Author: hillturnfs

Many years ago a young Christian man wanted to witness for Christ. He was also a cartoonist. He merged the two loves of his life, God and drawing to create the first Christian tracts. These are cartoon booklets that contain the gospel message. This young man was Jack Chick and he went on to establish Chick Publications (www.chick.com) as the first and largest provider of Christian tracts with distribution worldwide.  For years I used to pick these tracts up everywhere and read them. They were free and interesting. This was back when I was a backslider but I had never lost my interest in God. God pursued me for years before I finally restored my fellowship with God and began to live for Christ in earnest.

My Bible study revealed I was commanded to witness for Christ. I prepared myself to do that but nobody came knocking at my door. Approaching people about the gospel cold turkey was not very productive for me.  I was reading a Chick tract one day and it dawned on me that I could reach unbelievers the same way, by “passive witnessing,”  through the use of Chick tracts, just like someone did for me. I started by leaving tracts in Walmart bathrooms and doctor’s offices.  I had a goal of passing out a certain number every week and I had a supply of over a dozen different tracts. I eventually worked up to getting stores to let me place plastic racks in their businesses and I would go around weekly to replenish depleted stocks. When I retired and moved away I passed my tracts on to someone else to maintain.

The point is, these tracts are short and easy to read and they have a clear message for the reader about salvation. Many people have been saved by reading these tracts alone. What I like is on the back page they all contain a concise sinner’s prayer with easy instructions how to be saved unto eternal life.  You must understand that when someone reads a tract that you leave somewhere you are sowing the gospel seed and you’ll be given credit for that by God. You are obeying the Great Commission of Jesus when you do this passive witnessing.  Although my passive witnessing is now mainly through my Christian blog, I still value the passing out of Chick tracts.  I plan to start it up again where I’ve relocated in retirement. Instead of buying a dozen different tracts this time I’m going to go with only one.

I’m buying the #1 best seller, “This was your life,”  and buying by the case to save 38%. You can go to their website and read every Christian tract they publish. I have and this one is my favorite. These tracts are 17 cents apiece and a case of 1,000 tracts costs $105 plus shipping.  I have ample opportunities where I live to pass out these Christian tracts. This is just one more way to reach unbelievers while there is still time. Their souls are in great danger and we owe it to them to try to make them aware of the truth, which is all God asks of us. The reason for this blog is to encourage readers to consider passing out Christian tracts where you live.

There’s no doubt in my mind that one day in heaven I’ll meet someone who was saved, directly or indirectly, because of one of the Christian tracts I handed out. Even if I do this for 25 years and it only help save 1 person for God’s kingdom it will have been worth it.  Think about what it would mean to help a brother or sister escape the fiery lake of hell for an eternity. The value of every soul is priceless and worth our best effort to save as many as possible.  Someone helped us cross over from death to life and we can do no less than pay it forward and try to help other lost souls.

These are the five ministries of the Holy Spirit:

1. REGENERATION: When we are saved unto eternal life by the grace of God through our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour God gives us a brand new spirit that is not tainted by the original sin of Adam. Our first spiritual “birth” occurs at conception when God gives us a part of His eternal Spirit. When we are saved we are “reborn” with a new spirit.

2. BAPTISM: When we are saved God washes us with the “living water” of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit translates us from death to life by placing us in the body of Christ and our names are placed in the Book of Life whereby we have irrevocable eternal life in fellowship with our God and Father for eternity. Praise God for His mercy and grace!

3. INDWELLING: Upon salvation God’s Holy Spirit comes inside us to take up residence with our spirit. We are weak and can do nothing in the spiritual realm without God’s help. God has graciously given us a part of Himself to be our helper in our walk with God. The Holy Spirit will guide us, protect us, and control us if we allow it in order to overcome the flesh and the attacks against us from Satan and his demons.

4. SEALED: Once God, in His mercy and grace, saves us unto eternal life God seals us as His possession by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is proof to us and to every being in the spiritual realm that we belong to the Father and Scripture say nobody can take us out of His hand and our salvation is irrevocable. Think of the Holy Spirit like an earnest deposit in a real estate transaction.  When we are ushered into heaven God will complete the purchase by welcoming us into to His heavenly family. God cannot lie and God will never change His mind and cast us away.  If God puts down an earnest deposit on our eternal soul with His Holy Spirit then the transaction will happen just as the Scriptures indicate. Praise God for His faithfulness!  The first four ministries of the Holy Spirit happen instantly when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and are saved. They can never be lost and we need not ask for them again. They are irrevocable. With these four ministries we are justified by faith in Christ and we have peace with God.

5. FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT: This is the one ministry of the Holy Spirit that is not automatic and permanent.  The full power of the Holy Spirit is a special gift from God.  We have to pray for this gift from God and He grants it to those who would do great things for the kingdom of God.  Once we have the full power of the Holy Spirit it can be withdrawn by God if not used properly. This is the same power of God that turned the weak-kneed disciples into fearless Apostles who spread the gospel to every corner of the earth. We can have this same power of the Holy Spirit if we pray for it for a specific purpose that fits the needs of God.

God has five primary purposes for your life:

1. WORSHIP: “Love God with all your heart” – You were planned for God’s pleasure, so your purpose is to love, worship and praise your God to His glory.

2. EVANGELISM: “Go and make disciples” – You were made for a specific mission and that is to spread the gospel of Christ to all the nations of the earth in order to save souls.

3. MINISTRY: “Love your neighbor as yourself” – You were shaped for serving others as Jesus also served as an example for you to follow. Caring for others shows your love.

4. FELLOWSHIP: “Baptize them into…” – You were formed for God’s family, so your purpose is to identify with fellow believers as part of the body of Christ, His church.

5. DISCIPLESHIP: “Teach them to do all things” – You were created to become like Christ, so your purpose is to grow in spiritual maturity and glorifying God by your deeds.

John 3:16 – 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.

Romans 3:23 – This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Mark 1:15 – The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!

1 Peter 3:18 – For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.

Romans 10:9 – That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

1. Know the Bible! – Read the entire Bible several times. Read the New Testament yearly. Read you Bible daily and study God’s Word.

2. Test the spirits – Compare all teachings and reject those that do not agree with the Scriptures. The view of Jesus must be Scriptural and glorify Him. Beware of false teachings and false prophets in these end times.

3. Seek God’s guidance – The Lord wants to guide you so be willing to listen and then ask God over and over in prayer until you receive what you ask for.

4. Avoid immorality – Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help in resisting lust and all forms of sin in your life. Rebuff Satan when he tempts you. When you do sin immediately ask for God to forgive you. God still loves you and He will forgive you. Keep trying to do better.

5. Share faith agressively – Don’t be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. You are right and unbelievers are wrong. All the evidence is on your side and all they have is baseless assertions. If unbelievers brace you ask them to review the evidence with you and let the facts speak for themselves. Very few will accept because they fear you’re right.

6. Walk in the Spirit – When you’re praying you are in the Spirit with God and in direct communication with the Creator of the universe. When you are reading God’s Word you’re in the same Spirit with God and He is talking to you. This two-way communication with God is walking in the Spirit.

Live like Jesus Christ by emulating His ways. Don’t think about the enormity of doing this. Just try, one step at a time, one act at a time, one day at a time. You will never get there but it’s the journey that is important. Living a life of faith, honor, integrity and humility will earn you the respect of everyone around you and glory in heaven.

You have to continually affirm what God’s Word says until it gets into your spirit and becomes a part of you. Nothing happens overnight. Your spirit man must dominate the natural man and bring it into submission with God’s Word, which is obedience.  The body will obey words. The body has to be trained to act upon the Word of God. Your body will obey the commands of your mind. What you speak out of your mouth is because it is abundantly in your heart. What you say can cause sickness and disease or it can stop it.  Jesus was given all power in heaven and on earth. Jesus delegated God’s authority back to man making him a joint-heir with Jesus to the kingdom of God. The law of Genesis says everything produces after its kind.

God has given every man the same measure of faith at conception so that they can be born again should they so choose. This spiritual seed of faith we all receive needs to be developed. The goal is to grow our faith into the God kind of faith, or as close as we can make it.  How do we grow our faith? Scripture say faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Basically, listen to the Word of God, but also read it and speak it. God’s words in your heart spoken out of your mouth release the God kind of faith. God’s Word plus faith is what works. It’s not the prayer in itself. The devil can say a prayer but it’ll never work because he doesn’t have the faith it takes to create spiritual power.

Sanctification is a lifelong process whereby you become more like Christ over time by agreeing to the process through your prayers, worship, meditation, service, giving and Bible study, etc. The active partner who will change you and do all the work is the Holy Spirit who will lead you to the fruits of the Spirit, namely love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.  When we stand before God at our death hopefully a lot of our remake will have been completed. In any event, God Himself will make the final changes in us to make us fit for heaven in a process we call glorification.  Sin is not allowed in heaven and God will remake us so that we cannot sin. I used to worry about that but God has it covered so let’s relax. God has thought of everything so not to worry.  God is for us all the way.

God gives each believer seven gifts upon salvation:

1. A new relationship – We were at odds with God and our fellowship broken while we were still in our sins. Once God has forgiven our sins unto eternal life by His mercy and grace we are restored to fellowship with our maker. God will now communicate with us. God is now our friend. God so loves us He has adopted us as His own children into His family. We are joint heirs with Jesus to all the riches of Almighty God. Rejoice!

2. A new citizenship – As Christians we become legal citizens of heaven and have equal rights with every other resident. God was expecting us and our abode has been made ready for our appearing. We are only visiting on this earth until we can return to our eternal home. We were made for heaven.

3. A new family – We are royalty in heaven as adopted children of God and members of God’s family. All believers are our brothers and sisters. While we’re on earth all believers are members of the body of Christ, the church, and we are to fellowship with each other, support each other and worship together.

4. A new purpose – Once we moved from death to life through faith in Christ we gained a new purpose in life. God has prepared good works for us to do from the foundation of the world and now we are to do them. God commands us to witness for Christ and bring glory to God by emulating Jesus in all we do. We were made for this moment.

5. A new power – On our own we are weak but upon slavation God Himself indwells us through His Holy Spirit and we can do all things for the kingdom of God through His glorious power. Once indwelt God will never leave us, God is always present to help us in our walk with God while we live in the body.

6. A new destiny – Once we accepted Jesus as our lord and Saviour by faith our names were written in the Book of Life. Our calling is irrevocable and we will spend eternity in heaven with our Father who will shower us with affection and His riches in glory.

7. A new journey – One we’re saved, if we love Jesus, we are commanded to live for Him by witnessing for Christ, doing good works and trying to emulate Jesus in all we do, thereby bringing glory to the God who made us in love to fellowship with Him forever.

I was watching a sermon by Dr. Charles Stanley on the steps we should all take to stay on the Christian track. I wrote them down and thought I’d share them with you.

1. Schedule prayer and meditation daily on God’s Word.

2. Obey God and let Him handle the consequences.

3. Trust God in every circumstance.

4. Wait on the Lord for His direction.

5. Depend upon the Holy Spirit.

6. Remember that God loves you unconditionally.

7. Give generously to God with both your money and your time.

8. Rest in the assurance that God is in control of your life.

9. Keep your eyes on your final destination, which is heaven.

Isaiah 64:4 – For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.

Psalm 1:1-3 – Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.

John 14:15 – If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 14:21 – He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to Him.

John 14:23 – If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

Proverbs 1:1-2 – My son, do not forget My law, but let your heart keep My commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.

SALVATION VERSES:

Ephesians 4:31-31 – Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

1 Timothy 1:15 – This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

Habakkuk 2:4 – The just shall live by faith.

Acts 10:43 – To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.

Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1 – The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.

1 Corinthians 3:19 – For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He catches the wise in their own craftiness.

Luke 14:23 – Then the master said to the servant, go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Acts 13:38 – Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins.

John 3:18 – He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

1 Corinthians 9:22 – To the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

Hebrews 1:1-2 – Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Acts 13:39 – And by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Matthew 10:41 – He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 – Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Think about the above verse for a moment. Every believer who has ever lived will one day stand before the bema judgement seat of Christ to receive his reward (or not). I don’t fear death any longer but I do fear pain and not living long enough to complete the works God has planned for me to do.  My greatest fear is displeasing God.  That’s what drove the Apostle Paul to become the greatest Christian who ever lived. My greatest desire is to please God. I long to hear Jesus say, “Well done good and faithful servant.” Make sure you run your personal race with God with this same goal in mind.  From this moment on plan what you need to do and then go out and do it.  What we do here on earth matters because it will impact us in heaven for an eternity.

SALVATION VERSES:

Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

2 Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

1 Peter 1:23 – Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.

1 Corinthians 1:21 – For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

Psalm 19:7 – The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

1 Corinthians 15:22 – For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Matthew 10:32 – Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

Galatians 6:9 – And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Isaiah 32:20 – Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, who send out freely the feet of the ox and the donkey.

Joel 2:23; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13 – Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Many of the verses in the Bible are duplicated in other books of the Bible written by different writers and at different times with no knowledge of what anyone else wrote. That’s okay because God is the author of the Bible through the Holy Spirit so we don’t have to worry about contradictions or errors. There aren’t any! That’s one of the proofs that there is a God in heaven controlling His creation.  When God says something twice it’s important for us to know. When God says something three times, in exactly the same way, God is screaming at us, like in the above verse. God so loves us He is pleading for us to call on him for salvation. God won’t make us come to Him but He desperately wants us to reach out to Him for His saving grace before it’s too late.

SALVATION VERSES:

Jeremiah 17:7-8 – Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will it cease from yielding fruit.

Psalm 1:3 – He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf shall not wither; and whatever he doses shall prosper (i.e. he who delights in the law of the Lord).

John 15:2 – Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Luke 15:10 – Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

Psalm 142:4 – Refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.

Matthew 9:37-38 – The harves truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

Psalm 126:6 – He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Ephesians 4:30 -And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 – Do not quench the Spirit.

John 3:5 – Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

I used to wonder when God gives us eternal life did He just remove the stain of sin from our old spirit or does God give us a brand new spirit?  The use of the term born again makes me think we get a brand new piece of the Spirit of God, like we did at conception,  and the old one is removed by an instantaneous exchange.  The reference to living water is the Holy Spirit which indwells us the moment we are saved.  John 3:5, makes it clear we don’t get into heaven unless we have a new spirit from God without the stain of sin on it and we must have the Holy spirit on the inside of us.  Those are the two keys for access to heaven and eternal life. The term salvation encompasses both actions.  It’s the Holy Spirit within us that takes our spirit to the presence of Jesus the instant we die.