I'll Keep on Leaning

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

If you're old enough to read this, I have no doubt you've come to a conclusion I've also reached: life is hard. If you haven't had a reminder of that fact lately, you no doubt will soon. I've heard it said before that at any given point in our lives we're one of three things: going through a store, coming out of a storm, or going into a storm. Experience tells me that there's a lot of truth in that statement.

With storms being a fact of life, it's very important that we determine how best to handle them. Some people try to ignore the problem. The problem with that is that it doesn't deal with the situation. While we try to pretend nothing is wrong, things could very well get worse. Being physically sick and doing nothing to try to improve your health makes no sense. By the same token, it makes no sense to sit back and ignore our spiritual and emotional issues. Something must be done to correct them.

Others try to handle everything themselves. To be sure, there are some problems that we can correct by applying ourselves to find a solution, but that won't always be the case. We're all human, and there are some things that are simply too hard for us. To make an application from the temporal realm, if I have a flat tire on my car, that's something I can fix myself by simply changing the tire. If my transmission goes out, that's beyond my ability. If I were to try to fix that, I'd likely make the situation worse. Often, when we rely on our own strength to calm our storms, we only complicate the matter.

It doesn't take a lot of thought to come to the conclusion that the best way to deal with life's difficulties is to turn them over to God. It might surprise you, however, when I say that there is a right way and a wrong way to do even that. When you take you troubles to God, on whose terms do you do so? Yours or His?

Let me explain what I mean. There are some who pray about a problem, already having determined in their own minds what the correct answer is, and more or less demanding that God do as they say. Some people view God as little more than a slave bound to do as their "faith" says He must. Those with that attitude need to reread 1 John 5:14-15: "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." The guarantee of receiving what we ask for is dependent upon asking what is in the will of God.

That brings us to the proper way to take our burdens to God. We cast them on Him and trust Him to do as He sees fit, knowing that what He has in mind is best. This doesn't mean that He'll take us out of the storm. Sometimes, He does. Other times, He simply sustains us in the storm. Paul found out when he petitioned the Lord to remove the thorn in his flesh that while God didn't do as he asked, He did do what was best. Paul found that with the thorn came the grace of God, and he determined that it was better to deal with the thorn if it meant receiving grace.

There is a calm in the storm when we determine to rely on God  and trust His will. As long as He is aboard the ship, it will never sink. He is our captain, and He will bring us safely to shore. The sooner we learn that and claim it, the sooner we find peace. What can we do when we face difficulty? We lean on the Everlasting Arms. What do we do when the storm rages on? We keep on leaning. It's not always easy, but it's always the right thing to do. Yes, I've learned that life is tough, but I've learned that my God is tougher. The sun will eventually shine again.

An Arm Around Our Shoulders

He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. Psalm 147:3-5

As I'm sure many of you are, I stay pretty busy, being involved in quite a few things. I have a full time job in retail, I'm the music director at my church, I write two blogs, I write novels that I hope to have published one day, and I write for a local sports media website. Every one of those positions can be rewarding, and on Friday night, I witnessed something that helps make the last of those jobs so.

Part of the job with the website includes attending local high school football games so that I can write recaps for the site. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy that. I love seeing the passion and the excitement from the players and coaches as I walk up and down the sidelines. Because of access my position with the website gives, I'm privy to a lot of things that the fans in the stands never see. I see all the ups and downs on the sidelines up close and personal, I hear speeches from the coaches, and get to be in the middle of post game rallies.

Friday night though, I saw something while walking behind one of the coaches waiting for an interview that warmed my heart. There was a player that had had a tough game and was feeling very frustrated. His coach learned of it and responded by walking over to the player, putting his arm around him, and as we say in the South, "loving on him a little."

That's one of the marks of a great coach. He knew his player was feeling discouraged, so he tried to give some comfort and let it be known that he cares about him. I've been thinking about that moment a lot over the last two days. The more I thought about it, the more it reminds me of what our Heavenly Father does for us.

We all have frustrations in life, but thank God, when we are brokenhearted, He's always there to put His arm around us and remind us that we're loved. He has a complete understanding of our difficulties, and He has power them. Just as He calls every one of the stars by name, He knows all of our names. Just as that coach did to that player on Friday night, He will draw us close to Himself, one on one when needed.

I already had plans to make this post, but this afternoon, I was given more reason to do so. Less than an hour ago, I learned that one of my aunts passed away. It was unexpected. Honestly, I still haven't completely grasped it yet. Even so, I know that my Saviour is near. He's not only near to me, He's near to every member of the family. Whereas a coach can only be in one place at one time and can get personal with only one player at a time, God is everywhere and can give us all personal attention at one time.

When our hearts break, the Great Physician is there to heal. He'll put His arm around us and "love on us" better than anyone else could ever do. Frustrated? Heartbroken? Jesus is there for you.

Do We Need a Pope?

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Hebrews 4:14

The media is abuzz over the upcoming visit of Pope Francis to America. The visit is highly controversial among some, and the man himself is certainly controversial. I'm not going to wade into the politics of the situation, but I do want to take a closer look at the role of "pope." Rather, I want to look at the Scripture and answer this question: Do we need a pope?

Catholic doctrine teaches that Jesus chose Peter as the foundation of the church, and that the popes, as his successors are the modern day heads of the church. They base this claim on Matthew 16:16-19, claiming that Peter was the rock that Jesus would build the church on. That claim however, doesn't hold up to spiritual cross-examination. Jesus, in fact, is the rock. His church was to be built on the confession of Him, just as Peter did in the conversation in Matthew 16.

Rather, 1 Corinthians 3:11 shows that Jesus is the foundation. This verse goes so far as to say that no other foundation can be laid. Everything we do is built upon Him. Note that at the Judgment Seat of Christ, the question isn't whether or not the foundation lasts, but whether or not what is built on the foundation lasts. Only Jesus Christ and things done in His strength can stand eternally.

At this point, the conversation would probably shift to Ephesians 2:20, which speaks of "the foundation of the apostles and prophets." This is another passage supporters of the papacy use to support their claims, but a look at the full verse shows that this foundation is also Jesus Christ. as the verse calls Him the"chief corner stone."

Why then, does the Bible speak about the "foundation of the apostles and prophets?" I think the best illustration I've seen is one found in the history of our nation. Our nation could be said to have been built on the foundation of the founding fathers. Were the founding fathers themselves the foundation? No. The foundation of our nation was a set of principles regarding individual freedom and the role of government. The role of the founding fathers was to lay this foundation. They gave us the foundation, and it's up to us how we build on it.

Moving that to the spiritual realm, if you're saved, it's because someone laid the foundation of Jesus Christ for you. They were able to do that because someone laid it for them. That can eventually be traced back to the apostles and prophets. The prophets told the world about the coming Messiah, and the apostles first spread the news that He had come. From then on, we all build on the foundation they laid. We don't build on them; we build on Jesus.

Is there then, any need for an office such as the papacy? No, there's not. Going a step further than that, there's no need for an organized priesthood. In 2 Peter 2:5, the Bible reveals that all believers are priests with access to the Father. Over us is our High Priest, the greatest of them all, Jesus Christ.

Do we need a pope to be the foundation for us? No. Do we need an earthly authority over the worldwide church? No. Jesus is our foundation and our authority. Do we need a priest to grant us access to God? No. We have that access in Jesus Christ and His work of redemption. Because of that, we can boldly approach the throne, no pope required.

Come Unto Me

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Hear the blessed Saviour calling the oppressed,
Oh, ye heavy laden, come to me and rest.
Come no longer tarry, I your load will bear.
Bring me every burden, bring me every care.

Come unto me, I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, hear me and be blessed.
I am meek and lowly, Come and trust my might.
Come, my yoke is easy, and my burden's light.

We all know what it is to be tired. Every day, we reach a point of physical tiredness and need to go to bed to sleep and recharge. During the first part of this week, I was under the weather because of sinus allergies, and that magnified those feelings. The more intense the feeling of tiredness, the greater the relief found in rest. Therefore, rest was a very precious thing to me this week.

There's a weariness outside that of physical weariness, though, that can be even more draining to us. There are times that each and every one of us come to a point at which we feel mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. Sometimes, we bring it on ourselves, and other times, circumstances beyond our control cause it. Regardless of the source of this tiredness, it's not one that can be relieved by a few hours of sleep. We need something more to bring rest.

There are times that we can receive comfort from friends and family that helps to give us release from the burdens of life, but there are other times we're beyond help as far as other people are concerned. Sometimes, we just need more than what human fellowship can offer. There are certain burdens that people simply can't remove or help us bear.

When that happens, where can we go? When we're burdened beyond what we can bear and others are unable to help us, we still have the greatest source of rest of all. The Saviour invites us to cast all of our cares on Him and go to Him to receive rest. He alone can give us release from the things that weigh us down. He alone can give us strength when our burdens are too heavy.

This is not a rest that is begrudgingly given; it is one that is freely offered. The Saviour desires to give us rest. He loves us, and it is not His intention for us to go through life burdened. Jesus doesn't save us to make us miserable, but to give us freedom in Him. His plan for the believer is to live in joy, so it's obvious that He wants to give us rest from the things that steal our joy.

The fact of the matter is, when we go through life burdened and weary, without joy, we do so by our own choice. It's our choice to remain under the things that weigh us down when relief is waiting. As the writer of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" said, we often bear a lot things needlessly because we don't take things to the Lord. The rest awaits us if we will simply go to Jesus and take it.

As long as we live on this Earth, we'll have days that we feel tired and need rest. It's a part of being human. The great news is, however, that part of being a Christian is having a source of perfect rest. The Saviour beckons us to come to Him for rest. If we do so, we'll receive the rest. He's truly the greatest friend we could ever have.

Jesus is Precious

Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. 1 Peter 2:7

This isn't the blog post I intended to make, but I feel led to do so. I'm sure I'll still make the one I had in mind, but for now, it will have to wait for another day. Tonight, my pastor preached a message that greatly stirred my heart. The text verse for this post was his text verse. The topic of the sermon -- and of this post -- was "Jesus is Precious." If you'll allow me a few minutes of your time, I'd like to give you a few reasons that Jesus is precious to me. This won't and can't cover them all, but it should make the point.

The first reason He's precious to me is that He's the greatest friend I could ever have. A true friend is one who sticks with you through think and thin. A friend doesn't wait until things are going well to come to your side, and he doesn't run away when they aren't. The Bible says that a friend loveth at all times, and no one fits that description better than Jesus. He knows my worst, and yet, He still loves me. There is nothing I could ever do to cut off His love. He loves me no matter where I go, no matter what I do, and no matter what I experience.

Secondly, Jesus is precious to me because He helps me bear my burdens. We all know what it's like to be, as Paul said, "pressed out of measure, above strength." Some will say that God won't allow you to face anything that's too difficult for you to handle. Speaking from experience, I can say that those people are wrong. However, I can also say that when the burdens I have to carry are too much for me, He's always there to help me. There are many things I face that are too hard for me, but none of them are too hard for Him. As much as I wish I didn't have to face such things, I'm thankful for them, because they prove that Jesus can sustain me.

The faithfulness of Jesus is a third reason He's precious to me. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, meaning I always know what I'll get when I go to Him. That's not true of people. Circumstances and moods can and will change how people deal with us, but I get the same Jesus every time I'm in His presence. Because of that, He's my rock. I can stand on Him and not be worried about the storms of life. My anchor is set in Him, and I can't be blown away.

The fourth reason I'll give you for why Jesus is precious to me is that He supplies my needs. It doesn't matter what the need is. It can be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. He has the ability and the willingness to supply for them all. He's the King of Glory, and all of creation belongs to Him. He's the God of all comfort, and no heartache is too troublesome for Him to heal. With a God like that, who else do I need?

Fifthly, Jesus is precious to me because of His salvation. Anytime I really think about this, it brings tears to my eyes. Why would Almighty God take on human flesh and give His life on a cross, bearing the penalty for my sin? I can't explain it, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to. This is nothing but speculation on my part, but somehow, I feel that even in Heaven, we'll spend an eternity marveling at His love for us. As George Amon Webster of the Cathedrals wrote, "Why did He go to Calvary? There's just one reason. I am the one." I'm so thankful that Jesus took my place and offers salvation through the work He did.

Reason number six for my saying Jesus is precious is His continued forgiveness. As much as I wish I didn't, I still sin. I still sin every day. I deserve nothing more to be thrown away, but Jesus doesn't do that. He offers eternal life, and doesn't discard me when I don't live up to His standards. Even better, when I confess that sin to Him, He washes it away and it's as though it never happened. My fellowship with Him is unaffected, and I'm fully restored.

The seventh and final reason I'll give you that makes Jesus precious to me is the home He's gone to prepare for me. The Bible says some wonderful things about Heaven, but honestly, most of them don't really matter to me. How can I say that, you ask? It's simple. One reason so far outshines the others that I'm blinded to them. The key is this statement by Jesus: "where I am, there you may be also." The other reasons that He's precious to me make this one the greatest of all. He's gone to prepare a place for me so that I can be with Him. What better way could there be to spend eternity?

Is Jesus precious to you? If so, tell me why. I'd like to know why He means so much to you. Let's worship Him for who He is and what He's done. If He's not precious to you, the only reason I can think of is that you don't know Him. If that's the case, I'd love to introduce you to Him. He's waiting for you with open arms. One personal experience with Him is all it will take to make you say, "Jesus is Precious."

Are You Willing to be Second?

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 6:5

Brad Park is widely considered to be one of the best defensemen in NHL history. He is considered by many (myself included) to be the best player in the history of the New York Rangers. With a reputation such as that, many would probably find it surprising that he never won a Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman.

Park's reputation is deserved. He was a five-time first team all-star, and a six-time runner-up in Norris Trophy balloting. Why then, was he never acknowledged as the best at his position? One name answers that question: Bobby Orr.

Park was a "victim" of the era in which he played. Four of the six second place finishes were to Orr while the latter was on a streak of eight consecutive Norris wins. In fact, Orr won three Hart Trophies as league MVP during that span, and had a strong argument for more. To put Orr's accomplishments into perspective, consider these facts: It's almost unheard of for a defenseman to win the Hart, and Orr racked up his accomplishments during a career which spanned only nine full seasons. Orr is also credited with changing the way the game is played since he popularized the concept of a "rushing defensman."

With all that in mind, it's very easy to see why the awards were piled on Orr while Park was left out in the cold, so to speak. At any other time in NHL history, after the introduction of the trophy, Park almost certainly would have won Norris awards. We're all human, and we know how human nature works. We like to win. We like to be acknowledged as being great as something. So, how do you think Park felt about his status as perpetual runner-up?

The answer is easy to find. Park once gave it himself. "I saw no reason to be upset because I was rated second to Bobby Orr. After all, Orr not only was the top defenseman in the game, but he was considered the best player ever to put on a pair of skates. There was nothing insulting about being rated number two to such a super superstar."

That was reality, and Brad Park was man enough to face it. In fact, he even watched Orr's play with the hope of improving his own. "Bobby had a definite influence on my play. I began studying him during the 1968-69 season. While I was recuperating from my broken ankle, I got a chance to watch Bobby a bit closer in a couple of games on television and a couple more in person. I'll tell you this, he slowed things down and when he suckered somebody in, he'd burst around them with his fantastic accelerations." Brad Park accepted that Bobby Orr was first and that he was second, and he made the most of it.

Now, with all of that in your mind, let me ask you some questions. Who is in first place in your life? Is it you? Do you live your life looking out for "number one," trying to put yourself ahead of all others? If you do, you're in for a sad awakening one day. None of us will ever be "number one." This life isn't about us. Rather, it's about Jesus Christ.

I hope you'll forgive the crude illustration, but Jesus Christ is the Bobby Orr to our Brad Park. No matter what we accomplish, and no matter what successes we have in this life, we'll never measure up to Him. To fight that is only to bring misery into our own lives.

Similarly, just as Brad Park determined to better his game by watching Orr's, we can better ourselves by observing Jesus. We have the perfect model for how to live our lives in the Gospel narratives about Him. As great as Orr was, however, and as much as there was for someone who observed him to learn from him, he wasn't perfect. That's not so with Jesus. He is perfect. His example will never fail us.

Ultimately, though, we have to go a step further if we want to make the most out of our lives. It's not enough to simply acknowledge that He's greater than we are and follow the pattern He left for us. We must realize that our purpose in life is His pleasure. That's why we were created. To find the ultimate fulfillment, we must accept Him as Lord and live our lives in His service. Even then, God will be a debtor to no man. Those who have served Him faithfully will receive eternal rewards at the judgment seat of Christ and will hear the greatest words they could ever receive: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

What place do you hold in your life? If it's first place, you've got it all wrong. This is one instance that striving for first won't win. It's a guaranteed loser. Do you want to win? If so, put Jesus Christ first. Are you willing to be second?

Count Your Blessings

And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Deuteronomy 28:2

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

In a typical day, do you spend more time focusing on positives or negatives? Sadly, I think many of us would have to answer that we think about negatives more often. Difficulties come along and we feel overwhelmed, and feel like we have to deal with them, allowing them to draw our attention away whatever else is going on around us. In fact, all too often, we simply take the blessings in our lives for granted without giving them a second thought.

My thoughts along these lines spur from the service at my church Sunday night, which spontaneously turned into a testimony time. Expressing what I'm thankful for and hearing others express what they're thankful for was a very uplifting experience. During the invitation and after the service, people sought one another out to say how much they loved and appreciated each other. To call it uplifting would be a serious understatement, but I don't really know how to express my full emotions about it.

Thinking about all of the blessings in my life has been overwhelming also. Those blessings come in the for of temporal gifts, people, and of course, salvation and the Saviour. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from the Lord, and if we follow Him, more blessings than we could ever dream of flow into our lives. God doesn't want us to live a life of discouragement and defeat. He wants us to follow Him, and experience the blessings and victory that come from doing so.

If you can't think of anything to be thankful for, try harder. There's always something there. In fact, there are many things. There's the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, the roofs over our heads, and the fact that we're not in Hell right now. None of those are things that we deserve, and they come only from the goodness of God.

If you're saved, the top blessing you have is your salvation that was paid for by Jesus Christ. If you're lost, the top blessing you have is the chance to live another day and the opportunity to receive the gift of salvation in that day. If we look hard enough, there are always blessings to count.

A former music director at my church who has since passed on to Heaven used to change the words to the chorus of this hymn sometimes. Instead of singing "name them one by one," he'd have us sing "name them ton by ton." That's pretty accurate. We could never count all of our blessings one by one, and honestly, we couldn't count them ton by ton either. We're a truly blessed people.

Practical Idolatry

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3

Football season is here! Millions of people across the United States will be glued to their televisions for the next four or five months. Many of them will eat, breathe, and sleep every touchdown over that period of time.

Understand, I'm not putting down sports fans, because to do so would be quite hypocritical. For the first time in my life, I'm really not excited about football season, but I'm still eagerly awaiting the beginning of hockey season. There's nothing wrong with being a sports fan. Everyone needs something to provide relaxation or an escape from the stress of every day life.

Those hobbies are perfectly acceptable when they are kept in their proper place, but for too many they are blown out of proportion. I find it highly unlikely that many who read this blog would classify themselves as idolaters, but the fact of the matter is that if we're not careful, any one of us can fall into a form of idolatry. I'm not talking about building an idol and worshiping and praying to it, but I'm talking about putting something ahead of God.

Lest anyone think I'm being condescending, I'll make a confession here. About nine years ago, I found myself at a point where sports had taken far too big of a role in my life. I hadn't come to the point that I'd stay home from church to watch a game or anything like that, but if you were to begin a conversation with me, sports would have been my top pick, far and away.

Things really hit the fan one Saturday, when, while watching a football game, I got angry when I felt that my team lost a game because of poor officiating. While I still believe the officiating in that game was poor, I'm nonetheless very ashamed by my reaction. If someone who wasn't a Christian would have seen how I acted that afternoon, I would have given a very poor testimony. It would have suggested that a football game was more important to me than living my faith.

I had to do some re-evaluation. I stopped watching football for the rest of the season to give myself an opportunity to straighten out my priorities. I couldn't let my love of sports be the first love of my life. If it hadn't done so at that point, it was well on its way.

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus told the church of Ephesus that he had somewhat against them because they had left their first love. Jesus is the first love of a Christian. When we're first saved, He is more important than anything in the world. However, over time, our love for Him often grows cold, and our focus moves away from Him and to worldly things.

As much as we might not like to admit it, this is ultimately a form of idolatry. Anything we put ahead of God is an idol. I'm fully aware that this is a thought that will offend many, but if we want to be the servants of God that we should be, we must be able to face our sin for what it is so that we can deal with it. Denial will get us nowhere.

If at this point, you realize that you're at the point I was a few years ago, there is good news. If we'll confess this sin to God, He'll forgive it just as He will any other. We can have complete fellowship restored and resume our proper service to Him.

Go ahead. Watch a football game. Engage in your favorite hobby. Enjoy it. But please, keep it in its proper place. Don't let it take the place of your first love. Give first place to Jesus, and everything else will fall in line. That is the only way to live life to its fullest.

Jesus Saves

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13

We have heard the joyful sound:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to every land,
Climb the steeps and cross the waves;
Onward!—’tis our Lord’s command;
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

We had a great service at my church tonight. Actually, great is an understatement, but words fail me to adequately describe it. My pastor preached an outstanding message which he titled "Oh, Say but I'm Glad." The subject was reasons Christians should be happy. It probably goes without saying that one of those reasons was salvation. But, as great as the sermon was, the greatest part of it took place afterwards. During the invitation, a lady came forward and got saved!

There's nothing in the world more heartwarming than seeing someone saved. Eyes around the sanctuary were filled with tears, and there were shouts of rejoicing across the room. An unsaved person can't understand those reactions, but a child of God who is in fellowship with Him can't help but praise Him when they witness such an event. And why not? It's a reminder of his or her own conversion, and an opportunity to witness someone else experiencing the same joy.

Miracle is a word that is tossed around haphazardly today, yet in this case, miracle is the perfect description for what took place tonight. The salvation of a soul is the greatest miracle of all. Jesus healed the blind, the deaf, the mute, the lame, and raised the dead during His ministry on Earth, yet all of that doesn't compare to the redemption of a lost soul.

Sin is far worse than any physical problem. It dooms its victim to an eternal death. While many fear physical death, it is not their true enemy. The fact is, all of us will one day die. For those that are saved, there is no threat in that. We simply leave a world filled with sin, sorrow, and sickness for an everlasting home with nothing bad. We are absent from the body but present with the Lord. We do not lose, we gain.

That is not so for those who don't know Jesus Christ. They have a very real reason to fear death. For them, Hell awaits. The fact of the matter is, that's exactly what every one of us deserves. We're all sinners, and Hell is the just reward for sin. We can't undo our sin, and therefore can't do anything to remove that sentence.

That's where the glory of salvation lies. God Himself, the only One who could justify us before His holiness took on human flesh, lived a perfect life, and died in our place. Because of that, we can have salvation from our sin and deliverance from Hell. All that we have to do is put our faith in Him and call upon Him. Anyone who does so receives eternal salvation at that very moment.

I witnessed a miracle tonight. It was the greatest of all miracles. It was the miracle of salvation. It was the moment someone dead in trespasses and sin was brought to life. I'll never tire of seeing it.