Straightway Ministry: Aug 23, 2013

The Message of the Cross

The only solution for sin, the only answer to sin, is the Cross of Christ!

The Cross of Christ is the foundation principle of all Bibical Doctrine. It is the foundation because it is the first principle of Redemption, brought about in the Mind of God even before the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1:18-20). This means that every single doctrine must be built on the foundation of Christ and the Cross, or else, in some way, it will be spurious. And that's the problem with the modern Church; in many cases it is building doctrines on other foundation.

Requirement for Salvation: Romans 10:9-10 9)"That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you shall be saved. 10)For with the heart man believes unto Righteousiness and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation".

Say outloud this prayer: Lord Jesus I am a sinner, please forgive me and cleanse me from all my sin. I am sorry please come into my heart as Lord and Savior and save me. In Jesus Name I pray. Thank you Jesus right now I am saved.

Let us know if you prayed that prayer and accepted Christ.

NOTE: Please visit the Blog Archive frequently to view posts no longer viewed on main page.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Sacrifice and Friendship

     “I have called you friends …” (John 15:15). We will never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we surrender in every detail of our lives. Yet self-surrender is the most difficult thing for us to do. We make it conditional by saying, “I’ll surrender if … !” Or we approach it by saying, “I suppose I have to devote my life to God.” We will never find the joy of self-sacrifice in either of these ways.
     But as soon as we do totally surrender, abandoning ourselves to Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives us a taste of His joy. The ultimate goal of self-sacrifice is to lay down our lives for our Friend (see 15:13–14). When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, our greatest desire is to lay down our lives for Jesus. Yet the thought of self-sacrifice never even crosses our minds, because sacrifice is the Holy Spirit’s ultimate expression of love.
     Our Lord is our example of a life of self-sacrifice, and He perfectly exemplified Psalm 40:8, “I delight to do Your will, O my God … .” He endured tremendous personal sacrifice, yet with overflowing joy. Have I ever yielded myself in absolute submission to Jesus Christ? If He is not the One to whom I am looking for direction and guidance, then there is no benefit in my sacrifice. But when my sacrifice is made with my eyes focused on Him, slowly but surely His molding influence becomes evident in my life (see Hebrews 12:1–2).
     Beware of letting your natural desires hinder your walk in love before God. One of the cruelest ways to kill natural love is through the rejection that results from having built the love on natural desires. But the one true desire of a saint is the Lord Jesus. Love for God is not something sentimental or emotional—for a saint to love as God loves is the most practical thing imaginable.
     “I have called you friends …” Our friendship with Jesus is based on the new life He created in us, which has no resemblance or attraction to our old life but only to the life of God. It is a life that is completely humble, pure, and devoted to God.