Tag: Hope

Yes, that is a long title, but I am trying to make a very crucial point!  Salvation in Jesus Christ is through grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.  I can’t stress how important this is to understand.  There is absolutely nothing we could do before or after we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to earn our way into Heaven.  This is fundamental to the Christian faith.  You must understand this!

The Book of Ephesians is the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus.  In the letter he is reminding the believers of their new found life in Jesus, and reminding them that their salvation is a free gift from God that they could never earn.  He teaches them that there is to be no boasting about their salvation because they did not earn it through works.  There are no amount of “good works” that will get you into Heaven.  If that were the case, then Jesus Christ died for nothing!  Please understand that!

Here is how Paul says it:

“All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.  Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.  But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved.”

Ephesians 2:3-5

Did the Apostle Paul say “it is by works you have been saved?”  Did he say, “it is by your own effort you have been saved?”  No, he did not.  He said we are saved by grace, and that grace comes from our loving God who is rich in mercy.

Paul continues his explanation regarding grace in the following verses:

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 2:6-7

There is that word grace again.  I don’t see the word “works” anywhere in there, do you?  That’s because it is not in there and we are not saved by works.  People who preach salvation by works often misunderstand what the Apostle Paul was saying in another set of Scripture found in Philippians 2:12-13.  Unfortunately, they use it to instill fear in people that they have to “work” their way into Heaven or they could lose their salvation.  Let me be clear here, that is a lie straight from Satan!

Once you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are saved and it is finished just as Jesus said on the cross!  Here is the verse people misuse.  I will explain what the verse really means from the Greek context of the words afterwards.

Philippians 2:12-13 (The misused and misunderstood verses)

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

The New Testament was written in Greek.  The Greek root of “work out” means pressing on toward the goal.  It does not mean, nor does it say, you have to “work for” your salvation.  The salvation part is set in stone because Jesus paid the price for us and our salvation cannot be lost once we are His.  The Greek root of the words “fear and trembling” in this context means a great reverence and respect (fear) and awe (trembling).     He is saying to press on and follow Jesus with great reverence and awe.  He is not saying you have to work for your salvation.  Okay?  Please understand that.

Paul uses the same language when speaking about Titus in 2 Corinthians 7:15:

“And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling.”

There are the words “fear and trembling” again.  You see, it is how Paul writes.  It is the Greek language.  He is thanking the church at Corinth for showing Titus such respect.

Okay, now that the language barrier is cleared up, let us move forward.  Paul continues his explanation of salvation by grace to the church at Ephesus by writing one of the most famous verses in the Bible.  Here it is:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

I think Paul wanted to make it very clear that we are saved by grace through faith and it is a gift from God and “not by works.”  There is to be no boasting from anyone about it!  Jesus saved you.  You cannot save yourself through good works.

I want to make something else crystal clear.  Jesus called us to repentance.  Repentance leads you to salvation, which is a free gift from God.  The Greek root word for repentance is “metanoia,” which literally means “a change of mind” or “change in the inner man.”

Strong’s Concordance:

“metanoia: change of mind, repentance

Original Word: μετάνοια, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: metanoia
Phonetic Spelling: (met-an’-oy-ah)
Short Definition: repentance, a change of mind
Definition: repentance, a change of mind, change in the inner man.”

Jesus called us to change our minds about our sins, turn away from them, and turn to God and His Way, which is to believe in Jesus Christ!

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Matthew 4:17

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

2 Corinthians 7:10

You receive salvation through Jesus Christ and are saved the very moment you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior through faith.  It is a free gift from God by His grace.  Repentance simply leads you to salvation in Jesus Christ, which is by grace through faith, and not by works.

Paul explains this clearly as he writes to the church at Rome:

“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

Did Paul say, “if you run around and do a bunch of good things, you will be saved?”  Did Paul say, “if you confess Jesus is Lord, believe, and then do a bunch of good works, you will be saved?”  No, he did not.  He said you are saved the very moment you confess Jesus is Lord and believe!  Don’t let anybody ever tell you that you can lose your salvation or you have to work for it!  Those are lies and that nonsense is NOT found in the Bible!

One more very important truth I want to make crystal clear is that once you receive Jesus like the above verses say to do, you will receive the Holy Spirit immediately.  Here is how Paul explains it:

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:13-14

Is it clear now?  You receive the Holy Spirit immediately upon believing in Jesus Christ and that Holy Spirit inside of you guarantees your inheritance in Heaven!!  Your salvation is guaranteed when you trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you don’t ever have to worry about losing it!

If you are a Christian and you go off and start sinning (which happens), it doesn’t mean you lose your salvation, but it does mean God is going to have to discipline you and bring you back.  Sometimes Christians back slide and fall into temptation, but God is gentle with us and restores us through His discipline (see Hebrews 12).  You don’t lose your salvation once you belong to Jesus!

I truly hope that clears the whole salvation by grace versus works issue right up!  Jesus died for you and that gracious gift of salvation is free from God, and there is nothing we could do to work for it!  Praise God for that!  May we all live in the truth and freedom of Jesus Christ every day!

Grace and peace to you all!

 

Grace and peace to you!  My name is Ryan.  I am a Christian (meaning sold out for Jesus) minister and author and I have been preaching, ministering, and baptizing for almost 22 years.  I recently published a book on Amazon about the very strange and supernatural life I have had (One Man’s Very Strange Supernatural Life).  Recently, my blog was followed by another blog called “Inmate Blogger.”  It is an awesome blog where prisoners get to post their writing pieces!  God bless you!  I am writing this to anyone who is incarcerated right now, and this message of hope is for you!  May your writing on “Inmate Blogger” reach out across time, space, borders, and bars, and impact real change for good!  Bless you all!

I have never been to prison.  I had a probation officer once when I was in High School for about a year from something illegal that I had done, but I never went to jail.  I do know what it’s like to have the heat sweat me though.

I know that some of you are incarcerated, but you are innocent.  I don’t know why this has happened to you and it is a tragedy!  God loves you and He did not do this to you!  It is a product of a broken system, which is a product of the fall of man, which is from satan (yes, he exists).  I pray that the Lord Jesus will bring you justice swiftly and restore your freedom and honor, strengthen you, and confirm you!  Amen!

I also know that many of you actually did commit the crimes you are in prison for (just like when I got probation), and I pray you learn from your time of discipline.  God loves you too, and He will forgive you!  I pray for restoration of your freedom and honor as well.  The Lord will strengthen and lift you up!  This message of hope and forgiveness in Jesus Christ is for all of you!  It’s for the whole world!

In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus was in the synagogue in Nazareth, and He reads from the scroll of Isaiah (because they had scrolls back then) where He quotes a passage of Scripture that is talking about Him.  It had been written by the Prophet Isaiah long before Jesus ever arrived.

“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.  And he stood up to read.  The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.  Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.””

Luke 4:16-21

What Jesus was telling them was that He Himself fulfilled that prophecy!  Jesus came to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and I’m not just talking about prison.  I’m talking about our souls!

Jesus Christ came to die for you, so you could be free from sin and death and go to Heaven!  That is a freedom that you can have even in prison my brother or sister!  Let Jesus release you from the chains around your heart and soul.  Let Him heal you and set you free!  Please read my post titled “The Roman’s Road” if you want to learn about accepting Jesus and the salvation He offers you.  You can pray to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior right now, and He will fill you with His Holy Spirit right there in that prison!  I kid you not!  The Holy Spirit is real!  Read my post titled “Who is the Holy Spirit?” to learn about Him.  Read my posts titled “Who is God?” and “Who is Jesus” too!

Spend some time on my blog and learn about who God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are.  Read my posts titled “Heart Poured Out” and “Real Talk” to read about my testimony and how I came to Jesus.  I lived in a haunted house in St. Charles, IL in the early 90s, and my family was tormented by a demon the entire 4 years I was in High School!  That’s why I came to Jesus!

After I got saved, the supernatural experiences continued, but this time it was with angels!  Then, 14 years later in 2012, I stopped breathing due to anaphylactic shock and I died for a little while.  Yes, you heard me right.  I stopped breathing, my heart stopped, and I left my body!  My wife was beside me when it happened.  I’m still here because I was with Jesus and He sent me back!  Sound crazy?  Yep, I know, I’ve had one very strange supernatural life!  That is why I’m on here preaching in the power and joy of the Lord!

Yes, I say it all the time, Jesus is alive and He loves you!  Heaven, hell, angels, and demons–it’s all real!  I’m telling you folks, if you haven’t read my book, please check it out!  It’s free on Kindle Unlimited, and only .99 cents for the eBook.  Thanks to everyone who downloaded a free book during the promotion!!!

To the prisoners who are serving their time because of a crime you committed, I want you to know that God is showing you love.  I know many of you did not have good fathers, or your father was not around.  Maybe you did not have the kind of discipline you required as a young boy or girl growing up in this sinful fallen world.  I want you to know that whatever the crime was, the Lord loves you, He will forgive you, and He is actually treating you with love as you sit in that prison. Let me explain.  Check out this section of Scripture:

“In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.  And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

Hebrews 12:4-6

That is good news for you today!  Do not lose heart, the Lord is treating you as his sons and daughters!  He will still accept you and forgive you!  He had to discipline and rebuke you for whatever it is you did because He is just, but He will also forgive you and receive you as His own child!  Take heart in that today and be encouraged!

“If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.”

Hebrews 12:8

This is an important verse to understand.  I discipline my kids because they are my kids and I love them.  I don’t discipline other people’s kids because they are not my kids.  The discipline you are going through right now proves that God loves you and that you are one of His children!  He is treating you as a true loving father would.

“Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Hebrews 12:10-11

Did you catch that?  God is disciplining you for your good to lead you to holiness in order to produce in you a harvest of righteousness and peace inside your soul!  Let this time in your life train you to be righteous.  Live a life of peace and share in God’s holiness!

Let these words encourage you today!  There is a God in Heaven and He loves you.  Repent and turn from sin!  Let Jesus set you free!

If you have any questions or need prayer, please contact me.  I am available as an online minister to the whole world!

Grace and peace to you all!

“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

 

 

 

 

If you know anything about Jesus, then you know His greatest victory was defeating death!  That’s right, He rose from the dead after being crucified by the Romans!  You can read about the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in Matthew chapters 27 and 28.  The historical accounts of those events can also be found in Mark, Luke, and John given from the perspective of each of those men.  You can also read about the trial and death of Jesus in the Roman historical records.  Yes, Jesus existed, they really did nail Him to a cross, and yes, Jesus defeated death and came back to life!

After Jesus rose from the dead, an angel even came down from Heaven to tell two women who loved Jesus that He was alive.

“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.  There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.”

Matthew 28:1-4

Our Pastor preached one time about how it amused him that the angel sat on the stone after he rolled it away.  It was like the angel was relaxed and he wanted to make sure the women understood that everything was okay.  He was also showing them that the Romans and their big stone were nothing compared to the power and glory of God!

“The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay.”

Matthew 28:6

In verse 7, the angel tells them,

“Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.  There you will see him.’  Now I have told you.”

That is the part of the Resurrection that most people know.  The part I want to tell you about is in Matthew 27.  This is where you will find the account of Jesus’ crucifixion and death.  What happened after He died is absolutely incredible, and we don’t hear a lot about it.  At the moment Jesus gave up His Spirit willingly on that cross, there was a resurrection bonanza in Jerusalem!  I will give you the full Scripture for context.

The Death of Jesus

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.  About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”

When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”  Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge.  He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.  The rest said, “Now leave him alone.  Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  The earth shook and the rocks split.  The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.  They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

Matthew 27:45-54

Did you catch that?  When Jesus died, a bunch of tombs broke open and people who had been dead were now alive and walking around!  No wonder the Roman guards were terrified!  Can you imagine that?!  Jesus told everyone that He is the resurrection and the life, and He meant it!

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

John 11:25

When He died and gave up His Spirit, His power opened the graves and brought people back to life!  Jesus Himself walked around and chilled with His followers for 40 days after he rose from the dead.

“After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.  He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the Kingdom of God.”

Acts 1:3

“…he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into Heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Acts 1:9-11

I just think it is really cool and amazing that people who were dead were walking around Jerusalem reuniting with family and friends!  It wasn’t even the day of Jesus’ resurrection yet.  He had just died!

Not many people know about or talk about that part of the resurrection, so I wanted you to know!  Jesus can and will do the same thing for every person who puts their trust in Him for their salvation.  He is the resurrection and the life and if you believe in Jesus, He will raise you from the dead too!

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”

John 11:25-26

Matthew 27:51 records an extremely important part of the crucifixion.  Did you notice that before the earth shook and the tombs broke open that “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”  Why is that important?

Before Jesus came, the Israelites had the Ark of the Covenant, which held God’s Spirit.  This was kept inside the temple and the entrance was covered by a giant curtain.  Only the High Priest could enter the temple and be near the Ark.  There was a separation between God and man, and sacrifices had to be made for the sins of the people.

The job of High Priest was serious business.  They would tie a rope around the ankle of the High Priest because if he went inside the temple near God’s Spirit and he was secretly living his life in sin, he would immediately die.  The other priests were not allowed to go inside the temple or they would die too, so that is why they had the rope.  If the High Priest died, they would just pull him out, then elect a new High Priest to do the job.  Now there is a bit of history you probably didn’t know.  Learned that one from my Pastor!

When Jesus died, the curtain was torn in two because one of His titles is the Great High Priest (in the order of Melchizedek, Hebrews 5:6), so He was the final sacrifice for all of mankind’s sin.  That order of priesthood signified the final order.  It was the High Priest who offered sacrifices to God for the sins of the people.  Because of Jesus, there is no longer a need for another High Priest sacrificing lambs for sins.  Jesus paid the price once and for all!  He is the Lamb of God.  There is now no separation and mankind can freely approach God through Jesus Christ!

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Hebrews 4:14-16

May that be an encouragement to you today!  There is real hope and it can be yours!

Grace and Peace to you all!

Romans 10:9

“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.”

 

 

 

Jesus is everything!  Jesus is my Lord and Savior!  He is the Lord and Savior of this entire world and every human being in it!  Jesus is known by many names in the Bible, a few of which are King of kings and Lord of lords, Lamb of God, the Alpha and Omega, Lion of Judah, and the Prince of Peace.  Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He is also God in human form, and He is One with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice by willingly dying on the cross to forgive the sins of all mankind.  He arose from the dead after three days conquering the evil one, sin, and death with one mighty blow!  He ascended into Heaven, and one day He will return to this earth to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords forever!

Through Jesus we have access to Heaven!

Jesus said plainly and directly in John 14:6:

“I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

 

In Matthew 16:15-16 Jesus asks Peter a very important question:

“But what about you?” he asked.  “Who do you say I am?”  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

 

In John 1:1-3 we learn that Jesus was with God from the beginning of Creation and He is God:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

 

In John 1:14 we learn that Jesus, that is, God in human form, came to earth to be among us:

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Very simply Jesus is your Savior.  He came to die for you, so your sins can be forgiven and you can be reconciled back to God and allowed into Heaven.

Jesus was crucified and killed, buried in a tomb, and came back to life on the third day just as the Bible says!

The Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth states:

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.”

1 Corinthians 15:3-5

The story of the birth of Jesus Christ and His life, death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven can be found in the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  Those four books are known as “The Gospels.”

Most of all Jesus died for you.  He is your Savior from sin and death.

John 3:16-17

“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.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Titus 2:13

“..while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,..”

Philippians 2:8-11

“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

After conquering death, Jesus left all of his followers with one important command before he ascended into Heaven:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

That is what I have been doing for almost 22 years now!  Jesus is Lord and He is alive!  I can testify to that and I do!  Read my book to find out about what happened to me when I stopped breathing in 2012!  I was with Jesus and He protected me!

Jesus rescued us, and all you have to do is receive that gift!

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

Hebrews 2:14-15

I pray you receive that precious gift of freedom today!  Proclaim “Jesus is Lord,” and receive Him as your Savior!

“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

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

God bless you all!

 

I have always liked history.  It was one of my favorite classes in school.  It is fascinating to learn about how people from other times lived.  Take the Romans for example.  It is simply amazing that the roads the ancient Romans built are still there today!  It is an incredible feat of craftsmanship that has stood the test of time.  The ancient Romans were a people of skill and brutality.  They helped advance Western Civilization, and many of the things we know and enjoy today were because of the Romans.  The Romans also took thick metal spikes and drove them through the hands and feet of Jesus when they nailed him to a gnarly wooden cross.  Like I said, skilled and brutal.

I know many of you might not ever step foot in a church on Sunday.  That’s okay, I get it!  Church can be weird and uncomfortable for people.  I know.  You would have never found me in church before I knew Christ!  Ever since I came to Jesus, He has always used me outside the church walls, so let me take you to church today…ancient style!  Let’s do it like Jesus did chillin’ outside in the fresh air where the people were at.

I’d like you to walk with me down the Roman’s Road today.  No, not the ancient stone road you see above.  The road I’m talking about is a spiritual one.  It doesn’t lead to what was once ancient Rome or Gual or anywhere else their beautiful roads carried travelers.  Even better!  It leads you to Heaven!

The Apostle Paul bravely proclaimed the Gospel in Rome.  His letter to the believers in Rome can be found in the Book of Romans in the Holy Bible.  Within the divinely inspired pages of that letter, Paul clearly defines who needs to be saved, why we need to be saved, how we can get saved, how we receive that gift of salvation, and what the end result is.  Saved from what?  From sin and our approaching deaths, that’s what!

Let’s take that walk shall we?

Who needs to be saved?  Well, all of us do!

Romans 3:10-11

“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.”

Romans 3:23

“..for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Why do we need to be saved?

Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death..”

How did God save us?

Romans 5:8

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

How do we receive this gift of salvation?

Romans 10:9-10

“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.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

verses 11-13

“As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 6:23 (full verse)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What is the end result of this gift of salvation?

Romans 5:1-2

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”

Romans 8:1

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:38-39

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That’s it, we’re here!  I love the Roman’s Road.  It is strong and it has stood the test of time!  Even after all this time following Jesus, I still enjoy walking through those verses and soaking in all the wisdom they offer!

Did you like outside church today?  Those verses sting a bit, don’t they?  They are supposed to.  God’s Word is living and active, and He is leading you toward repentance.  Better the sting of God’s Word now, then the sting of eternity without Him!

I pray you take heed of those words today.  Walk the road again if you need to.  Open your heart to God.  He will take you by the hand and lead you gently down the road…all the way to Heaven.

If anyone would like to pray to receive that free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, or you have any questions, or need prayer, please don’t hesitate to contact me!  If you are in the Denver area, I will baptize you myself if you would like!

Take a look at that ancient road of wisdom again, and let it lead you home!

Grace and Peace to you all!

 

 

 

 

 

The fast answer to that question is that the Holy Spirit is One with the Father and the Son, so the Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit.  He is here on earth, and we can have access to Him!  Incredible and a bit nutty sounding I know, but it is true!

God uses His Holy Spirit on earth to do many things, which you can read about in the poster above.  I encourage you to look through all of those verses.  You will come away with a deep understanding and appreciation of Who the Holy Spirit is, and if He does not dwell within you yet, you are going to want Him to!

The main thing God’s Holy Spirit does for us is, well, make us holy.  Before I came to Jesus I could not even conceive of how anybody could be holy or even act holy.  I had no idea the kind of power God gives us access to before I knew Christ!

Before I got saved, I thought Christians were a bunch of phonies.  I thought they were just self righteous people that wanted to act good and pretend to be holy for whatever reason.  I did not understand that God’s Holy Spirit actually indwells in every single believer in Jesus Christ and empowers them to actually be holy!  My anniversary of accepting Christ is in October (’96), and after almost 22 years, I sure know that power now though!

If you are an unbeliever right now like I was back in the early 90s, I know this sounds nuts to you.  Believe me, I know.  Read my post “Heart Poured Out” and “Wrestling God.”  I know believing in God and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior sounds crazy!  To the world it is absolute madness!

I am here to tell you as a former hard partying unbeliever that it is not madness at all.  It is joy and peace and the fear of death is conquered!  The Holy Spirit is so beautiful I can’t even begin to describe how amazing it is!  The river of joy that flows within my soul is constant and steady even through the worst storms of my life.

Think about what I am telling you for a moment.  As I sit here writing this, God’s Holy Spirit is inside of me.  He is inside a lot of us throughout the whole world!  He is empowering me to preach to you this very moment, and I absolutely would not be here doing this if it wasn’t for Him!  Do you think a guy who loved drinking, partying, and chasing girls just gives that up and starts preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and then keeps preaching it for 22 years!  No way!  I have the Holy Spirit of God inside of me because I repented of my sin and accepted Christ in 1996!

You have access to the Holy Spirit and God’s power too!  He will empower you to be holy.  He will change your heart and set you free from the fear of death.  He will give you power over sin and death!  Repent and believe today!  None of us know which day will be our last.

“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

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.  As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:13-16

 

 

 

I will be talking about faith in this post, but first I want to thank all of you who have downloaded my book (which is my testimony of how I came to faith in Jesus).  Many of you have taken me up on my free book offer, thank you!  I hope you are enjoying it and it is encouraging to you!  If you have any questions or would like to talk with me about it, please don’t hesitate to contact me!  I would love that!  My free book promotion is active  until 11:59 p.m. PT on Monday 8-20-18.  Be sure to grab your free copy of “One Man’s Very Strange Supernatural Life” soon!

Okay, back to faith.  I have often asked myself, “would you have accepted Christ if you had not lived in a haunted house?”  I really don’t know.  Probably not at the time I did as a freshman in college.  I was real worldly and I liked to party.  I was definitely scared of death before I knew Christ and I had a gut feeling that Heaven and hell were real.  I didn’t want to die and I wanted to know how to get to Heaven, so maybe I would have accepted Christ in time.  Living with a demon sure did speed up my decision making process though, I know that!  I believe God has a plan for all of us (Jeremiah 29:11-13), so if I was destined to preach the Gospel, nothing was ever going to stop that.

I love the above verse.  This is the complete section of scripture that verse comes from as quoted from the 1984 NIV (Thompson Chain-Reference) Bible I use:

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”

1 Corinthians 2:4-5

That is all I know too folks!  I did not grow up as a Christian, and I never went to church.  My family lived with a demon in our house for 4 years when I was in high school, and when I went to college I met Jesus and He saved me and my whole family from that darkness!  I went from hating Christians and never believing to having absolute faith in Christ because of God’s power, and I have been following Jesus ever since!

If you read my book, then you know that my life continued to be strange and supernatural after I accepted Christ.  No, there were no more demons.  Jesus took care of that.  I had two very dramatic experiences in 1998 and one in 2012 that strengthened my faith to a point where I know without a doubt that anything is possible with God, and I mean anything!  If you read about what the Lord did for me when I stopped breathing on 4-28-2012, then you know what I mean!

Another question that I asked myself and God for years is simply, “Why me?”  Why did our family move into that house?  Why did God choose to open my eyes to angels in 1998?  Then, when I thought everything supernatural had calmed down, I stop breathing in 2012 and God does a mighty miracle in the Holy Spirit to save me!  “Why does this keep happening to me?!”

I don’t have an answer for why, so I stopped asking it.  It doesn’t matter anymore.  It all happened, and it happened to me and my family.  This is my life and these are my memories, and that’s just the way it is.  One answer I do have is that I am supposed to tell people.  God has made that clear to me, and He has empowered me to do it!

No matter how crazy it makes me look, no matter what it does to my name, I don’t care.  It is not about my name.  I gave that up a long time ago!  It is about the Name of Jesus.  Ryan never died for your sins and I never will.  Jesus Christ died to forgive your sins, and no one else ever has or ever will.  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, period.  My greatest purpose is to make that known to the world.

My faith does not rest in the wisdom of men, but on God’s power!  With everything I have gone through, do you think it bothers me if somebody hates me for being a Christian or they think I’m stupid?  I know the Gospel is foolishness to the world.  I have had people call me a fool for believing.  I used to think the same thing, and I had fun making fun of Christians before I knew Christ.  I didn’t understand that I had that hatred in my heart for believers in Jesus because I was part of the spirit of the world, which is Satan’s spirit.  I didn’t understand I needed to be saved.  No, it doesn’t bother me and it won’t stop me either.  I am one of God’s soldiers in an ancient spiritual war and I am fighting it in God’s power.

With what God has revealed to me and with everything that has happened, I know 100% that Jesus Christ is Lord and that everything in the Bible is true!  It doesn’t matter what the realm of men say to me about it.  Mock me, hate me, even kill me.  I am still going to proclaim Jesus is Lord and tell the world about Him!

How could I not?!  God rescued me from real darkness and real evil, then He surrounded me with light and love and tended to me with angels.  Then after a 14 year break from supernatural events, my crazy supernatural life continued when He gave me my breath back and let me live in 2012!  Do you think He did all those things for me, so that I would hide away and keep the knowledge to myself?  No way!  He commands us to speak the truth and share the Gospel with the whole world (Matthew 28:18-20).

These events changed the course of my life, and that is why I am here today preaching to the world.  God let me live and gave me breath back, so I could use that breath for His glory!  He wants me to share it with the world to help people believe.  He knows it is hard.  I know it is hard.  Why did this happen to me and not you?  I don’t know, but we can at least learn from each other and help each other.  I want you to know Heaven is real, and I want you to be there, and most importantly, so does God!  You don’t have to live through the torment of a haunted house to realize that!  Learn from my experiences instead.

Most of us have never had to live through the terror of a real haunted house.  There is nothing funny about Halloween to me.  Those scary movies Hollywood makes are disgusting (as are most of their movies), and they don’t know what they are messing with.  They don’t even have the Holy Spirit, and they are making movies about demons.  They don’t know what they are messing with folks!  Those fallen spirits are incomparably stronger than us if we don’t have Jesus.  With Jesus though, you can overcome any evil!

Let your faith rest on God’s power.  The Lord still does miracles!  Angels still help and rescue people just like they did in the Bible.  Believers in Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit can still cast out demons (I know, I did it once!).  And Jesus Christ is still alive and well moving in power among us today!  People, hear me, that is exciting!

I know it’s hard to believe and lay down your life to Jesus.  I hope what I have gone through will help make that easier.  God loves you so much that He died for you.  He does not want you to perish.  He wants all of us to come to eternal life!  Isn’t that great news today?!  You have a Creator, He loves you, and He wants to be with you!  Mind blower!  Your sins are already forgiven in Jesus.  He paid the price for you.  All you need to do is receive that gift and that forgiveness is yours!  You can have that right now.  Let salvation and peace be yours today!

I love you all in Christ!  Grace and peace to you!

“For I resolved to nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

1 Corinthians 2:2

“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