The Final Victory

Today, all over the world, there are people facing situations which threaten to send everything they hold dear crashing to the ground. It may be the result of bad decisions or circumstances out of their control; but either way, they awoke in the middle of a whirlwind and cannot determine which direction to turn. There are many others who awoke tired and discouraged, and don’t even know why. Today is much the same as any other, but they are questioning the usefulness of continuing.
I can make this bold prediction about today, not because I have any insight into this particular day or period of history, but because that is the nature of life. We live in an imperfect world filled with imperfect people. The result is a bunch of imperfect circumstances! Even when we begin to walk with Jesus we struggle with these imperfections which distract us and steal our joy.
Why begin a message on such a depressing note? First, we need to understand we are not alone. Many more people are struggling than we can possibly imagine. The need for encouragement is huge and will increase as the time of our Lord’s return draws near. Next, we need to know how we can live a life of peace and how we can pass this peace to others.
When we place our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we don’t receive the promise of a trouble free life; rather, we receive the promise of life eternal in the presence of God. Many of our troubles here on earth will remain. But an understanding of our eternal promise should encourage us as we shift our focus from life in terms of days and years, to life in terms of eternity; “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Jesus saw these same struggles in His disciples. He wanted them to live a life of peace and contentment, but He also knew they would face many difficulties. After a night of teaching His disciples about their relationship with the Father through faith in His Son, Jesus gave these words of encouragement:
John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Jesus came to conquer sin and death through His sacrifice on the cross: the battle with the true enemy has already been won! If we have come to God in faith and received the transforming gift of His Spirit, we ought to keep this victorious truth at the front of ALL our thoughts. As we climb into the ring day after day – even as we grow weary, lose a few rounds and want to quit – let’s always remember that through our risen Lord we have an eternal hope. Let’s continue with the peace and assurance that in Christ we have been granted the final victory.

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

Rev. Adbhuta Rao. Garnepudi

Millinium Baptist Church

 Nambur, Guntur (Dist), A.P, S.India.

VISIT US : http://www.sites.google.com/site/wordmini/home

MAIL US : wordministries.india@gmail.com

CALL US : (+91)9848150491, 9908054910

 

A Belief That Saves

In the message “The Father’s Will” we saw that not all who do great things for God will enter Heaven, but “only he who does the will of My Father” (Matthew 7:21). We further saw that the Father’s will is “that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life” (John 6:40). We are given the gift of eternal life because of our belief in Jesus, not because of what we do; “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

Salvation can never be earned, it is a gift to those who believe. However, we must understand what it means to believe and what changes will occur when we believe. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder” (James 2:19). A saving belief is much more than just acknowledging God’s existence or even the existence of His Son – even the demons believe this!

Belief in Jesus is never simply an intellectual understanding. Belief implies a humble surrender. We will never “look to the Son” unless we first recognize our eternally lost condition due to sin; and we will never truly “believe in Him” for salvation until we accept our complete inability to save ourselves. A drowning man will never reach up for help until he first understands and accepts his need to be rescued.

To be rescued, we must believe so completely that we abandon all other “rescuers” and cling to the only One who can truly save; “any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33). Giving up everything cannot save us, but true belief gives up all other sources of hope. It also reveals the trivial nature of our worldly attachments and creates an understanding that everything belongs to God. We see our life as lived for Him and desire to do ALL for His glory.

James 2:14,17

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? … In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Belief must produce a change in our life or we know it is not a true belief – it is nothing more than dead intellectual understanding! At the moment we truly believe, we are “marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13), and we become “a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Belief creates change through the work of the Holy Spirit!!

If we lack the evidence of a changed life, we must not focus on creating the change. This type of change becomes self-righteous “filthy rags.” Rather, we must return to the cross and place ALL our trust in Jesus, truly believing He has paid the penalty for our sin and has granted us passage through the narrow gate to eternal life. As we completely turn over control to our Heavenly Father, fruit and good deeds will abound. Our life will be forever changed, but only when we begin with a belief that saves.

 

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

Rev. Adbhuta Rao. Garnepudi

Millinium Baptist Church

Nambur, Guntur (Dist), A.P, S.India.

VISIT US : http://www.sites.google.com/site/wordmini/home

MAIL US : wordministries.india@gmail.com

CALL US : (+91)9848150491, 9908054910

The Gift of Eternal Life

In our last few messages we have seen that being discipled is a life-long process which begins prior to Salvation with a clear presentation of the gospel and continues all the rest of our days. As Jesus was talking with Nicodemus, He began the process of discipleship by giving clear instruction on belief and eternal life.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The moment we truly believe, our heart is transformed and we are given the gift of eternal life; “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). However, we need to consider what Jesus meant when He said, “whoever believes in Him.” The prior verses help yield a better understanding; “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).
When Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, they soon began to complain: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” (Numbers 21:5). God punished the people for this sin by sending poisonous snakes. Many began to die from snake bites, so they went to Moses and said: “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us” (Numbers 21:7).
Moses prayed and God replied: “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live” (Numbers 21:8). To be saved from the snakes, the people had to recognize their sin, repent of their sin, and understand death was certain without God’s intervention. They then had to believe God’s Word and act in faith; “Look at the snake and you will live.”
Our Salvation “process” is the same today. We have all been snake-bit by sin! We must recognize our sin (Romans 3:23), desire to turn away from our sin (repentance), and understand eternal death is certain without God’s intervention (Romans 6:23). We must then believe God’s Word: “God presented Him {Jesus} as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood” (Romans 3:25). His sacrifice paid the penalty for our sins! “Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:43). We must believe the sacrifice of Jesus is sufficient for complete forgiveness and then act on that belief by submitting our life into His hands, trusting in Him and Him alone!
God gave us His Son, that whoever, by faith, enters through the gate of forgiveness – whoever “believes in Him” – will not perish but receive the gift of eternal life.

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

Rev. Adbhuta Rao. Garnepudi

Millinium Baptist Church

Nambur, Guntur (Dist), A.P, S.India.

VISIT US : http://www.sites.google.com/site/wordmini/home

MAIL US : wordministries.india@gmail.com

CALL US : (+91)9848150491, 9908054910