Almighty God wants YOU to be His child....
God is Calling YOU!
Our almighty, loving God wants you to be a spirit-begotten member of His family. He wants
you to be close to Him for all eternity as His child, as a younger sister or brother of
Jesus Christ, our Savior, High Priest and the first-born from the dead.
Your Father is calling! Rejoice! Be thankful! But a mere answer of "yes" is not
enough. We are talking about your commitment to your Father, not just for this lifetime,
but for all eternity.
Here is what you must do to answer "YES! Beget me as Your child. I want to be with
You as part of Your family for all eternity!"
1.You must have desire.
Our God is a God of love. He is not going to force you to be part of His family. You must
want it. You must want to be with Him more than anything else: spouse, children, parents,
property. You can allow nothing to come between you and God the Father and your elder
brother Jesus Christ, [not a church organization, not a human spiritual leader, not even
an angel!] Tell your Eternal Father right now that you want to belong to Him, to be with
Him, to be part of His eternal spiritual family. Praise Him! Thank Him for this matchless,
astounding opportunity He is offering you. Go to Him on your knees in prayer, like the prodigal son
returning home.
2.You must repent of sin.
Sin so easily trips us up. It builds a wall between us and God. We cannot break through
that wall, but we must resolve to turn our lives around and stop building it. God requires
a deep inner change, not just a "morning-after" twinge of guilt.
What is sin?. It is acting in an
unloving way towards God or human. Obvious sins towards humans include murder, stealing,
deception. Obvious sins towards God include giving something else higher priority in our
lives (mental idolatry), using His name in an insulting way (profanity), and worshipping
Him in ways He abhors (observing pagan rituals, such as Hallowe'en).
3.You must have faith.
Faith is a gift of God, but God gives generously. You must have faith in the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ. Jesus has already paid the penalty for your sins, for your rebellion against
God. Now you must have the faith that
God will apply that payment to you personally. You must have the deep conviction that
Jesus Christ is your High Priest, that through Him you can approach the throne of grace of
Almighty God, and be welcomed by Your Father.
4.You must be baptized.
Baptism puts into action your
internal decision to answer "Yes!". The waters of baptism symbolize the blood of
Jesus washing away your sin. They also symbolize the "old you" dying with Jesus,
and the "new you" rising with the Risen Lord to newness of life. Water Baptism.
5.You must receive the Holy Spirit.
God must beget you as His child. He does this with His Holy Spirit. God can give the Holy
Spirit to whomever He wishes, and whenever He wishes. He will place His Holy Spirit within
you. This is symbolized by the "laying on of hands" after baptism. This is the
public announcement that you desire to be begotten into God's Family, and are prepared to
accept the obligations that come with being a member of God's Family.
6.You must become an energetic member of God's family even in this life.
God doesn't want lazy, apathetic or selfish children. His family is founded on love,
concern for others, joy, activity. God expects you to participate in whatever ways you can
to His program of building His family: numerically, physically, mentally and spiritually.
The opportunities are boundless! Can you sing? Sing for the Lord! Can you visit the sick?
Can you pray? Can you encourage others by assembling together with them?
Many have told me "I have no talents, no gifts that God can use." But God gives
all of us gifts! Can you smile? Can you write encouraging letters? Can you allow God to
point out to you how you can serve Him? Are you hiding your light and your talent under a
bushel basket?
Please act now! God is calling. Jesus has already paid the penalty for your sins. He is
already your High Priest at The Father's right hand. Life is so short. The gift of eternal
life in God's family is so wondrous!
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What does God expect of each of us? Baptism and my part in the lifelong process of
Salvation, and a description of the Baptism ceremony.
Coming To Baptism
All about Water Baptism