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Thursday, June 2, 2011

free gift of salvation

If you had accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of your life:
1.Pray and read the Bible everyday so that you will know what the bible teaches.
2. Find a church where you can worship and have fellowship and be baptized.
3. Tell others about Christ

If you had accepted Jesus Christ after reading this tract, we would like to hear from you. It will be a great encouragement to us to hear you had been saved. Please email at marlongumoloc@yahoo.com

Bridge To Life "Plan of Salvation"

Let me share with you this illustration from the Bible on God's plan for our salvation.
Don't you know that we are created by God for a purpose? He created us for His own glory. He created us not to die but to live in fellowship with Him. Let us remember that Adam and Eve were able to talk to God face to face and they walk together with God in the garden of Eden. It is one proof that the original intention of God in His creations is to be with Him. Men were created according to His image as the Bible declares in the book of Genesis.
In the first illustration, we can see that there is a personal and intimate relationship between man and God. But because of SIN we have been separated from God. According to Isaiah 59:2, "But your inequities have separated you from your God and your sins have hidden His face so that He will not hear from you." It is our sin that separates us from God. The question is "Who have sinned?" Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." There are no excuse. Wether poor or rich, Jews or Gentiles, all have sinned. That means all have been separated from God and that is what we call DEATH. Not that we have only sinned. Sin has always a corresponding punishment. Romans 6:23 says. "But the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Death means separation. Physical death means separation of body and soul. Spiritual death means separation of man from God. Many people are physically alive as you,ve seen them but they are spiritually dead. They have no personal relationship with God. The Bible declares in Hebrews 9:27, "Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgement." Judgement is certain. We will be judge by the Heavenly Father as to where we should go. Wether in heaven for those who have repented their sins and have been forgiven or in hell for those unforgiven. The consciousness of man for God and it's desperation to be back with God leads him to find his own way for it. One of these is by doing GOOD WORKS. But Isaiah 64:6 declares, "All of us have become one who is unclean and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. We all shrivel like a leaf and like the wind, our sins sweep us away." Also Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly emphasized this, "For by GRACE we have been save through faith. And these not from yourselves. It is a GIFT of GOD not by WORKS so that no one can boast. Some uses GOOD MORALS but Romans 3:10 declares, "As it is written, 'No one is righteous, not even one.'" Some uses education or gaining more knowledge of the scripture but we are not only taught to study and memorize it but to obey what it says. But we fail because of the deceitfulness of the heart of man. Even the 10 commandments which are only the fundamental laws of God, we fail to obey. And many religions claim that only their religion can save which truly contradicts the word of God in Acts 4:12, "Salvation is found in no one else for there is no ther name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Nothing in man can save himself. Many have asked, "Who among us will be sent to hell?" Revelations 21:8 clearly says, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the fierry lake of burning sulfur, which is the second death." If we look on the Bible of God's standards of righteousness, we will be found guilty in all of these. We are helpless in our situation. We are worthy to be thrown into hell which was prepared by God primarily for satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41) and suffer the justice of God.
But God is love. He declares in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eterna life." Because of His great love that He gave us a way towards Him, His son Jesus Christ. As He declares "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Jesus alone can save us and no other. Many people asked why? It is because He is God Himself. Mark 1:1 says, "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ the Son of God." He is the Son of God and that only means that He is a God, and He came to us as human to bring us to His Father. He is 100% man and 100% God and is called in theology as the very man and the very God. He is the perfect saviour. He did many wonders on earth. He turns water into wine. He heals the sick. But the healing of the body does not guarantee the healing of the soul. He needs to do more than that. He needs to suffer and die on our behalf. And 1Peter 3:18 says "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the spirit." No one died for our sins except Jesus. Not only that He died but He rose again to give us hope and to show us that He is able to give us a new life in Him. 1Corinthians 15:3-4 says, "For what I recieved I passed on to you as of first importance. That Christ died for sins according to the scripture, that He was buried, and on the third day He rose again according to the scripture." Nobody have fulfilled all these except Jesus Christ alone. 
It has been done. We are already saved. But not all are saved. Why? The Bible declares in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is gy GRACE we have been saved through faith. And these not from yourselves. it is a GIFT of God, not by works so that no one can boast. He is a gift that needs to be recieved. But how? John 5:24 says, "I tell you the truth, 'Whoever HEARS my word and BELIEVES Him who sent me 1. has eternal life, 2. he will not be condemned, 3. he has crossed over from death to life. You only have to HEAR and BELIEVE in your heart that He alone can save you and no one else, that He died and have resurrected for you. Believe and thrust in Him. Salvation means falling upon Christ. All we have to do is fall upon Him. Embrace the reality that we cannot save ourselves but through Christ alone who has been able to please His Father. He has always been waiting for us to come to Him.
Will you come to Him? The Heavenly Father is waiting with readiness to embrace and welcome you into His Kingdom. Today is the day. Make a decision to follow Christ. If you are ready, say this prayer with all your heart:
Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for I have sinned against You. I  acknowledge that I can do nothing to save myself. Thank You for Your great love that You've sent You Son Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for my sins. Dear Jesus, I invite you to come into my heart and be my Lord and Saviour. Help me and teach me to live in accordance with Your purposes and will. Amen...


If you had accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of your life:

1.Pray and read the Bible everyday so that you will know what the bible teaches.
2. Find a church where you can worship and have fellowship and be baptized.
3. Tell others about Christ

It will be a great encouragement to us to hear you had been saved. Please email at marlongumoloc@yahoo.com




Wednesday, June 1, 2011

God Smiles When We Obey

by Rick Warren

Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.” Genesis 6:22 (NLT)

If God asked you to build a giant boat, do you think you might have a few questions, objections, and reservations? Noah didn’t. He obeyed God wholeheartedly and built a huge boat even though the world had never seen rain.

Obedience means doing whatever God asks without reservation or hesitation. You don’t procrastinate and say, “I’ll pray about it.” You do it without delay. Every parent knows that delayed obedience is really disobedience.

Often we try to offer God partial obedience. We want to pick and choose the commands we obey. We make a list of the commands we like and obey those while ignoring the ones we think are unreasonable, difficult, expensive, or unpopular. ‘I’ll attend church but I won’t tithe.’ ‘I’ll read my Bible but I won’t forgive the person who hurt me.’ Yet partial obedience is disobedience.

Wholehearted obedience is done joyfully with enthusiasm. The Bible says, “Obey him gladly” (Psalm 100:2 LB). This is the attitude of David: “Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live I’ll wholeheartedly obey” (Psalm 119:33 LB).

James, speaking to Christians, said, “We please God by what we do and not only by what we believe” (James 2:24 CEV). God’s Word is clear that you can’t earn your salvation. It comes only by grace, not your effort. You can bring pleasure to your heavenly Father through obedience.

Leadership Development, Not Fulfillment

Leaders can't afford to make fools of themselves, gulping wine and swilling beer, lest, hung over, they don't know right from wrong, and the people who depend on them are hurt. Proverbs 31:4-5 (The Message)

Beginning in the late 60s and early 70s, people began talking about "finding themselves," meaning that they were searching for a way to become self-fulfilled. It's like making "happiness" your goal, because self-fulfillment is about feeling good.

But self-development is different. Sure, much of the time it will make you feel good, but that's a by-product, not the goal. Self-development is a higher calling; it is the development of our potential so that we can fulfill the purpose for which we were created. There are times when that's fulfilling, but other times it's not. But no matter how it makes us feel, self-development always has one effect: It draws us toward our destiny. As Rabbi Samuel M. Silver said, "The greatest of all miracles is that we need not be tomorrow what we are today, but we can improve if we make use of the potential implanted in us by God."

Your Road Map for Success

Help Your Children Know God

by Rick Warren
I showed what You are like to those You gave Me from the world. They belonged to You, and You gave them to Me. John 17:6 (NCV)

I must care about my kids enough to show them what God is like and show how they can become like Christ.

The world is full of sons and daughters who desperately need parents who are spiritual leaders. Is it possible your kids are among them? You can become a spiritual leader to your children by developing the characteristics that we see in Jesus as he taught his disciples for three years.

Even if you are not a father, or a mother, you will be able to lead others into the heart of God by following the example of Jesus.

For example, Jesus helped the disciples to know God.

This is your number one responsibility as a parent. You need to help your children get to know God because eternity is in the balance: life or death, heaven or hell. It is your job to help make sure your kids are introduced to God.

Look at what Jesus says: “… they belonged to You.” He’s acknowledging that the disciples belonged to God. And he is reminding us that we don’t ‘own’ our kids. They belong to God. He loaned them to us for a period of time in which He wants you to parent them. Parenting, like all forms of leadership, is really about stewardship. You learn to say, ‘God, I am the steward of these children, whom you put into my care, and I will do what you need me to do to help them achieve their purpose.”

"Come away to a quiet place…” Mark 6:33

About twelve years ago I went to my first writer’s workshop. Because of the distance, I arrived the night before at a nearby convent where rooms were reserved. Arriving early, I found myself alone in a stark, shadowy dormitory formerly used to house novices. As my squeaking footsteps echoed through the empty halls I found myself getting anxious. I was nervous enough about following God’s call to use my writing, and I was trembling inside because of the strange stillness around me.

I remember thinking, “What is wrong with me? Why am I so uncomfortable being alone?”

With a busy home, husband, and homeschooling my three children, I was never alone and, rarely experienced silence. Who really does? We live and breathe in a noisy world; traffic, music, phones, jobs—there is always some kind of commotion around us.
Other than the technology, this is exactly what was going on in Jesus’ world. He and the disciples hardly rested because of the crowds that came to Him. He healed, fed, forgave, comforted, preached, raised, delivered, and fed some more…is it any wonder that Jesus told the disciples to come away to a quiet place? He, Himself valued and needed time in His Father’s presence in order to accomplish what He was sent to do and He was modeling this for the disciples—for they would need His power too.
God desires the same thing of us, to get alone with Him; He has things for us to do and we can’t do them in our own strength; we need His power. We need His direction. All would easily be missed in the everyday din and throng we live in. His “voice” comes in the slightest whisper; it falls like the dew that settles in the quiet of the morning on a quieted, seeking heart.
I have taken time to get away from my normal routine and each time it has reaped huge benefits. I have come back refreshed and able to focus on what God wanted to say through His Word and I have been revived in His presence. I tell myself I have to do this once a year at least, though I admit it has been awhile since the last time.
Well, I am preparing a getaway time with Him soon. As I write this, I am anticipating my time away with the Lord this weekend. My mind is already going there which is a dangerous thing because I need to “be” at work this week. There are so many things on my heart. I have a huge writing project I am working on. I have a decision to make about a ministry step—is it His time yet? I have “packed” so many things in my heart to take along.
Preparing Your Getaway

Are considering your own getaway? It doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some thoughts as you plan:

Choosing a place
Take into consideration your budget when you choose a location; not too far, but just far enough away. Some options include a day trip to a park, waterfront, or other quiet place nearby; a hotel, B&B or other overnight destination; a retreat or conference center which may offer inexpensive accommodation especially during an ongoing event.
Things to contemplate

Is there a prayer item that you have been struggling with?
Are you led to a Scripture and want to meditate on its application in your life?
Are you faced with a decision or need direction?
Is there an area where you need to let go?
Are you getting a glimpse into a ministry you need to pray through?
Are you facing concerns and you need His peace?
Are you restless, sensing a need for change?

Things to bring

A Bible, journal, pen, a teachable and expectant heart (camera or sketch pad optional)

Things to avoid

Cell phones, internet access, email, or any other distractions

As you plan a time alone with Him, I pray you will feel the stir in your heart with the knowledge that He is wooing you there. He has something to whisper in the depth of your soul and is preparing your heart to receive it.

I can hardly wait.

Jeanne Doyon