. Paul said he said while we were yet sinners without God in our lives or thoughts, yet he died for us Do you want Jesus to be the Lord of your life? Would you like to have a daily relationship with him? I'm not talking about going to church every Sunday and Wednesday and paying your tithes. I'm talking about a personal, real relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ So that he will walk, lead and guide you. The Word of God or the bible is our manual where we should take our instructions and directions as believers. You remember the saying? What would Jesus do? The Bible tells us how to handle everyday life issues
Why be saved? I could give a religious answer and say so I can go to heaven. Being saved is not just just going to heaven. If that's the case when each person that truly believed Jesus Christ is the Lord and savior, and became a believer, they would just die right then and go straight to heaven. There's more to Salvation than going to Heaven someday in the Sweet By and by. It’s more than saying “I went to church, went down the aisle and sat down in the two chairs in front of the church I gave the pastor my hand, now I'm going to sign up for something to do in the church usher, greeter children's ministry. Now I’m Saved. That is not what salvation means. There's one thing that's missing in the Salvation package that has not been always taught, and that is in addition to being saved is being discpled. Learning about having your mind renewed according to Romans 12. There’s more, being filled with the Holy Spirit, learning how to operate and live in the Kingdom of God here on earth In Mathew 6:33 it reads “seek you first the kingdom of God, his government, his culture his way of doing things and all these other things will be added unto you”. Unfortunately, in some cultures and in some circles, we have only been taught get saved so you don’t go to hell. So, the question is, you tell me to get saved so I don't go to hell, so what am I doing between now and when Jesus comes back? Other than sitting with my hands folded waiting for him to come back, when the scripture clearly tells us that Jesus said to occupy until he comes. When the reality of the Kingdom of God is revealed, this tells us who we really are. We are ambassadors of Christ, we are citizens of heaven; we are to carry out the will of God His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. But a lot of times you don’t hear that. If we’re going to talk about salvation, we need to include the whole package of it meaning. Does it mean that you won’t have issues? Or situations? No! But I can say personally the things I've gone through in my life before I was a Believer and after, if I did not have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, even though sometimes I felt like just giving up and going to heaven right then, if I had not had this relationship with him, I would not have made it. And when you see people who don't have him in their lives, it brings the question “how are they making it? Who is their god? Who are they depending on?”
What’s after salvation? Oh, I’ve been waiting for this question. I tapped into it a little bit ago in regard to the Kingdom of God. If I give my life to the Lord Jesus Christ and I asked him to come in my heart, I may not be in a church building, I may be at home, or in my car. Those two statements alone make religious people nervous. However, wherever I am I repent and ask Jesus into my life, I become a Born-again believer. The next thing that needs to take place is I need to be taught how to live now as a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). As I mentioned earlier our mind our thinking must be transformed. It's the foundation and the basics that I think was missing for me when I first became Born-again I didn't understand why I was still fornicating, and I didn't understand why people were still smoking, or drinking, Gossiping or backbiting. They hadn't had their mind renewed on what the Word of God said about those things and how it can affect our bodies Even in James chapter 3 verse 6 how the tongue is a fiery member. How we must watch what we say. As a new Believer they need to understand about the unseen and unseen realm. They should definitely not be told that life will be a bit of roses comment that everything is going to be great. What it does mean is, when trials and tribulations come, the Word of God gives us the correct prospective and shows us how to look at things differently, but not ignoring them Being filled with the Holy Spirit In John 16:13 it reads “How be it when the spirit of truth comes, He shall lead and guide you into all truth.” This is a gift from God to EVERY Believer. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do what we could not do before Next the evidence of speaking in tongues I mentioned this earlier, ask it for the baptism of the holy spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. I have to be honest; many have gotten the wrong impression regarding this gift. of the Holy Spirit This is our spiritual prayer language, when we pray in tongues the enemy does not understand what we are praying.
In closing, if I knew then what I know now about the salvation, I think I would be further along But God who is rich in mercy Through man, religion and tradition it taught me something different. I speak to people now who experienced the same thing I did who are trying to find their way. And I'm just sharing with them get into that secret place with the Father God, lean into Him Ask Holy Spirit to reveal God’s truth to you, study His Word. There’s one more thing the enemy does not want Believers to know, and that is their dominion and authority in the earth Genesis 1 tells the story *
P.U.S.H.
Pray Until Something Happens
Devotion & Prayer
