Welcome to A Brand New Day
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no
good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts,
blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
PSALM 84:11-12
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Dear Friend,
I sincerely hope that you will e-mail me to let me know that you've been saved so that
I can rejoice with you. I also would like to pray to the Lord for you.
God loves you! God loves people! Jesus knows everything about
you (even the number of hairs upon your head the Bible says). The Bible says that there is
joy in heaven in the presence of the angels over one sinner that repenteth.
This means that other believers who have already gone on to heaven to be with
the Lord rejoice when a sinner repents and comes to Christ for
salvation. Through His Son, the Heavenly Father has made you His adopted
child and joint-heir of Christ's riches. And like a good father, He takes great
care of His children; The Holy Spirit of God: protects, comforts, provides, teaches,
nurtures,
guides, loves, and desires your good. God is your Father!
Because Jesus has paid the debt for your sin, you are now free to worship
God and to fellowship with Him. If you want God to, He will do the impossible in
your life. The Christian life is not complicated, it is like shoveling
sand--It's not complicated, it's just hard work. Don't be mistaken
friend, this is not
the easy life--but it is one filled with joy and peace that comes from
Almighty God Himself. If living for the Lord may be a yoke of wood, but
living for the devil is a yoke of iron. Either way, there are no
short-cuts in life.
Remember that you walk simultaneously in the realm of the spiritual and the
temporal. You are in the presence and care of God whether you are cooking
dinner, sitting in a church pew, praying or washing your
car. Being a Christian is a lifestyle that affects every area of your life.
If
you walk with God (obeying His Word), you will be blessed. Jesus said,
"Whosoever loveth me keepeth my commandments." IF you are a serious
disciple of Jesus Christ, you will do His will. Here are some things that you
must do to live victoriously in Jesus.
- Read the Bible everyday.
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The Bible is God's word. This is how He talks to
us. Jesus is the Living Word, the Bible is the written Word.
When we learn the Bible, we are learning Jesus. It is like no
other book in the entire world--it enlightens the soul with the light of
Christ. Pray before you pick it up, ask God's Holy Spirit to guide
you into all truth. Some of you may not know how to pray. It is simply talking to God.
Prayer is also "asking." Prayer is when we ask God
for something; supplication is when we "petition" Him, we keep
asking. This pleases God for it is faith.
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You may not understand
everything that you read the first time. As mentioned, the Holy
Spirit will help you to understand what you need to know. You can
also talk with the man of God, your pastor.
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Start with the book of John which is the fourth book of the New
Testament.
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If you get board when you begin to read the Bible, continue anyway!
The devils that had control over you before you trusted Jesus don't want
you to read the Bible--it is dangerous to them. Reading the Bible will
change your life--it certainly changed mine. The Holy Spirit will teach
you how to overcome temptation, gain wisdom, trust God, know His will,
have peace regardless of your circumstances, and so much more. If
you are to grow in the Lord, you need the milk of the Word (1 Peter
2:2).
- Go to a Bible-believing church where the Bible is taught as the final
authority.
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This excludes Catholic, Mormon, Jehovah Witness, and a number of other
organizations that add other doctrines to the Bible. Unfortunately, there
are a lot of Cults that claim to be Christian, but
that teach a different gospel from that which is found in the Bible. This
is another important reason for you to read the Bible. You will know the
truth and the truth will make you free--nobody can fool you with false
doctrine. You need to get yourself into a Bible-believing church--one that
uses the King James Bible of 1611
Give Me the Old Book!
Find an Independent
Baptist Church Near You
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- Get baptized.
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When you get baptized you are:
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Identifying with the death, burial
and resurrection of Jesus Christ
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Making a public profession of your
belief in Jesus
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Showing the washing away of sins
Water baptism does
not save you, it is only an ordinance (that is-something that the Lord
asked us to do, just as the Lord's supper). Baptism is one of the first steps of obedience
in the life of a believer. But remember, the thief on the cross was never
baptized. I often tell people that baptism does one thing to a
person, it gets them wet! Yes, you should get baptized when
possible; however, many places in this world do not have good
old-fashioned Baptist churches or preachers to provide people with such a
convenience. If you cannot get baptized, it will not affect your
salvation one single bit. Hey, no one in the Old Testament ever got
baptized, not one! Salvation is of the heart. If you have
asked Jesus to forgive your sins and become your Saviour, you're all set
for heaven. It is the blood of Jesus that washes our sins away,
nothing else! Anyone who tells you that baptism is necessary for
salvation is a two-faced heretic liar and a half. Paul did not
concern himself with baptism (1st Corinthians 1:17). Jesus never
baptized anyone (John 4:2).
- Talk to God throughout the day in prayer.
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Prayer is simply talking to God about whatever is on your heart.
When you pray: praise God's Holy Name for His goodness,
thank Him for your daily provision, tell Him your concerns and problems,
pray for others (your enemies, friends, associates and relatives), pray
for yourself, pray for the government. This list is by no means
exhaustive. As you learn the Bible, you will discover that your prayers will
mature because you'll know the will of the Lord and His ways. God
commands us to pray in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without
ceasing." This speaks of a life of prayer, not just a
prayer life. In other words, prayer should be a part of who we are,
not just a ritual we perform every day.
- Tell other people about Jesus.
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This is sometimes hard the first few times, but it gets
easier each and every time you share your faith in the Lord with another
person. Even matured Saints sometimes feel awkward telling others
about the Lord; however, once you come to the place in your life where
Jesus is all that matters in this world anymore--It's at that point where
you really don't care what people have to say about your faith in
Christ--you become bolder because of your love for Jesus. Boldness
comes as a result of loving Christ more and more.
- Forgive your enemies and anyone that you are
embittered against.
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Bitterness in your heart can hinder your walk with Jesus.
We are to
love everyone, even our enemies (Matt 5:44). We don't have to
associate with them, but we are not to hate them either--we are to pray
for them. Don't forget, "Vengeance
is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." It is not our responsibility
to take revenge on anybody. God judges rightly and He will handle any
wrongs perpetrated against us, we're His children. By the way,
this includes wrongs from other believers as well.
- Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as
yourself.
NOTE: ALL soul-winning Christians experience spiritual attacks. You
may experience more temptations and problems than usual, but do not be
discouraged and do not let these things take your eyes off of the Lord. Do not
be surprised if your boss harasses you or someone gets mad at you for no apparent
reason. Pray, read the Bible, trust in God and
become
a soul-winner. Watch God work in
your life. Learn to place things in the Lord's hands.
We are here to support you however we can. If you let us know your needs
we'll pray for you and offer you advice directly from the Bible.
Warning!!!
Once you get saved, you'll likely
meet some well-meaning
people who will load you up with a bunch of false doctrine. Your faith is
tender and you will be prone to believe anything people tell you about the
Bible (that's why you need to read if for yourself everyday). Please heed
these warnings:
1. Don't let anybody tell you that you have to speak in tongues to show
that you are saved and have received the Holy Ghost. That is a lie.
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You
receive the Holy Ghost at salvation (Rom 8:9).
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Speaking in
tongues is a spiritual GIFT, not an evidence of
receiving the Holy Spirit. Not everyone has every gift. This is clear from the
scriptures. "Tongues" as a gift simply refers to the ability
to speak in different KNOWN languages, not some confusing jibber-jabber.
2. Don't let anyone tell you that water baptism saves you.
That is a lie
too. The gospel and baptism are separate (I Corinthians 1:17). You are baptized in
order to outwardly identify with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus
Christ and to symbolically show the washing away of sins.
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1 Peter 3:21--The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now
save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the
answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
3. Don't let anybody tell you that you're going to hell if you don't go to
church on Saturday.
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Colossians 2:16--"Let no man therefore judge you in meat,
or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of
the Sabbath days."
4. Don't let anyone tell you that you
have to tithe or donate money to be saved. Romans 5:15 proclaims that
salvation if the FREE GIFT of God, paid for by the precious blood of Jesus
Christ. Here are a few online books to guide you
along, BUT--NOTHING should replace your King James Bible!!! Verify
everything you read with your Bible!
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