Category: Heaven or Hell

HEAVEN?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

 

HEAVEN?

Is heaven real? If so, how does a person get into heaven? And, why should I care?

Put in the simplest of terms, the Bible says heaven is real, although, probably not like what you may think. It is beyond your wildest imagination in glory, and magnificence.  The Bible also tells you of the only way to get into heaven, and I think you should care because the Bible says the only alternative is an eternal torment in a lake of fire, also known as Hell.

Christianity is the only religion that teaches that a person can do nothing to earn or pay his or her way into heaven. Humankind, a slave to the sin nature he was born with, must completely rely on the grace of God in applying Jesus Christ’s sacrifice to the sins of the believer. People are saved by faith in the death and resurrection of Christ. Upon death, the spirits of Christians go to heaven, while the spirits of unbelievers go to a temporary holding place called hell. At the final judgment, unbelievers are separated from God for eternity in the lake of fire. The odd thing about all of this is that you have the power to choose to believe or to reject God’s offer.

I have been a Christian for about 49 years, and during that time, I have been a student of the Bible, to the best of my ability. I have had classroom training on and about the Bible, God and Christianity. I have been, and am now, a Bible teacher, a pastor, and an evangelist. I can quote the scriptures relating to a person’s salvation and heaven.  But being perfectly honest, I know that it is hard to understand WHY ‘confessing your sins with your mouth to Go and saying I that will repent or turn away from your former sinful ways to follow Jesus and His teachings, and asking Him to take up residence within your heart, mind and body, can possibly save your corpse from rotting in a grave and your essence or your soul from perishing after you die.

The Bible says this matter of heaven, hell and salvation is nonsense to those who do not believe, and that you or I must believe in Jesus and His power to forgive us and cleanse us of our sins and of our sinful nature, and to save us from perishing and giving us a home, in heaven, with Him.

Now, please allow me to change the paradigm.

You came into being from nothing. (And, yes, I know the biology. But what came before the sperm and the egg? And, do you really buy the alternative ‘swamp goo’ theory of evolution?)

According to the Bible, you were born with a sin nature. Yes, even that cute little, innocent and harmless baby was born with a sin-nature deep within his or her core. The process after that is far too complicated to discuss, but the outcome can be obvious. You are considered a good person or a bad person, or somewhere in between. Regardless, the Bible teaches that without a supernatural intervention by the God Who created you, you will die, rot and perish. Just like a flower that sprouts, blooms and dies and is soon forgotten. But this is the natural view of this matter.

Spiritually speaking, your spirit (or soul) is given a body at birth and your mind is a blank slate. Your experiences and what you may be taught, then create ideas, feelings, core values, mindsets and attitudes. Over time, those things are expressed in your behaviors and actions. Additionally, all of these things are, or can be, influenced by DNA and genetics. In time, however, you are revealed to be what you have become. Good, bad or in between.

If you have some kind of philosophical view that good and evil don’t exist, this will be especially difficult for you. But even if you think ‘a basically good person’ will get into heaven, then defining what is good becomes problematic, because only God can set that standard. The Bible tells us that “No one is good. No, not even one” (see Romans 3:10-12), and that even your best efforts at ‘being good’, still will not get you into heaven.

So, if you think, given your few years on earth, you know better than the prophets of God and His written Word, perhaps you should ‘get saved’ or have died as an innocent infant so you can think you at least have a chance at heaven. But alas, this is all too subjective, and too confusing to work this out by our shallow reason or our flawed logic.

A natural approach of human logic based on feelings and emotions is futile, so, at this juncture, we are left only with spiritual avenues.

For example: You are who and what you are at any given time. Your destiny, at present, is set by the way you believe and think. The only way to influence or affect your ultimate fate is by non-physical or other-worldly means, i.e., by the Spirit.

We consider the spirit of a man or woman is as the Bible teaches. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for spirit is: רוּחַ. Transliteration: ruach; Phonetic Spelling: (roo’-akh); Definition: breath, wind, spirit.

In the New Testament, the Greek word for spirit is πνεῦμα, ατος, τό; Transliteration: pneuma; Phonetic Spelling: (pnyoo’-mah); Definition: wind, spirit, breath.

The Bible teaches that our physical life springs forth from this spirit. The Hebrew word for our natural body is ‘nephesh’, or flesh, and the Greek word is ‘soma’ or body.

Everything that emanates from the flesh, (our natural body, mind and soul), originates in and comes from the spirit. Our mind, will, emotions (a.k.a. the soul) and our body is determined and sustained by the spirit of our natural life.

After our physical death, our body goes to the grave to dissipate, but the spirit within us, our true essence, lives on for eternity, either in the terror of fire and darkness or in the peaceful presence of God in heaven. These are spiritual matters, first told about by the prophets, and by Jesus Christ, and then recorded by men under the influence and inspiration of God.

We therefore know that it is only when the Spirit of God intervenes and intersects with our spirit, after our natural birth, that our spirit is made alive, giving our essence, (our spirit), a divine-like eternal nature. We are made alive or quickened as the Bible states. This is called ‘being born again’ by the Spirit of God. Jesus said it best, as found in John 3:3, when H said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

So, when Jesus teaches and demonstrates the nature of the Good News, of His New Covenant, His new contract with His creation, which, as the Bible says, “Is written in His Blood”, what He is doing is explaining how one can be “born again to a living and eternal hope”.

He is also warning of the obstacles and pitfalls to obtaining and walking in this new life, and He puts His Message in a form that the human mind can accept and understand. Jesus spoke in the dialect of the ‘nephesh’, the ‘soma’ and of the ‘psuché’, (Hebrew and Greek words from the Bible which describe the natural flesh; a soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotions).

Jesus, as I have previously stated, did not come to start a religion or a denomination. He did not come to put new laws in place to regulate our lives. He came to tell us how to get out of the lost and miserable state we find ourselves and to find our way to God and how to live a meaningful, purposeful life now, and later, how to enter heaven for all eternity. Jesus proved all this by His life, death, His resurrection from the grave and His ascension to heaven.

I would suggest we quit thinking and reasoning with our natural minds. I suggest we stop reading the Bible as some sort of religious artifact; and I suggest we stop living our lives as if religion and going to church is some ritual or practice to ‘fit into’ for our enjoyment until we die. Furthermore, I suggest that we read the Bible as it is written and as it is intended: A love letter written to you for your good and for your salvation!

Finally, please try to grasp the idea that Jesus not only told us of the way, but He has showed us the way. He says we just follow Him, and He will get us to safety!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young.

“God gave His only Son, so that whoever would believe in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life.”

NEWS BRIEF – WHAT THE UNIVERSE IS REALLY MADE OF – plus a few ‘new things’

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

NEWS BRIEF – WHAT THE UNIVERSE IS MADE OF – pluse a few ‘new things’.

“Matter and energy are the two basic components of the entire Universe. An enormous challenge for scientists is that most of the matter in the Universe is invisible. In fact, ninety percent of matter and energy in the Universe that is currently unobservable, and the source of most of the energy is not understood. How then can we study the Universe if we can’t see most of it?

“Astronomer Fritz Zwicky was the first to notice the discrepancy between the amount of visible matter in a cluster of galaxies and the motions of the galaxies themselves. He suggested that there may be invisible matter, or what he called “dark matter”, interacting gravitationally with the visible matter. Later, astronomers noticed similar incongruities when observing nearby spiral galaxies. Modern calculations say dark matter comprises about 27% of the Universe. We don’t yet know what it is, but we are searching for answers.” (excerpt from the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian.)

A not-so-new discovery was made that might still rewrite the scientific textbook. This new discovery transcends all the current theories of matter, space and time. It is a creative force which is so mysterious that the name given it is ‘Ho Logos’ which translates from the Greek language as, “The Word”. I say this is a not-so-new discovery because it is spoken of in ancient Hebrew and Greek Aramaic texts. But in the last century it has been regarded as a mere religious metaphor and is now overlooked by the scientific community.

IMAGINE and BELIEVE

There is mounting evidence, however, that before the earth, the stars or any of the cosmos existed, that is to say, “from the beginning of time”, there was only Ho Logos or The Word. Oddly enough, there is extensive mention of this ‘creative force’ found in ancient writings dated around 1440 B.C.,  about 3,400 years ago. Perhaps had this phenomenon been given a strange or mystical name it would have garnered more scientific attention. However, since science and religion have been drifting apart they are now set at odds, and the ‘new discovery’ is left out of the new age of science.

Information found in the Bible further explains that The Word was with God, and in fact that The Word was God and in later texts, that The Word “became flesh and took on human form and dwelt among humankind”.

Since The Word cannot be seen or measured it has become unacceptable to the atheistic scientific community. Oddly enough, however, these same scientists are eager and willing pursue many other things which they cannot see, cannot measure and cannot prove exists (dark matter and the idea of parallel universes, as prime examples).

METAPHOR or MYSTERY

The Bible, which is a written record of The Word, instructs us that it is actually ‘God breathed and God inspired”. And that the “Breathed Word of God” contains all the mysteries of life, death and eternity, and is without any error, is infallible and is mysteriously literal beyond our comprehension.

The evidence that The Word exists is found in the creation of the heavens and the earth. There are countless first hand eye witnesses and crowds of thousands who pursued The Word in the form of a man, who is named Jesus. The most convincing is the fact of the changed lives of those who believe, pursue and embrace The Word.

The Bible informs us that “The Word of God” is living and active and full of power making it operative, energizing, and effective. And that it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit, the completeness of a person, and of both joints and marrow, that is, the deepest parts of our nature, exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

The Bible tells us that God’s Thoughts and Ways are too high for us to understand.  So, imagine if you can, that God, knowing this, made His Thoughts, His Ways and His Word into Flesh – into the person of Jesus.  And it is by the incarnation of Jesus that God made His Thoughts, His Ways and His Word visible, intelligible and observable to all of humankind – that is, all who would believe on Him, who would watch and listen and learn. So, what we have is an invisible God, who cannot be measured by any scientific means but is evidenced by matter, time, space and the creation and existence of life.

The Bible is clear in pointing out that The Incarnate Word (Jesus) is the exact representation of God the Father, and that once you have seen Jesus (The Word) you have seen the Father (God)!

NOW YOU CAN KNOW

Therefore, when Jesus speaks, His Words also, are too deep for our natural mind to gain a complete understanding. So, Jesus not only speaks the Word but He demonstrates the Word of God by His works so we can see and understand. He is the Living Word of God,

It is at this point that you or any believer in Christ (or any seeker) must make the greatest of all  decisions: Will you choose to believe Him – and believe Him completely? Or will you choose the fantasies of your own imagination? Or perhaps believe and an ever changing science of theories.

If you choose to pursue the idea and existence of The Word (God), there will be things said by Jesus and recorded in the Bible that you and I may not immediately understand. And, there may be things you and I will read or hear that you will understand at a later time; and then, there will be some things you and I will never fully understand – at least not while we are on this earth.

Regardless, in order to know about this mysterious revealed Word, it is necessary that you believe that He Is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him or your efforts will be in vain. You must believe in order to see, hear and experience The Word. You must believe in order to know and understand.

DID HE REALLY?

Just as importantly, we must come to understand that The Word, through the person of Jesus, always said exactly what He meant and meant exactly what He said. There are no errors and there are no subtleties. There may be statements He makes which will seem strange or even impossible to the natural mind, but that only means that you do not yet understand. (As C.S. Lewis put it, you should simply put those things aside which you cannot presently understand for the time being and proceed with what God has revealed to you, those things you do understand. You can return to other matters later.)

IT IS BY FAITH THAT WE UNDERSTAND

This is where the great mystery of ‘faith’ comes to the fore. Hebrews 11:1-2, reveals that “Now faith is the (substantial) certainty of things (anticipated) hoped for, and the proof (positive) of things not (yet) seen. For by it the people of old gained approval. By faith we understand…”

Was it just a metaphor when Jesus explained to His disciples that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” In other words, not only is the unseen power real, it is available to you,

THE MYSTERY DEEPENS

Carl Sagan (1934-1996) was a popular and influential American astronomer and science writer. He was controversial in scientific, political, and religious circles for his views on extraterrestrial intelligence, nuclear weapons, and religion. He was well known for saying “we are all made of star stuff”, and for using language of the Bible to form metaphors suggesting there is no “higher power”, no God of creation – he vehemently denied the idea of Ho Logos. His ‘truth’ was based on theories of the observable universe promulgated from ideas from the ‘unseen’. Yet when it came to that which has come from the unseen realm and has been proven as visible and commanded and defied the very elements of nature, that is the person of Jesus Christ, Ho Logos, Sagan would smugly and arrogantly dismiss the reality of ‘The Word made flesh’.

The Bible records and explains in great detail (particularly if one is willing to study the Hebrew wording) in Genesis chapter 2, that God created man and woman from the dust of the ground.

In the vein that we are all made of ‘star stuff’, a powerful message to all who would believe is found in the New Testament book of John.

We have been created, not simply as a random or a coincidence of luck and timing, but as sentient beings, in the image of The Creator (Ho Logos) with the potential to be indwelt by, inhabited by Ho Logos – The Word.

Furthermore, we are not made to remain in this state of decaying ‘star stuff’, but just like Ho Logos and the cosmos which He created, we are made to exist for an eternity. The only thing left of be decided is ‘where and how we shall exist eternally’. The power of choice given to us by The Word:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18)

 Finally, we are not left with just theories or conjecture.  Jesus – The Word, uses this message coded in a metaphor, in order to give us specific instruction and insight about the process of our physical and spiritual development.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away;

and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

Remain in Me, and I in you. (Because) Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 

I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

We are not cosmic accidents nor are we the result of evolutionary incredibly good luck. We have been created on purpose and with a purpose. The only caveat is that you hold the key and the power of choice.

By your choice you will find your place in the presence of the Great Designer, the Grand Creator and The Word – Our God. Or, you will endure an eternity in an outer darkness, where there is ‘wailing and gnashing of teeth’, alone, with the rest of the ‘star stuff’.

Please choose wisely.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

GOING TO HELL? It may be easier than you think

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

GOING TO HELL?

(It May Be Easier Than You Think)

The preachers said, “Everybody close your eyes. Nobody looking around. If you want to be saved today, just raise up your hand and put it right back down. I see that hand. I see that hand too. Anyone else? (after a short pause). Okay, pray this prayer after me, ‘I am a sinner. I confess my sins and turn away from them. I will follow Jesus and obey Him from this day forward. Amen’. Congratulations, you are now part of the family of God. Pick up some free literature we have for you and meet me up here for a few minutes so we can talk.”

How could it be easier?

I heard a well-known and beloved pastor speak on being ‘saved by grace through faith in Christ’. He used the example of the thief on the cross, next to Jesus at His crucifixion. He mocked the idea that anyone need to know anything more than Jesus to be saved. But he neglected to emphasize the difficult conditions for the thief that brought him to his spiritual senses. He was at death’s door, hanging publicly on a crucifixion cross. It is true that he could have chosen to die and perish. But his circumstances were a world away from sitting in the comfortable church pew. He was clear in his mind that he was face-to-face with eternity as he made his choice. The fact that others saw him publicly make his choice meant nothing to him. His life and eternity were on the line.

It is absolutely true that one is ‘saved by God’s Grace through their faith in Jesus’, but the road to that truth, to that reality, is often paved with difficulties of trials and great tribulation. And the cost was, is and continues to be a supreme factor.

Jesus, the Son of God, God Himself, gave up His life so you could live free from the effects of sin, condemnation and shame.

The price of this salvation is that you surrender your life to Jesus, in return – no matter how shattered or how secure your life is, you must surrender all you know, all you have and all that you are to enter into this most sacred covenantal relationship with God – and to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

You must follow and obey Him, reaching and teaching others to do the same.

It can be a little more difficult to see your own mortality and the urgency of preparing for an eternity when you are sitting in a safe, comfortable church than having been tortured and left hanging on a pole, to die. And it is made even more questionable when the pastor urges you to ‘keep it a secret’.

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

The Bible says, “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART” – that is, the word [the message, the basis] of faith which we preach– because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous–being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.

“For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED [in his expectations].” For there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile; for the same Lord is Lord over all [of us], and [He is] abounding in riches (blessings) for all who call on Him [in faith and prayer]. For “WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD [in prayer] WILL BE SAVED.”

Notice in each of the Biblical examples of salvation, all were public in nature; all were in difficult circumstances; each admitted their inability to save themselves; they repented of their current life and confessed and believed in Jesus.

  1. The salvation of Zacchaeus

Jesus Christ entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man called Zacchaeus. He was a rich chief tax collector. And he wanted to see who Jesus was, but because of the crowd, he could not, for he was small in stature. So, Zacchaeus ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree (very public) to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So, he hurriedly came down and received him with joy. And when the Jews saw it, they all grumbled (gladly endured or ignored ridicule), “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to Jesus, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” (repented of his former life and paid a price) And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)

  1. The salvation of the criminal on the cross

Two others, who were criminals, were led away (faced with the reality of death and eternity) to be put to death with Jesus. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there the Roman soldiers crucified Him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. One of the criminals who were on the cross railed at Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him and said, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; (confessed his sins, publicly) but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he also added, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom (called on Jesus).” And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:32-43)

  1. The salvation of the jailor

While in prison, about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, such that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself (The jailer came face-to-face with his fate), supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (The jailer made his choice of either death or of life)” And they answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of God to him and to all who were in his house. And he took Paul and Silas the same hour of the night and washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and gave them food. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. (Acts 16:25-34)

  1. The salvation of Sergius Paulus

So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Paul went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they preached God’s word in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet called Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who invited Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas (Bar-Jesus) the magician opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said to him, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking someone to lead him by the hand.(he paid a price; made a choice) Then the proconsul believed in Jesus, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the word of God. (Acts 13:4-12)

  1. The salvation of Saul of Tarsus (Paul)

Saul was a Judaizer who was hell-bent on persecuting the disciples of Jesus Christ. His passion was to keep the Mosaic law and make sure no other way of worship contends with it.

“Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord [and relentless in his search for believers], went to the high priest, and he asked for letters [of authority] from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any men or women there belonging to the Way [believers, followers of Jesus the Messiah], men and women alike, he could arrest them and bring them bound [with chains] to Jerusalem.

As he traveled he approached Damascus (Very Public), and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him [displaying the glory and majesty of Christ]; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice [from heaven] saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting and oppressing Me?” And Saul said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men who were traveling with him [were terrified and] stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, but though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; (Saul paid a price) so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was unable to see for three days, and he neither ate nor drank.

Now in Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he answered, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul; for he is praying [there], and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him, so that he may regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, especially how much suffering and evil he has brought on Your saints (God’s people) at Jerusalem; and here [in Damascus] he has authority from the high priests to put in chains all who call on Your name [confessing You as Savior].”

But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a [deliberately] chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will make clear to him how much he must suffer and endure for My name’s sake.” So, Ananias left and entered the house, and he laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came [to Damascus], has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit [in order to proclaim Christ to both Jews and Gentiles]. (Saul repented of his old life) ” Immediately something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized; and he took some food and was strengthened.

Your experience may differ, you may escape the torture of a criminal’s crucifixion, the ignominy of climbing a tree in public to see Christ, or being struck blind by the Light of God, but the cost of such a great salvation is always the same:

Being saved is a public covenant with God.

Being saved requires coming to grips with sins and your mortality.

Being saved requires forsaking your old life and humble submission to God through faith in Jesus.

Being saved requires you confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, publicly.

Being saved requires that you follow Jesus in humble obedience.

(‘Slipping you hand up and right back down’ in secret, probably won’t get it done.)

Nothing in life or death which is cheap or easy carries any lasting value. And, there is nothing easy or cheap our God’s grace and offer of freedom through salvation which comes from your faith in Jesus’ Work on the cross, on your behalf.

God’s Salvation is the greatest Gift of all times. It is of inestimable value – and it is free to all who will accept it.

Let’s pray for one another as we go, and make disciples in Jesus Name, teaching them to do all He has taught us, and baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – AMEN!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

More reading: How Can I Get Into Heaven? “Drive-through salvation and spiritual fast foods won’t work!”