Christian Photographers Community

Wrote this tract about a year ago, just been re-editing it.

We often make a sad mistake in our understanding of God. Instead of simply accepting Him at His word and receiving His gift of everlasting life, we feel the need to have a complete understanding of who this God is, before we can accept Him, failing to enter into God's Kingdom, missing out on becoming a Christian in the process. We by our own efforts cannot by any means know or understand the mind and purpose of God for our lives; we must exercise what the bible calls faith.
   Faith is simply putting our trust in something we know nothing about, and in our human condition, born of earthly parents, we know absolutely nothing about God, we may try and guess, but it doesn't get us anywhere, not with God. That is where the term blind faith comes from. In some instances God may break into a persons life, and they know that they have been saved from the word go. But for most of us becoming a Christian needs a positive and deliberate action of asking this Jesus into our lives.
   People often do this during gospel meetings when the preacher gives an invitation for people to come forward and receive Jesus. This is a public witness whereby a person can say, "Yes I want to receive Jesus for myself and all that God is offering me." There is a well-known hymn often sung after these alter calls, which goes.


That's how you come to God through Christ alone. There's no need to pour over the scriptures in bible study. The Jews were looking into scripture to find out when and where the Messiah would come to the Nation of Israel, and in doing so they missed His coming completely. On no account let this happen to you.
   John 5:39-40, Jesus says, "You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they that testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."
   The thief on the cross who was being crucified alongside Jesus, before he could be acceptable to God, needed to clean his life up, been Christened, baptised by full immersion, been confirmed, become a church member, led a good life, know his bible from cover to cover, only then could he call himself a Christian.
   No I'm telling lies, that thief hanging there on the cross simply believed on the one who could give him everlasting life. The message is that simple, and it's that urgent. Luke 23:42-43, Then he said to Jesus, "Lord remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly I say to you, today you shall be in paradise with Me." So are you going to be in paradise with Jesus, or stick with the life you have now?

QuoteThe thief on the cross who was being crucified alongside Jesus, before he could be acceptable to God, needed to clean his life up, been Christened, baptised by full immersion, been confirmed, become a church member, led a good life, know his bible from cover to cover, only then could he call himself a Christian

Summicron I must admit that I was beginning to worry when I read this part of your post. If this were true I never would have made it!

Then you wrote this

QuoteNo I'm telling lies, that thief hanging there on the cross simply believed on the one who could give him everlasting life. The message is that simple, and it's that urgent. Luke 23:42-43, Then he said to Jesus, "Lord remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly I say to you, today you shall be in paradise with Me." So are you going to be in paradise with Jesus, or stick with the life you have now?

Praise God! Thank you Lord, You have made it so simple that even a little child can understand.

Don

That's it Don, you hit the nail on the head, that was it, it worked, it put a big question mark in your mind temporarily, it got the thinking processes going.

And if we don't think about what we believe....what good is it?

Oh, so touching.

To know that we would be in the presence of the LORD just because we believe.

Can't get any more simplier than that.

Must stop trying to be a "control freak" and let go and let GOD

THanks for sharing.

Oh I forgot to add, been a churchwarden in his local church for X number of years, then perhaps he could be called a Christian.