God commands everyone to repent . Please, obey God. It is for your own good. “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:29-30)
Do you know God ?
The living God created everything for His own pleasure and therefore owns everything (1 Chron 29: 11; Ps 50:10; Ezek 18:4; Rev 4:11). He holds power over everything in heaven and on earth (Jer. 31: 35; Jer. 33:25). He made us for His own glory (Isaiah 43:7). We must live to glorify Him and therefore we need to be in fellowship with Him as our God (1 John 1:3; John 14:23). The living God is holy (Isaiah 6:3; 57:15; 1 Peter 1:15; Rev. 4:8) and thus He is absolutely separated from all that is sinful (Isaiah 59:2; Psalm 24: 3-4; Isaiah 6:3-5). The Bible teaches us that God in His absolute holiness and unfailing mercy has provided a way for us to be saved and to come to a full knowledge of the truth (John 14: 6; 1 Timothy 2:3-6).
Ask yourself this question: “Am I a sinner ?” Answer:_________
When you are in sins and as long as you continue to commit them and repenting continuously, you are a lost sinner (Psalm 14: 1-3; Romans 3:10-18, 23; Isaiah 53:6; Psalm 51:5; 1 Kings 8:46). Your heart is wicked and evil (Jeremiah 17:9-10; Mark 7:20-23; Matthew 7:11). Thus you stand guilty before the righteous judge of all the earth (Romans 3:19) and you are under the wrath and condemnation of a holy God (Romans 1:18; 2: 1-9; John 3:18, 36). As God tells you in His word (1 John 3: 5, 6, 8) you are not His child at all. You need to become His child (John 1: 12-13; John 3:3,5).
As a sinner, what do you Deserve?
Because of your sinful and wicked condition, God has given you up (Romans 1:24:-26) and His anger falls upon you (Col 3:6; Eph 5:6; John 3:36). You deserve the death penalty (Ezekiel 18:4; Genesis 2:17; Romans 1:32; 6:23), which involves not only the death of the body but also eternal separation from God and eternal punishment by God, even there in the lake of fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels (2 Thessalonians 1:8 9; Matthew 25: 41 , 46; Mark 9:42-48; Revelation 20: 11-15; 21:8).
What is the Gospel (Good news)?
Because of His marvelous goodness and mercy, God sent His beloved Son into the world (John 3:17; Matthew 1:21-23; Luke 19:10; 1 Timothy 1:15). The Lord Jesus Christ, who is God (John 1:1; Isaiah 7: 14; 9;6; Micah 5:2; Titus 2:13) and the creator of all things (John 1:13; Colossians 1: 13-16), died on the cross in the place of us all, as our Substitute. He thus paid the death penalty for us (Isaiah 53; Romans 5:6-8; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5: 21; Galatians 1:4; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18; 1 John 2;2; 3: 16; 4: 10). He also rose again from the dead as proof that God the Father was pleased and satisfied that the death penalty was paid in full by His Son (1 Corinthians 15: 4-20; Romans 4:25). He demonstrated that He (Jesus Christ) was and is all that He claimed to be (Romans 1:4). He rose from death, conquering it and is now alive and living in the believer through the Spirit (John 14: 18, 23; John 17: 23,26) so that He could help us get the victory over sin too as He did when he lived flesh.
What must I do To Be saved?
In view of who Christ is and what He has done for me on the cross, I am sorry for sinning against the great God. I repent of all my sins and completely detest them. I fully and solemnly decide that I will never go back again to them. I now believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31; John 3: 16, 18, 36). I accept Christ (John 6:35-37) and receive Him as my personal savior and Lord (John 1:12; Romans 6:23), realizing and believing the following facts:
- The Lord Jesus is the only savior (Acts 4:12; John 10:9; 14:6). There is no salvation apart from Him.
- The Lord Jesus died and rose again for my salvation (1 Thessalonians 4:14; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 10:9).
- The Lord Jesus is able to save me (Hebrews 7:25; Isaiah 59:1; Matthew 19: 24-26).
- The Lord is willing to save me (John 6:37; compare 1 Timothy 2:24).
- The Lord Jesus will save me if I trust Him and Him alone as my Savior and accept Him to be my Lord (John 3:16).
I must also realize that I cannot be saved ….. by good works (Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:9; Titus 3:5)….nor by trying to keep the law (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16; James 2:10)….nor by water baptism (Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 16:31)….. nor by repeating a prayer after any person be he a preacher or not; nor by confessing my sins to a person whether he is a priest or any kind of a preacher or even a group of people.
I can only be saved by the grace and mercy of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:4-9 and Titus 3:4-7). Faith is resting my all upon Jesus Christ (who He is, what He has done and what He has said).
An exhortation to salvation.
Dear One, if you feel you are lost and would like to be reconciled with God through salvation, there is help for you. God is waiting for you with open hands and will never turn down a sincere person who wants to be His child. If you feel sorry for ever having wronged God and His people, it is the Holy Ghost speaking to your heart because God loves you. The Holy Ghost is putting the love for God in your heart and you should accept His offer while it lasts.
- Be sorry for all your sins against God and man (2 Cor 7:10)
- Confess all your sins directly to God (Matt 3:6; Luke 18:13)
- Determine never to commit sins against God and man willingly again as long as you live (Romans 6:12-13) and promise God solemnly that, with His help (John 15:5, Mark 9:24; Romans 8:26), You will never sin again (John 5:14; John 8:11).
- Forgive everyone you know has wronged you and be ready to ask for forgiveness from all you have ever wronged (Matt 6:12; Mark 11:25-26) while you stand ready to do restitution (Luke 19:8; Ezek 33:15-16).
- Believe that Jesus died on the cross instead of you because God loves you and sent Him to die for you (John 3:16-18).
- Pray God to forgive you all the sins you have ever committed because Jesus paid for your sins with His blood (Luke 18:13:14, Romans 10:13) pray until you hear God talking forgiveness to your heart, for you and Him only are the ones who must commune with each other until God sends assurance in your heart that He has forgiven you all the sins you ever committed (Romans 8:16).
- Believe that God has forgiven you and submit to Jesus to rule over your life from that moment onwards (Romans 10:9-11). You must from this moment never want to commit sin any more (John 5:14; John 8:11; 1 John 3:5-10). Your desire from now onwards should be to serve God and please Him.
- Give yourself completely to God, with everything you have and will ever have, and then pray Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit (Rom. 12:1-2; Luke 11:13). Pray until you are sure that God’s Spirit has moved into you, taking over every part of you and all your possessions. Yes, cling to God in prayer like Jacob held the angel and would not let him go until he was blessed (Gen. 32:26-29). You must realize that a newly saved person is only a babe in Christ (1 Cor. 3:1) and must act as such in spiritual things. There will be a tendency to be pulled down towards sin and if this tendency is not overcome, the young believer will actually commit sin. The only way to overcome this is to consecrate to God to be filled with the Holy Ghost who will give the believer the needed power to overcome whenever His help is sought and humbly received.
- Be baptized (Rom.6:3-11) in obedience to His command (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 10:48; 2:38) and as a public testimony of your new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-17; Galatians 2:20).
- From then onwards, live only as the Holy Spirit and the Word of God say to you. Read the Bible every day and do the will of God every day, praying to God, worshipping Him, thanking, and praising Him always for His goodness to you (2 Tim 2:15; Col 3:15-17; 1 Cor 10:31).
- As you continue living for God daily and lovingly worshipping Him truly without willingly sinning, you will become taught of the Holy Ghost (John 14:26; John 16:7-14).
- Do not do anything or think anything which you know is not the will of God (Rom 8:13-14; John 15:4-5).
How can I know that I am saved?
I know for sure that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18) and Jesus Christ is ever faithful (Hebrews 13:8). He has told me to repent and get converted and that my sins would be blotted out (Acts 3:19). So I do confidently and joyfully claim and rest upon this word of His: THAT MY SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN ME. I also stand on His other promises: (Matt 11:28; John 1:12; 3:16; 3:36; 5:24;6:35;6:37; 6:47; 10:9; 11:25; Acts 10:43; 16:31; Romans 10:9; 10:13; 1 John 5:11-12). And because the risen Christ, through the Holy Ghost, has come to live in me (John 14:18,23; 1 Cor. 3:16-18), He gives me power to live without committing sin because I lean on Him always (John 15:5; Acts 1:18 Phil 2:13). He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him (2 Tim 1:12). Since He (Christ) is not the minister of sin(Gal 2:17, 1 John 3:6), He enables me to live without sinning (John 5:14; 1 John 3:8-10; Hebrews 12:14; 1 John 3:8-10; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15 -16; Matt 5:48). By this power to live without committing sin I know for sure I am a child of God (1 John 3:9). By the witness of the Holy Ghost with my spirit that I am a child of God (Romans 8:16) I am very sure I am saved. There is no doubt in me that I am saved. I know so. Glory to God. The living Jesus who came to live in me works in me to do His will (Phil 2:13; John 15:5). Through Him, I can do all the holy things of God (Gal 2:20). Amen.
What must I do now that I am Saved?
Now that I am a believer in Christ it is my responsibility to grow and to keep on growing in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).To be a healthy, growing believer I must:
- Feed upon God’s word by reading my Bible daily (1 Peter 2:2; Matthew 4:4; Psalm 119:97; 2 Tim 2:15; 1 Tim 4:13).
(a) Seek the will of God (His commandments) always and obey Him every time I know His will for me:
(i) In my actions —-living, dress, entertainment, leisure:
(John 14:23; 1 John 3:22; 1 Cor 10:31; Col 3:17).
(ii) In my words (1 Peter 4:11; Eph 4:29; Eph 5:4).
- In my thoughts (Phil 4:8; Romans 14:17-18; Col 3:15-16).
(b) Seek to know the commandments of God for me at home and live to obey those commandments:
(i) As a husband, wife, child, servant.
(ii) Seek to know the command of God for me in the church and obey.
(iii) Seek to know the command of God for me in the society I live in (my neighborhood) and obey.
(iv) Seek to know the will of God for me for my country and obey.
- Come before God daily to thank, worship and praise Him daily (Hebrews 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Luke 18:1).
- Faithfully attend the meetings and services of the saved Saints who live as God’s church here on earth, knowing and believing that God has only ONE CHURCH —–only those truly saved and who only go by His name and Spirit (Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:25).
- Confess Christ before others (Ps 107:2; Matt 10:32; Rom. 10:9-10). I will be glad to own him as my Savior!
- Be a faithful witness, pointing clearly to Christ by all actions and by all words I speak (Acts 1:8; Isaiah 43:10-12). I need to draw all attention to Christ by the way I live and by the things that I say (Philippians 2:15-16; Colossians 3:17; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 Peter 3:15; Colossians 4:5-6; Romans 13;14).
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PLEASE, NOTE: If you need help at any time about your salvation, please, contact the Pastor, church of God [Saints in Light], P.O. Box 2785-60100, Embu, Kenya. Email:churchofgodtruth@yahoo.com; Website:thechurchofgodglorious.wordpress.com. You may alternatively pay us a visit at the church premises on worship days. We are located at Mufu Market place, adjacent to the Dispensary. We are CHURCH OF GOD.
CHURCH OF GOD IN KENYA . 