You may have been told that you have been " saved " but that is not what Jesus taught. According to Jesus, if you want to be saved, you must first be born from above, and then endure to the end. Jesus is quoted a number of times as saying that those who endure to the end will be saved. In his letters, the Apostle Paul, many times, describes his disciples as " BEING SAVED. " We are not saved by something we do, or have done. We will be saved by what God has done, and will do in us, after we surrender control of our lives to Him.
If you have ever suffered a burn injury, you know how painful fire and heat can be. Now imagine that pain over your whole naked body for years and years and years! Are those moments of " pleasure " doing things that you know you shouldn't, really worth that pain? You can avoid the pain, if you repent now.
How can I say this? Those people, who are truly born from above, and headed for heaven, don't live the way the world lives. Most of the so called Christians in America, attribute their claim to heaven on the basis of their believing certain things about God, saying a particular prayer, going forward in a church, or being baptized, or joining a church.
Does the Bible say that asking Jesus into your heart is the way to salvation? Does the Bible say that you need to receive Jesus as your Savior? Does the Bible say that you need to accept Jesus as your Savior? NO! NO! NO!
Believing is a lot more than just thinking? The best English translation for the Greek word πιστευσον, ( usually mistranslated believe ), in the English of today, is trust, or obey, or continue. It is assumed in scripture that if you believe, you will obey the commandments of Jesus. ( See Hebrews 3:18-19 ) If you haven't done so already, you need to turn over control of your life, your wants, and your desires, to the Lord, giving up your pursuit of selfish material things.
The Bible tells us what being a Christian is all about. You can get a pretty good idea if you are a real Christian, by looking at First Corinthians 6:9-10. Are these things describing what you were, or what you are? Are these things still in your life? If so, you will soon be feeling that pain, that was mentioned above!
Galatians 5:13-21 contains more fruits to test yourself with. These don't tell us that we are saved by works. These tell us if we have experienced true repentance, and received the new birth. Are you still doing the things listed in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10? Or have you repented, given up your sinful lifestyle, and been washed of your sins, and are you now living for God, as in 1 Corinthians 6:11? Are you still living according to your own selfish desires, or are you now living each day, as God would have you live?
Acts 16:31, a few verses in the gospel of John, and a few verses in Romans, have been twisted to teach a false way of salvation, that is not what Jesus taught at all. However if you read the whole Bible, you will find that this is not what the prophets, John the Baptist, Jesus, and the apostles taught either !
What did John the Baptist preach? What did Jesus Preach? What did Jesus tell his followers to preach? What did the apostle Peter preach? What did the apostle Paul preach? They preached the need to be born again by the Spirit of God. They preached the Kingdom of God and the need for repentance. The Greek word is μετανοιαν, and it literally means having another mind about things.
You don't believe it ? Read the following scriptures
about the preaching of John the Baptist:
Matthew 3:7-9
Mark 1:4
Luke 3:2,3
about the preaching of Jesus:
Matthew 9:13
Mark 2:17
Luke 5:32
Matthew 11:19,20,21
Matthew 12:41
Mark 1:14,15
Mark 6:7-12
Luke 13:1-5
Luke 15:3-10
Luke 16:19-31
Luke 17:1-4
Luke 24:46-49
about the preaching of Peter:
Acts 2:38,39,40
Acts 3:19
Acts 5:30-32
Acts 8:22
Acts 11:18
2 Peter 3:9
about the preaching of the Apostle Paul:
Acts 17:30
Acts 19:4
Acts 20:21
Acts 26:19-21
Romans 2:3-5
2 Corinthians 7:8-11
2 Corinthians 12:20-21
2 Timothy 2:24-26
Hebrews 6:1-9
Hebrews 12:14-17
in the book of Revelation:
Rev. 2:5,16,21,22
Rev. 3:3,19
Rev. 9:20,21
Rev. 16:9-11
As indicated on another page of this website, we are each a spirit, living in a body, thus, we are complete living beings ( souls ). When we die, our spirit leaves our body and takes on a spiritual body. ( Luke 16:23-24 and I Corinthians 15:42-50 ) Our spiritual bodies are in many ways like our natural bodies. Our spiritual bodies will have all the senses, which we have today, including the ability to experience pain. The pain of this earth is temporary. According to the Bible, the pain of hell is for a long, long time.
Please, friends, take this seriously. It would not be worth a few seconds in Hell, to experience a thousand years, of the best pleasures, that this earth has to offer! Jesus wasn't asking you to literally cut off, or cut out, body parts, as we read in Mark 9:43-48. He is quoting the prophet Isaiah, and is trying to make us realize that hell is the worst place that we can imagine. We can help you avoid this awful place, and we won't charge you a cent. To contact us, click on the Contact Us link below.
Our Sunday AM services are being held at the Mexico Beach Civic Center. In accordance with federal laws, we have permission to use this heated, and air conditioned, facility on Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM central time. We begin with a short time of greeting and fellowship, and then TJ leads us in worship. After the service we have holy communion, a time when people can request prayer, especially for healing, and sometimes, a pot luck luncheon.
The Mexico Beach Civic Center is located at 105 N. 31st Street. It is the white building with the dark green roof, which is just behind that new Mexico Beach restaurant, Mango Marley's. It is behind Parker Realty, and is on the northeast side of Rte 98. It is about 7/10 mile south of the Mexico Beach Welcome Center. For a map showing the location of the Mexico Beach Civic Center, click below the photo:
Mexico Beach Civic Center
