The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his055/srchng.lzh/SRCHNG.TXT

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TES:All my life I have been searching  by Ben Wilkinson


   I have searched everywhere I know and have done a lot of things, but
I have never found it. Yet I MUST have it. I must find something to
bring me lasting peace, happiness and purpose in life. Someone has told
me the answer to my longing is to become a Christian. I am frankly
skeptical and doubtful. If I am to be honest, however, I must examine
this way also to see if this is the answer. The big question is . . .

   HOW DO I BECOME A CHRISTIAN?

   I am going to be honest with myself and God. I believe in God. I
know the Bible is His Word and is true. As I search it for the way to
become a child of His, a Christian, it says that first, there must come
the honest and sincere conviction that . . .

   I. I AM A SINNER, LOST, AND NEED TO BE SAVED.

   The Bible says that sin is the failure to be what God wants me to be
and to fail to do what He wants me to do. Then it points out that I was
born a sinner.

   "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother
conceived me." (Psalm 51:5 NKJ)

   I have a sinful heart and soul. I have chosen and practiced sin. I
have rebelled against God and neglected what He wants me to do. (Isaiah
53:6, Jeremiah 17:9)

   "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans
3:23).

   I am lost away from God. One result of going on as a sinner lost
away from God is misery as long as I live. I am not really happy,
contented or peaceful. Instead I have a deepseated misery. I am afraid
of dying, because I know that when I die, God will judge my sin.

   And the Bible tells me that if I continue in my sins, I will be
condemned to Hell. (Matthew 5:22 & 27-30; 7:13-14; 10:28; 13:37-43 &
47-50; 18:3-11; 25:31-46. The number before the ":" is the chapter. The
numbers after the ":" are verses.)

   I need to be saved FROM this misery, this fear of death, and this
Hell. Further, I need to be saved FOR happiness and inner peace in this
life, contentedness and comfort at death, and heaven in eternity.

   "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

   My immediate reaction is to say that it's not so! But when I closely
examine my life and the Bible, I know it is. Then my reaction is that
I'll start doing something about it. I'll start being good; I'll try to
live by the Ten Commandments; I'll turn over a new leaf and try to do
better. I'll be baptized and join the church. But the Bible says I must
realize that . . .

   II. I CANNOT SAVE MYSELF

   I find that striving to keep the Law (the Ten Commandments), trying
to deserve God's mercy and good pleasure with good works, hoping to
earn salvation or part of salvation through being a good person, a good
neighbor, treating everybody right, being about as good as the next
person, or going through the steps to membership in the church, all are
useless as far as becoming a saved child of God.

   Good works, moral living, church affiliation, Christian service,
etc., cannot save us; but they will come as an outgrowth of salvation.

   "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should
boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
(Ephesians 2:8-10. See also Proverbs 14:12, Romans 3:28, James 2:10,
Isaiah 64:6, and Titus 3:5.)

   It seems that the ground is sinking beneath me. All I have counted
important and necessary, everything I have depended on now does me no
good. In this most crucial time, I'm alone, helpless, and without
hope--until I see that . . .

   III. GOD IN HIS LOVE HAS ALREADY PROVIDED THE WAY FOR MY SALVATION
THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.

   The Bible says that it is not hopeless. Even when I was a sinner
deserving God's wrath, He loved me.

   "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

   There are two truths here for me. (1) Sin's penalty had to be paid
(look back at Rom. 6:23). (2) I am a sinner, but God loves me, so God
provided a way, the only way, for me to be saved (see John 14:6, Acts
4:12). In order to pay the penalty for my sin and make me a saved child
of God, Jesus came into the world, born without sin, born of the Holy
Spirit, and born of a virgin. In living, He was tempted like I am
tempted, yet He never sinned. Finally, the main reason for which He
came, He was crucified on the cross.

   As He went through the suffering of the cross, death, and descending
into Hell, HE TOOK MY SIN UPON HIMSELF AND SUFFERED ITS PENALTY FOR ME.
He got what I deserved. If I will receive Him, it was to pay for my sin
that He suffered all this (I Peter 2:24). And, then He arose from the
dead the third day proving He was who He said--the Son of God--and that
He had done what He said--defeat Satan and sin, his power and its
penalty.

   This He did for me! (John 3:16-18; I Peter 3:19)

   Today He is in Heaven talking to the Father in my behalf. One day
soon He will return for me. (John 14:1-3)

   Oh, what love to me! Oh, what power for me! All this for me! But no,
not yet. I find that honestly and sincerely

   IV. I MUST BELIEVE ON HIM

   "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your
heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For
with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made to salvation." (Romans 10:9-10; see also Acts
16:30-31.)

   The Bible says it is not enough to "believe in God, " because the
devils also believe and tremble (James 2:19). As I look further, I find
then that my mental assent--accepting that the facts are true--is not
enough. The Bible uses believing or having faith in or trusting Christ
as the same act. This is a decision of my will enabled by the Holy
Spirit. For me to believe in Him (have faith in, trust), first there
must be a true . . .

   REPENTANCE FROM SIN

   "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the
Lord" (Acts 3:19).

   Realizing that as I live without Christ I am disobedient, miserable,
afraid and condemned, I repent--or turn away from--my present way, by
faith, to Christ. I hate my sin and what it has done to Christ, to
others, and to me. I am grieved over the fact that I have sinned
against God and other people. I turn away to follow sin and Satan no
more. As I turn away from my sins by faith, I . . .

   RECEIVE CHRIST

   "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as
received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even
to those who believe in His name, who were born...of God." (John
1:11-13)

   By faith in Him and His promises, I ask Him to come into my life. I
ask Him to pardon and forgive me of my sins, to cleanse me of sin. I
ask Him to take over my life and transform it by His power into what He
would have it to be.

   As I sincerely ask Him, I know that the Bible says He will answer.
Having received Him, I want Him to be my Lord as well as Savior, so in
faith I willingly . . .

   SURRENDER MY LIFE TO HIM

   "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which
is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is
that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2)

   The Bible says that for my life with Christ to be complete, I must
take hands off of it and give Him complete control. I must be willing
for Him to do to me, for me, and with me, anything He desires. His
glorious and wonderful will must be my will. My mind, heart, soul,
body, possessions, influence, energy and goals I must consciously
submit by faith to Him. As I sincerely surrender myself to Him, I know
that the Bible promises me that He will receive me as His child.

   What now? I believe each of these things are true and that Christ is
the answer to my greatest need. Now I must decide. Will I sincerely
repent of my sin, ask Christ to come into my life and receive Him, and
surrender myself completely to Him? It will do no good for me to delay.
Delay only increases my misery and danger of eternal lostness. I NEED
TO DECIDE RIGHT NOW. The Bible says that today, now, at this moment, I
should decide.

   "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of
salvation." (II Corinthians 6:2. See Genesis 6:3; Joshua 24:15; Psalm
95:7-9; Ecclesiastes 12:1; Isaiah 1:18, 55:6.)

   Yes, I will decide right now! Though I don't understand everything
about it, I am going to take Him at His word. I will in faith repent of
my sin. I will in faith ask Jesus Christ to come into my life and
receive Him. Right now I am going to bow my head and talk to Jesus
Christ to tell Him of the decision and ask Him to come in and do His
work in my life.

   When this has been done, I know that I have been born of His Spirit
and I am a saved child of God. The Bible says I am a 'babe in Christ'.
Now I want to grow and serve. "What can I do to make sure I will move
forward and not flounder?"

   The Bible points out Five Guides to help new Christians grow: Bible
study, prayer, witnessing for Christ, dependance on the Holy Spirit for
power, and zealous support of the work of the Lord through my church.
These I will begin to do that I may grow!

   GUIDES IN GROWTH

   My coming to Jesus Christ is the greatest thing that ever happened
in my life. I want Him not only to be my Savior from sin and its
consequences, but also Lord of every part of my life and possessions.
For this to be, I must grow in Christ. The Bible tells me now I am like
a baby in Christ and my goal is to grow into spiritual adulthood. It
points me to certain guides to help me grow.

   The foundation guides are . . .

   BIBLE STUDY I Peter 2:2 II Timothy 2:15 II Timothy 3:15-17 Psalm 119

   PRAYER Matthew 7:7-11 I Thessalonians 5:17 Hebrews 4:15-16 James
5:16b

   Bible study and prayer, along with meditation on the things of the
Lord, make up what is called THE QUIET TIME with God. Every Christian
who really wants to grow must understand that this is the food and
drink of the spiritual life.

   I want a QUIET TIME every day. I'll get alone with God for about
thirty minutes a day. I will obtain a Bible, notebook and pencil. I
will begin to study the Bible in the book of John. I will meditate on
it, make note of its truths, underline special verses, ask the Holy
Spirit to help me understand and to help me put what I understand into
practice. After John, I can move back to Matthew and straight through
the New Testament, and later the entire Bible.

   After a time of Bible study, I will have a time of prayer. Prayer is
just talking with God who does live and will hear and will answer, and
then listening so He can speak to me in the quiet of my mind and heart.
I will bring, my thanksgiving, my praise, and my petitions to Him.

   In my notebook I will begin a Prayer List. This will help me to keep
up with the people and things I am praying about, and to see how God is
answering my prayers. When my list grows too long for one day, I can
divide it into two or more days.

   Everybody tells me the same thing that the Bible indicates, that the
QUIET TIME is the basic step in my spiritual growth.

   For my third guide to growth I will begin . . .

   WITNESSING

   Matthew 28:18-20 Mark 16:15-16 Luke 24:45-48 John 20:21 Acts 1:8 II
Timothy 2:2

   Witnessing is telling others of what Christ means to me and urging
them to receive Him, too. I witness in three ways: (1) By my Christian
life that glorifies Him before others. (2) By the words I speak to
guide others to Him. To do this effectively I need to learn the Plan of
Salvation. (3) By ardent, travailing prayer on behalf of those I seek
to win to the Lord. I discover that witnessing is the prime reason I am
left on earth as a Christian. Since it is that important, I want to get
involved in doing it immediately.

   Another guide I find is to learn to . . . DEPEND, AS A CHRISTIAN, ON
THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO LIVES IN ME A. For power over temptation. (I
Corinthians 10:13) Oh, that promise is wonderful! I could never handle
those temptations by myself. But He is able, and I will depend on Him
for the strength. B. For power in Christian service. (Zechariah 4:6, II
Timothy 1:7) When I discovered that I was expected to tell others about
Him and serve Him, I was afraid. But now I see it's not that I'm doing
the work; but rather it's that He is working through me, and sometimes
in spite of me. C. For guidance in decisions. (Romans 8:14) Every
little decision as well as major decisions I will bring to the Lord,
and depend on Him to give me the right answer. I do not have to be
nervous or worry. D. For understanding the Bible as I study it. (John
16:13; II Peter 1:20-21) In the past I never liked to read the Bible.
But with the enlightenment of the One who inspired it, new
understanding will come, if I ask Him and depend on Him.

   Just think! The Holy Spirit is God, and HE LIVES IN ME. That means
all the power of God at my finger tips of faith. And more, if I depend
on Him, He is able to accomplish anything He desires in me and through
me.

   My fifth guide of growth instructs me to . . .

   ZEALOUSLY SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE LORD THROUGH THE CHURCH Acts
2:41-47 Ephesians 4:1-16 Ephesians 5:17-27 Hebrews 10:19-25

   I need to become active in a Bible-believing local church
immediately. It is through the Church that I can get certain things
that are essential for my Christian growth such as opportuniries for
worship, Christian fellowship, instruction, and service. I will not
only receive, but I will become involved in the Mission of the Church
to evangelize the world (Acts 1:8). My work will be more lasting and
can count for greater results when I work with other Christians. I want
to be a part of this great mission.

   In supporting the work of the Lord through the Church I will . . .

   A. Become a baptized and communing member. I will ask the pastor or
one of the officers what steps must be taken. Then it will OUR church,
not THEIR church. B. Attend ALL the services at my church unless
providentially hindered (Hebrews 10:25). I want the full diet and not
just one meal. C. Give my talent and time (Matthew 25:14-30, Ephesians
4:11-12). I may be able to visit, or teach, or sing, or clean up, or
provide transportation, or cook, or hand out tracts, or phone, or type.
I'm eager to do something for Him who did everything for me. D. Give my
tithes that already belong to God and offerings of love beyond tithing
(Malachi 3:8-10, Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42, I Corinthians 16:2). Since
I am giving Him my life, that includes my possessions, and now I will
manage them as His servant. No business can move forward without money,
and the Lord's business is the greatest in the world. E. Pray for the
other people in the Church (James 5:16a). I will pray a lot for my
fellow Christians and not gossip about them. I know this will do far
more good. I want them to do the same for me. F. Urge other people to
come to my church (John 1:43-46). Since I found something here, I have
friends, family, and some people I have not yet met, who need to come
and find Christ. I'll try to bring them in.

   I feel so good, I wonder if I will ever sin again. I certainly don't
want to! But I cannot govern my life by feeling, only by the Word and
the Spirit. I see in the Bible that even while growing in
Christlikeness, I will sin sometimes. The longer I stay in sins, the
worse they will get, and the more acutely miserable and guilty I will
feel and be. Even while still a child of God, joy, peace, being used by
God, and even assurance of salvation may slip away. Even though I have
disobeyed Him and defamed His name, He still loves me, and wants me.
How could I do this to the One who loves me so! (Romans 7:14-24, I
Corinthians 3:1-3).

   The Bible says there is an answer at these times. I will have to
admit my sins to myself, and that will be hard. I must confess them to
God with sincere sorrow. The Holy Spirit will enable me to turn away
from them with hatred and grief toward them. As I do this, every area
of my life must be submitted to obey Jesus as Lord. Then I will find
renewed forgiveness and cleansing. (Psalm 51, Proverbs 28:13, Luke
15:11-32, I John 1:7-2:2) It's better to do this as soon as I sin than
to let it ruin more of my life. He says He will give me victory over
these sins as the Holy Spirit fills me more completely with Himself. I
wish I would never sin! But it is comforting to know that He makes
provision for forgiveness for me. I am more determined than ever to
follow these guides and grow. Better to resist than regret.

   This is the most exciting thing I have ever done! I'm going to
rearrange my schedule and my life, and put Him first! I will not hold
anything back. Christ has done so much for me that I will never be able
to do too much for Him. I know it is not going to be easy. But when I
need help, I can call on the pastor or one of the leaders, and I know
they will help me. I am eager to get on with this. I know that the most
wonderful part of my life is now out in front. Thank You for saving me,
Lord Jesus! Thank You, Father, for making me your child!

   Rev. Ben Wilkinson