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Discipleship Tools
Steps To Peace With God
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1. God's Plan:
Peace and Life ~ God loves you and wants you to experience life
with His fullness of peace and joy.
For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
2. Our
Problem: Separation ~ Being at peace with God is not automatic,
because by nature you are separated from God.
For
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
3.
God's Remedy: The Cross ~ God's love
bridges the gap of separation between God and you. When Jesus Christ died on
the cross and rose from he grave, He paid the penalty for your sins.
He personally carried the load of our sins in his own body when he died
on the cross. 1 Peter
2:24
4.
Our Response: Receive Christ ~ You cross
the bridge into God's family when you receive Christ by personal invitation.
But
as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of
God, even to those who believe in His name.
John 1:12 |
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To Receive Jesus Christ as Your Lord and
Savior:
1. ADMIT you are a sinner.
2. REPENT and be willing to turn from your sin.
3. BELIEVE Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross.
4. RECEIVE, through prayer, Christ into your heart. |
Prayer of Salvation:
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O God, I am a
sinner. I am sorry for my sin. I am willing to turn from my sin. I receive
Jesus as my Savior; I confess Him as my Lord. From now on I want to follow
Him in the fellowship of His Church. In Jesus' name. Amen. |
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Behold, I
stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I
will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
Revelation
3:20 |
Assurance of Salvation
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Assurance of salvation is the awareness of belonging to Christ and having
complete confidence that He has given us everlasting life. Another way of
saying, being FULLY PERSUADED! If you have ambivalence
about your relationship with Christ, you really don't experience the full
and complete joy of the Lord. This uncertainty can stem from any of the
following:
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Not being truly converted. A
Christian is a person who has trusted in Jesus Christ as his Lord and
Savior, totally and completely surrendered his life. As Paul eloquently
states: If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in
your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For
with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made to salvation Romans 10:9-10
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Trusting feelings rather than God's Word.
Some people,
especially new Christians, expect a sustained, emotional elation related
to their salvation; when this elation diminishes, even slightly, doubts
creep in. Our eternal relationship with God cannot be based only on
emotion. We must rest on facts based on His written word. We are to commit
ourselves to the finished work of Christ on the Cross. Having trusted Him,
we continue in this relationship, with a sure confidence which Paul
expresses: He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until
the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 |
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Sin and disobedience in the life of the Christian.
Either or both of
these operating in the Christian's life will always result in ambivalence
and uncertainty about your salvation. Sin must be avoided at all times; if
sin is committed, it must be acknowledged, confessed and repented in order
to maintain unbroken fellowship and communion with God. |
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The Christian who does not nurture his life in the Word of God, prayer,
Christian fellowship and witness will dry up in the Spirit, opening the door
to uncertainty, doubts and worst of all, sin and disobedience. The Biblical
verse from the Apostle Peter: grow in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is not just an idle, good sounding
phrase. We grow in God's Word and fellowship or we die spiritually.
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Some helpful strategy
in dealing with the concept of assurance of salvation include:
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Read
and Study the Holy Bible |
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Pray
Unceasingly |
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Develop Christian friendships and relationships |
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Go
to a Bible-preaching Church |
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It is vital to emphasize the necessity of
actively pursuing a dedicated spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ. This
can be aided by going to Billy Graham's website for more inspirational
material.
Click Here! |
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