Because of the Words He Spoke

Scriptures: John 14:12-14, John 7:32-45, John 15:7, John 16:24
John 15:11 & 12, John 3:16, John 3:3

This blog entry is about a week late getting posted but because it’s a continuation of Pastor Lorne’s Life of Christ series, I figured it was worth the effort.

You see, the kids and I couldn’t make it to church last week, so I gave my digital recording device to my hubby to tape the service for me. Due to prior commitments, I’ve been unable to transcribe the recording until today, (Sat). Now, I’m finally back to blogging.

So last Sunday, Pastor Lorne spoke for the second week on the words of Jesus.

Pastor Lorne said he could make it sound like he knows a lot intellectually and it sounds great but when we go home, it wouldn’t help us. So he’s going to tell us things that we can take home with us and tomorrow at work or sitting at the breakfast table or whenever you have to make a decision, you’ll have the word of God to help you.

Pastor Lorne said he finds that Jesus spoke on the things that can really help us in our daily life. Words that are more than promises of what can happen when we trust and seek His word.

In John 14:12, Jesus says, ‘I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.’ Now this is Jesus speaking to us not one of the prophets or apostles or disciples. Listen to the words and take them to your hearts literally.

John 14:13 says, ‘And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.’ Pastor Lorne said already twice, Jesus mentioned if you believe in Him and have faith in Him you can do what He’s been doing. Now for the 3rd time, Jesus says, in v 14 ‘You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it’. Pastor Lorne said he thought, “Well what would I want? I’d like to live somewhere in a nice house overlooking the ocean or beach...somewhere warm where the wind never gets strong and just be waited on and lay there for the rest of my life and be a burden to everyone around me...”

He said it sounds nice but he knows that some things are close to the heart of God but if he asks God for the things he’s just mentioned, he feels sure that God would provide those things for him. However, one of the things that Jesus talked about was His will that everyone comes to the knowledge of salvation...that not one soul would perish. Pastor Lorne said he’d ask for salvation for his neighbors, his friends, and his family. He said he believes that he could take the scriptures that say we could ask for anything in His name and He will do it. These are the words of Jesus.

Scripture tells us that it’s the will of God, His desire for us that we live in health, and so Pastor Lorne believes that we could pray for those people who need a physical touch in their bodies and we’ll be praying God’s will. He said take your finances...Pastor Lorne believes it’s God’s will that we have enough to live on, pay our bills and have a little left over to give to people in need. He said he could pray for that...because these are the words of Jesus.

In John 7:32-45, the Pharisees and chief priests sent temple guards to arrest Jesus and interrogate Him but they came back empty-handed. ‘Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why didn't you bring him in?" "No one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards declared.’ They were so taken with the words of Jesus that they forgot that they were supposed to arrest Him and bring Him before the chief priests for interrogation.

The words of Jesus can change lives. The people in Jesus’ life had never heard anything like it before. Pastor Lorne said he mentioned last Sunday that the words that Jesus spoke were totally radical because they went against human nature...against the way we’re taught...against the direction today’s world takes. Pastor Lorne reminded us that Jesus said to let them slap your other cheek. And if someone wants your jacket, give them your coat too. These are totally opposite views of what we’re taught now. Retaliation and all those things are so much a part of life today. Nobody has ever spoken like Jesus did.

V 40 and 41 records, "On hearing His words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet." Others said, "He is the Christ." Pastor Lorne said they realized just by the way Jesus spoke and the things He said that He was someone special...that He was sent from God and that He actually was who He said He was...because of the words He spoke.

Pastor Lorne referred us to John 15:7 which says, ‘If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.’ Pastor Lorne said, “there’s a little condition here...did you notice it? ‘If you remain in me and my words remain in you...’ And so it seems that if we have a relationship with Christ and if we’re walking with Him and following Him...I’ve been kind of going through when I’m talking about the life of Christ and the fact of staying close to Jesus. Staying close to Him...remember, ‘if you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. You can ask anything.’

Pastor Lorne said we’ve heard it over and over again but I’m sure that the way that the Lord’s been working in some of your lives that it’s starting to come true for some of us and for the rest of us who’s standing their watching, it’s also becoming real. And that’s just what we’re talking about here.

This is Jesus speaking. It’s His words. Pastor Lorne said, “I don’t know how far you can go with this. It depends on your state I guess, but just believe God. I guess that’s all I can say...believe and trust Him and He will bring these things to pass.”

In John 16:24, Jesus says, ‘Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.’ Pastor Lorne says we find that not only will we receive what we ask but we will receive with joy knowing that God loves us and cares enough about us to meet our needs. And He answers when we ask him for something.

Pastor Lorne said he really encourages you in your life to take these steps of faith to ask God or begin to ask God. And if you think the faith is way too big for you, take baby steps...ask for little things and as He answers those, ask for something bigger. Because He says we can ask for anything in His name. Pastor Lorne said it was like he mentioned before...if you’re wondering what to ask for, be sure to ask for things that He talked about in His word...about people coming to the Lord, people being healed, delivered, needs being met in their life. You’re on safe ground asking for those kinds of things because they’re in the Word of God. When we go on, we can ask for other things needed in our lives. The Bible says God hears us and He comes to give joy, happiness and contentment, and it comes by simply asking Him and trusting Him.

Look at John 15:11 – ‘I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.’ Pastor Lorne said this is not a theologian writing this but the actual word of Jesus recorded in the Word of God. Jesus goes on in v12: ‘My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.’ Pastor Lorne said God loves us...that’s sometimes hard for some people to understand...they say why does God love me? I’m such a sinner...I haven’t done anything for anyone...why does God love me?

But John 3:16 says, ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ How much would you give for one of your children? If you had to buy back one of your children, would you give up your car? Your furniture? Maybe your house? Maybe your whole farm for one of your children? Pastor Lorne says he knows for each parent, that for the sake of your children, you’d surely give up everything that you have.

Did you know that God’s love and the words of Jesus are so great and that God loves us so much that He gave His only son, Jesus to the world so that you and I can be set free from the guilt of sin and the sentence of sin?

And He loves us. That’s the word of Jesus. God loves you and me. Jesus said that just as His father loves Him. We know how much a parent loves their children and it doesn’t matter what they’ve gone and done or what kinds of problems they have. Pastor Lorne said sometimes he thinks the love is almost greater for that type of child and that shows what Gods love is for us...for you and me. Jesus talks about that love...of how God was willing to give up his Son because He loved us and that’s what Jesus was trying to teach.

Pastor Lorne reminded us of Nicodemus who asked how to be right with God. Johns 3:3 says, ‘...Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again”.’ Again, the words of Jesus. He talks about love, he talks about asking for anything we want in His name and here He tells us that every man, woman, boy and girl must be born again...that you can’t see the kingdom of God unless you’re born again.

So here are the words of Jesus and He’s giving people the formula of having a right relationship with God and being born again, about receiving Christ...about asking Him to become Lord and Saviour of our lives. And all these words are words that Jesus spoke...they’re words of hope and words of joy. They bring joy to our heart and Pastor Lorne says he’s sure that we’ve had people who’ve been healed from diseases that just strike terror in your hearts and we’ve heard the Word. We’ve asked Jesus and believed Him and we’ve heard reports of God ‘s healing touches.

Pastor Lorne says he encourages you today to take into your life the words of Jesus...to allow them to become a part of your life. And when you think, how am I going to get around this, or how am I going to deal with that, remember that Jesus said, if you ask, you will receive. He wants you to take His word and believe it...to trust it...to rest upon it and know that He will answer because He has already and He’s going to continue to do so.

If you would like to speak to Pastor Lorne about this, please email him.

Comments are appreciated. If you’re not sure how, please click on ‘comments’ under 'Labels' in the right column.

The Words of Jesus: Matthew 5

Scriptures: Psalms 119:11, Matthew 5, Matthew 11:28

Pastor Lorne started the message last Sunday by saying that he was thinking back to The Rawling Brothers concert here at COTH and he remembered Bruce standing up there saying that when things get rocky, all these other things can happen, but our God is rock solid. So, when things go wrong or not the way we want, Pastor Lorne said he wants us to remember that God is always rock solid.

He then reminded us that he’s been talking about the life of Christ in his messages. He said people often make reference to words that someone else said and quote them. Pastor Lorne thought of the words of Jesus and wanted to talk about the words that Jesus spoke. He said that when he started researching just the words and things that Jesus said, he had just barely started when he realized how much is involved in such a task.

Pastor Lorne looked at the clock and said he seemed to be talking too long each week. He said each Sunday was a little longer and he would try to watch it this week. It was 10:52 at that time and he wanted everyone to time him and wave at him or something if he went too long.

He started the message with Psalms 119:11 which states, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Pastor Lorne believes that if we hide the words of Jesus in our heart, when we come to life’s issues, if we have His words hidden in our heart, we can react the way we should as He wants us to.

Pastor Lorne said the basis for today’s message is Matthew 5. That it’s not a message of great deliverance but it is liberating. Matt 5 is where The Beatitudes are found in the Bible. Pastor Lorne realized there are some radical things listed here but it’s a message of hope and encouragement, although, he said he himself might have to readjust how he does some things if he was going to take the words literally.

V3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit...” Pastor Lorne said someone who is poor in spirit is someone who has a need for the Lord. Someone who doesn’t have the power and presence of God in their life. The Beatitudes encourage people that they need God and His relationship in their life. We all come to the Lord poor in spirit and we commit our life to Him and in return, He gives us the great promise of the kingdom of heaven.

V4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Pastor Lorne said this means people who are sorry for their sins, lifestyle, etc.

V5 “Blessed are the meek...” Pastor Lorne finds this totally against what we hear today because everything today says the go-getters will win in the end. But the Bible doesn’t say that. It says “the meek... will inherit.” Those who are humble.

V6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...” Pastor Lorne said if you want to live a life pure before God to live a live with Christ. Without Christ, you might lose your cool in a situation but you’ll handle it well with Christ at your side.

V7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Pastor Lorne said sometimes you go and help people and don’t think about being paid back but down the road you get in trouble and need help and it comes back to you.

V8 “Blessed are the pure in heart...” Pastor Lorne said pure in heart by our faith and trust in the righteousness of Christ. By ourselves we couldn’t make it. Not the whole 10 commandments. He reminded us of the song that starts: “I am covered over with the robes of righteousness...” The robes of righteousness smothers all the things we might not be proud of and it makes us pure in heart before Christ.

V9 “Blessed are the peacemakers...” Pastor Lorne said there are people who like to get other people riled up. But in accordance to the scripture, we are to be peacemakers and bring peace wherever we go. We are to live in a peaceful atmosphere.

V10-12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness...” Pastor Lorne said you’ve probably never been taken by a government official and been whipped and beaten - at least not in Canada. But he was sure everyone had been laughed at or lost friends, etc or suffered some other form of persecution because of your faith in Christ.

Pastor Lorne said we’ve gone through all of these quickly, and here’s some of the other things Jesus said in the same chapter:

In V13, Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth....” You have flavour but you also preserve things.

In V14, He said, “You are the light of the world...” Pastor Lorne says those are pretty big shoes to fill, right?

Jesus talks about other things in life that are centered on the 10 commandments.

V21 is about murder: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment...” Jesus then goes on to say that anyone angry with his brother will be subject to judgement and if you call someone a fool, you’ll suffer the same fate as a murderer. (Ouch – I know I’m in trouble with that one.)

In V23, Jesus is talking about offerings. He said if you’re having problems with your brother, “...First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Just like in a previous message about not taking communion unless your heart is clean.)

In V27 & 28, Jesus mentions the commandment not to commit adultery but He takes it one step further by saying, “I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

In V31 & 32, Jesus gives His opinion on the matter of divorce.

In V33-37, Jesus is talking about people taking oaths. He says not to do it. In V37, He expands on this by saying, “Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'...” Pastor Lorne said he was watching TV and they were selling diamonds. He said a buyer will buy a group of diamonds worth a couple million dollars and when the deal is made, both parties shake hands. It’s a tradition – instead of signing papers. Pastor Lorne said that’s what Jesus is talking about: if you say yes, do it...you don’t need oaths, or to swear by heaven etc

Now in V38 Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth'." Pastor Lorne asked if that meant we can hold down our buddy and pull out his tooth because he knocked out ours? But in the next verse, Jesus said, “...If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Now that, Pastor Lorne said is sometimes very difficult to do, unless you don’t have a temper. He said he’d probably want to give it back or at least let them see his heels but that’s not what Jesus wants us to do. Prayer comes in handy at times like these.

V40 says, “And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” Pastor Lorne said in the olden days, the cloak was used like a jacket in the day when you were cold, but it was also used as a covering like a blanket at night, so to give away your cloak was hard stuff.

V41 has always been a mystery to me: “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” And on Sunday, Pastor Lorne explained it. He said that in the days before phones and telegraphs, etc, they had messengers carrying the letters along the roads. And if one of those messengers had a heavy load, they had the right to stop you and make you carry their burden for a mile.

Pastor Lorne said Matthew 5 is all everyday, practical stuff.

He also said V44 – to love your enemies, is a difficult one. Pastor Lorne said that if you don’t like someone and don’t care about them and they’re mean to you, he’ll challenge you to start praying for them and asking God to bless them. And he said you’ll find in a little while your attitude to them will change and God will touch their lives and hearts. He said he knows this from experience. And if you keep praying for them, your heart and theirs will change. Pastor Lorne said several times he’s taken himself by the back of the neck and forced himself to pray that way...and God made a change in his life and in the lives of those he thought had misjudged him.

V48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” That’s a tough one. That’s talking about stretching yourself or doing the impossible at least in Pastor Lorne’s case. He supposes that if we completely follow everything in Matthew 5 then we would be getting close to being perfect.

He asked the congregation if anyone was close to being perfect. There were no takers. Pastor Lorne says he himself has a long way to go to be perfect.

In Matt 5, Jesus lays out how we ought to live our life. Jesus wouldn’t say it if it was impossible. But how can we do it? Pastor Lorne believes that if you have committed your life to Christ and stand in His righteousness, when God looks at you He doesn’t see the things you’ve done but He sees Christ. He sees the righteousness of Christ

In ourselves we can’t make it without the love of Christ. With His righteousness, we’re perfect in His sight.

Pastor Lorne doesn’t know what applies to you or me but in Matt 11:28, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” So, amidst all these things above, Jesus is waiting and says “Come to me...”.

Pastor Lorne wants you to know that Jesus walks with you every step of the way when you attempt to do these things in your life because He gave us some radical things to do if we want to be part of His kingdom.

No one is immune to the pressures of life, but with Christ, all things are possible.
Pastor Lorne wanted to encourage you to take the words of Jesus in your heart...now that you know what to do...

After a final song and prayer, I happened to glance up at the clock. Church was over at 11:22.

If you would like to speak to Pastor Lorne about this, please email him.
Comments are appreciated. If you’re not sure how, please click on ‘comments’ under 'Labels' in the right column.

Come Away with Me!

Dianne, wife of Pastor Lorne, is guest blogging here today:

Song of Solomon 2:11-13: "See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me."

How we look forward to spring after the long cold winter. On the first warm day, even before all the snow is gone, it is so refreshing to step outside and breathe in deeply the fresh, invigorating air. You can smell the freshness of spring, and you know that winter is past. Soon flowers appear, and someone will come with a little bouquet of crocuses. And the appearance of the crows and geese always brings an excited “Look, there is a crow!” or “Can you hear the geese?” Then gardening becomes the focus of our attention, while those who don’t garden are sitting out on their decks beckoning, “Come sit with me for awhile!”

Sometimes we experience winter in our hearts, and it seems like we have died on the inside. Life goes by us faster and faster and we can’t catch our breath long enough to contemplate our next activity before we are already in the midst of doing it. But God doesn’t want for our lives to become hectic or aimless. He wants us to experience fulfillment and contentment. He wants that the winter be over, and that all the sorrows and disappointments of life fade away like the snow. He wants to bring springtime into our lives, where we will find newness of life, and a season of joy and gladness. He wants us to relish life around us, and listen to its music. He wants us to let our inward being be fed by his word, and our prayers be a fragrant aroma to him.

He invites each of us to come away with him, and learn of Him, because He is meek and lowly. He desires that we know Him, and communicate with Him. He is approachable to all who call upon him.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Start with believing in Jesus. Let Him come into your life, and renew a right spirit within you. Let him bring you contentment, joy, and peace. Let Him soothe you with the wonderful music of life around you, and the fragrance of laughter. Let Him feed you from his word, the Bible. Read it everyday; it is food for your soul. God wants you to come away with him. You are precious to Him. He calls you “My darling.” He beckons, “Come sit with me for awhile!”

If you would like to speak to Dianne about this, please email her.

Comments are appreciated. If you’re not sure how, please click on ‘comments’ under 'Labels' in the right column.

Jesus’ Greatest Accomplishment

Scriptures: John 1:29, John 3:1-5, John 3:14-17, Matt 9:1-7,
John 8:3-11, Luke 23:34, 43, Acts 4:12, Hebrews 10:11-18

Pastor Lorne started Sunday’s message by reminding us that the previous Sundays had been about the life of Jesus and His control over the laws of nature and the elements, His ability to walk on the water, His authority over Satan’s demons and His power to not only perform miracles but to be able to withstand Satan’s temptation.

Pastor Lorne said today we were going to look at the most important aspect of Jesus’ life and the real reason that He came into this world. However, he said he wanted to see if there were any more testimonies because we’d all been so blessed by those given a couple weeks ago and some of the congregation had been missing that day. It is such a wonderful feeling to hear people explain how they found Christ and what made them realize that He was missing in their life.

When the testimonies were done, Pastor Lorne said that salvation was the greatest thing Jesus had ever done. He forgave sin and when He forgave sin, He gave you and I the power to live right. Pastor Lorne said that you can do something against me to upset me and I can forgive you but I wouldn’t have the power to change you. But when we ask Christ to forgive us, He has the power to change us by removing our sin. That is such a profound statement: He has the power to remove sin.

John 1:29 says, that when John the Baptist saw Jesus walking toward him, he said, "...Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

And in John 3:1-3 Jesus said to Nicodemus, a Pharisee, “...I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Nicodemus took the words literally and asked how someone could be born again since it was physically impossible to re-enter your mother’s womb. Jesus answered him in verse 5: "...I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”

Pastor Lorne referred us to John 3:14 which says “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.” Now at this point, I must admit that I missed out on what Pastor Lorne said about that verse. (I don’t think I was day-dreaming...) So, I’ll try to explain this verse myself...Jesus was lifted up on the Cross where he was crucified. He submitted Himself to the will of God and by that one act, bought redemption and eternal life for the rest of us. Because Jesus allowed Himself to be lifted up, we should now lift Him up in exaltation for what he did on the Cross for us.

Pastor Lorne says the scripture of John 3:16 tells us that if we believe in Jesus, we can have eternal life: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” So, Jesus was able to forgive sins. V17 goes on to say that God didn’t send Jesus down to condemn us but to save us...to give us eternal life.

Jesus is the only way to heaven which is eternal life.

Pastor Lorne said that so many people take things to be relative and say that there’s no one truth...that as long as you believe in something, you’ll be okay. But the scriptures don’t say that! The Bible says that believing in Jesus and only Him gives us eternal life.

Pastor Lorne furthered that by saying today we believe that if we lift up Jesus, we will be saved and it’s a wonderful thing to know. As Christians, we know that He is our Saviour.

Referring back to Matt 9:1-7 (covered in a past blog entry) and the miracle of the paralytic man, Jesus said, “...your sins are forgiven.” And the man got up and went home. Pastor Lorne said that Jesus was demonstrating His power to forgive sins but the nearby ‘teachers of the law’ objected to this so-called blasphemy. In return, Jesus asked them if it really made a difference if He said “...your sins are forgiven” or “...Get up and walk”?

John 8:3-11 tells another story of Jesus forgiving sin. It’s the story of the adulterous woman who was brought before Him to be tried. According to the law of Moses, such women were to be stoned but Jesus sensed that the only reason they brought her to Him was to trap Him. The Bible says “...But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger. When they kept on questioning him, He straightened up and said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.” Now Pastor Lorne said he wondered why Jesus looked down but he figured it was because Jesus gave these fellows a way out when He bent down and looked in the dirt. This woman was ‘caught in the act’ and Jesus was able to forgive her sin right there and send her away as if she’d never done wrong.

“That’s the great thing with our Savior,” Pastor Lorne emphasized, “that He makes it like we’d never done wrong.”

In Luke 23:34, Jesus said, “...Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing...” Pastor Lorne said even on the cross, Jesus asked God to forgive His executioners and went on to say in v43: "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” Again, it’s proof of Jesus’ ability to change lives and forgive sins.

In Acts 4:12, Pastor Lorne said that Peter is speaking to the people.and he says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Pastor Lorne says that Hebrews 10:11-18 is a great scripture of promise and comfort because we know Jesus died on the cross and paid the penalty for our sins once and for all. The text refers to priests who stand and perform the same religious duties day after day, offering the same sacrifice (v11) “...which can never take away sins.” But v18 says “And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.” The writer of Hebrews is saying that when Jesus paid the ultimate price and made the sacrifice on the Cross, there’s nothing else we need to do to receive eternal life. It was totally done.

Pastor Lorne said that when we come before our great Saviour and accept Him and be forgiven by Him, He doesn’t remember our past. He said it’s written in the Bible that God doesn’t remember our sins any more. They’re in the past and we don’t need another sacrifice. He said you don’t have to keep going back to church or temple with sacrifices for your sins.

Jesus paid the sacrifice and no more need to be made. If we just accept Him, we will have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Pastor Lorne said it’s a great and wonderful promise. He said, “I encourage you to hang on to it. That when Satan comes and puts you down, remember salvation. That Jesus paid the price and if you accept Him, you are a child of God and you have the strength and freedom to live with Him without the fear that it’s not enough.”

If you would like to speak to Pastor Lorne about this, please email him.

Comments are appreciated. If you’re not sure how, please click on ‘comments’ under 'Labels' in the right column.

An Answer for Tecumseh

A comment has been made on the last blog entry that would take too long to answer in another comment, so I've decided to answer it here.

The comment said, "Hello, I was reading your blog and was just curious about a couple of things. You mention accepting Christ as Savior, what do I need saving from? Tecumseh"

My answer is:

Hey Tecumseh – My first thought was that you needed saving from Hell and eternal damnation – but that’s only part of the answer.
What about your daily life on this earth?

Right now, we need a personal relationship with Jesus. We need to know that He’s there with us – all of the time. He doesn’t take breaks. He doesn’t take time off. He doesn’t sleep. He’s always there for you...waiting...to spend time with you...to answer your prayers...to show you how much He cares for you. And He'll wait as long as it takes for you to realize that He’s there...a loving Father waiting for His prodigal children to come home.

Tecumseh, you said you had a couple things you were curious about but then you only mentioned one. What was the other thing? How do you get saved? I can answer that – just believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins. (And please don’t belittle me by saying you don’t have sins...a human’s mind is so creative we sin by our thoughts if not our bodies.)

Once you believe Christ died for you, ask Him into your heart, to direct your life, and to cleanse you from all your sins. He will accept them and you’ll be clean and ready to enter Heaven whenever the time comes.

So what’s the rush to do it now? Why not wait to get saved until right before you die and then enter the ‘pearly gates’? Why be good and follow the harder, narrow path now when you could be out having fun in the world? Why not get saved later?

I mean, lots of people die slowly reflecting on their life and accept Christ on their death-bed, right?

But what if you don’t? What if you suffer a brain aneurysm and don’t wake up? Or suffer trauma and be a brain-dead vegetable? Or have a heart attack and die before anyone can reach you? You don’t know when your life will be snuffed out. And then it’ll be too late .

Are you willing to take that chance with eternity?