REMNANT june 2011
Vol. 1 No. 3
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The Christian magazine for the rest of us.
trouble is a messenger Looking at trials as a blessing
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CROSS
soul surfer the inspiring true story of Bethany hamilton
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june 2011
Volume 1
| Number 3
to the
CROSS 15
trouble is a messenger
REGULAR FEATURES 4 QUESTIONS OF JESUS 14 PORTRAIT OF CHRIST 18 THE LAST WORD
Looking at trials as a blessing
REMNANT JOIN THE R EVOLUTION JOHN POWELL Publisher & Art Director john@remnantmagazine.com Find this issue and more at www.remnantmagazine.com
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Dedicated to my sons Brandon and Caleb, to my Mom and mentor, and to
INSPIRE
in whose name I cast this bread upon the water.
Jesus Christ
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IGNITE
EMPOWER
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?
questions of
jesus
Why do you call me Lord and don’t do what I say? (Luke 6:46)
b y john powell
O
ne of the most common, and most dangerous, delusions in the Christian world is that you can accept Jesus as Savior, but you do not have to accept Him as Lord. You don’t have to give up your old lifestyle or habits. You have accepted His forgiveness and you are done. Jesus forever put this myth to rest when He challenged the crowd, “Why do you call me Lord, but don’t do what I say?” We have to understand that Jesus is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all. There is a big difference between knowing who Jesus is, and actually having a relationship with Him. For many people, religion is just following a list of do’s and don’t’s, but they never really have a relationship with Christ. I read a story recently of a woman who was married to an egotistical and harsh husband. Some days, before leaving for work, he would give her a list of things which he wanted done during the day. If she did not complete every task on the list, he would explode in anger at her and beat her. Even if she did complete everything, he would not be satisified or would complain about how she did each task. After enduring his beatings and tirades for many years, her husband passed away. She would later marry a Christian man who loved and cherished her, not for what she done, but just for who she was. One day, she was looking through a box of old records and papers and came across one of the lists from her previous husband. As she
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read it, a sudden realization caused her to weep tears of joy. She was still doing the things on the list. But she was doing them, not because someone was telling her to do them, not because she felt obligation or fear, but just simply because she loved her husband and wanted to please him. This is what is unique about the age of grace. We don’t perform works to get into heaven, we do them because we are going to heaven. Not because we serve a taskmaster, but because we have a loving and merciful Father whom we desire to please. And we are not His slaves, but we are His sons. “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Galatians 4:7 KJV). R
In this series, “Questions of Jesus,” we will take a closer look at some of the questions Jesus asked those who followed Him. Then, and now, He never asks a question He does not already know the answer to. He simply asks to see if we know the answer, and to cause us to look deeper inside ourselves.
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God is calling us to become foolish in order to be wise
to give up everything in o to become weak in order to to come back to the cros
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e; order to get back everything; become strong; ss and die in order that we might live.
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Back
to the
CROSS
IGNITE
by CHIP BROGDEN TheSchoolofChrist.org
In calling us to come back to the Cross, God is asking us to lay down our lives and embrace the wisdom of death, burial, resurrection, and ascension in order to live as sons and daughters within the Kingdom of God.
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For
I determined to not know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. (I Corinthians 2:2)
T
hough Paul had quite a bit of knowledge and many things to say and teach the Corinthians, he determined to become a man of one subject: Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. e must become foolish W in order to be wise. e must give up everything W in order to get back everything. e must become weak W in order to be strong. We must die in order to live. We can quote these teachings of Jesus, seek to imitate Him as our Example, strive to walk the narrow Way, and even accomplish many good deeds in His Name. But apart from the Cross these activities are wood, hay and stubble. The moment we are challenged or confronted by the opposition we will fall away. Perhaps we can appear to be patient, but a day comes when we lose our patience. Perhaps we can appear to be gentle, but a day comes when our roughness is revealed. Perhaps we can appear to be humble, but a day comes when pride is discovered in us and we fall. Perhaps we can obey the letter of the law and appear outwardly to others as being righteous, but when alone and faced with the secrets of our heart and mind we discover that the inside of the cup is full of uncleanness. In calling us to come back to the Cross, God is asking us lay down our lives and embrace the Wisdom of death, burial, resurrection, and ascension in order to live as sons and daughters within the Kingdom of God. Apart from the Cross we can neither enter the Kingdom nor live in the Spirit, no matter how great the desire. For apart from the Cross, we do not know what it is to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile, to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us. Apart from the Cross, we do not know what it is to submit to the will of God, accept suffering, and cast ourselves upon Him. www.remnantmagazine.com
Apart from the Cross, we do not know what Resurrection is. Religion seeks to reform a man; the Cross seeks to crucify him. Religion may fail to bring about the desired result, but the Cross never fails to achieve its end. Mankind will pursue morality, virtue, spirituality, even perform religious works and good deeds, in order to avoid death on a Cross. But there are no wounds, no scars, no evidence of having ever died and been made alive unto God. Either a man has never died, or he has died and been raised again. You cannot fake a resurrection. The Cross is the means by which God reduces us to Christ, that we may be raised to new Life. What cannot be accomplished in a lifetime of self-effort is easily accomplished in God through the Cross. We may take many shortcuts along the way and attempt to escape the inevitable, but the day we cease striving and meekly accept the Cross we find everything is done for us. In fact, death by crucifixion cannot be accomplished by suicide. We cannot crucify ourselves. The instrument of our death is chosen for us, as well as the manner in which it is carried out, the timing and the duration of the execution – all is controlled by Another. There is nothing to be done, for we must submit to the Unseen Hand and cast ourselves completely upon Him. If we will follow Jesus, we must take up the cross daily, deny ourselves, and follow Him (Luke 9:23). The Cross Is Wisdom Through Foolishness “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness (I Cor.1:18a).” There is a wisdom which comes from above. This wisdom is counter to the wisdom which is earthly. Our thoughts, reasonings, arguments, rationales, and opinions are worthless in God’s sight. We are commanded to have the mind of Christ and seek the Wisdom which comes from God. Humanly speaking, the Cross makes no sense. If we approach God with our minds only, we will never know
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Him. If we study the Cross in order to gain a new teaching or doctrine it will make no impression on us. Indeed, we may memorize the appropriate verses of Scripture, even teach others what we have learned, and never experience the reality of it. How easily and freely we may talk about dying to self, taking up the cross, and living the crucified life. But knowledge without experience is nothing. Indeed, knowledge without experience only deceives us into thinking we are living something just because we are able to rehearse a few facts mentally. This counts for nothing in spiritual matters. We must ask God to empty us of our preconceived ideas and notions and fill us instead with His Mind. We must relinquish our wisdom and receive His Wisdom. His Wisdom is how He sees things. How we see things is irrelevant, and will mislead us. His Ways and His Mind are higher than our ways and our mind. The Cross is the means by which God seeks to destroy the earthly wisdom and the carnal mind. The Cross, then, is wisdom through foolishness. The Cross Is Gaining Through Losing In order to accumulate more, we usually think that we must add to that which we have already. The Wisdom of God teaches us that in order to gain, you must first lose. Think of a child who refuses to let go of his old, broken toy in order to receive new ones from his father. To his mind he is losing something. But by letting go, by giving up, he gains. Like the child, we stubbornly refuse to relinquish our grip on our spiritual possessions. We tenaciously cling to things as a child would cling to a collection of broken toys. We collect teachings, experiences, and good deeds, pointing to these as proof that we are spiritually endowed. Until we are willing to part with our “riches” we will not be able to receive the true Riches of Christ in us. The Cross demonstrates that we do not gain by trying to get, but by losing in order to gain. We cannot really receive from God until we have learned to give up unto God. It is the spirit which cries, “Not my will, but Thine be done” and “Father, into Thine Hand I commit my spirit.” These words are easily uttered, but we cannot appreciate them or really experience them until we have been through our Gethsemene experiences and our Golgotha experiences. Until that time we are merely reciting some words, but we do not truly know what it 10 |
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means to give ourselves up to God, to be completely consecrated and submitted to Him. The Cross prepares us to receive by first forcing us to give up. Therefore, the Cross is gaining through losing. The Cross Is Power Through Weakness “God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty (I Cor. 1:27b).” To the natural way of thinking, power and weakness are opposites. That is, in order to have power, we must eliminate weakness. The Wisdom of God teaches us differently. This Wisdom tells us that the weak things are chosen to overcome the mighty things, and power works concurrently with weakness. The Cross is meant to inflict pain, weaken, and slowly kill. It is the ultimate expression of weakness. The victim is stripped naked and nailed to the wood through their hands and feet. Their weight is supported by their legs until they are too tired to stand. When their legs give way their entire weight is supported by their outstretched arms (to speed this process along the legs are sometimes broken). The chest cavity is eventually pulled apart from this stress and the helpless victim slowly dies of suffocation as the lungs collapse. The crucified one can hardly move, much less struggle. Once the nails are in place there is no way to remove them. You carry nothing with you, and have nothing remaining. You can neither speed up nor slow down your death. The shame of your nakedness is open for all to see. Besides the physical suffering, the soul is stripped of its dignity and pride. There is no escape. God desires to give you power, but that power only comes through weakness. Any power not obtained through weakness is illegitimate, no matter how spiritual it appears. The only legitimate power is granted to those who have been made weak. Power is birthed in weakness. Many exude a certain “power”, but there is not the corresponding weakness. Hence, the power only gives them an occasion for boasting. To remedy this, God has ordained that all who would have His power must first be weakened and made empty – we refer to this as being “broken”. The purpose of weakness and suffering is to open the way for His Power. The instrument God uses to weaken us is the Cross. Therefore, the Cross is power through weakness.
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The Cross Is Life Through Death “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me (Gal.2:20a).” There can be no Resurrection Life without a Crucified Death. Naturally we expect that in order to live we must avoid death at all costs. Yet, the Wisdom of God teaches us that Life is found by embracing Death – that is, as we die to ourselves we are made alive unto Christ. There is a principle of death that works in us. When we are born, we begin to age and die. For the one in Christ, physical death is not the end, but the beginning. Likewise, a God-ordained death on the Cross is not the end, but the beginning. The Cross works death in us that the Spirit may work life in us. The Cross kills that which needs to be killed in us, whereas the Spirit gives Life to that which has been killed. The Cross beats and tears down, while the Spirit rebuilds that which has been destroyed. Only those who have experienced Death can truly minister Life and speak to dead men. Now if we have not learned what it is to die daily, we will not experience the life of God daily. In a word, I am dead, yet I am living. I am crucified, yet I am alive. On the one hand I am weakened to the point of death and powerless; on the other hand, I live by the power of God and am strengthened with all might by His Spirit which indwells me. The moment I cease to experience death, however, at that precise moment I cease to experience life, for the cross is life through death. The Aim of God’s Dealings “Verily, verily I say unto thee, when thou wast young, thou girdest thyself and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not (John 21:18).” Though our heart attutude should be childlike, God desires us to be men and women of maturity. He desires us to grow spiritually. In order to accomplish this He allows us to meet with many disagreeable circumstances and trials. When we are young in the Lord we do as we please. We find much pleasure in serving the Lord according to our own thought, and everything is light and gay. We live a life of feeling and sensation. We are easily moved by how we feel. If we are happy we gladly deny ourselves and pour ourselves out in service. But when we are sad or troubled by our circumstances we feel as though we www,remnantmagazine.com
Compassion, by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905)
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have been deserted. The Lord must then reach forth and draw the little sheep back to Himself again, whereupon our feeling is restored and we renew our devotion with the same vigor as before. This is the way of those who are young: they dress themselves and go where they wish. But when we are older in the Lord, the life of faith commences as we stretch forth our hands in surrender and allow Another to dress us and carry us where we do not wish to go. We no longer dress ourselves and go our own way. We no longer walk, but we are carried.
We may no longer consider our own wishes. We may no longer act according to a will of our own apart from God’s will. Instead, we have finally submitted to God’s dealings with us. We recognize at last how we have until now been full of ourselves, speaking many words in addition to what God had given us, and performing many acts apart from the ones that God was calling us to perform. Likewise, we see how often we have failed to speak and act on many occasions because we simply loved ourselves more than we loved God. This transition between a life of feeling and a life of faith, from being self-ruled to being Spirit-ruled, does not happen in a few days. What stands between the experience of the young and the experience of the old? What is it that brings about this maturity? How is this growth achieved? By what means does God accomplish this work of transformation? In speaking to Peter, the Lord is telling him by what death he will die to glorify God (v.19). We know that Peter was eventually crucified upside-down and died a martyr’s death. But, the daily cross of self-denial that Peter bore was the means by which God was able to subdue his wild nature and transform him into a man of faith. His was a living sacrifice. The physical cross upon which he died was a testimony to his having already laid down his life a million times prior to that final act. The death God really seeks in us is not the future laying down of our physical life, but the moment -bymoment laying down of our self. It is not the once-andfor-all martyr’s death but the daily dying and living unto God that brings Him the most glory. In fact, those who have not denied themselves in the seemingly insignificant matters of daily life will find it difficult, if not impossible, to lay down their physical lives should that be required of them. God is calling us to become foolish in order to be wise; to give up everything in order to get back everything; to become weak in order to become strong; to come back to the cross and die that we may live. Today, let us ask God to quicken this to our hearts, and grant that we may become People of the Cross, experiencing the Death of the Lord that we may have the Life of the Lord. Let us determine henceforth to know nothing, but Christ and Him crucified: for the disciple is not above the Master, but the disciple shall be as his Master (Luke 6:40). R
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I Asked God‌ I asked God for strength that I might achieve. I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey. I asked for health that I might do greater things. I was given infirmity that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am, among all men, most richly blessed. —The Prayer of an Unknown Confederate Soldier
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portraits of christ
Rabboni
b y john powell
Mary turned toward him and cried out, Rabboni. (John 20:16)
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ary Magdalene loved Jesus very much. After all, one who is forgiven of much, will love very much (Luke 7:47). This same love brought Mary to the foot of the cross, and again to the tomb on the first day of the week. She found there a sight which chilled her. A stone rolled away. A tomb empty. A corpse missing. At the tomb’s entrance, she wept for her Lord pitifully and pleaded with the Stranger, “They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.” But, at the sound of her name, “Mary,” she realized who was speaking to her. She turned toward Him and cried out, “Rabboni!” This title of Rabboni, the only time used in the Scriptures, is a title of extreme respect, honor and reverence. Similar to Rabbi, it means teacher. Mary, at the tomb, had made the most grand discovery. Jesus had risen! He could have appeared to Pilate. He could have walked into the court of the High Priest. He could have first visited His disciples. He could have rode into Jerusalem in a chariot of fire. No, He had to first appear to Mary, for she was grieving, and she loved Him much.
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Pause, and take another look at Calvary. That’s God on the cross. Those are iron spikes in His hands and feet. And it’s you who put Jesus there. You cannot look upon the scene and walk away unstirred and dry-eyed. Your decision for Christ is not an intellectual exercise, but it is a heart-rending hour of turmoil—a clash of wills. You cannot just sleepily whisper a sinner’s prayer and descend from Calvary poised and cool, and expect your life to be just as it was before you ascended that rugged hill. If you have, then you never really met Him. No one can have a personal encounter with the resurrected Christ without it changing their lives. If you have truly met the Master, you will never be the same. If the candle of your soul has been kindled by the Light, you cannot—will not—hide it under a bushel. Jesus’ mandate to you will be clear, and you will not be able to contain the flood in your heart as it spills over to others, “I have seen the Lord!” R
In this series, “Portraits of Christ,” we will take a closer look at some of the many names of Jesus used throughout the Old and New Testaments.
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trouble is a messenger
Looking at trials as a blessing b y l . b . cowman
For your personal journey Think about trials you have faced during your lifetime. What did you learn? How did God change you during your trial? Part of the learning process involves how you react to times of suffering and hardship, and how others see you react. Did you react with words of faith and praise? or with anger and doubt?
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k INSPIRE
“My Father is the husbandman” (John 15:1).
I
t is comforting to think of trouble, in whatever form it may come to us, as a heavenly messenger, bringing us something from God. In its earthly aspect it may seem hurtful, even destructive; but in its spiritual out-working it yields blessing. Many of the richest blessings which have come down to us from the past are the fruit of sorrow or pain. We should never forget that redemption, the world’s greatest blessing, is the fruit of the world’s greatest sorrow. In every time of sharp pruning, when the knife is deep and the pain is sore, it is an unspeakable comfort to read, “My Father is the husbandman.” Doctor Vincent tells of being in a great hothouse where luscious clusters of grapes were hanging on every side. The owner said, “When my new gardener came, he said he would have nothing to do with these vines unless he could cut them clean down to the stalk; and he did, and we had no grapes for two years, but this is the result.” There is rich suggestiveness in this interpretation of the pruning process, as we apply it to the Christian life. Pruning seems to be destroying the vine, the gardener appears to be cutting it all away; but he looks on into the future and knows that the final outcome will be the enrichment of its life and greater abundance of fruit. R
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it has been said that we can be that we are of no
hea
but, can we also become s that we are o
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ecome so earthly minded
avenly good.
so heavenly minded of no
earthly good?
become worldly minded.
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. —mark 16:15
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last word
what the bible says about…
The
forgiveness Matthew 5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
b y john powell
freedom through There is forgiveness healing in forgiving others He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted...to set at liberty them that are bruised. (Luke 4:18).
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aybe your wound is fresh. Or perhaps it is old. A family member abused you. A spouse was unfaithful to you. A friend betrayed you. A co-worker used you for a stepping stone. Someone you trusted let you down. You are hurting. And you are angry. At life. At people. Perhaps even at God. But not only are you hurting, you are bitter. Part of you wants to cry, but the other part of you wants to fight back. Part of you wants to get over it, but the other part wants to get even. It is no wonder then that the writer of Hebrews penned, “Looking diligently...lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” (Hebrews 12:15). It seems strange, when you think about it, that Jesus said He came to set at liberty them that are bruised. People who are bruised need healing. But freedom? Could it be because many people who have been bruised and broken in heart have become bitter, their minds consumed with anger, trapped in a desire for revenge? This is why Jesus taught, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44). You see, the act of forgiveness is probably more important to the one forgiving, than to the one needing forgiveness. With forgiveness comes freedom. Without forgiveness, bitterness is all that is left. R
EMPOWER
Matthew 18: 21-22, 35 Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times? Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven!… So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses. Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Romans 12:20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Luke 6:35-36 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Proverbs 17:9 He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends. Proverb 20:22 Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
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What must I do
to be saved?
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his is the most important question in human existence and one whose answer is clearly outlined in scripture. In order to be saved we must first realize our true state of sinfulness before God and know that He alone can save us, cleanse us, and give us eternal life. Scripture tells us that Jesus is the only way and we can not have access to God through any other means. In fact, in John 14:6, Jesus plainly stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” God loves you! God loves you so much that he made a way for you, through the shed blood of his son so that you might be able to spend eternity with Him. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life” (John. 3:16). Man is a sinner, and sin has separated him from God! You may think you are a good person but being good is not enough! Every man has sinned and there is none that is righteous before God! “For there is not a just man upon Earth, that doeth good and sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). “For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Jesus Christ is the only remedy for sin! Jesus Christ is the only remedy for sin. We can not be good enough to get into heaven, nor can our good works get us there. There was no other way for God to erase the effect of sin except by blood. The shedding of Christ’s blood indicated that the penalty for sin had been paid; a perfect sinless life had been sacrificed for the lives of all who have sinned. “. . .Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22) “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God . . .” (I Peter 3:18).
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“Neither is there Salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). You must receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior To be saved, a man must confess that Jesus is Lord, while acknowledging in his heart that Christ must have full rule over his life. This confession of Christ as Lord assumes that it is Christ who will work and fulfill His own righteousness within man, as man is unable to attain righteousness of his own accord. Jesus calls this experience the “new birth.” He told Nicodemus: “. . . Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3). We invite you now to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name” (John 1:12). Pray this prayer and mean it with all your heart Dear Lord Jesus, I realize that I am a sinner and have broken your laws. I understand that my sin has separated me from you. I am sorry and I ask you to forgive me. I accept the fact that your son Jesus Christ died for me, was resurrected, and is alive today and hears my prayers. I now open my heart’s door and invite Jesus in to become my Lord and my Saviour. I give Him control and ask that He would rule and reign in my heart so that His perfect will would be accomplished in my life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Congratulations! If you prayed this prayer in all sincerity, you are now a Child of God. However there are a few things that you need to do to follow up on your commitment. 1. Get baptized ( full immersion) in water as commanded by Christ 2. Tell someone else about your new faith in Christ (including us!) 3. Spend time with God each day through prayer and Bible reading 4. Seek fellowship with other followers of Jesus.
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I n L ov i n g M e m o ry
David Wilkerson 19 3 1 - 2 0 1 1
www.tscnyc.org www.worldchallenge.org