Hallelujah! I’m FORGIVEN!
WOW ! When I realized THAT, it was the greatest moment of my life! Aha! I finally understood what “being saved” meant: saved from my sins sending me to hell; saved from being eternally separated from God. I understood why Jesus died for me. My heart was about to explode with a joy I had never known before. What an incredible feeling, knowing ALL my sins were forgiven, NEVER to be remembered by God again. There’s no feeling like it – the NOT GUILTY verdict, and it comes with Eternity in heaven! I really can’t describe the emotional awareness I was experiencing. I finally realized what church, Sunday school, Christmas, and Easter were all about.
I recall the feeling of doing a tandem skydive from 14,000 feet up: exhilarating! (I even bought the tee shirt.) I also remember the first time I shot at, and hit, a target 400 yards away: that smile was still on my face when I went to bed that night. Those were awesome feelings. But that AHA moment? Nothing like it since.
My second reaction to my Aha Moment was I immediately wanted to tell somebody about it. Anyone! Everyone! Even now, decades later, I still get excited telling others about the free gift of salvation, and the joy that comes with it. No more shame no more guilt, all past sins forgiven. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime feeling. Do I want to jump out of a plane again? Uh, NO! (I’ve questioned my sanity about that decision many times since then.) That feeling from hitting a target at 400 yards? Well, once you’ve done it doing it again isn’t quite the same. Will I ever have that Aha feeling again? Not exactly that same feeling, but I can get close. How? By sharing the Good News of the Gospel with someone else, and watching as they experience their own Aha moment! Hallelujah! The choir of heaven is firing up again! An awesome feeling, knowing someone else is going through the same joyous moment I did! (And that smile was still in place the next day!)
Now there are TWO of us being disciples for Christ. And when we tell two others, and they come to know Christ; and they tell two others, who tell two others – – just imagine how quickly the world could become Christian! Silly? Absolutely not! Look at how far Christianity has come from the original 12 disciples. Matthew 28:19-20 is called The Great Commission, and verse 19 begins: Go ye therefore and make disciples…. If you’re a Christian, you’re a disciple. The definition of disciple is to teach, to train. So we are supposed to teach and train others how to share the Gospel. In other words we are to WITNESS to others.
I can hear some of you now: Oh, I could never do that. Yes, you can! Do you remember your Aha Moment? Didn’t you want to shout it out to the world? That great, humbling, feeling? And I say humbling, because you know the price that was paid for your salvation: Christ Jesus died for you. He took the punishment for your sins so you don’t have to. Why wouldn’t you want to tell somebody? How could you not?
For some, witnessing is easy. Not so for everyone. Like praying, it may take a little practice. A “little” practice, you ask? Yes. It’s not that hard. Let me tell you about my friend Raymond, a member of our prayer group and a reformed alcoholic. We were studying this very same subject when he said: “I was thinking I could never witness to anybody, but let me tell you what happened one day. I was walking downtown and had to step around a drunk, leaning against the wall but with his legs stuck out in the way. I was initially ashamed, recalling when I was once like that. Then I recognized him! Bill, I said, it’s me, Raymond, your old drinking buddy. Remember me? He looked up with his bleary eyes and said: Well, look at you all shined up. I laughed, and then told him: Bill, I’ve found a better life. Let me tell you about it.” He told our group: “I just sat right down beside him and told him about how Christ changed me.”
See? Raymond simply related his own story. You can, too. I asked Raymond: “did you find it hard to do?” He said that it just came out of him like he had done it a hundred times. Then he added: “but I really cared about Bill”. That, my friends, is the key: you have to care, you have to love. John 3:16 begins this way: “For God so loved the world…” You have to want to tell others; you have to want others to have the same joy, the same forgiveness that came into your life through Christ. Again, how could we NOT tell others?
If you’re reading this and don’t yet know Christ as Savior, it’s not hard to do. God loves us all, and let His only Son, Jesus, take the punishment for sins that was meant for us. He died a horrible death on a cross so that we could still enter heaven someday. But God raised Jesus from death, and He lives with His Father today! All of John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world (you) that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. It’s a gift: forgiveness of all your sins, and eternity in Heaven with Him. God is offering it; all you have to do is receive it. Pray with me now: God, I know I’ve sinned, and I ask your forgiveness. I realize that Jesus died for me. I believe you raised Him from death and I believe He lives with you today. I ask Him to come into my life, be my Savior, and be Lord of my life. Thank you, God. Amen.
That’s it. It’s that simple. Just let God be the ruler of your life. He loves you and always wants the best for you, so letting Him guide your life is the best way to live. I don’t know you, but God does, so when I pray for you tonight He will know exactly who I’m praying for. And all the Christians reading this will be praying for you, too.In the next lesson, I will give y’all some pointers for learning how to become a witness, or a better witness, and bible scriptures that you can use to help you lead others to Christ.
Meanwhile, pray for the souls who may have prayed the prayer above, because we, too, were lost souls at one time. I thank God someone had the courage, and took the opportunity to speak to you (and to me) about Christ. Amen?
In His service, and yours,
Mike Jared, TCM board member
I recall the feeling of doing a tandem skydive from 14,000 feet up: exhilarating! (I even bought the tee shirt.) I also remember the first time I shot at, and hit, a target 400 yards away: that smile was still on my face when I went to bed that night. Those were awesome feelings. But that AHA moment? Nothing like it since.
My second reaction to my Aha Moment was I immediately wanted to tell somebody about it. Anyone! Everyone! Even now, decades later, I still get excited telling others about the free gift of salvation, and the joy that comes with it. No more shame no more guilt, all past sins forgiven. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime feeling. Do I want to jump out of a plane again? Uh, NO! (I’ve questioned my sanity about that decision many times since then.) That feeling from hitting a target at 400 yards? Well, once you’ve done it doing it again isn’t quite the same. Will I ever have that Aha feeling again? Not exactly that same feeling, but I can get close. How? By sharing the Good News of the Gospel with someone else, and watching as they experience their own Aha moment! Hallelujah! The choir of heaven is firing up again! An awesome feeling, knowing someone else is going through the same joyous moment I did! (And that smile was still in place the next day!)
Now there are TWO of us being disciples for Christ. And when we tell two others, and they come to know Christ; and they tell two others, who tell two others – – just imagine how quickly the world could become Christian! Silly? Absolutely not! Look at how far Christianity has come from the original 12 disciples. Matthew 28:19-20 is called The Great Commission, and verse 19 begins: Go ye therefore and make disciples…. If you’re a Christian, you’re a disciple. The definition of disciple is to teach, to train. So we are supposed to teach and train others how to share the Gospel. In other words we are to WITNESS to others.
I can hear some of you now: Oh, I could never do that. Yes, you can! Do you remember your Aha Moment? Didn’t you want to shout it out to the world? That great, humbling, feeling? And I say humbling, because you know the price that was paid for your salvation: Christ Jesus died for you. He took the punishment for your sins so you don’t have to. Why wouldn’t you want to tell somebody? How could you not?
For some, witnessing is easy. Not so for everyone. Like praying, it may take a little practice. A “little” practice, you ask? Yes. It’s not that hard. Let me tell you about my friend Raymond, a member of our prayer group and a reformed alcoholic. We were studying this very same subject when he said: “I was thinking I could never witness to anybody, but let me tell you what happened one day. I was walking downtown and had to step around a drunk, leaning against the wall but with his legs stuck out in the way. I was initially ashamed, recalling when I was once like that. Then I recognized him! Bill, I said, it’s me, Raymond, your old drinking buddy. Remember me? He looked up with his bleary eyes and said: Well, look at you all shined up. I laughed, and then told him: Bill, I’ve found a better life. Let me tell you about it.” He told our group: “I just sat right down beside him and told him about how Christ changed me.”
See? Raymond simply related his own story. You can, too. I asked Raymond: “did you find it hard to do?” He said that it just came out of him like he had done it a hundred times. Then he added: “but I really cared about Bill”. That, my friends, is the key: you have to care, you have to love. John 3:16 begins this way: “For God so loved the world…” You have to want to tell others; you have to want others to have the same joy, the same forgiveness that came into your life through Christ. Again, how could we NOT tell others?
If you’re reading this and don’t yet know Christ as Savior, it’s not hard to do. God loves us all, and let His only Son, Jesus, take the punishment for sins that was meant for us. He died a horrible death on a cross so that we could still enter heaven someday. But God raised Jesus from death, and He lives with His Father today! All of John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world (you) that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. It’s a gift: forgiveness of all your sins, and eternity in Heaven with Him. God is offering it; all you have to do is receive it. Pray with me now: God, I know I’ve sinned, and I ask your forgiveness. I realize that Jesus died for me. I believe you raised Him from death and I believe He lives with you today. I ask Him to come into my life, be my Savior, and be Lord of my life. Thank you, God. Amen.
That’s it. It’s that simple. Just let God be the ruler of your life. He loves you and always wants the best for you, so letting Him guide your life is the best way to live. I don’t know you, but God does, so when I pray for you tonight He will know exactly who I’m praying for. And all the Christians reading this will be praying for you, too.In the next lesson, I will give y’all some pointers for learning how to become a witness, or a better witness, and bible scriptures that you can use to help you lead others to Christ.
Meanwhile, pray for the souls who may have prayed the prayer above, because we, too, were lost souls at one time. I thank God someone had the courage, and took the opportunity to speak to you (and to me) about Christ. Amen?
In His service, and yours,
Mike Jared, TCM board member
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