WHAT DOES IT MEAN...TO BE SAVED?

What does it mean to be saved? - Jesus is not only Savior but Lord!!

It is more than "head knowledge" akin to "believing" that Christopher Columbus lived and discovered America, or George Washington lived and was our first President.

It is believing Jesus, who is The WORD, is truly The Son of God:  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"  John 1:1  and that He came to earth as man, born of a Virgin, to be the sacrifice for our sins.  The act that restored the relationship with God & man as it was before Adam and Eve sinned in The Garden.  "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."  1 John 2:2  (Propitiation is an action meant to regain someone's favor or make up for something you did wrong.)

Salvation is not only escape from punishment for our sins, it is deliverance from sin.  While salvation is an immediate, instantaneous birth or act, we are not at that moment made perfect in purity. Just as we are born, in the flesh as a small, helpless infant and then grow into adulthood and maturity, we obtain pardon from our sin and grow in purity by the working of His indwelling Holy Spirit. This is a long, arduous, progressive work. 

Salvation is conformity to Jesus, as well as faith, trust and reliance upon Him. It is a change of heart, a changing of character, a whole new view of who He is and who we are because He is in us.  It is the manifestation of the nine gifts of the Spirit:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith. meekness, temperance:  against such there is no law."  Galatians 5:22-23  

Quoting Newman Hall: "It is the humbling of pride, the curbing of the passions, the destruction of self-will.  It is the undoing the work of all former years, the untwisting the coils which the devil had long been winding round us, and the training us to new habits of thought and action."

We serve God not out of fear of punishment but out of our love for Him.  Our changed heart transforms us and gives us a new life. We not only avoid sin, but we begin to hate it.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."  II Corinthian 5:17-19 

Be sure Jesus is your LORD

and not just your fire escape.

     

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A VIDEO & MUST READS in my opinion!!!

Even though I am an avid reader I have only recommended 3 books in the 2 years & 4 months I have been blogging. The first was Crash Point, the second, The Shack, and on February 15h The Last Jihad, by Joel Rosenberg.


We just finished reading the 5th of Joel's fiction series: The Last Jihad, The Last Days, The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll and Dead Heat. We are currently reading his first non-fiction book: Epicenter.


These books are absolutely MUST reads for anyone who wants to stay current with what is going on in our world from both a political & Biblical view.

The Word tells us to have "eyes to see & ears to hear" and repeatedly warns us of those who "seeing, see not, and hearing, hear not".

If you cannot see and hear that our world is changing, literally by the day and hour, then I beg of you to open your eyes and your ears to what God is telling us.

My constant prayer is that each and every one of you know Jesus as your Savior & Lord. If you do not please don't wait another minute to 1)believe with your heart that Jesus is truly the Son of God, 2) confess to God that you are a sinner and ask Him to forgive you, 3) invite Jesus to come into your heart 4) acknowledge that He has died for your sins & that God raised Him the dead to give you eternal life, then 5)confess Him with your mouth and you shall be saved. Salvation is a free gift from God. There is NOTHING we can do to earn it. But you must believe it and accept it to posses it.

A special thanks to my dear friend Ginger for forwarding me the video.

MORE PICTURES & STORY

The pictures:



The change that took place in David's heart on October 14th, when he became a new creature in Christ, is beginning to take place in the outward appearance on October 28th. THIS if our son and a child of the King!!

David and Nicole before church.

David and his dad horsing around and having fun. David is pointing to his new watch, but dad, Mickey will not be outdone!

One PROUD mama and her first born son

Now the story: Nicole called David at 9:30 pm, Wednesday, October 24th, informing him she was flying in from California the next day at 3. She was here for a whirlwind 5 days, flying out on October 29th at 4 pm.

The glory of it all........she arrived a sinner needing and searching for God........she left a sinner saved by grace, redeemed and a Child of God!!!!. We are rejoicing and praising God for HIS faithfulness and patience as He persues us. That He is a God who not only hears our prayers but answers them.

We covet your prayers for all of us, especially David and Nicole as they both make some of the most important decisions of their lives. BUT.....the most important decision has already been made. David Joyce and Nicole Joyce's names were added to The Book of Life in October, 2007. David on the 14th and Nicole on the 28th.

A NEW NAME IN GLORY

There's a new name written down in glory, And it's mine, O yes, it's mine.

And the white-robed angels sing the story, "A sinner has come home."
For there's a new name written down in glory, And it's mine. Oh yes, it's mine!
With my sins forgiven I am bound for heaven. Never more to roam.
Words & music by C. Austin Miles copyright 1910

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David's wife, Nicole, flew in from California Thursday, October 25th. David witnessed non-stop to her, as did we. The 4 of us attended our Sunday morning services at Coweta Assembly of God. Nicole did not make a decision for Christ during the service but upon leaving she stated she would like to meet and talk to Pastor Gary Rogers. David called Pastor Gary, at his home, and they meet at 5 p.m.

Her life changed when she met Jesus and made Him her Savior, at 5:30 pm, October 28th. We have been praying for Nicole since first meeting her in May of 2004. We have been witnessing non-stop to both Nicole and David since their marriage on April 3, 2005.

GOD ANSWERS PRAYER

PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME