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ones who felt drawn to this building the night everyone else disappeared are
now as zealous as we can be. No one who comes here will leave without knowing
exactly what we believe and what we think is necessary for them to have a
relationship with
God.
Chloe stood and paced, her arms folded across her chest.  That's a pretty
interesting story, she said.  What was the deal with Loretta? How did she
miss it if her whole extended family were true Christians?
 You should have her tell you sometime, Bruce said.  But she tells me it was
pride and embarrassment that kept her from Christ. She was a middle child in a
very religious family, and she said she was in her late teens before she even
thought seriously about her personal faith. She had just drifted along with
the family to church and all the related activities. As she grew up, got
married, became a mother and a grandmother, she just let everyone assume she
was a spiritual giant. She was revered around here. Only she had never
believed and received Christ for herself.
 So, Chloe said,  this believing and receiving stuff, this living for Christ
or letting him live through you, that's what my mother meant when she talked
about salvation, getting saved?
Bruce nodded.  From sin and hell and judgment.
 Meantime, we're not saved from all that.
 That's right.
 You really believe this.
 I do.
 It's pretty freaky stuff, you have to admit.
 Not to me. Not anymore.
Rayford, always one for precision and order, asked,  So, what did you do? What
did my wife do? What made her more of a Christian, or, ah ... what, uh 
 Saved her? Bruce said.
 Yes, Rayford said.  That's exactly what I want to know. If you're right, and
I've already told Chloe that I think I see this now, we need to know how it
works.
 How it goes. How does a person get from one situation to the other?
Obviously, we were not saved from being left, and we're here to face life
without our loved ones who were true Christians. So, how do we become true
Christians?
 I'm going to walk you through that, Bruce said.  And I'm going to send you
home with the tape. And I'm going to go through this all in detail tomorrow
morning at ten for whoever shows up. I'll probably do the same lesson every
Sunday morning for as long as people need to know. One thing I'm sure of, as
important as all the other sermons and lessons are, nothing matters like this
one.
While Chloe stood with her back to the wall, arms still folded, watching and
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listening, Bruce turned to Rayford.  It's really quite simple. God made it
easy. That doesn't mean it's not a supernatural transaction or that we can
pick and choose the good parts as I tried to do. But if we see the truth and
act on it, God won't withhold salvation from us.
 First, we have to see ourselves as God sees us. The Bible says all have
sinned, that there is none righteous, no not one. It also says we can't save
ourselves. Lots of people thought they could earn their way to God or to
heaven by doing good things, but that's probably the biggest misconception
ever. Ask anyone on the street what they think the Bible or the church says
about getting to heaven, and nine of ten would say it has something to do with
doing good and living right.
 We're to do that, of course, but not so we can earn our salvation. We're to
do that in response to our salvation. The Bible says that it's not by works of
righteousness that we have done, but by his mercy God saved us. It also says
that we are saved by grace through Christ, not of ourselves, so we can't brag
about our goodness.
 Jesus took our sins and paid the penalty for them so we wouldn't have to. The
payment is death, and he died in our place because he loved us. When we tell
Christ that we acknowledge ourselves as sinners and lost, and receive his gift
of salvation, he saves us. A transaction takes place. We go from darkness to
light, from lost to found; we're saved. The Bible says that to those who
receive him, he gives the power to become sons of God. That's what Jesus
is the Son of God. When we become sons of God, we have what Jesus has: a
relationship with God, eternal life, and because Jesus paid our penalty, we
also have forgiveness for our sins.
Rayford sat stunned. He sneaked a peek at Chloe. She looked frozen, but she
didn't appear antagonistic. Rayford felt he had found exactly what he was
looking for. It was what he had suspected and had heard bits and pieces of
over the years, but he had never put it all together. In spite of himself, he
was still reserved enough to want to mull it over, to see and hear the tape,
and to discuss it with Chloe.
 I have to ask you, Bruce said,  something I never wanted to ask people
before. I
want to know if you're ready to receive Christ right now. I would be happy to
pray with you and lead you in how to talk to God about this.
 No? Bruce was clearly surprised.
 Need more time?
 That's all I can ask, Bruce said.
 But let me leave you with one little reminder of urgency. You may have little
time.
 At least, Chloe said.  Surely this isn't something you rush into.
 But then who would tell us about this? Rayford  About him because you waited
too long? asked.
 Oh, I'm grateful for that opportunity, Bruce said.  But it has cost me
dearly. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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