I was born in Belfast in Ireland, in a religious environment three streets from where C.S. Lewis lived. My dad was saved as a 17 year old. He had been invited to a Four Square Gospel church in the Ravenhill Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was there he heard the gospel and repented, and started following Jesus.
After his marriage to my mother, they attended a Congregational Church for a short while. It was there I was subjected to the totally meaningless, unbibiblical, and unnecessary Calvinistic ritual of infant sprinkling. Later my mother was also saved, and we started attending an Evangelical Church in Belfast.
As an elementary school child I was privileged to hear the gospel, learn scripture verses and have many church friends. I heard of many down and outs, drunks and immoral people repent, confess their sins and join the church. But I felt that I was good enough, and didn’t need to repent.
I even misunderstood a bible verse to justify my position. After all, didn’t Jesus say, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” Luke5:32
However, I found the constant reminder of death by the numerous funeral processions, and Irish wakes that paraded down nearby Milady’s Road, in Belfast Northern Ireland to be very disturbing. I was terrified of nuns in their black attire, especially when they approached me in the street. As a young child this constant exposure to death caused me great fear. I knew I was not prepared for death, but did not think that I needed to repent.’
When I was nine years old Mom, Dad, and my two sisters and I went to live in sunny Africa. Dad was called to preach the gospel to the mixed race people. Well! with a two week sea cruise, followed by a land of bright sunshine the “funerals and death” faded and I lived as a very happy chap for three years.
When I was twelve those carefree years ended. I had attended with my family a week long series of gospel meetings in Bulawayo, Rhodesia. (Zimbabwe). A Mr. Lee Spratt was the preacher, and I came under great conviction of sin. Although I had lived a sheltered life, I finally realized that I was a sinner, by nature as well as by choice. At my bedside that night in November 1956 I believed, repented, and placed my faith and trust in my savior.
Four years later at the age of sixteen I had the joy of following my Lord and was immersed in the waters of baptism, with my two best friends, Roy and John. This was a precious event in my life when I confessed “Jesus is Lord” publicly.
My faith was strengthened by attending many Gumtree/Stanger summer camps near Durban in South Africa where gifted expositors impacted my life and faith back then. I learned the importance of daily Bible study and prayer.
It is now many years since I made that momentous decision to trust, and obey – the voice of God. You might well ask, “What difference did it make?”
Unending peace of mind, peace with God, and an assurance of sins forgiven, and the hope of eternal life with my Lord and Savior.
I am truly saved for sure and I know it. I am ready to see the master face to face and am currently on social media busy sharing with the religious lost and the pagan lost, how to be reconciled to God. I have a special burden for the religious lost . I have shared the good news of the gospel with thousands of folks in Russia, France, and the English speaking world so and am busy carrying out the great commission daily as I look forward to seeing my Lord in glory.
Brian
Maryann O’Connor When I repented and believed just like the Philippians jailor in Acts, Jesus took all my sin, and gave me his righteousness. I was transformed! I became a new creature in Christ, just like it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
I’m not perfect! Believing and get saved is not about perfection. It’s about direction. When I was born again, converted, transformed, and regenerated God did a huge miracle in my life, my direction was changed. The sins I use to love, I now hate: the things I use to hate I now love.
My hearts desire for you Maryann is that you too would be truly saved and experience God’s miraculous salvation in your life. I will be praying for you dear lost one. God loves you and so do I.
Brian Henri Mr. Henri, I will quote you verbatim.
“Although I had lived a sheltered life, I realized that I was a sinner, by nature as well as by choice. At my bedside that night in November 1956 I believed, repented, and PLACED MY FAITH and trust in my savior…”
Sir , what you are saying , is that you are confident that you can stand JUSTIFIED BEFORE THE SOVEREIGN GOD CLOTHED IN YOUR OWN PUNY HUMAN FAITH. Mr.Henri , may I have your autograph , because you are the only depraved human being in the world that has ever been so perfectly righteousness that could accomplish that feat.
You are on an equal plane as The absolutely Holy Person of The Lord Christ Jesus , the PERFECTLY RIGHTOUS ONE!
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Hi henry
I hope you read my testimony that I sent to you.
In my testimony I explain that I heard the gospel many times in the past, but one night at a Gospel meeting I heard the good news of the gospel once again. After hearing the gospel I became CONVICTED, I was pierced to the heart. See Acts 2:37
“Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37
After that Gospel meeting I went home a twelve year old boy and did what Peter said to do.
“Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. (Acts 2:37, NASB)
So I got got on my knees beside my bed and repented. Since I had HEARD the gospel message, I now had FAITH. See Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by HEARING AND HEARING by the word of God”.
So having HEARD the word of God, that I was a lost sinner, and needed a savior, I was now able to exercise repentant faith and believe, and that’s exactly what I did.
What happened that night, so many years ago, a marvelous miracle took place. I was born again. I was given new life; eternal life! I was born from above, and God the Holy Spirit came to live in me. Just as the Apostle Peter says in Acts 2:37
So much happened in an instant, for which I praise the Lord. I was saved, born again, converted, transformed, regenerated, given new life. I became a new creature in Christ. It wasn’t about perfection. But the direction of my life changed radically.
The most important thing I can ever do is tell you that if you have never repented, are not a believer in, and follower of the Lord Jesus, that you are a lost sinner on the road to hell.
However, the good news is that Jesus died on the cross for your sin making it possible for you to be reconciled to God, and be assured of a home in heaven one day. I am calling on you to repent and believe!
So, what am I supposed to believe to become a Christian! BELIEVE WHAT?
* Believe, Admit, and Agree you are a sinner.
* Believe, Admit, and agree you are alienated from God, and must truly repent and turn from your sin.
* Believe, Admit and Agree that you are “condemned already” and need a pardon.
* Believe, Admit and Agree that you need to repent (turn your back from sin) and produce fruits of obedience.
* Believe, Admit and Agree that Jesus took your punishment on the cross as your substitute, and is waiting to pardon you.
* Believe, Admit, and Agree that God’s justice was satisfied by the fact that God raised Jesus…from the dead. And when God raised Him from the dead He was saying, “I am satisfied.”
* Believe, Admit and Agree, that the evidence that you are truly a believer is that you produce “fruits of obedience.”
That’s what you believe. That’s the gospel.
And when you believe that by faith, simply trusting God, He, in His mercy takes the righteousness of Jesus Christ and credits it to you because your sins were credited to Christ when He died on the cross. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 we read
“GOD made JESUS who did not know sin to be sin for US, so that WE might become the righteousness of GOD in Him. “
In Acts 2:37-38, after HEARING the gospel the people became aware of their guilt as sinners and said, “What shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In Luke 18:14, the repentant sinner’s prayer was, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
So, if you truly repent, and you place your faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, God will hear you and your life will be transformed in a moment. If your faith is weak ask Him to help you to believe. If you need more information read the Gospel of John, and ask God to teach you the truth of Christ.
Calvinism teaches that God loves some sinners and hates some. But the Bible teaches 310 times that God loves all sinners and died for all. Both cannot be right. Which one is it?
The God of the Bible claims 310 times to love everyone, and that He died for everyone, and likewise, He has instructed us to love everyone – our neighbors, including our enemies; YET! according to the Calvinism, God only loves the elect and hates the “unelect?”
This makes Calvinism, in light of the following scriptures, somewhat contradictory.
One of the seemingly contradictions and anomalies in Calvinist philosophy is that God is asking us to be more loving than He is.
According to Calvin God is only partially loving; you believe God does not love all, and did not die for all. How can this be the loving God of the Bible? Just look at the following verses and there are hundreds more.
He died for ALL (1 Tim. 2:6).
He died for ALL MEN (Rom. 5:18; 1 Tim. 4:10).
He died for US ALL, for ALL OF US (Isa. 53:6).
He died for the UNGODLY (Rom. 5:6).
He died for CHRIST-DENIERS (2 Peter 2:1).
He died for SINNERS (Rom. 5:8).
He died for EVERY MAN (Heb. 2:9).
He died for MANY (Matthew 20:28).
He died for the WORLD (John 6:33,51; John 1:29 and John 3:16).
He died for the WHOLE WORLD (1 John 2:2).
He died for the WHOLE NATION of Israel (John 11:50-51).
He died for the CHURCH (Eph. 5:25).
He died for His SHEEP (John 10:11).
He died for ME (Gal. 2:20).
Go Share Christ. Go share the love.
À SIMPLE QUESTION FOR THE CALVINIST?
If someone becomes homosexual,
Is it because it was predetermined by God before they were created and that’s how they were created? OR
They willingly and personally choose to be a homosexual?
Hi Taylor, The most important thing I can ever do is tell you that if you have never repented, are not a believer in, and follower of the Lord Jesus, that you are a lost sinner on the road to hell.
However, the good news is that Jesus died on the cross for your sin making it possible for you to be reconciled to God, and be assured of a home in heaven one day. I am calling on you to repent and believe!
So, what am I supposed to believe to become a Christian! BELIEVE WHAT?
* Believe, Admit, and Agree you are a sinner.
* Believe, Admit, and agree you are alienated from God, and must truly repent and turn from your sin.
* Believe, Admit and Agree that you are “condemned already” and need a pardon.
* Believe, Admit and Agree that you need to repent (turn your back from sin) and produce fruits of obedience.
* Believe, Admit and Agree that Jesus took your punishment on the cross as your substitute, and is waiting to pardon you.
* Believe, Admit, and Agree that God’s justice was satisfied by the fact that God raised Jesus…from the dead. And when God raised Him from the dead He was saying, “I am satisfied.”
* Believe, Admit and Agree, that the evidence that you are truly a believer is that you produce “fruits of obedience.”
That’s what you believe. That’s the gospel.
And when you believe that by faith, simply trusting God, He, in His mercy takes the righteousness of Jesus Christ and credits it to you because your sins were credited to Christ when He died on the cross. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 we read
“GOD made JESUS who did not know sin to be sin for US, so that WE might become the righteousness of GOD in Him. “
In Acts 2:37-38, after HEARING the gospel the people became aware of their guilt as sinners and said, “What shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In Luke 18:14, the repentant sinner’s prayer was, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
So, if you truly repent, and you place your faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, God will hear you and your life will be transformed in a moment. If your faith is weak ask Him to help you to believe. If you need more information read the Gospel of John, and ask God to teach you the truth of Christ
I was listening to a Christian talk program, and somebody called in and said, “what do I look for in a church?” So I turned up the volume because I wanted to hear the answer.
Really, I thought! You could find all that in a local bar, or a country club. You might find them in a thousand sociological associations and events
And the answer was given by the talk host. She said, “You look for friendship, fellowship, companionship, caring and sharing, socializing and being relational. These are the most important .”
So then I asked myself,
“How do I know if I am stuck in some bar or religious Club pretending to be a religious event?”
These items will help you decide if you are part of a religious club, or the true church!
Do you:
- Entertain those on the road to hell instead of calling on them to repent.
- Use books instead of the Bible in Bible study.
- Teach infant sprinkling instead of believers baptism
- Teach replacement theology, ( that the church replaces Israel)
- Teach that there is more than one way to God besides Jesus
- Get embarrassed to say that Jesus is the only way to salvation.
- Teach that there is no absolute right and wrong.
- Ensure to not offend anyone at the expense of biblical truth.
- Your Pastors preach moralism instead of Christ centered messages focused on the cross of Christ.
- Know the budget details but have no idea if anyone got saved this year.
- Approve of homosexuality
- Preach Evolution – Either not condemning it, or not taking a stand on it.
All comments are welcome!
Brian Henry
Here is the link
“Keller’s response to the question, Is Jesus the only way to God? is to prevaricate, for he says he can only answer a question about eternal salvation “if Jesus is who He says He is”. Why, is there some doubt in his mind?
But this is the point. Right here Keller could have quoted Scripture to make clear that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. He could have quoted Jesus’ famous statement: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14.6). He could have quoted the apostle Peter: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4.12).
But he quoted neither text, for, as we shall see, Keller’s gospel is not based on Scripture.
Keller says to be a Christian means that your soul has to ‘get Jesus’. What does this mean? Is Jesus some commodity, like a bar of soap that you can ‘get’ from a supermarket shelf?
And then he makes the remarkable statement, before a large audience, that God may have a trap door for unbelievers that “I haven’t been told about”? He is surmising that God may actually have a secret way to heaven for those who do not repent of their sins and place their faith in Christ. But Keller’s ‘trap door’ possibility is unbiblical and deeply heretical, for it implies that Christ died in vain. Christ said, “I am the Door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved” (John 10.9).
“He who does not enter by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber” (John 10.1). There is only one Door to heaven, Jesus Christ.”
This is quoted material, but the source is unknown.
Disturbing the Culture
EPHESIANS 5:15-16. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
There never was a dull day for the first-century followers of Jesus. In fact, it seems that wherever Paul went, there was either a conversion or a riot.
The early church didn’t have modern technology at their disposal. Yet in a relatively short time, these believers changed their world. They permeated their culture.
Tertullian, a Christian leader and a contemporary of these early followers of Christ, said of the church, “We are but of yesterday, and we have filled every place among you—cities, islands, fortresses, towns, marketplaces, the very camp, tribes, companies, palace, senate, forum—we have left nothing to you but the temples of your gods.”
He was pointing to the fact that the church had infiltrated everything. There were even Christians in the palace of Caesar.
This is what we need today. We need Christians to go out and make a difference. We need Christians involved in the arts, making great films and creating graphic design. We need Christians in places of authority, because the Bible says that when the righteous rule, the people rejoice (see Proverbs 29:2).
We need Christian doctors, lawyers, and businesspeople. We need believers to let their light shine in this culture today.
Religious leaders in Thessalonica had this to say about Paul and Silas: “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (Acts 17:6 NKJV).
G. Campbell Morgan said, “Organized Christianity which fails to make a disturbance is dead.”
Believers in the first century made a disturbance because they understood that God had called them to do their part. They took risks.
They left their comfort zones. In the Book of Acts, we see their fearless preaching, their expectant prayer, and their willingness to obey God.
Twenty-first-century believers should be living like these first-century believers, calling for lost sinners to repent, impacting our culture. We should be making a difference. We should be turning our world upside down. What are we waiting for?
G.Laurie
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