6 But the righteousness which is of faith, speaketh on this wise, ,Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is to bring Christ from above.)
7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is to bring Christ again from the dead.)
8 But what saith it? The word is near thee, even in thy mouth, and in thine heart. This is the word of faith which we preach.
9 For if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart, that God raised him up from the dead, thou shalt be saved:
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth man confesseth to salvation. Romans 10:6-10 (1599 Geneva Bible)
Easter was just a few weeks ago as I write this. It’s over, but it seems like we are still in some sort of “Easter season.” Of all the markers we celebrate as Christians, Easter was the one I had the hardest time understanding when I was a small child. It seemed so wrapped up in chocolate bunnies and Easter baskets, Easter egg hunts, dressing up in new clothes for church, et cetera. My mother tried to help me see the Biblical connection with our Lord’s Resurrection, but I failed to make sense of it until I was older. I saw it as a teen and young adult, but did not really “get it” until God had mercy on me, a sinner, and resurrected me unto new life as a Christian….
God saved me when I was about 35, married with two young children. My parents never stopped praying for God to save me. My mother told my wife that she and my dad would pray together every morning at the breakfast table and that prayer for my salvation was always part of that. I knew nothing about that until my wife told me several years later. After she told me then the day that I was drawn to Christ suddenly made sense. I was at church, walking down a hallway after dropping my son off at his Sunday School class going to meet my wife at our class. I was just a few feet away from the door when I was overwhelmed with the realization that I was lost and was out of time. It was as if my mind was full of darkness and I could not think of anything else except my impeding judgment. However, I also knew what the Word said about the Gospel and so later that day, after suffering for hours like that, I surrendered. I turned my heart to the Lord and prayed. I told the Lord that I received Him as my Lord and accepted Jesus as my Savior. I simply asked Him to save me on those terms. That darkness in my heart vanished and was replaced with tremendous joy. We went back to church that evening and I went to my pastor and told him what happened. He had me pray with my Sunday School teacher. I was baptized a week later. The next Saturday, my wife and I went Bible shopping at a local Christian book store. I got a Ryrie Study Bible that I read to pieces in just a few years. She got one as well. It was after we joined the same church we are members of now that we took a class to discover what our spiritual gift(s) are. Mine is primarily teaching, but the leader of that class said that the Bible called that gift “prophecy.” I don’t consider myself a prophet at all, but God has given me wisdom, discernment and the ability to read His Word and teach from it. I am also able to discern false teachings almost instantly just by reading what is written or listening to what a false teacher says. That is the working of the Holy Spirit, not me. <Continue reading post>