A Visit from Jesus Christ

Posted on December 13, 2014 by KD Manes under Bible Study

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. THANK YOU for being a part of my blog. I appreciate all of your “likes” and visits! I hope 2015 holds the best for you and your family.

As it was the Christmas season and I mulled over the practical implications of Romans 12:9-21, the idea of reworking the poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, came to mind. While this passage in Romans refers to general instructions on personal relationships, I took the liberty of placing Christ’s return (the rapture) in my poem. The question I ask while writing is: What if we are found obeying God’s commands when Christ returns?

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‘Twas the end of the age, when all through the land

God’s children were stirring, obeying His commands;

Hearts were cleansed through confession and prayer,

In hopes that our Messiah soon would be here;

Pretense and envy were laid to bed;

While visions of God’s love danced in our heads;

And honor and devotion graced the church halls,

As unity and peace adorned all the walls,

Then in a wink of an eye there arose a great blast,

No time for goodbyes, it happened so fast!

Away in the sky we flew like a flash,

Source: lightinspired.deviantart.com

Heartache and grief—gone at last.

The moon cast red shadows on the new-fallen snow,

Giving a strange blush to the chaos below,

When what to my wandering eyes did appear,

But a radiant light—so bright and clear,

Surrounded by angels in one accord,

I knew in a moment, it must be our Lord.

More rapid than eagles His angels they came,

And He whistled, and shouted, and called us by name:

“Now, Chandler! Now, Tanner! Now Paiton and Nickson!

Come, Connie! Come, Reuben! Come, Conner and Kristen!

You who believed and followed my call,

Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

Like birds with wings we soared into flight,

Such exhilaration, and what a sight!

Up past the stars, with the angels we flew

With new found strength and agility too,

And then, in a twinkling, I heard Him speak—

Like rushing waters, or a bubbling creek.

As I scanned the galaxies and looked around,

My Savior and Lord came with a bound.

He was dressed in a robe of brilliant white,

And His eyes dazzled like beacon lights;

A bundle of crowns He had flung on His back,

Then He winked and grinned when I stared and gasped.

Everything dimmed while near His side,

Even this incredible, soaring joyride.

Then He led us before His Bema Seat Throne,

But instead of dread, I felt quite at home.

No condemnation came from His lips,

Only reviews, pointers, and tips;

Because Christ’s blood conquered sin’s curse,

Eternal life was granted and crowns dispersed.

Then I heard Him exclaim as He greeted each one:

“Welcome home to all—faithful daughters and sons!”

***

You may visit here for more on the rapture and Bema Seat of Christ.

Evangelism Plans (Part 4)

Posted on May 2, 2014 by KD Manes under Salvation

Although evangelism plans vary, the truth of the message must not. While false teachers flourish, it’s important to know and guard the main doctrinal points of the Bible (1 Tim. 4:1-3, 16). Any tampering with the Bible’s message will be under God’s scrutiny and judgment (Dt. 4:2; Rev. 22:18-19).

How Many Roads to Salvation?

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” – Proverbs 14:12

One hiccup that many people have with Christianity is the “narrow viewpoint” that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. Matthew 7:13-14 not only agrees with this narrow viewpoint, but admonishes us to go there: “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.”

Many believe that a loving God won’t turn anyone away who has done his/her lion share of good deeds and/or has achieved much in life. This is a dangerous assumption. A great resource that addresses what’s wrong with this popular theory is Andy Stanley’s book, How Good is Good Enough?

Jesus, the Only Way

Gregory Koukle addresses critics who embrace religious pluralism in his booklet, Jesus the Only Way: “. . . . When a hundred [Bible] passages argue the same point [Jesus the only way] from a variety of angles it cannot be mistaken, only ignored.”

Everyone follows something or someone. When one receives eternal life through Christ, it’s important that he/she realizes that he/she isn’t just saved unto salvation, but also is receiving a new leader—Jesus Christ— to follow.

Billy Graham Crusades Evangelism plan

Billy Graham Crusades “Steps to Peace with God” emphasizes four simple steps:

God’s Plan–> Peace and Life (Rom. 5:1; John 3:16; 10:10)
Humanity’s Problem–> Separation (Rom. 3:23; 6:23; Isa. 59:2)
God’s Remedy–> The Cross (1 Tim. 2:5; 1 Peter 3:18; Rom. 5:8)
Human Response–> Receive Christ (John 1:12; 5:24; Rom. 10:9)

Billy Graham Crusades also offers free tracts and hosts online evangelistic resources:

A downloadable worksheet to help share “Your Faith Story”
A customizable downloadable tract
Examples of how the Grahams have shared their faith story
How God uses ordinary people in extraordinary ways
Short videos with different styles that share the Good News

You can check out their resources here:

https://secure.billygraham.org/testimony-tract/testimony-tract.aspx?SOURCE=BY120TTCG&gclid=CI-h4s-jlb4CFcuVfgod6D8ANA

Next week, I’ll wrap this series up with some other evangelism plans to check out.

Any thoughts, questions, comments?

My week has flown by with my boys’ baseball games and daughter’s play. It’s been a crazy-busy, but fun week. While driving my kids around, the thought occurred: I’m grateful that most drivers heed the law to drive on the right side of the road, the correct/one way to drive on a U.S. highway. Similarly, I’m grateful God made a way—even though it’s the only way—to receive forgiveness and eternal life through His son, Jesus.

May your week be fun, full and sane!

Three Effective Evangelism Plans (Part 5)

Posted on April 25, 2014 by KD Manes under Salvation

Along with Billy Graham’s plan “Steps to Peace with God,” which I posted last week, the following plans have helped millions of Christians share the Gospel in a simple, but effective way.

1) The Romans Road of Salvation

Human Need (Rom. 3:23)
Sin’s Penalty (Rom. 6:23)
God’s Provision (Rom. 5:8)
The Person’s Response (Rom. 10:9)

2) Four Spiritual Laws (Campus Crusade for Christ)

God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life (John 3:16; 10:10).
Humans are sinful and separated from God. Thus, they cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for their lives (Rom. 3:23; 6:23).
Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for humanity’s sin. Through Jesus, you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life (Rom. 5:8; John 14:6).
We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives (John 1:12; Eph. 2:8-9).

3) Bridge to Life (Navigators Resource/Tool link: http://www.navigators.org/Tools)

The Bible teaches that God loves all humans and wants them to know Him (John 10:10; Rom. 5:1).
But humans have sinned against God and are separated from God and His love. This separation leads only to death and judgment (Rom. 3:23; Isa. 59:2).
But there is a solution: Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins (the bridge between humanity and God) (1 Peter 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:5; Rom. 5:8).
Only those who personally receive Jesus Christ into their lives, trusting Him to forgive their sins, can cross this bridge. Everyone must decide individually whether to receive Christ (John 3:16; John 5:24).

William Brent Ashby’s reference, 24 Ways to Explain the Gospel (Rose Publishing), is also great resource that uses word pictures. He highlights biblical illustrations and metaphors to clarify difficult concepts about salvation in a fold-out pamphlet. You can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Ways-Explain-Gospel-Rose-Publishing/dp/1596363525

This wraps up my Evangelism series. Please come back next week for a new study. Have a fun and safe Memorial weekend!

Why did Jesus die?

Posted on April 18, 2014 by KD Manes under Salvation

Thank you to everyone who participated in my poll two weeks ago. The tallies are in . . . Drum roll . . . The winner? It’s a tie. Looks like all four categories will share the platform:

Bible Study . . . . 25%
Original pictures . . . . 25%
“Surprise me” . . . . 25%
Other: Evangelism . . . . 25%

***

I thought on this Good Friday, Jesus’ own words about His death, burial, and resurrection pave the perfect way for studying evangelism, which will be my topic for the next few weeks.

Jesus Explains Why He Must Die: John 12:23-33 (NIV)

The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me . . . . Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name! . . . . (vs. 32-33) But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”

Living in an area surrounded by beautiful rolling hills of wheat, I appreciate and relate to Jesus’ word picture.

Unless a kernel of wheat is buried, it will not take root and become a blade of wheat producing many more seeds. Seeds generally store energy. When the seed is planted, the bit of energy within is sacrificed in order to establish the new plant.

Similarly, Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice was dying in our place. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and victory over death at Easter. Because He is the sinless Son of God who paid our sins’ death penalty, He alone offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe in Him.

In response to His sacrifice, Jesus calls us to follow Him by crucifying our sin and self-centeredness. God is raising a crop of righteousness. Jesus sets the perfect example of service in John 13 as He washes His disciples’ feet—a job that was reserved for the lowliest slave. Although it sounds like an oxymoron, the hard work of transferring control of our lives to Christ by serving God is worth all effort and discomfort. When we embrace Christ and His ways we receive eternal life, genuine peace, lasting joy, and showcase Christ to others.

Is there anything in your life that needs to die in order to experience the fruit of God’s joy and peace?

Benefits of Suffering

Posted on April 11, 2014 by KD Manes under God's Call

Shannon Moreno’s post, Benefits of Suffering, really ties into the theme of Faith Writers’ book, Trials and Triumphs. Shannon has also written a great inspirational book called: Finding the Light (Prayerful Poetry). You can find it here: http://revelationsinwriting.wordpress.com

But before you read Shannon’s post, a little business is in order: CONGRATULATIONS . . . .

You’re the WINNER of:

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Revelations In Writing

Trials and troubles touch the lives of everyone, eventually. Often, when the struggles squeeze, people begin to wonder why. Though I know not all the answers, I appreciate the footnotes found for 2 Corinthians 4:17 that speak of the following benefits of our suffering: (1) They remind us of Christ’s suffering for us; (2) they keep us from pride; (3) they cause us to look beyond this brief life; (4) they prove our faith to others; and (5) they give God the opportunity to demonstrate His power.

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Not only should we recognize the opportunities presented in our suffering, but also…

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