The bottom-line or minimum requirement for one to be saved (have eternal life in heaven) is to simply believe that Jesus (Y’shua) died for your sins and ask Him to come into your life. This is referred to as being ‘Saved by Grace’; it is the Good News!
If a man was giving away a million (USD) dollars in cash, for a limited time, FREE to anyone who wanted it… what would you do? Would you grab the cash and ask questions later? Would you ask a few questions to find out if it’s really true, and then grab the cash? Or would you, while knowing that this is a limited time offer, spend weeks, months, or years investigating and thinking about it?
If you or someone you know is desperate, dying, contemplating suicide, etc. etc… I strongly suggest “grab the FREE gift of salvation and ask questions later”. If you are not desperate, you may want to do a background check on this Jesus, Grace, and Salvation before grabbing the FREE gift. Then there are those of you, who may spend weeks, months, or years investigating and thinking before reaching a decision one way or the other.
But, whatever you do, keep these 3 things in mind:
1. This is a FREE gift to any and everybody.
2. It is a limited time offer.
3. And the deadline is drawing near.
Jesus (Y’shua) says ‘Come as you are!’ It’s not about cleaning up your act first. It’s not about cleaning up your act afterwards. You don’t have to go to church. You don’t have to pay tithes. You don’t have to be baptized. You don’t have to stop drinking. You don’t have to stop using drugs. You don’t even have to tell anyone. It can just be a secret between you and God!
Because we are saved by Grace and not by works, and because some people take full advantage of this ‘Come as you are’ offer… some religious and legalist leaders refer to Grace as ‘Greasy Grace’.
I strongly suggest that you come as you are, taking full advantage of this FREE gift!
During my tour of duty in Viet Nam 66-67, I said to God “If you get me out of this mess alive and in one piece… I will serve you for the rest of my life”. Well, God kept His half of the bargain but I didn’t keep mine. Instead, I partied and lived life to its fullest. Fast cars, fast motorcycles, fast women, booze, gambling, you name it! But, always in the back of my mind was that promise I made to God. It haunted me day and night.
Every once in a while I would try going to some church, but never felt good or clean enough. People expected me to stop sinning just like that. They wanted me to give them 10% of all my money; they didn’t like my mustache, my clothes, my walk, or the way I talked. Man, I just couldn’t handle it!
Then one day in 1979, I came across a church called Grace Church. The same little voice in my head that haunted me about the promise I made, now was urging me to check this church out. Well, I finally did!
The pastor began talking to me about Grace and telling me that Jesus died for my sins (past, present, and future). And if I accept what Jesus has done and ask Him to enter into my life, I would be saved. That my sins would be washed away by His blood and whenever God looked upon me He would see only righteousness. He said, ‘we are all sinners saved by Grace and all our righteousness (good works) are like filthy rags’. Wow!
So I asked the pastor, “Say! I go to the casinos in Atlantic City at least once a month, now what?”
He says, “No problem” “That has nothing to do with your salvation” “Jesus wants us to come to Him as we are”
“What if I don’t believe in paying tithes (giving 10% of my money)?”
He says, “No problem” “That has nothing to do with your salvation” “Jesus wants us to come to Him as we are”
“I still drink on weekends and other special occasions. I still have my girlfriends.”
“No problem”
“You mean that I can come to Him just as I am?” “I don’t have to make any changes?” “I don’t have to go to church?” “I don’t have to do nothing?”
“That’s right!”
“Wow!” I can do this! This is cool!
Right from day one I liked this pastor. I liked this church. I liked Grace. And, I began feeling clean and forgiven for the broken promise I made to God.
Little did I realize but my life was in for a big change. You see, when I accepted Jesus into my life, I became one of His own, or you could say ‘a child of God’. It’s like He all of a sudden began taking a personal interest in me.
I used to be lucky. I used to win big at the casinos consistently. After giving my life to the Lord, I lost my luck. At the casinos, instead of winning, I was losing a thousand dollars at a pop. I was even losing at the horses (horse races). It wasn’t long before I lost interest in gambling altogether. Hmmm… my luck was replaced with blessings, and I didn’t even know it.
Man, I loved to drink. For the first time in my life I began getting hangover headaches. Soon drinking wasn’t fun anymore, so I stopped.
Man, God is awesome! He is the potter and we are the clay! Some He may change – some He may not!
Some people are so happy to have all their sins forgiven that they voluntarily give up their sinful ways. As for me, I chose the Greasy Grace method.
Meanwhile He has filled my heart with love and compassion. It’s as if He gave me a new heart. This has turned me into a very nice person, a good kind of guy you could say.
It’s wonderful! I have been made righteous, made clean, and free from sin! In God’s eyes, I can do no wrong!
Free from guilt and condemnation! Washed in the blood of the Lamb!
All I did was believe that Jesus died for my sins, and asked Him to enter my life. I came as I was, with no intention of changing. And the rest is history.
How did you end up as a missionary in Israel?
Comming soon!