Summary: There is nothing complicated about what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. This message is basic and can be used by anyone who needs to share their faith in Christ with someone or to turn to Him yourself.

I recently got in contact with a brother in Christ living outside of London. He was asking for assistance in developing a website dedicated to Christian apologetics and evangelism for the UK, which is in just as bad a shape, if not worse, than here in America when it comes to the knowledge of God and the need for the Gospel message.

Great Britain is awash in skepticism, indifference, and rank hostility towards the things of God and the urgency to come to Jesus Christ for salvation. We are as well, which is pretty obvious. However, there are still embers of spiritual fire in a remnant of believers who will not be intimidated or silenced by the world and its evil. Instead, they choose to undergo ridicule, ostracism, and persecution of varied means to see that the message of salvation in and only through the Lord Jesus Christ continues to be told and spread.

Any alert Christian will see that time is running out and that we should not hold on to anything this world offers us at the expense of our walk with the LORD and the compromise of our testimony. Like Paul, we desire to be with the LORD, but we are also in the world at this time to serve Him and to accomplish His will for our lives (Philippians 1:23-26). Until that day when the LORD appears in the air to deliver us from the wrath to come (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), or we go the way of all humanity (Psalm 116:15; 1 Corinthians 2:8-9; Hebrews 9:27), He will sovereignly keep us in the place where He wants us and will protect us until the appointed time to go home.

This British brother (who will remain anonymous) asked me for the names of reputable Christian websites here in America that he could put on his site for anyone interested in knowing something about authentic Bible-based Christianity without all of the nonsense and bad teaching that seems to fill the internet lately and is, unfortunately, gaining more traction and popularity among those wanting a taste of religion and having their ears tickled and their souls put at ease (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

There are not that many people today who want to hear the truth about our stand before God and what He expects of us (Romans 3:4), but we who take the call of Jesus seriously enough (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8) to tell others need to do so in love but also with a firmness and dedication that will not wither or grow weary.

Just to let you know, my webpage (www.realitycityreverend.com) has a long list of solid Biblical material. I am not here to promote myself but to present to you a summary of the article sent to the attention of the brethren in London putting his proposed apologetics website together. It deals with what Biblical Christianity is and is not, and the decision you and all people need to make concerning Jesus.

The article is as follows:

“So, what exactly is Biblical Christianity? I am not referring to robes, regalia, ritual, recitations, rote repetition of verses, creeds, confessions, and prayers that you either do not understand or mean when you say them. Neither is Biblical Christianity the tedious chore of listening to sermons that are nothing more than “pep talks” or dull presentations of topics and theological disputes that really affect no one in terms of drawing them nearer to the LORD and the true worship He desires.

Biblical Christianity has absolutely NOTHING TO DO with the ridiculous and outlandish performances, bad preaching, gaudy appearances, and slick presentation of what is referred to as the “name it and claim it” blasphemy that religious hucksters are using to make the Sovereign LORD into some kind of “wish-granter” who has to give in to your demands for wealth, health, and prosperity. These “prosperity pimps,” as one preacher has described them, tend to sell the gullible and desperate the idea that if they send a “Seed-faith” gift to their “ministry,” they will receive blessings, healings, and the whole shebang.

Meanwhile, when their promises do not come to pass, and they run off to purchase the latest jet or luxury car after using the LORD Jesus as a “cash cow,” they leave a trail of skeptics and angry, disillusioned people who end up wanting nothing to do with God or faith, which is just the way the devil wants it. Little wonder that authentic Christianity does not get a fair shot and the name of Christ is dragged through the mud (Isaiah 1:1-7, 3:12, 56:11, John 10:12; Acts 20:28-31; 2 Peter 2:12-22; Jude 1-25).

I do hope that you will continue to read what I have written, for it is done with the intention of showing that real Christianity is not a series of complex ideas, formulas, not anything we can do in our own strength or effort to make ourselves somehow “good” enough for God’s standards, because we are unable to do so (Romans 1:18-32, 3:10-18; Ephesians 2:8-10).

It is not merely having some kind of knowledge about Jesus that sounds decent to you, or going along with most of the world’s mindset and believing He was a “good teacher,” a “man of high moral character,” a “noble peasant sage,” or a host of other theories that are nowhere found in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).

Christianity is founded on the Bible’s claims and records of eyewitness collaboration and testimony (that was never retracted or denied by the apostles of Jesus or His real disciples even under torture and the threat of death) that Jesus Christ was and is God Almighty who came to Earth in the flesh to live among us as a man. His purpose was placing our sins and wickedness throughout the course of history upon Himself as a total, complete, and finished sacrifice by dying on the cross and being resurrected from death on the third day, as He told His apostles (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 3:16, 14:6, 20:1-10; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Acts 1:1-8, 4:12, 20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a fact backed by eyewitnesses as well as resources outside of the Scriptures from men such as Pliny the Younger, Suetonius, Thallus, Tacitus, Josephus, the Babylonian Talmud, Lucian, Phlegon, and Celsus.

Allow me to present a basic layout of God’s plan to rescue us from our sins, as well as the coming judgment that is to fall upon this world soon (Acts 17:30-31).

1) It is an undeniable fact – despite everything and anything you may have said, done, or thought throughout your life, even your unbelief itself – that the Sovereign of the Universe, the LORD God Almighty, your Creator, DOES love you (Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16).

2) Swallow your pride and any thought you might have that you can somehow – by your own methods, plans, or ideas – make yourself righteous before a holy God who will not allow sin into His presence or His heaven. You are a sinner, and you know it; just admit it here and now. If you do not repent and seek God’s way of salvation and reject it altogether, you will come before Him for judgment (Romans 3:23; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-15).

3) There are ONLY two places you can go after you die, either heaven or hell (1 Corinthians 2:8-9; Luke 16:19-31). You don’t get any third options, and you don’t merely end up as a worm feast and fertilizer, either (Luke 12:13-21). You are going to be held accountable for your life, like it or not, and nothing will be hidden (Ezekiel 18:1-32; Matthew 25:14-30; Romans 2:12-16; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13). If you die without being redeemed for your sins, you will be paying your sins’ debt for eternity in hell, and you are never getting out (Revelation 20:11-15). Not good.

4) Without salvation in and only through Jesus Christ, you are dead in your sins, and you stink spiritually (Romans 6:23) as would a corpse. When you are dead, you cannot bring yourself back to life. I served as a trauma chaplain for many years, and I never once saw a dead person getting up from the slab, grabbing the paddles, placing them on his chest and yelling “CLEAR!” as the electrical current went to his stiff and corroding heart. That might happen in a grade “B” zombie movie, but not in real life. Unless the LORD intervenes on your behalf, you are helpless (John 6:44).

5) It is ONLY by the merciful and gracious act of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross on YOUR behalf that will ever save you (Romans 5:6-11). Read the Scriptures and look at the times where Jesus showed His compassion and love for people (Matthew 11:28-30), bringing them back to the loving arms of God the Father. Take the time to get with your friends or relatives who are believers (who should have told you anyway), and have them tell their story of how they came to faith in Christ.

(For those of you reading this and using the excuse of “I don’t want to be a Christian because the ones I’ve seen are all hypocrites,” or something to that effect, may I offer a suggestion? Why don’t you repent of your sins, ask Christ to save you, then live and act like a true believer should, and be a role model for those of us who need to be corrected?)

6) You CAN be saved, and do not let ANYONE nor your current circumstances tell you otherwise. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (Acts 16:30-31; Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 5:10-13). Repent (turn) from your sins, ask Jesus to forgive you and save you. That’s it, nothing complicated or detailed.

If you meant what you said and asked in faith, you are now a real child of God. Submit to His guidance and care from this time on (Acts 5:29). After you have surrendered your life to Christ, be sure to tell someone and never stay silent when it comes to sharing your faith (Acts 4:20). Find a Bible-centered, Christ-honoring group of believers who meet regularly for fellowship and study of the Word, and get a copy of the Bible for yourself. I would recommend a version where the language has been updated, such as the New King James Bible. I always instruct new believers to begin reading the Gospel of Luke and then proceed to the book of Acts for an overall view of the life of Jesus and the start of the church.

Welcome to the family of God, and I look forward to meeting you the day when we are all gathered around the throne of the LORD in the new heaven and earth.”

I encourage every follower of the Lord Jesus Christ reading this message to use what has been presented as a tool in making the case for why you trust in Him for real life, truth, and peace, and to see the fruit of your witness take bloom.

Win souls for the LORD, brethren. The time is almost at hand, and the harvest still needs to be gathered.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

 

ough the titles are different, and end-time prophecy experts post messages in different ways, the outcome is not going to change. I am a novice prophecy person compared to many others, but I take seriously what the Father has placed on my heart to share. (any emphasis mine)

A verse from Isaiah 6:8 stood out the first time I ever read that book just over 30 years ago. “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send Me!'” One other verse that got my attention, and I have claimed it as my “life verse,” is John 14:6; “Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by Me.”

That last verse from God’s word speaks volumes to me. First, we don’t all worship the same God, as many faux religions claim. Also, it clearly discredits the false prophets’ claim that we don’t have to receive and accept Jesus to be saved. Acts 4:12 verifies John’s gospel with, “And there is Salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among man by which we must be saved.”

It is said that once we have received and accepted the gift of the Father that was paid for in full at Calvary, it is then impossible to lose our Salvation. On that point, I totally agree. So, how do we explain Hebrews 6:4-6? “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding Him up to contempt.”

Looking at the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15, we’re told of seeds being sowed in four different places on different surfaces. One place was in the open on a path, and the birds immediately got them. Another fell on rock but soon withered away because no moisture produced roots, and they died. Another fell among thorns which choked them as they grew. However, the ones on good fertile soil grew and produced even more.

The disciples asked Jesus to give them further explanation, and He explained the following to them. The ones on the path were totally under the influence of Satan and never had any consideration of ever accepting the Word of the Lord. The ones on rocky ground hear the Word and are initially inspired but do not fully commit, and therefore have no roots with which to nourish and grow. When the least of life’s issues arise, they revert back to their previous lost ways.

Moving to those among the thorns, they worry more about the cares of the world, and they never allow the Gospel to enter them, and they do not develop any relationship with Jesus. As with the rocky soil seeds, their “conversion” is only temporary and incomplete. They are “choked off” by what this world offers rather than consider their eternal souls. They are more worried about what other humans think of them than to even consider developing a relationship with the Lord.

The seeds on the fertile soil are those who are “convicted” by the Word and realize just who Jesus really is and what price He paid for us. We realize that He took our sins – My Sins – that He was never guilty of and offered Himself willingly (John 10:18) to die in our place so that we could have eternal life with Him.

We admit to Him that we are sinners, ask His forgiveness, and ask that He enter our hearts and be our Savior forever. At this point, He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and to declare that we are a part of His flock. Though we will sin until we take our last breath on earth, we will never disavow or turn away from Him.

Verses about the Holy Spirit being with and in us are found in multiple places in the Bible. Ezekiel 36:27; Isaiah 63:11; John 16:13; Acts 6:5; Romans 8:9; Romans 8:11; Romans 8:15; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Galatians 4:6; Galatians 5:18; Galatians 5:22; 2 Timothy 1:14; and 1 John 2:27 to just name a few.

Jesus Himself knew that more would accept Satan’s lies and be a part of this world than would accept Him. He said the way is hard in Matthew 7:13-14, and there would be few on the pathway to Salvation and many on the broad path to destruction. The hardest part is to believe and have faith that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and is absolute truth. It’s easier to accept what we can see, feel, hear and touch than to believe in something we can only read about.

There have been pastors, ministers, preachers, or whatever title they would choose that seemingly started out “devout” and “on fire” for the Lord. Then, the lure of the world entered, and they began to follow the path Satan laid out for them.

I remember a particular comedian who, in his early years, proclaimed the Word of the Lord. However, for some reason, he became disillusioned and turned to comedy full of vile and vulgar content. Though he had previously stood up and proclaimed Jesus, it is apparent that no permanent roots ever took hold. In one interview, he was asked about his past religious nature, and in an “X-rated” way, stated it was all phony, and he believed no “religion” was true. Sadly, he has passed, and if he didn’t call out for Jesus to forgive him, he will be in the Revelation 20:11-15 White Throne Judgment.

Satan knows every weakness we have, and he knows just what enticement to put in our pathways. Some mega pastors are caught up in fame, money, and personal pleasures as they appear to “proclaim” Jesus as Lord. Some have used twisted meanings from God’s true words to become rich through their “prosperity preaching.”

To start out on what appears to be a righteous path and then to turn away from Jesus is tragic. Their influence on weaker souls is also tragic.

I have stated in the past that, before I was 40, I had never read through God’s Word for myself. I relied on those in the pulpits to feed me with knowledge of Jesus. When I realized I was lost and called out for forgiveness, I read the Bible cover to cover for the very first time. I absolutely recommend everyone do the same. Don’t take my word or anyone else’s if you can’t verify what we say according to Scripture.

First, get a true translation you can understand, and to get the full benefit, get a good “study Bible.” Start with the Gospel of John, and then go to Paul’s epistle of Romans. A lot of questions you may have right now can be answered in these two books.

Then, start a practice of reading at least one chapter of one book daily. Before long, you will have a good habit and then will develop a lifestyle. This is still my practice today, and I feel as if something is missing if I don’t read from God’s Word every day.

You will come to learn more about the fully-human yet fully-God, Jesus. Your relationship will grow, and you will wonder why you weren’t drawn to Him earlier.

Read about the ABCs of Salvation in Romans 10:9-13. Know that when you truly call out to Him to be your Savior, you will become a part of His “flock,” as given in John 10. Once truly His, your Salvation is secured. Know and understand that there are no works you can do, nor any earthly price you can pay to be saved. That is explained in Ephesians 2:8-9. Once saved, you will want to do things to Honor and give Glory to the Savior, but not as a condition to gain His love for you. He already loves us all more than we can ever realize.

We don’t know exactly when Jesus will call His “flock” up to meet Him in the air in the event known as the “Rapture.” It is obvious that all the signs are present, and we are definitely in the “season” right now. The tribulation/wrath is just about set to begin, but first, 2 Thessalonians 2 has to take place before the antichrist can come forth. That is, the removal of the “influence that is currently ‘restraining’ him” must be removed. That would be the Holy Spirit, and to remove that influence would be to remove all who are indwelt by Him. God has promised we will not go through the Wrath, so our leaving is even earlier than the appearance of the ultimate evil one. Any day now is an accurate description.

Don’t be left behind to face the most terrible time this world has ever seen. Call on the Savior today and be ready for the trumpet of God to sound and the shout from the archangel to call us up and off this sin-filled, evil planet. It will be the best choice you will ever make, and it is totally up to you to make it. God will not force you but will accept all who call on Jesus to save them.

Hope to see you in the clouds at that very special moment.

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus

huebshman46@gmail.com