Message From The Pastor
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I Have a Question
If you were to die today, do you know
where you would go?
I remember asking one man this question. He replied,
"They would probably bury me up on the hill."
He was
referring to Belleview Cemetery here in Larimore. He was
talking about his body; I was talking about his
soul.
When I ask this question, I receive a variety of answers.
"I
don't have the foggiest." "I don't know
and I don't want to
know." "I think I would probably go to
Heaven." "I'm going to
Hell, no doubt." "I definitely know I
would go to Heaven."
"Neither place, I'll come back as somebody
else when I die."
To those of you who don't know, I would ask, "Would you
like to know?" To those of you who say you are going to
Heaven, may I ask, "How do you know?" The
Bible says we
are to be ready to give an answer of the hope we have (I
Peter 3:15). Knowing you have eternal life is like knowing
you're married. No one could persuade me to doubt the fact
that I'm married. If you have eternal life, no one should be
able to persuade you to doubt it. I John 5:13 says, "These
things have I written unto you that believe on the name of
the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life...."
For you to be saved the Bible way, you must first see
yourself as a sinner and be sorry for
your sin. "For all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23.
Second, you must repent. "...except ye repent, ye
shall all
likewise perish." Luke 13:3 When you are really
sorry for
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your sin, your sorrow will make you want to
repent.
"[G]odly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation"
II
Corinthians 7:10.
Repentance is changing your mind about
your sin and being willing to turn from
it. Third, you must ask,
in faith, for Jesus Christ to
forgive your sin and save you.
"For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved." Romans 10:13 You may be hoping that infant bap-
tism, catechism, confirmation, communion, faithful church
attendance, praying and reading the Bible will somehow help
you get to Heaven. My friend, I must be honest with you and
tell you that God is not impressed with
your righteous deeds.
Isaiah 64:6 says, "...all our righteousness are as filthy
rags;"
Titus 3:5 says, "Not by works of righteousness which we
have done, but according to [H]is mercy [H]e saved us,"
Let's go back to our original question. If you were
to die
today, do you know where you would go? That is a ques-
tion every person must answer before they enter into eter-
nity. Seeking the answer is not something that should be put
off. The Bible has the answer, my friend, to this most impor-
tant question. If you would desire more information about
Biblical salvation, we would like to help you find the
answers. That is the purpose for our sharing these thoughts
and questions with you. New Testament Baptist Church is
very concerned about where you will spend eternity.
Sincerely, Pastor Ken
Shaffer
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Facts About Bible Salvation
1. THE BIBLE SAYS ALL ARE SINNERS
"For all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is
death;" Romans 6:23
2. YOU CANNOT EARN SALVATION BY RELIGIOUS WORKS
"Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to [H]is mercy [H]e saved
us," Titus 3:5
3. THE MEANS OF RECEIVING GRACE IS NOT FAITH IN BAPTISM NOR COMMUNION BUT
FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST
"By whom [Jesus
Christ] also we have access by faith [the
means] into this grace wherein we stand,"
Romans 5:2
"For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift
of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Ephesians 2:8,9
4. YOU MUST BE WILLING TO REPENT BEFORE YOU CAN BE SAVED
"[E]xcept ye repent, ye
shall all likewise perish." Luke 13:3
"Repent ye therefore, and be
converted, that your sins may be blotted out," Acts 3:19
5. YOU CAN KNOW IN THIS LIFE THAT YOU WILL GO TO HEAVEN
"For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13
"These things have I written
unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye
have eternal life," I John 5:13
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