The Spirit and the Bride say, Come

 

-An Urgent Call-

Jesus offers total forgiveness and welcomes everyone back to God regardless of their sketchy past. His grace by love and mercy is the only gateway into heaven. They are a free gift and not something people HAVE TO earn as other beliefs, doctrines, and religions of the world teach. As a clear example, with Jesus, it isn't necessary to keep trying try to ascend to a higher level of consciousness or energy. If it actually worked, then why do you need reincarnation? Because any "reincarnation" post-mortem becomes a product of personal effort and earned merit, does it not? Most other major world religions are classified as "works-based systems, depending heavily on their own actions, rituals, obedience, or moral performance: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Catholicism, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses to name a few.

Jesus grants salvation as a gift of pure grace-completely unearned. Other religions say "DO," while Christianity says, "DONE." Also, it's also important to note the religions I mentioned above are what I call "clean-up" religions (for lack of a better word) where a person is required to clean themselves up first to be accepted before they can enter heaven. Whereas Christianity NOTHING IS REQUIRED to come to Jesus. You come dirty, sinful, filthy, twisted, abusive, perverted, drunks, deviates, lost, who are unable to save themselves. You don't have to clean up, straighten up..the Holy Spirit is going to do that for you as you believe JESUS is the way, the truth, and the life.

Unfortunately, in many world religions, salvation operates kind of like a cosmic scale if you will. In other words, if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, you are saved. Again, that's self effort-trying to earn your way into heaven. And honestly, we just aren't good enough to accomplish that! The Bible flatly rejects this, stating that God's standard is absolute perfection which no human can achieve on their own. Therefore, salvation must be given as an unearned gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). Now think.. IF humans could actually earn their way to heaven or ascend through their own spiritual self-effort, it would mean Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was unnecessary. Christianity teaches that Jesus; final words on the cross, "it is finished" (John 19:30) mean the entire price for sin was paid in full. Not only that, but someone wisely said, "karma is about getting exactly what you deserve, whereas grace is getting what you don't deserve!

***I'm separating this fact so that it stands out and you get the impact of it .. In world religions, good works are the CAUSE of salvation (you do good to get saved)--but you're still not saved. In Christianity, good works are the RESULT of salvation (you do good because you are already saved and loved by God).***

Because of God's unconditional love (grace) His sacrifice on a cross (verified by history by the way) plus the fundamental desire for reconciliation, He therefore invites all of us to come to Him just as we are, in our individual states of sin and flaws. As I've pointed out, we cannot "earn" salvation through rituals, performance, or by being "good enough" although millions of people are actually counting on that. God's love is given through grace, which means unmerited or unearned favor. And because God's core character is LOVE, His desire is to rescue people rather than condemn them. Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17)

Jesus said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners" (Matthew 9:12)

Christianity is a faith and message that simple says human wrongdoing (sin) creates a barrier between us and a holy, perfect God. That is simple to understand. And the Bible tells us that SINLESS Jesus, was the only perfect "sacrifice" to step up, step in, and take the penalty for all human sin upon Himself when He freely offered Himself as an atonement on our behalf and literally let us off the hook! Because that penalty has already been paid (over 2,000 years ago) total forgiveness is readily available to anyone who accepts it. And I do mean ANYONE: a murderer, rapist, pedophile, sex trafficker, adulterer, homosexual, child molester, thief, on and on. There is no sin, wrong-doing, or bad mistake, Jesus did not cover, regardless of the degree of severity we place  on it.

I personally know three women who have had an abortion. One of the three is so distraught she cannot be convinced that Jesus will forgive her mistake if she'll just come, ask forgiveness, and allow Him as her guidance, her leader, her Savior. She doesn't understand that His sacrifice on the cross, the shedding of His blood, covered her decision to abort her baby way back before she was ever born or a mother. Jesus offers every human being on this earth a complete cancellation of sin and out with it, the guilt! Because through Jesus, forgiveness is absolute!

 

1) HE FORGIVES ALL SIN: Colossians 2:13-14 "You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross."

2) WIPES OUR SLATE CLEAN AND FORGETS THEM FOREVER: Hebrews 8:12 "And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”

3) HE CLEANSES US: 1 John 1:9 "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."

4) HE REMOVES SIN NEVER TO BE BROUGHT UP AGAON: Psalm 103:12 "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west."

Jesus mission is meant for all people again, REGARDLESS OF PAST MISTAKES OR IDENTITY! I hope you are seeing that more clearly now. Jesus came to save the lost. Listen to His words from Mark 2:17, "When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

I'll leave you with this. the heart of the Christian message and the faith I adhere to is not a demand for human perfection, but an unconditional invitation to a relationship with someone who loves you so much. He was willing to take your sins upon Himself, suffer an agonizing, unbelievable death for the punishment of them, SO YOU AND I WOULDN'T HAVE TO. And through His life, parables, and the cross, demonstrated that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. No debt is too massive  and no person is excluded from this radical mercy. What a gift! Each day that you're alive He offers you that grace. Please, don't reject it because there is no other way back to God. The Bible ends out with these words and so will I .."The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price" Revelation 22:17.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-