Suzy B Software 2/Suzy B Software CD-ROM 2 (1994).iso/christin/gosplads/at_c.txt

Text File | 1995-05-02 | 19KB | 458 lines

                              [3rd file of 5, ARROWS]

          "I CAN'T HOLD OUT"

     Have you ever held back on doing something new
because other people were watching you and you were afraid
you would flub it?  Some people are afraid to try skiing on
snow or water, afraid to ride a motorcycle or even a
bicycle, afraid even to try cooking a new dish, because
they are afraid someone will point and snicker.

     Tragically, some put off receiving Jesus Christ as
Lord and Savior because they think, "I can't hold out."
They see that the Christian life is challenging and
demanding, and they recognize that they don't have the
strength to do it on their own.  These people are RIGHT.
They CAN'T hold out in their own strength.

     But the Lord Jesus Christ CAN HOLD OUT, and He WILL,
for all who put their trust in Him.  Jesus Christ Himself
will exert His own world-creating and universe-maintaining
power for each believer in Him.  Fear of your own failure
is no excuse to put off receiving Christ as Lord and Savior
RIGHT NOW.

     The Bible says, "Therefore He is also able to save to
the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He
ever lives to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25
NKJ)

     Christians have the resources of all the promises of
God energized by the power of the Holy Spirit and
guaranteed and administered by the Living King Jesus
Christ.  He is the One who saves "to the uttermost",
forever and completely, all those who put their trust in
Him.

     You can find out more about these resources promised
to believers by reading the New Testament for yourself.  We
suggest that you start in the Gospel of John or the letters
of Peter.

     But don't wait.  Trust Him today.  Then come and see
us.  We want to meet you.
                                   [Clyde Price,  Arrows18]



          "LATER"

     Have you ever seen a bargain at a sale, but waited
until later to find that the item you wanted was no longer
available?

     Some people presume that they can put God off that
way.  Certainly, He will still be there tomorrow, but maybe
you won't be, or maybe by tomorrow your heart may be too
hardened to respond.

     If you are one who has told God, "I'll wait 'til
later," then God's Word has a warning for you:
     "Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what
a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1 NKJ)

     You have no right to assume that you will even be
alive tomorrow, or even an hour from now.  God says to you,
"NOW is the acceptable time, TODAY is the day of
salvation." (II Corinthians 6:2)

     The Lord Jesus Christ became a human being, lived the
only perfect life ever lived on earth, and became the only
atoning sacrifice for sin.
     "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses every
sin" for all those who put their trust in Him.
     He rose from the dead to give you victory over every
sin and bondage in your life, if you put your faith in Him.

     The apostle Paul told the leaders of Athens about the
Lord Jesus Christ, and His death and resurrection, and
while addressing a city council meeting told them,
     "God is now commanding all people everywhere to
repent."
     Although you have the ABILITY to disobey the gospel,
you do not have the RIGHT.  Salvation is a COMMAND, and
delaying for any reason is DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD.

     For you, "tomorrow" may or may not come.  Don't put
Him off.  Take Jesus as your Savior and King and Friend
today. NOW.

     Start reading or listening to the New Testament.  We
recommend beginning in the Gospel of John.  We'd like to
hear from you and if possible meet you.
                                    [Clyde Price, Arrows19]


          "TOO MANY HYPOCRITES"

     "Oh, I don't go to church.  The church is full of
hypocrites!"

     A hypocrite is someone who pretends to be something
other than what he or she actually is.

     You need to know that you cannot use the real or
imagined failures of other people as an excuse before God
for your own sins.  The apostle Paul warns,
     "So then each of us shall give account of himself to
God."  (Romans 14:12 NKJ)

     You must stand before God for YOURSELF, and you will
be sentenced for YOUR OWN sins,
     UNLESS...you receive Jesus Christ as your substitute
sin-bearer, and the Lord of your life.

     When you receive the Lord Jesus and confess your faith
in Him, you are NOT proclaiming to the world that you have
suddenly become perfect.  When you confess Jesus Christ as
the Lord of your life, you are not announcing that you will
never again sin or stumble or make mistakes.
     You ARE admitting publicly that you were a sinner,
were helpless on your own, were in desperate need of God's
provision for the problem, and have now received the free
forgiveness that God purchased for you and has offered you.

     The Bible does NOT teach that Christians or even
preachers will never fall into sin.  The Bible observes
that even leaders in the church might continue secretly in
sin for a time, perhaps not even being exposed until
Judgment Day.  This does not mean anybody "gets away with"
sin, or that God doesn't disapprove.  God hates sin so much
that He killed His Son on the cross because of it, to be
the only atoning sacrifice He would accept in the place of
sinners who trust in Him.

     You need to be more concerned about your own eternal
destiny, than that of others who may or may not be fakes.

     Certainly there are hypocrites in churches.  If you
hate hypocrites, don't spend eternity in Hell with them.

     Put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and
Lord, and become a "real" Christian today.
                                    [Clyde Price, Arrows20]



          ONLY ONE WAY

     "Oh, I believe there are many ways to God.  Don't you
believe that there will be people from all religions in
heaven?"

     No, that's not what the Bible teaches.  Peter
proclaimed to the city leaders of Jerusalem,
     "Salvation is to be found through him (Jesus of
Nazareth) alone; in all the world there is no one else whom
God has given who can save us." (Acts 4:12 GNB)

     Jesus Christ is God's ONLY answer to the sin-problem.
He is the only one who ever died as a substitute for
sinners and rose again victorious from the dead.  He has
the right to say, "I am the Way,...no one comes to the
Father but through Me" (John 14:6), because He is the only
One who opened that way with the blood-sacrifice of
Himself.

     The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is the
pre-existent God the Son, the creator and sustainer of the
universe, the virgin-born Lamb of God, the Crucified and
Risen Lord.  Any religion which fails to recognize Jesus of
Nazareth as all this is a false religion. (This includes
apostate forms of historic "churchianity".)

     If you are in a group or under a pastor that
disbelieves in Jesus, GET OUT!  There are many religions in
this world, but there is only one way to heaven.  His name
is Jesus.  Trust Him today, the Christ of the Scriptures;
trust Him alone, and not in combination with your own works
or anything else.

     We challenge you to read the Bible for yourself,
beginning in the 4th book in the New Testament, the Gospel
of John.  We urge you to find a local church that holds to
the Bible as the inerrant rule for faith and practice, and
which is seeking to share the Good News and make disciples
at home and all over the world.

     We invite you to come visit us.  We'd like to meet
you.
                                    [Clyde Price, Arrows21]



          "I HAVE MY OWN KIND OF RELIGION"

     "Well, I serve a LOVING God, MY God would never send
anybody to Hell."
     If you are one of the many people who have said this,
your biggest problem is that "your God" DOES NOT EXIST!

     The Bible warns, "There is a way that seems right to a
man, But its end is the way of death." (Proverbs 14:12 NKJ)

     "The-God-who-really-is" is the one who has revealed
Himself in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and
in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth.
     Jesus said, "I am... the Truth" or another
translation, "I am...Reality." (John 14:6)  Jesus,
addressing God the Father, said, "Your Word is Truth" or
"Your Word is Reality." (John 17:17)

     Many people engage in comparison shopping for a belief
that "makes sense" to them, especially if it does not cramp
their lifestyle.  This may SEEM okay, but its end is
eternal death.

     The Reality that created and sustains the universe
calls you to transfer your trust away from your own good
deeds, or any other belief-system, over to Jesus Christ as
your ONLY hope of heaven.  The Son became a human being,
lived the only perfect human life ever lived, died as a
sacrifice for sinners who would put their trust in Him, and
rose again from the dead to rule the universe as King.  No
other religion or system can solve the sin-problem. Jesus
Christ is the only "way" that doesn't lead to eternal
death.

     Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY to the God who really is.
Trust Him today.
                                    [Clyde Price, Arrows22]



          "GOD WON'T SEND ANYBODY TO HELL"

     "Oh, I don't believe in Hell.  I think Hell is right
here on earth, don't you?"

     Jesus of Nazareth obviously did not think that,
because He said about twice as much about Hell during His
earthly ministry as He did about Heaven.  Speaking of
Himself as the Son of Man on Judgment Day, Jesus said:
     "Then He will say to those on the left hand, 'Depart
from Me you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for
the devil and his angels...'" (Matthew 25:41 NKJ)

     Jesus Christ did not die primarily as a martyr or as
an example.  He was not duped or trapped.  A careful
reading of the gospels will show any number of ways that
Jesus could have avoided the cross.  It was not a surprise.
He repeatedly and frequently predicted to His disciples His
death by crucifixion, along with His purpose, "as a RANSOM
for many" (Mark 10:45).

     He died to purchase salvation effectively for all who
would put their faith in Him, so that they would not have
to go to Hell.

     If Hell does not exist, then the death of Jesus was
entirely pointless.  BUT IT WASN'T!

     We urge you to read the Gospel of Matthew for
yourself.  Count how many times the Lord Jesus and others
refer to Hell or the lake of fire or the place of weeping
and gnashing of teeth.  Count for yourself the number of
times the Lord Jesus predicted His own death, burial and
resurrection, and what He said the purpose was.

     Put your faith in the Messiah of Israel, who died as
the Suffering Servant, the Lamb of God, to redeem His
people, to save every Jew or Gentile who would trust in
Him.

     Then, you won't have to go to that place you didn't
want to believe in.

     We guarantee that someday, you too will believe in
Hell.
     Sooner or later.
                                    [Clyde Price, Arrows23]



          "WHAT ABOUT THE HEATHEN?"

     "You say I've got to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior.
Well, what about the heathen who've never heard?"

     This is usually a smokescreen question thrown up by
people who want to shift attention away from themselves.
But here is a Scriptural answer to it:
     God has given each human being a conscience, and has
put us in a universe which testifies to His power and glory
and wisdom and order.

     The apostle Paul observed, "For since the creation of
the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even His eternal
power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse..."
(Romans 1:20 NKJ).

     Although neither conscience nor creation can inform of
the redemption provided for believers in Christ, Paul makes
the point in Romans 1 and 2 that "they are without excuse"
for their SIN.

     People will be judged and condemned for their SINS,
whether they have ever heard the Good News about Jesus
Christ or not.  Certainly, it is a very serious sin to hear
this "good news" and reject it, but this is just another
sin, and "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).

     The rest of the letter to the Romans explains that the
Law of God was given to show the need of a Savior.  Trying
to follow conscience or trying to keep the Law will never
save anybody.  The point is that people who have Bibles of
their own as well as people who have never heard of Jesus
of Nazareth all need a Savior.  Otherwise, we can only
receive what we deserve: eternal DEATH in Hell for our
sins.

     If you are genuinely concerned about the "heathen
who've never heard", you should take Jesus Christ as your
Lord and Savior, and GO TELL THEM!

     But if you have not yet received the Lord Jesus, we
would ask, what about YOU? You HAVE heard.  What about the
"heathen" holding this paper?
                                   [Clyde Price, Arrows24]


     TRYING TO BALANCE THE SCALES

     "Well, the church I grew up in doesn't believe the way
you folks do."

     Peter wrote his first letter to people who had grown
up with strong religious traditions.  He wrote,
     "And if you call on the Father, who without partiality
judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves
throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear;
knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things,
like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by
tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
(1 Peter 1:17-19 NKJ)

     Whatever your previous religious traditions, God is
not impressed with your attempts to bribe Him with "silver
or gold", or with attempts to "balance the scales" by
trying to pile up good deeds to offset your sins.

     The prophet Isaiah wrote, "All of us have become like
one who is unclean,  And all our righteous deeds are like a
filthy garment." (Isa. 64:6 NAS)

     If your hope is in "scales", you need to know that
your "good deeds" pile up on the same side as your sins.
That system doesn't work.

     You need to change systems.  Trust Messiah Jesus as
your sin-bearing Savior and Lord.  Quit trying to "balance
out" or bribe God, and ask Him to wash you clean from your
sin.  "The blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from all
sin."  (1 John 1:7)

     God the Son, the Creator and sustainer of the
universe, became a human being and was rejected by His
covenant people.  He died as the perfect sin-bearing Lamb
of God, and arose again in victory from the dead.  And to
as many as receive Him as Savior and Lord, He gives eternal
life, the indwelling and empowering Holy Spirit, and the
status of Spirit-born children of God.  He will come again
to earth to rule actively as supreme King and Judge.  You
need to submit yourself to Him voluntarily before that
time.

     God's dealings with His people in the Scriptures
demonstrate His long-suffering, His forgiveness and grace,
His desire to bring rebellious sinners back to Himself.

     You can never work off your own sins: you are a
sinner, and need a Savior.

     Jesus Christ says, "I am the way and the truth and the
life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." He is
the ONLY Savior available.

     Read about Him yourself in the Gospel of John or the
Gospel of Matthew.  Admit to Him that you need His help,
His salvation, that you cannot do it on your own.  Become a
real child of God, and then take the Good News of free and
perfect salvation back to those folks who are depending
vainly on their traditions.
     We'd like to meet you, and try to answer your
questions.
                                   [Clyde Price, Arrows-25]


          BE RECONCILED

     "God ...reconciled us (believers) to Himself through
Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." (II
Corinthians 5:18 NAS)

     God's plan for reconciling the world to Himself is to
"offer His terms of peace" to this rebellious world through
other human beings who have already been reconciled to Him.

     Just as the only people who can effectively sell food
supplements are people who TAKE what they're selling, the
best method of telling people about the eternal life found
in Jesus Christ is by word of mouth from real people who
already have it.

     If a particular vitamin salesman (or vitamin user)
looks unkempt and grungy, it wouldn't be logical to let the
person's appearance cast doubt on the vitamin company.
Even a slob needs good nutrition.

     Some of the people in this world who have found
forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ do not look
very impressive.  And many, probably most, of us are being
dealt with by God as He brings problem areas into the light
to resolve them an area at a time.  The fact that God's
people have visible problems should not devalue our
testimony, but rather confirm the fact that we are real
people living in a real world in fellowship with the only
real God.

     Even if some of us are not "dressed for success",
we're eager to give our "testimonials" about what a
difference Jesus Christ has made in our lives.

     In the chapter quoted above, Paul explains how Jesus
Christ became an offering for sin who laid down His life to
be a substitute-sacrifice, as an act of love; and He rose
again from the dead on behalf of believers.  Paul explains
that believers who are captivated and mastered by the love
of Christ are compelled by His powerful love to go out and
boldly proclaim and urge and compel others to come.

     We are putting out articles and pamphlets, and urging
people to read their own Bibles, and going out to meet
people face to face because we want to help YOU make your
reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
That's our most important ministry.  We want you to
encounter the Lord Jesus for yourself, and become a "new
creature" in Him.
     Read about Him for yourself in the New Testament, and
put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.  Do
it RIGHT NOW.
     Come by and see us, or give us a call.
                                   [Clyde Price,  Arrows26]
[end of 3rd file of 5]