CHURCH OF THE OPEN DOOR

The Bible instructs us to forgive as the Lord forgave us:

Colossians 3:13Colossians 3:13
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13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. quarrel: or, complaint  

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Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. NIV

It is not uncommon for Christians to have questions about forgiving. Forgiveness is not very easy for most of us. Our natural desire think self-protection when we’ve been injured. We don’t always act upon mercy, grace and forgiveness when we’ve been wronged.

Is forgiveness a  choice, a physical act involving the will, or a feeling, an emotion? The Bible offers insight and answers to these and many more questions about forgiveness. We’ll take a look at the some asked questions and find out what the Bible says about forgiveness.

What is forgiveness?

Usually, forgiveness is a decision to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. The decision to not what to get even with the one who hurt or offended you . Forgiveness can lessen the  grip on you and help you focus on other, positive areas of your life. Forgiveness can even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you.

Keep in mind, that forgiveness doesn’t mean you deny the other person’s responsibility for hurting you, and it doesn’t minimize or justify the wrong. You can forgive the person without excusing the act. Forgiveness brings a kind of peace that helps you go on with life. Believe me its worth it!

What are your benefits of forgiving someone?

Healthier relationships,  Greater spiritual well being, Less anxiety, stress and hostility,

Lower blood pressure and Fewer symptoms of depression.

Philippians 1:6Philippians 1:6
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6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: perform: or, finish  

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And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. NLT

How will we know if we have truly forgiven?

Lewis B. Smedes wrote in his book, Forgive and Forget, “When you release the wrongdoer from the wrong, you cut a malignant tumor out of your inner life. You set a prisoner free, but you discover that the real prisoner was yourself.”

Let me mention we will know the work of forgiveness is complete when we experience the freedom that comes as a result. We are the ones who suffer most when we choose not to forgive. When we do forgive, the Lord sets our hearts free from the anger, bitterness,  resentment and hurt that previously imprisoned us.

However, forgiveness is a slow process.

I  alway find prayer is one of the best ways to break down any unforgiveness in my heart. When I  pray for the person who has wronged me, God gives me new eyes to see and care for that person. As I pray, I start to see that person as God sees them, and I realize that he or she is just as precious to the Lord as I am.  I also see myself  just as guilty of sin and failure as the other person. I too am in need of forgiveness. If God did not withhold his forgiveness from me, why should I withhold my forgiveness from another?

What must I do  to be saved we must:

1.) Hear the “good news” (i.e. the gospel) of Jesus Christ(Romans 10:14Romans 10:14
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14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?  

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2.) Believe(Hebrews 11:6Hebrews 11:6
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6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.  

WP-Bible plugin; Acts 8:37Acts 8:37
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37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  

WP-Bible plugin; Mark 16:16Mark 16:16
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16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.  

WP-Bible plugin; John 8:24John 8:24
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24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.  

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3.) Repent of our   sins (Luke 13:3,5Luke 13:3,5
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3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. ⁵ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.  

WP-Bible plugin; Acts 2:38Acts 2:38
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38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  

WP-Bible plugin; Acts 17:30Acts 17:30
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30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:  

WP-Bible plugin; Mark 10:15Mark 10:15
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15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.  

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4.) Confess faith in Jesus Christ(Acts 8:36-37Acts 8:36-37
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36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? ³⁷ And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  

WP-Bible plugin; Romans 10:9Romans 10:9
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9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  

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5.) Be baptized (in water) for the forgiveness of sins(Acts 2:37-41Acts 2:37-41
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37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? ³⁸ Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. ³⁹ For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. ⁴⁰ And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. ⁴¹ Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.  

WP-Bible plugin; 1Peter 3:21r 3:21
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21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;  

WP-Bible plugin; John 3:3-5John 3:3-5
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3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. again: or, from above ⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? ⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  

WP-Bible plugin; Acts 22:16Acts 22:16
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16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.  

WP-Bible plugin; Romans 6:3-8Romans 6:3-8
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3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? were: or, are ⁴ Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: ⁶ Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. ⁷ For he that is dead is freed from sin. freed: Gr. justified ⁸ Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:  

WP-Bible plugin; Colossians 2:12Colossians 2:12
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12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.  

WP-Bible plugin; Galatians 3:26-27Galatians 3:26-27
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26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  

WP-Bible plugin; Mark 16:15-16Mark 16:15-16
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15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶ He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.  

WP-Bible plugin; Acts 8:34-39Acts 8:34-39
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34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? ³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. ³⁶ And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? ³⁷ And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. ³⁸ And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. ³⁹ And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.  

WP-Bible plugin; Titus 3:5Titus 3:5
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5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;  

WP-Bible plugin; Ephesians 4:5Ephesians 4:5
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5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,  

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6.) Remain faithful for the rest of our lives and carry our cross daily(Revelation 2:10Revelation 2:10
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10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.  

WP-Bible plugin; Matthew 24:13Matthew 24:13
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13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  

WP-Bible plugin; Luke 9:23Luke 9:23
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23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.  

WP-Bible plugin) (What about, “Once saved always saved”?)

Note:    This process of “remaining faithful” consists of striving to develop and let Christ within you. The Holy Spirit will be your guide.

> Disciple means  student, and the disciples were people who chose to follow Jesus and to learn from his teaching. They called him Rabbi, or Teacher. The twelve disciples were followers of Jesus whom he had chosen to become his  group, the people he talked things over with and depended on.  Simon and his brother Andrew were the first disciples Jesus chose. Next Jesus called James and John, then Philip, Nathaniel (also called Bartholomew), Matthew, Thomas, and James, son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas, son of James, and Judas Iscariot.  According to the Gospel of John, Andrew and one other of the disciples had first been disciples of John the Baptist.  The disciples were more interested in telling Jesus’ story than in telling their own, but we do know a few things about some of them.  Jesus nicknamed Simon Peter, and the nickname stuck.  Peter, Andrew, James and John were commercial fishermen. They (or their families) owned boats. James and John were the sons of Zebedee, and  John may be the person who wrote the Fourth Gospel, the Gospel of John. Andrew and Philip have Greek names and spoke Greek to the travelers who came from Greece to hear Jesus preach. It is unsure if they had Greek relatives or Greek or Roman educations.  Matthew had been a tax collector, which at the time was a disrespected way of earning a living. Everyone believed tax collecter were totally dishonest. Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot may have been political activists, belonging to some of the many groups that wanted to overthrow the Roman government. The Jews at that time wanted very much to have a Jewish king and Jewish courts that understood their beliefs and the way they observed the religious laws.   We only know Thomas’s nickname: both Thomas in Aramaic and Didymus in Greek mean twin.  What we know for sure about all the disciples is that they all left their livelihoods and commitments to follow Jesus as he traveled around the world, preaching, teaching, and healing.

Read Matthew 9: 35Matthew 9: 35
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35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  

WP-Bible plugin – 10: 8 ; Mark 3: 13Mark 3: 13
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13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.  

WP-Bible plugin – 19; Luke 6: 12Luke 6: 12
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12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  

WP-Bible plugin – 18 ; John 1: 35John 1: 35
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35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;  

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Sent from my iPad

Eagles

When the babies are born, both parents assume responsibility for their care. They are gentle parents, sitting on the eggs
for one month. The parents bring food up to the nest and
feed them small pieces of meat. Within 45 days, they
can weigh nearly 40 times their birth weight.

At three months they get special feathers for flying and a
new learning experience begins. The Mother eagle flies into the
nest and begins to thrash around causing a great commotion.

Eventually, one of the babies will fall out of the nest and
will begin heading for the earth below. Never having used
his wings before, he’s not really sure what to do, but
does do a lot of flapping while heading straight down.

But just before the baby eagle hit’s the ground, the Mother
eagle flies underneath in order to catch the baby on her
powerful wings, as she flies him safely back to the nest. This continues on day after day until all the babies learn how to fly

There are two verses in Scripture that actually mention this routine
of the eagle. In

Deuteronomy 32:11Deuteronomy 32:11
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11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:  

WP-Bible plugin, Moses reminds the children of
Israel how God cared for them and guarded them just like an eagle
that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings
to catch them and carries them on its pinions. Again in Exodus 19:4Exodus 19:4
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4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.  

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God says that “He will carry the children of Israel on eagles’ wings”.

We can get very comfortable in our nest. Perhaps that can be our
way of doing things, our way of thinking, our opinions, our way of
living life. Then when God comes and stirs up our nest, we get
upset. We don’t always identify this as a growing experience.

Sometimes if we’re really honest, we really don’t want to grow.
We get so very complacent and satisfied with where we are,
that any interruptions are viewed as negative. But God wants
us to fly, to become all that he intends for us to become.
He never stirs up our nest without good reason.

Did you know the eagle can see a rabbit two miles away?
It can soar up to two miles above the ground and can fly
at speeds up to 100 miles an hour. They have a separate
eyelid which slides across the eye sideways in order
to keep the eye clean and free from dust as they fly.

  Their bones are hollow and therefore light of frame.
Their frame has cross ribs, like steal bars in sky scrapers.
The eagle has 7000 feathers. The back feathers are as
long as the head feathers. Their beak is black until
they turn 3 years of age, and then it turns golden.

When eagles are about 30 years old, they go through a
renewal process. They find a secret place high in the
mountains and begin to claw at their face and tear out
the feathers that have been damaged over the years.
As a result, it bleeds badly. But this is necessary for the
eagle in order to renew its strength. If it did not do this,
it would not be able to live to its normal 60 years of age.

Psalms 103:5Psalms 103:5
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5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.  

WP-Bible plugin says, “who satisfies your desires with good
things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” A
time of renewal is necessary for every child of God. A time
when we get rid of what is weighing us down, holding us back,
aging us spiritually. A time to give up the sinful habits, to give
in to the Holy Spirit in whichever way He is convicting us.

We need to do this, even to the point of renewal with
pain. Some things we hold on to so tightly, that to let
go actually causes us pain. But in order to have the long,
powerful, useful, spiritual life that God plans for us, we
need to do that. It will renew our spiritual youthfulness.

When the eagles are free to soar in God’s creation, they are
the cleanest of birds. They were created to be free and to soar
to great heights. They were not meant to remain close to the
earth in the lowlands. They were created to soar. When they
are held in captivity, they become one of the dirtiest of birds.

God has created us to remain pure and holy and conformed to
His Image. Don’t allow the freedom we are to experience in
Him to be compromised by spending too much time in worldly
thinking, activities and mindsets. We need to remain clean.

Eagles do not fly like other birds, they don’t flap their
wings, they soar! Flapping their wings would use incredible
amounts of their own strength and endurance, and they would
require so much more food as fuel if they did not soar

God makes His Word so clear to us. So here is on Chapter I will share today!

Romans 8:1Romans 8:1
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8 ¹ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  

WP-Bible plugin There is  therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not  after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Romans 8:1Romans 8:1
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8 ¹ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  

WP-Bible plugin4 For as many as  are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Romans 8:1Romans 8:1
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8 ¹ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  

WP-Bible plugin5-17 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. The Spirit itself beareth  witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:  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.

Romans 8:1Romans 8:1
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8 ¹ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  

WP-Bible plugin8 For I reckon  that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the  glory which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8:28Romans 8:28
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28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  

WP-Bible plugin And we know  that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are  the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:31Romans 8:31
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31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?  

WP-Bible plugin What shall we  then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:33Romans 8:33
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33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.  

WP-Bible plugin  Who shall  lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

Romans 8:35Romans 8:35
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35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  

WP-Bible plugin Who shall  separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or  persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 8:37Romans 8:37
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37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  

WP-Bible plugin Nay, in all  these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Romans 8:38-39Romans 8:38-39
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38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

WP-Bible plugin For I am  persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor  powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any  other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in  Christ Jesus our Lord.

The ROMANS ROAD….is a pathway you can walk.
It is a group of Bible verses from the book of Romans in the New Testament. If you walk down this road you will end up understanding how to be saved.
Romans 3:23Romans 3:23
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23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  

WP-Bible plugin “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
We all have sin in our hearts. We all were born with sin.
We were born under the power of sin’s control.
- Admit that you are a sinner.
Romans 6:23Romans 6:23
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23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

WP-Bible plugina “…The wages of sin is death…”
Sin has an ending. It results in death. We all face physical death, which is a result of sin. But a worse death is spiritual death that alienates us from God, and will last for all eternity. The Bible teaches that there is a place called the Lake of Fire where lost people will be in torment forever. It is the place where people who are spiritually dead will remain.
- Understand that you deserve death for your sin.
Romans 6:23Romans 6:23
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23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

WP-Bible pluginb “…But the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Salvation is a free gift from God to you! You can’t
earn this gift, but you must reach out and receive it.
- Ask God to forgive you and save you.
Romans 5:8Romans 5:8
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8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  

WP-Bible plugin, “God demonstrates His own love for us, in
that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!”
When Jesus died on the cross He paid sin’s penalty. He paid the price for all sin, and when He took all the sins of the world on Himself on the cross, He bought us out of slavery to sin and death! The only condition is that we believe in Him and what He has done for us, understanding that we are now joined with Him, and that He is our life. He did all this because He loved us and gave Himself for us!
- Give your life to God… His love poured out in Jesus on the cross is your only hope to have forgiveness and change. His love bought you out of being a slave to sin. His love is what saves you — not religion, or church membership. God loves you!
Romans 10:13Romans 10:13
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13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  

WP-Bible plugin “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved!”
- Call out to God in the name of Jesus!
Romans 10:9,10Romans 10:9,10
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9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  

WP-Bible plugin “…If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
- If you know that God is knocking on your heart’s door,
ask Him to come into your heart.
Jesus said,
Revelation 3:20Revelation 3:20
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20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.  

WP-Bible plugina “Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him…”
- Is Jesus knocking on your heart’s door?
Believe in Him.
Ask Him to come in to your heart by faith,
and ask Him to reveal Himself to you.
Open the Bible to the Gospel of John and read what God says about Jesus,
about you, and about being born again.
God will help you. He loves you.
You need to look for a local church where
God’s word is preached. The Bible says that we are to desire
God’s word like a newborn baby desires mother’s milk.
Aren’t you hungry to know the truth?
Water baptism is one of the ways you first show that
you have been joined to Jesus. This is an action, and actions will not save you. However, it is an act of obedience and a symbol of commitment.
The symbolism is this:
When you go down in the water you show that
You have been crucified and buried with Him,
And when you come up out of the water you show that
you have been raised to walk with Him in newness of life.
(See Romans chapter 6)
You have been born again.
(See John chapter 3)
Your body has become God’s temple.
Your heart is where He lives.
Forgiveness is yours in Jesus.
And you belong to Him.
You were sin’s slave.
But now…
You are a child of GOD!
John 1:12John 1:12
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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: power: or, the right, or, privilege  

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“As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name!”

The Origin Of Christmas

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Christmas is a holiday shared and celebrated by many religions.
It is a day that has an effect on the entire world.

To many people, it is a favorite time of the year involving gift giving, parties and feasting. Christmas is a holiday that unifies almost all of professing Christendom.

The spirit of Christmas causes people to decorate their homes and churches, cut down trees and bring them into their homes, decking them with silver and gold.

In the light of that tree, families make merry and give gifts one to another.

When the sun goes down on December 24th, and darkness covers the land, families and churches prepare for participation in customs such as burning the yule log, singing around the decorated tree, kissing under the mistletoe and holly, and attending a late night service or midnight mass.

What is the meaning of Christmas? Where did the customs and traditions originate?

You, as a Christian, would want to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth, discerning good from evil.

The truth is that all of the customs of Christmas pre-date the birth of Jesus Christ, and a study of this would reveal that
Christmas in our day is a collection of traditions and practices taken from many cultures and nations.

The date of December 25th comes from Rome and was a celebration of the Italic god, Saturn, and the rebirth of the sun god.

This was done long before the birth of Jesus.

It was noted by the pre-Christian Romans and other pagans, that daylight began to increase after December 22nd, when they assumed that the sun god died.

These ancients believed that the sun god rose from the dead three days later as the new-born and venerable sun.

Thus, they figured that to be the reason for increasing daylight.

This was a cause for much wild excitement and celebration. Gift giving and merriment filled the temples of ancient Rome, as sacred priests of Saturn, called dendrophori, carried wreaths of evergreen boughs in procession.

In Germany, the evergreen tree was used in worship and celebration of the yule god, also in observance of the resurrected sun god.

The evergreen tree was a symbol of the essence of life and was regarded as a phallic symbol in fertility worship.

Witches and other pagans regarded the red holly as a symbol of the menstrual blood of the queen of heaven, also known as Diana.

The holly wood was used by witches to make wands.

The white berries of mistletoe were believed by pagans to represent droplets of the semen of the sun god.

Both holly and mistletoe were hung in doorways of temples and homes to invoke powers of fertility in those who stood beneath and kissed, causing the spirits of the god and goddess to enter them.

These customs transcended the borders of Rome and Germany to the far reaches of the known world.

The question now arises: How did all of these customs find their way into contemporary Christianity, ranging from Catholicism to Protestantism to fundamentalist churches?

The word “Christmas”itself reveals who married paganism to Christianity.

The word “Christmas” is a combination of the words “Christ” and “Mass.

The word “Mass” means death and was coined originally by the Roman Catholic Church, and belongs exclusively to the church of Rome.

The ritual of the Mass involves the death of Christ, and the distribution of the “Host”, a word taken from the Latin word “hostiall” meaning victim!

In short, Christmas is strictly a Roman Catholic word.

A simple study of the tactics of the Romish Church reveals that in every case, the church absorbed the customs, traditions and general paganism of every tribe, culture and nation in their efforts to increase the number of people under their control.

In short, the Romish church told all of these pagan cultures, “Bring your gods, goddesses, rituals and rites, and we will assign Christian sounding titles and names to them.

When Martin Luther started the reformation on October 31st, 1517, and other reformers followed his lead, all of them took with them the paganism that was so firmly imbedded in Rome.

These reformers left Christmas intact.

In England, as the authorized Bible became available to the common people by the decree of King James the II in 1611, people began to discover the pagan roots of Christmas, which are clearly revealed in Scripture.

The Puritans in England, and later in Massachusetts Colony, outlawed this holiday as witchcraft.

Near the end of the nineteenth century, when other Bible versions began to appear, there was a revival of the celebration of Christmas.

We are now seeing ever-increasing celebrating of Christmas or Yule, its true name, as we draw closer to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In both witchcraft circles and contemporary Christian churches, the same things are going on.

As the Bible clearly states in Jeremiah 10:2-4Jeremiah 10:2-4
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. ³ For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. customs...: Heb. statutes, or, ordinances are vanity ⁴ They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.  

WP-Bible plugin, “Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen; and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven. For the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain. For one cutteth a tree out of the forest. The work of the hands of the workman with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold. They fasten it with nails and with hammers that it move not.”

So, what is wrong with Christmas?

1. To say that Jesus was born on December 25th is a lie! The true date is sometime in September according to the Scriptures.

2. Trees, wreaths, holly, mistletoe and the like are strictly forbidden as pagan and heathen! To say that these are Christian or that they can be made Christian is a lie!

3. The Lord never spoke of commemorating his birth but rather commanded us to remember the sacrifice of His suffering and death, which purchased our salvation.

Think about it! Can we worship and honor God by involving ourselves with customs and traditions, which God Himself forbade as idolatry? Can we convince God to somehow “Christianize” these customs and the whole pretense and lie of Christmas, so we can enjoy ourselves? Can we obey through disobedience?

So what is right about Christmas? 1. Nothing!
For more information and documentation contact:

Last Trumpet Ministries International
PO Box 806
Beaver Dam, WI 53916

***SOMETHING FOR US TO THINK ABOUT***
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago . They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night’s dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or loo
king back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly-missed boarding…

ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight.

Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did.

The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her; no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?”

She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, “I hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly.”

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, “Mister….” He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes.

She continued, “Are you Jesus?”

He stopped in mid-stride … And he wondered. He gently went back and said, “No, I am nothing like Jesus – He is good, kind, caring, loving, and would never have bumped into your display in the first place.”

The girl gently nodded: “I only asked because I prayed for Jesus to help me gather the apples. He sent you to help me, so you are like Him – only He knows who will do His will. Thank you for hearing His call, Mister.”

Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: “Are you Jesus?”

Do people mistake you for Jesus?

That’s our destiny, is it not?

To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It’s actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day .

You are the apple of His eye even though you, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked up you and me on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit .

The gospel means Good News, therefore the gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. The Gospel is God’s Good news proclaimed to us mankind. It is His (God’s) News to deliver mankind from their just eternal punishment for their sins, and to bring them (us, humanity) forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all those who will believe in the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. All those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior will be saved by God everlastingly. This is God’s message that He is declaring to the world through the word of God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the proclaiming of the death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Christ Jesus. There is no other gospel than this, there never has been and there never will be. Jesus is the Savior of the world and He is the only Savior.

The good news is that God’s Son (Jesus Christ) came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:151 Timothy 1:15
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15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.  

WP-Bible plugin). Yes He Jesus Christ is the sinner’s Savior. Jesus (who is the Son of God) died for all your sins on the cross, thus taking your punishment for them in full from God the Father, in so that you won’t have to when you meet the Lord God on judgment day. And most importantly He (Jesus) arose from His grave! What this means is that He (Jesus) conquered sin, defeated death, hell, and the grave for you when He died on that cross for you and when He resurrected bodily from His grave!

The bible declares that God is love (1 John 4:81 John 4:8
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8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.  

WP-Bible plugin), not that God can love, or not that God might love, but that He is the very expression of it’s meaning. But the bible also says something else, the bible says that all human beings are sinners in (Romans 3:23Romans 3:23
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23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  

WP-Bible plugin), and this is man’s problem from God’s perspective. The bible says all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. If you were honest with yourself you would know and admit that you have sinned multiple times against God over and over again. Now, because of that sin or sins that we all have committed against God, we have now been separated from God as a result of our disobedience to him. And the bible clearly teaches that we cannot fix this separation from God in it of our selves. The bible clearly teaches us that man cannot save himself from his own depraved sinful condition (Jeremiah 17:9Jeremiah 17:9
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9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?  

WP-Bible plugin) (Proverbs 14:12Proverbs 14:12
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12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.  

WP-Bible plugin) (John 8:34John 8:34
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34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.  

WP-Bible plugin) (James 2:10James 2:10
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10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.  

WP-Bible plugin) (Isaiah 64:6Isaiah 64:6
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6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.  

WP-Bible plugin) (Ephesians 2:8-9Ephesians 2:8-9
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8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.  

WP-Bible plugin) (Titus 3:5-7Titus 3:5-7
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5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; ⁶ Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; abundantly: Gr. richly ⁷ That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  

WP-Bible plugin) (1 Timothy 2:4-61 Timothy 2:4-6
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4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; ⁶ Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. to...: or, a testimony  

WP-Bible plugin) (John 14:6John 14:6
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6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  

WP-Bible plugin) (Acts 4:12Acts 4:12
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12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.  

WP-Bible plugin). In the word of God there are devastating consequences that is given to man for his sins. Let’s just look at a few of these consequences together here below.