This is quite contrary to what most people will tell you about becoming a Christian. Nevertheless it is what Jesus Himself said , Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Note that "strait" means simply hard or difficult.
2. We Are Encouraged to Pursue it Anyway
Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: - In the Greek language of the Bible the following verse are in the present continuous tense, Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
You could accurately translate this as ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking. It is pretty hard to know why God does things, but my guess is that He wants to know, and He wants you to know that you seriously want to receive what He has for you.
3. What it is That Makes it Hard is Sin.
Most people have no idea what God says sin is. We think sin is something bad done to people, to the environment, children or animals and these things are also sin. God says sin is "unrighteousness"; that is to say anything that is contrary to what God wants us to do. Heaps of people leave this document right here because they do not want to have to do anything just because God says so. Oh, well that is theirs to choose, but it is a poor choice because God is the source of all life and sooner or later they will realise - too late probably - that death for eternity is not much of a choice for them to have made.
These are some things that God says about sin (anything contrary to His will) - Eze 18:4; Eze 18:20; the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The gateway to Jesus and eternal life is "strait" or difficult because we do not want to admit to being sinners, nor do we want to turn away from our sin. But if there is someone reading these words who is sick of their life because of its miserable failure to be lived any way but against God and against people and against their own self, then there is some good news for you, read on.
4. Jesus Came to Look for Those Who Are Lost in Sin.
Jesus told Zachaeus, who was a sinner big-time Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. And He told the religious men of that day.. Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
5. He Paid the Price for Our Sin by Dying on the Cross.
God does not ignore our sin He does away with it. That was my turning point and it can be yours too. If you want to be rid of your sin and its penalty of bondage and death God has already arranged the remedy. His Word the Bible says, Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. ---- There are many other verses that confirm all these things
6. What Must I Do to be Saved?
There was a jailer once who asked that question in the middle of an earthquake that opened the prison doors. When he looked after the noise and shaking subsided he found that his prisoners (Christians) had chosen to stay in order to speak to him about the Lord Jesus.
Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed [their] stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
You and your house can be saved too. The same way. The word "believe" in the Greek language of the Bible means to "believe in, trust in and rely on." Friend if you will believe in, trust in and rely on Jesus Christ alone for your sins to be forgiven and receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord in your life He will do it for you now.
7. Prayer is Just Talking to God.
You can pray just by forming the words in your mind, because God is able to know even your thoughts, but it is probably better for your sake to pray this prayer aloud. Print the whole page and read the prayer aloud and then date and sign it to remind you that you did this sincerely believing that God would hear you and receive you into His kingdom.
Father in Heaven
Though I do not understand all I need to about this yet I want to receive Jesus as my Saviour and Lord by faith.
I ask Him to forgive my sins and to cleanse them away through His blood which He shed when He died on Calvary for the sins of the whole world .
Come into my heart and take up residence there as Lord of my life.
From now on I will try to obey whatever you tell me to do in your Word, the Bible.
Let your Holy Spirit control and guide my life from now on, leading me in the ways you want me to go.
Help me to make right anything I can make right to people I have wronged, and to be able to forgive myself for things that are impossible for me to make right now.
Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer -------------Amen
8. How Do I know Something Has Really Happened in My Life?
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. ------ 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
The Bible says in these verses that a spiritual change takes place in the lives of all who pray a prayer similar to the one above and really mean it. Though you must repent, or turn around from your habitual sin becoming a Christian is not something you do it is something that happens to you that God does.
Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 ¶ And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together.
God adopts us, makes us over in the likeness of Jesus. From that point on He sees us not as sinners, but as sinners who are covered in Jesus’ righteousness (or goodness). Changes will take place in your taste in language, music, food, drink, company you keep, values, morality etc. etc. What changes? I am not going to tell you that, but I will tell you this, if there is no change it did not happen - go back to step 2 (above) and keep seeking, knocking and banging on God’s door until He meets you on it, because He will if you want it badly enough (i.e." when you get real") When it happens you will not have to ask other people if anything has changed they will tell you, Christians and non-christians alike.
You might get a "buzz" you might not. But if you were sincere when you prayed the prayer you will change, absolutely, totally, wonderfully, without any further input from you.
9. What do I do Now?
1. Let us know through the Feedback page on this site. We will pray for your well-being and for your future.
2. Find us or find a church that believes and teaches that the Bible is God’s Word preserved for us today without error. Not so easy these days but if you contact us we will do our best to help you make a start in this direction.
3. Get yourself a King James Bible and a good English Dictionary and begin to read the Bible through as many times as you can before you die. Start with Matthew's Gospel and read through until you get back to the place you started. Read the hard bits along with the easy and don’t worry if you do not understand it all. That is what is so good about it, if you do this you will read it for fifty years as I have and still find new and amazing things in it.
4. Start talking to God your Father on a regular basis. Talk in your mind, or when you are alone audibly. Talk to Him about the things you need and the things you can do without. Ask Him questions, you will be surprised where the answers pop up from. Talk to Him for other people who are worse off than you and you will often be surprised what He does for them just because now you’re His child and He wants to do things for them to please you. (Don’t be too disappointed when you don’t get everything, or when you don’t get it straight away, He is our Father, not a "Sugar Daddy")
5. Tell others about Jesus once you understand what it is that He has done for you. I have been doing that for nearly forty years now and nothing gives me a greater "buzz" than when I hear of someone taking my advice to receive Jesus too.
By Pastor Michael Trinham
Praise God for the Article
Pastor Rolando Ramos
www.fghconline.com
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