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to make sure that the entire Word of God is
believed. This cannot be taken for granted, especially
these days. If they teach that one must be
converted in order to be saved, then that is a good
sign. But if these sorts of words never feature, and
they concentrate only or mainly on political, ecological
and social matters, then stay away – there
is “death in the pot” (see 2 Kings 4:40). Leave such
a place; traditions cannot save us, no matter how
venerable. Rather, join a fellowship which is faithful
to the Bible, and become active there. A good,
lively congregation, where the entire Bible is
believed, is an essential prerequisite for our faith
and for a healthy spiritual growth. Take very careful
note of this point number three, because many
have withered here, although they once made
a genuine profession of faith.
4 Obedience: When reading the Bible, you will
find many helpful instructions for all realms of
life and also for communion with God. If you
practise what you have learned, you will find
great blessings. The best way to express our love
for God, is to obey Him: “This is love for God: to
obey his commands” (1 John 5:3).
rearranged, with the interests of God’s kingdom
playing the central role. The believer hungers
after the words of God and he seeks fellowship
with other Christians. He is led by the Holy Spirit
(Rom 8:14), and the fruits of the new life will
become obvious to everybody: “But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness” (Gal 5:22).
At conversion, the old life immediately ends and
the new one begins. The New Testament expresses
it this way: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation” (2 Cor 5:17). Through conversion two
things are achieved: our present earthly life
acquires a new, central meaning and purpose,
and at the same time, we receive the gift of
being a child of God, entitling us to be His heirs,
to inherit eternal life.
5 Witnessing: You are now safe and secure in
the lifeboat. The ship of death cannot pull you
down into the abyss any more, but many people
are still travelling on the doomed ship. You should
now help many of them to board the lifeboat. Tell
others what Jesus Christ means for you. People
who have not yet accepted the saving truth of
the gospel, require our example and testimony.
You are now a fellow-worker of God (1 Cor 3:9).
Jesus emphasises the meaning of personal witnessing
in Matthew 10:32-33: “Whoever
acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge
him before my Father in heaven. But whoever
disowns me before men, I will disown him
before my Father in heaven.” The Thessalonian
believers set the correct example in this respect:
“The Lord’s message rang out from you not only
in Macedonia and Achaia – your faith in God has
become known everywhere” (1 Thess 1:8).
You should rejoice that you have deliberately
turned to Jesus Christ and have been accepted by
God. The priorities in your life have now been
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