Q: Go "back" and "remember" how God brought you out of some tough situations.. let's load up this page and say, lord I "REMEMBER".
A: Lord, I remember you waking me up when I dozed off behind the wheel after a night of drinking. I remember you keeping me safe as friends and gang members fought. I remember you coaxing me to leave the party moments before the gunfire erupted. I remember you keeping the road free from obstacles and police when I was going 110 mph down the highway racing friends. I remember the look of amazement in my mom's face, that encouraged my faith, as she passed on. I remember when my ex-girlfriend didn't get pregnant after we gave in to temptation. I remember you answering the prayer of a confused teenager who thought he'd never know you. I remember you giving me the words to say when facing the ridicule and scorn of friends and family criticizing my faith and politics. I remember you saying through the Apostle Paul, "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor. 10:12)."
Q: What is the true meaning of "Repentance"?
A: Repentance is commonly associated with "I used to do this sin, but now I don't." Only problem with that is what does it mean if you commit that sin again? Did you not really mean it the first time? It is that mistaken belief that leads many people down the path of frustration, believing God is sick of them for not changing. However, true repentance is turning from unbelief in Jesus Christ to belief in Him. "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15)." The goal of a Christian is not to stop sinning, but to start trusting the Lord. Remember, "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (1 Cor. 1:9)." As you grow in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ, you will begin to trust and depend on Him in every area of your life. You will never rid yourself of sin entirely, but you will begin to see a decrease in the sin in your life as the Lord guides you from within. Trust the Lord.
Q: The bible says the Holy Spirit is our "helper"..What does that mean?
A: The Helper that will be with us forever is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the actual life of God, lost when Adam sinned, restored to us by faith, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a life that carries us through this life and on into eternity even after we physically die. A life that can't be lost because of the eternal consequences of the Cross (Heb. 9:12). Jesus is the only one who ever lived the Christian life. Now, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19), He lives that life in and through us. Our responsibility is to rest from our attempts to live that life in the energy of our own flesh (Heb. 4:10) and respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit through trust and dependence on Him (Gal. 6:8). The promised Helper Jesus spoke of was God Himself coming to live within us. The Holy Spirit discerns God's Word for us, prays for us, produces fruit in us, teaches us and seals us until the day of redemption. In Him, we have all the help we need.
Q: What does it mean to take God's name in "vain"?
A: Too often people will say taking God's name in vain is to use God in a cuss word or something like that. While that is not a good thing, it isn't what is meant by the phrase. To take God's name in vain is to take His name upon yourself as part of your new identity in Him for no reason. In other words you fail to live in response to the truth of who you now are, identified with Him. As Christians, we have a specific identity in Christ. As children of God we have been set apart from the world in order to be salt and light to the world. God has given us everything we need for life and godliness as well as blessing us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. He did this so that we would not seek from the world that which only God can give us. The result of which is that we will live in total trust and dependence on Him which enables us to bear the fruit He is producing through us. Living our lives apart from the truth of who we are in Him is taking God's name in vain.
Q: As Christians is it our responsibility to "get" people saved?
A: No, it is not our responsibility to get people saved. Besides, only God knows the heart, so it would be difficult for us to tell anyway. God has revealed Himself in Creation (Romans 1), in our conscience (Romans 2) and through Jesus Christ (Romans 3). Each individual is responsible for their own salvation by responding to the evidence God has already placed in the world. A Christian's responsibility is to make ourselves available to God for Him to use us as He sees fit (Romans 12:1) in order that His desire for all mankind to be saved (2 Peter 3:9) would be fulfilled. Christians are encouraged to always "be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15)." We give the evidence that has convinced us of what we believe not try and convince others of what we believe. In this way our conversations can be "full of grace [and] seasoned with salt (Colossians. 4:6)" so those we encounter will be thirsty for more about Christ.
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