“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.” John 3:16
Last week in our ladies Bible study, a lady brought in a laminated card with the ABC’s of the gospel printed in attractive colors. We were studying Hebrews 11, the faith chapter, and our thoughts turned to the steadfast saints who were persecuted and killed for their faith. Later in the week, one of the ladies called to say she had attended a prayer meeting at her church and the same card had been given out! As she excitedly told me about this “God moment,” I wondered if the Lord were impressing on our group to concentrate on evangelism. Was the Lord handing us an open door to present the gospel to someone? The message of salvation is so simple that children understand it and adults often do not. Adults think they have to DO something, GIVE money or WORK at being good first before God could accept them!
The message of the gospel is simple:
- A – ADMIT – you are a sinner in need of forgiveness. The Savior is waiting to receive you. No one is good enough and no one is rich enough to buy salvation. It is a gift from God! “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” Romans 6:23.
- B – BELIEVE that Jesus loves you and died for your sins. This is the Good News! Jesus loves you so much he came to earth to die on the cross to save you. If you put your trust in Him, you will receive eternal life! There is no sin too great that He cannot forgive. “There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still,” Corrie ten Boom. “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,” John 3:16. And “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” Romans 5:6.
- C – CONFESS that Jesus is Lord of your life! Accept by faith that Jesus died for you, that He was buried and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. Then tell someone! “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved,” Romans 10:9. By faith, you can receive forgiveness of sins and receive a new life in Christ!
A friend told me, he accepted Christ as his Savior when he was 32 years old. Before that time, he had a very foul mouth. He said he could “turn the air blue with his swearing!” But the very next day after he gave his life to Christ, he tried but couldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain. In fact, he never swore again! “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come!” I thought of that hymn by Charles Wesley, “He breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the prisoner free; His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me.”
You can pray a simple prayer to God. Don’t worry about getting the words right, it’s the attitude of the heart that matters. “Dear God, I am sorry for my sins. I believe Jesus died on the cross to forgive me and offer the gift of eternal life. By faith, I receive His gift right now and ask Him to come into my life and change me.” Jesus accepts ALL who come to Him in faith! “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!” Romans 10:13.
Now that’s GOOD NEWS!!
Your friend, Jean