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Open Door celebrated their
30th year of ministry recently on September 10, 2006. Special
speaker Evangelist Matt Wilkins gave
the gospel presentation in his sermon and two adult men came
forward to receive Christ as their savior! Attendance was good,
and once again Bill Heflin provided the Bar-b-q. Below you will
find some photos from our birthday celebration.
God's
Plan of Salvation
 Yes
there really is something in this world that is free besides
advice. This gift is something that money cannot buy. The gift is
Eternal Life. The Bible tells us in the book of Romans chapter 3
verse 23, that the gift of God is Eternal Life.
You can receive this gift right now. Read along to
learn how!
Who is good?
Romans 3:10
"As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one."
Where did sin come from?
Romans 5:12
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin, and so death passeth upon all men, for all have
sinned."
What is the solution for sin?
Roman 5:19
"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so
by the obedience of one (Jesus) shall many be made
righteous."
Romans 10:9
"That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the
dead, thou shall be saved."
Suggested Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and do
believe that you died on the cross for my sins. Here and now I
trust you as my personal savior and depend on you to take me to
heaven. Now help me to live for you and be a good Christian. Amen
How can a person share his Christian
faith with a family member or friend?
Ask the following Key Question:
In your personal opinion, what do you understand it takes for a
person to go to heaven?
Then depending on their answer, take out your small sharing Bible
and ask your friend to read a few specific passages with you. Use the FAITH outline;
1. F is for Forgiveness;
We cannot have eternal life in heaven without God's
forgiveness.
Ephesians 1:7 "In Him (Jesus
Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins"
2. A is for Available;
God's forgiveness is available for everyone:
John 3:16 "For God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes
in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
But God's forgiveness is not Automatic:
Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the
kingdom of heaven,"
3. I is for Impossible;
God's available forgiveness is not automatic because it is
impossible for God to
allow sin to enter into
heaven. This is based on the difference between who God is and
who we are
God is love: (See John 3:16 above)
God is perfect in His justice: James 2:13
"For (God's) judgment
is without mercy"
Who we are: Romans 3:23
"for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
So how can a perfect God who does not allow
sin to enter into heaven allow people to go there
who are stained with sin?
4. T is for Turn;
In order for us to receive God's forgiveness we must turn, or
change our direction.
The Bible calls this repent:
Luke 13:5 "but
unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
We must turn from something (our sin
and our self)
And turn towards someone, Jesus Christ, in
order to receive this forgiveness.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 "For
I delivered to you first of all that
which I also received: that Christ
died
for our sins according
to the Scriptures, 4
and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third
day according
to the Scriptures,"
Romans 10:9 "that
if you confess with your mouth the
Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from
the dead, you will be saved."
If I am willing to
repent then I receive the promise of.....
5. H is for Heaven;
Heaven here, and hereafter is a promise from God:
God promises us the possibility and potential
for a better life while we are here on earth:
John 10:10 "I have come
that they may have life, and that they may have
it more
abundantly."
And God promises to take us to heaven when we
die:
John 14:3 "And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to
Myself;
that where I am,
there you may
be also."
So how can a person have
eternal life, heaven, and receive Jesus Christ as their personal
savior?
They must exercise faith and
trust and receive Him as their personal Lord and Savior:
Romans 10:9 "that if you confess with
your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 10:13 "For “whoever
calls on the name of the
Lord
shall be saved.”
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have
been saved through faith, and that
not of yourselves; it
is the
gift of God, 9
not of works, lest anyone should boast."
All passages quoted from The
New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson:
Nashville For similar messages of salvation, see:
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