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 How to Experience Eternal Paradise!Each of their mornings had started out uneventful that day. It was a typical warm summer day in Sacramento, California. They didn’t have a clue that by evening their lives would each be destroyed. Joe and Charlene (not their real names) were a couple living in a rundown motel one step away from being homeless. They supplemented their public assistance with petty crimes and robbery to make ends meet. “Sugar”, her street name, was a 21 year old girl who survived by walking a red-light district looking for customers of her sexual favors. Low on money, Joe told Charlene “let’s go jack someone” (“jack” means to rob). They hopped in their rundown car and began cruising for a victim. It wasn’t long before ‘Sugar’ was in the back seat of their car and Joe and Charlene were looking for an isolated place to rob her. Joe pulled down a dead-end street in an isolated part of town. Both Joe and Sugar got out of the car under the pretext of having sex against the front of the car. Joe began to run his hands over Sugar’s curvy body, undressing her as he went, obviously enjoying his task. Watching this spectacle from the passenger seat, Charlene became enraged with jealousy. She pulled the .38 caliber gun from her purse and yelled at Joe to hurry up and “grab the ****’s money and get back in the car.” Joe quickly complied. But instead of driving off with their mission completed, Charlene, still enraged, pointed the gun at Sugar. “Take all your clothes off, ****, or I’ll kill you!” Charlene shouted at Sugar. Terrified and helpless, Sugar complied. Sugar now stood before Charlene humiliated, terrified, crying and stark naked as Charlene mercilessly pulled the trigger time and again. As Sugar’s body crumpled to the ground and blood began to pool around her, Joe stepped on the gas as the couple sped off from the scene.  Sin Cannot Exist In Eternal Paradise Having been involved in prison ministry and hearing many depressing childhood experiences, as well as having a few of my own, I can offer hundreds of examples of how our lives are affected by the sinful behavior of those close to us; even when it is not focused on us. Think of even a “minor” sin as a pebble tossed into a lake. Even though the pebble quickly disappears below the lake surface, notice how the circular ripples continue to spread out. Similarly, no matter how insignificant we may judge a sin to be, the consequences continue to “ripple” through the invisible spiritual fabric of our lives and those close to us. The consequences of our sins may go unnoticed for years after they are committed, depending on their severity. But as surely as the sun sets in the west, continued sin builds and builds until one day, as the Bible says, it gives birth to death. Far too often that "death" is unwittingly passed on to our children and loved ones. Evil, sin and death have no place in Heaven. Eternal paradise would obviously cease to be "paradise" with sin running rampant as it does here on Earth. Because of this fact, if we want to experience eternity in paradise, we must first deal with our individual sinful nature. We Need to "Get it"We need to "get" the fact that we have sinned against God and others, and therefore need a savior. Sugar didn’t “get” that fact, and her life was cut short as a result. Joe and Charlene didn’t “get it” either and now, instead of living productive lives and enjoying the blessings of marriage and a family, they waste away behind prison walls. The sad truth is had they read, believed and obeyed what God says about the seriousness of sin, the destruction of their lives would have been avoided. So, you ask, what does all this have to do with living in paradise? Here’s your answer. Unless we “get” the fact that we have sinned against God and others and are therefore subject to divine justice, we don’t realize how desperately we need a savior. Prior to surrendering to God, myself, I thought I was a pretty decent guy. Sure, I had sex outside of marriage, but so did “everybody.” Sure, I experimented with just about every street drug there was, but so did “everybody.” As I began to research God (by reading the Bible), I discovered I was no better, spiritually, than the run of the mill murderer. I finally began to understand that sin is not subject to my definition, but God’s. And God says that every time I’ve looked at a woman with lust, that I’ve committed the sin of fornication (or adultery if I was married). In Matthew, chapter 5, Jesus says “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,’ and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” So even if we think we’re pretty decent people and don’t need a savior, God sees us as stained by sin. So let’s say you are the most righteous person around and you only commit three “minor” sins a day: Like cussing once, thinking a hateful thought about someone and telling one small lie. That adds up to over a thousand sins a year! Over the course of a lifetime you could be looking at a stockpile of over 70,000 sins. Even supposing all of these sins are of the so-called “minor” category, can you imagine what a human judge would do if you showed up in his courtroom with 70,000 parking tickets?
Who Will Save Us From Divine Judgment?In reality, though, none of us are that righteous to have only minor "parking tickets" on our spiritual record. In reality, the penalty for our sins is going to be death--eternal spiritual death, which is far worse than just physical death. Unless someone steps forward and pays the price for our sins, we are going to “fry.” That is why each of us so desperately needs a savior. That is why God the Father sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price for our sin—not His own—so we could spend eternity in paradise with Him. Our Father God is not only a loving and merciful Father, He is also holy and just and can have no sin before Him. If He is to fulfill His just nature, He must punish sin. The Bible says that there is no remission (i.e. cleansing) of sin without the shedding of blood. So, instead of making us shed our own blood and experience eternal death ourselves, which we deserve, God paid the price himself by coming to Earth in the form of Jesus Christ (the second person of the trinity). In order to shed His blood on our behalf, Jesus was brutally beaten and whipped beyond recognition. What greater demonstration of a Father’s love than for himself (through Jesus Christ) to suffer so great a penalty? Look, this is an extremely important truth to try to understand. It reveals the unimaginable love that our Heavenly Father has for us despite the fact that we reject and rebel against Him. Would you be so gracious? Let's say you had fully explained to your children how they should live their lives in order to be happy and successful. In return, they snub their nose at your advice and effectively say “we know better than you, Dad (or Mom).” Consequently, they run wild and get thrown in prison for doing something you specifically warned them not to do. Would you suffer the kind of brutal death that Jesus did in order to free them from the just penalty for their arrogant, disrespectful, disobedience? Please take a moment to watch this video depicting what your savior, Jesus Christ, endured so that YOU could spend eternity in paradise with Him. (courtesy YouTube)
Please don’t reject God’s love and grace one more day. No one is promised tomorrow. You have no guarantee that you will wake up alive tomorrow morning. Today is the day of salvation for you! Accept God’s indescribable, awesome love for you today. Be reunited with your heavenly Father, the Creator of the heavens and the Earth, today. God promises in 1 Corinthians 2:9 “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him”, you can receive this promise right now. Here is what God says about how we can live eternally in paradise with Him:Out loud, confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved. (see Romans 10:9)
 Could It Really Be That Simple?For such an awesome thing as eternal life in paradise with God, this isn’t very much to ask, is it? Could it really be this simple? As I researched the meaning to life, this question was a real stumbling block for me. I just couldn’t believe that God would forgive me of all my sins and give me eternal life in heaven with Him just because I realized and believed the truth about Jesus Christ. This was just too good to be true. Guess what, it is true! There is nothing, not one thing, we can do to deserve the grace of the Almighty Living God. Believe that! Ephesians 2:7-9 explains this: “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” So, if you are serious about getting serious with God, I recommend you pray out loud the prayer (or one similar to it) following the below video (courtesy Billy Graham ministries, YouTube and Jesus.net).
Do You Want to Pray the Prayer of Salvation?I desperately want you to be reunited with our Heavenly Father, but don't pray the following prayer for me or anyone else--pray it because YOU WANT TO. And if you want to pray it, don't just parrot the words. Reach down deep in your soul, into your heart of hearts and cry this prayer out to God like you mean it! If you're ready to pray this prayer, mean it! Don't play games with God. Don't worry, no one is "good" enough to deserve this gift of salvation. God takes us as we are RIGHT NOW, but He wants us to be sincere and "mean it" when we come to Him. Ready? Here it is: Father God, I come before you in the name of Jesus. I have sinned against you, my family and others. I have committed (list here any specific sins which come to mind). I now confess Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and receive the payment He made for my sins on the cross at Calvary. I believe that You raised Him from the dead and that He now sits at your side. With the power of your deliverance, I now reject sin in my life and submit myself---mind, body and soul---to your Kingdom and Lordship. Thank you so much for washing all my sins as white as snow. Praise your Holy Name! The below video courtesy of Danstevers.com and YouTube
Being a New Christian Means You're a New Spiritual Warrior!Whether you have just accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord in the above prayer or at some other time, you need to know you’ve entered a spiritual battlefield. Not to worry, we win, the devil loses—but in the mean time there are battles to win—or lose. Please click the appropriate link below to find out what you need to do to protect yourself and your loved ones. My friend, this is no joke. The enemy plays for keeps, you need to as well. If he can’t get to you directly he will try to go through your loved ones. Again, not to worry: you have devastating weapons available to you—find out about them and use them to blow the enemy out of the water! But what if you put "combat training" on hold for a while? In the middle of battle, if a soldier delays putting his combat gear on, picking up his weapons, communicating with his fellow soldiers and following his orders, he’s going to get hurt. As long as you follow the steps I've outlined in the below article, you'll be fine. Because of my delay in learning about spiritual warfare I lost many important battles and my loved ones suffered otherwise unnecessary pain and suffering along the way. Brother, Sister, your greatest adventure is about to begin. Be prepared, do it right; learn the rules of engagement as soon as possible! In fact, there's no time like the present. Please enjoy the following "Jesus Rap" by Tamara Lowe at Christ Fellowship, courtesy YouTube. It is so cute, yet so true. |
