Letters to My Sisters, part 4 of 4
Posted by James MacDonald on August 27, 2007 08:12 AM | Comments (3)What do you believe about Jesus Christ and what have you done with God's love gift He offers you?
I've been sharing a series of letters this week that I wrote to my two sisters-in-law before they came to Christ in faith and repentance for their personal salvation. In these four letters, I laid out one critical issue each regarding how they personally are responsible to act according to the truth explained.
Letter #1 is all about the truth that God loves you and wants to have a personal relationship with you.
Letter #2 explains the barrier that exists between a holy God and sinful people (all of us)--a barrier He can't dismiss or ignore.
Letter #3 lays out the good news of the gospel--the truth that God has proven His love for you by sending Jesus to die as payment for your sin so you can be forgiven.
And today, Letter #4 tells you how to receive what God offers and Jesus died to provide.
I hope these letters are an encouragement to you who are looking for a way to communicate the gospel to someone you care about. Feel free to use this idea, adapt it, be creative, whatever--just be bold and be faithful in sharing the good news with them--whatever their response.
Do one thing before you read today's letter: Get the face of someone you love in your mind--someone who you've been praying would be receptive to hearing God's good news of salvation. Got it? Pray for them right now. Pray they would be open to the Spirit's conviction and ready to turn to Him in faith. Ask God to help you reup your passion of being a messenger of Jesus Christ and then ask for an opportunity. It's witnessing a life transformed by the gospel that keeps you motivated to keep doing it.
If you're reading this and you're the one who has yet to make the choice to surrender your life to Christ Jesus--man, what are you waiting for? God is holding out His arms of love to you. He has provided a way for you to receive forgiveness for your sins and life eternal through His Son Jesus Christ. Take these four letters to heart. We're on the bull's eye of the most important issue in your life. What will you do with these truths?
Hebrews 3:15 says, Today, if you hear [God's] voice, do not harden your heart . . .
Whether you realize it or not--your decision to turn to Christ will be the answer to someone's prayer.
Dear Nora and Tara:
I can't believe how fast this month has gone by, but even during the busyness, my mind has often turned to you. I’m sure it's because I have been writing you these letters and praying that God would manifest His presence in your life in a very real way. Have you been praying and asking Him to do that? He will, if you ask sincerely.
God loves to answer our prayers because He loves us. He always answers our prayers provided we come to Him on His terms. That’s reasonable, isn't it? After all, He is GOD! God's terms are not complicated and that is what my first three letters have been about.
#1 God loves you and wants to have a personal relationship with you.
#2 But because He is holy, your sin has separated you from God. He will not simply ignore or dismiss it.
#3 God has proven His love for you by sending Jesus to die as payment for your sin so you can be forgiven.
The purpose of my fourth letter is to tell you how to receive what God offers and Jesus died to provide.
In fact, there are just two final things that I want you to know:
#1 Salvation is a free gift.
#2 You receive it by exercising your faith and believing.
For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; It is the gift of God, not of works,
lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
#1 Salvation is a free gift.
I was just thinking how crazy your mom is about giving gifts. I can picture us all around the tree on Christmas morning from the time you were a very small girl. Presents stacked to the ceiling and wrapping paper everywhere. One of the things I love most about your mom is that she is a very generous person. Always willing to give, finding her greatest joys in the happiness of others.
God too delights to give to those He loves. He doesn't want us to earn eternal life in heaven, He doesn't want us to beg or plead or try or work for it; He wants to give eternal life to us. Even the best earthly parents love imperfectly but God loves us with a sincere heart. He wants nothing in return, only to share Himself with us.
God wants to save you; Jesus wants you to have the salvation He died to provide. You may be asking, saved from what? The answer is the penalty of your sin. If we refuse to embrace what God offers freely there remains no hope for our forgiveness. That is my concern for you; if you reject the only way to experience God's forgiveness, then you reject the only possibility of ever going to heaven. So you see why I am so concerned?
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:17, 18
#2 You receive it by exercising your faith and believing. The gift is free and you can receive it today by coming to God in faith. That is the second part: you have to believe that Jesus really is God's Son and that He really did die for your sin. You have to turn from your sin and trust, or believe in Jesus, as the only basis for your forgiveness. Again, picture us around the Christmas tree. Until you open a gift, it is not really yours. A gift is not yours because you've heard about it or know about it, or even recognize your need for it. A gift is not yours until you accept it. It's a choice that you must make. In order to receive a gift you have to reach out and take it. If I could make that choice for you I would, but I cannot. You must choose to believe.
Right now you could receive the gift of eternal life by getting on your knees all alone and praying a prayer something like this from your heart.
Dear Father in heaven: I know that I am a sinner and deserve eternal punishment. Thank You for loving me enough to send Your Son, Jesus into this world to die as payment for my sin. I repent of my sin and turn to You alone for my forgiveness. I believe that You are the only One who can cleanse my heart and change me. I now receive Jesus as the Savior and Lord of my life. Thank You for coming into my life and forgiving me of all my sin. Thank You for giving me the gift of eternal life! I trust in You alone.
In Your Name, Amen.
Thanks for taking time to read what I have written and think it through. You know I love you very much. I will be calling soon to talk this through and answer any questions you might have.
Much love to you today,
James
Comments
Posted by: Michael | August 28, 2007 08:00 PM
I just want to say what an uplifting ministry this is. This is the first time I have made a comment but, I have been listening for three years on the net and have downloaded the messages that most touched my life. I am thankful to God for this ministry. James's messages are powerful and obviously driven by the Holy Spririt of God. Thank you James. God Bless this ministry.
Posted by: sharon | August 29, 2007 06:06 PM
alright. How amazing is God that I'd see these letters today. Again my brother has slammed the door in my face as I talked to him about God. He told me to, "keep your Jesus stuff to yourself."
It's hard to watch your brother say 'i don't think so' and he is so adamant about it. He has his own religion and he has his bottle which he crawled back inside again.
I talked with him the other night and he told me about "born again's" and "how they shove God down your throat."
I thought about what you said earlier James, "If the fruit isn't ripe, DON'T bruise it!"
My brother asked me why I am always talking about God and I tried to explain by saying, "remember when you were buying your new drum set? Remember how you kept talking, going on and on about the color, the sound, what it could do, the sounds it could make, how many pieces, on and on and on. Remember how excited you were? So excited that you couldn't help to NOT talk about it!! That's what Jesus is to me, He has done so much in my life and the joy I have is so bursting all the time that I just can't help telling you about Him."
He said "I have my god and my religion you have yours."
I turned away and prayed for God to bonk him on the head just like he did Saul and I knew He could do it if He was willing. I also realized that God was probably working in me too.
I get it. I NOW know what surrender is. I NOW know that God is and has always been in control and this is what it feels like to hold up empty hands and admit that I am absolutely helpless in this.
Only by God's grace and mercy will my brother be saved. I turned to Jehosaphat's prayer in 2 Chronicles and began there.
I now am carrying my brother and placing him into the loving and kind and scarred Hands of Christ by praying and fasting.
I have this wonderful hope and this very disquieting fear running through me.
I am afraid for him, that he will never bend his knee to Jesus while he still has the chance.
I'm not going silent, for sure.
My brother's name is Tom.
Perhaps some of you out there will remember him in your prayers and carry him to our Savior so that, one day, Tom will call Jesus his Savior too.
Maybe someday Tom will look up to the sky, hands held out and he will say what we all say:
"LORD, why me? Why would you want me?"
Sharon
Posted by: debbie | September 10, 2007 09:02 PM
Sharon,
I will be praying for your brother, Tom.