This will only take 5 minutes but it’s good to listen to…and assess exactly what we teach our children. Are we teaching good manners, good behaviour? Are we trying to teach good fruit? We can’t! We can’t present the gospel message to our children…ask them to repeat the sinner’s prayer after you and then think they are saved.
When I listen to messages it affects every aspect of my life – my own spiritual life but also how I interact with others, including my children. My husband has often said, “We have nothing to do with our own salvation. We aren’t saved because of any decision we made…if we do, ooohhh, we’re on shaky ground” . This short message by Paul Washer goes into that a little further.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc5lY9YP_bE
He’s good. This is a test so you can see my blog. I’m starting it up again… 🙂 For real this time!
This is a trap I found myself in until recently. I was told I prayed it as a child so that’s it, I’m christian, no turning back. No one beleived me when I told them about things happening in my life that can’t happen to christians because I was a ‘christian’ so it couldn’t possibly be happening or real. And I spent days crying when those things were over and I was finally able to realise that, even though God was with me and stayed with me throughout those times, I was not a christian. I never thought I could feel such repentance and such regret as I did when I finally figured out the differance between the bible and the lies I’d been taught, having beleived I was christian for so long, and then finally becoming a christian and seeing the differance, and accepting that differance.
It wasn’t repentance for sins and bad acts that was so strong, though I had that as well. It was because I knew God was with me throughout this thing that happened, the hell I went through, and he gave me strength and kept me alive. But I wasn’t addressing him the way I should have been. I didn’t see him as I should have and, though I knew he was real and trusted him without condition, I didn’t understand him, or give myself over to him when I had the option, only when I had the need. I didn’t live for him, I lived through him and used what he gave me without giving back.
I don’t like the sinners prayer, it has it’s place yes, but not in big rallies with thousands of people reciting it, or with children too young to understand it’s words.
Hi abba12,
Thanks for your thoughts. I know that I had an experience with God when I was about 15. I didn’t say the ‘sinner’s prayer’ but during a revival meeting where Colin Urquart and harry Wescott were preaching I had the strongest knowledge of my sin…and the most strongest revelation of God’s utter awesome-ness. The Father revealed Himself to me in such a way that He never has before- it was truly supernatural. d being…I had been touched by God. I was young and naive as a person and as a believer, yet God revealed Himself to me without the assistance of any man. A few days later, someone had me follow them along as I recited the sinner’s prayer. I was then told all the things I needed to stop doing and the things I should start doing instead. Suddenly I was aware of all the things that I now was expected to do. Yet in my previous encounter with God, He hadn’t said anything about it all. I was simply basking in Him…being changed by Him. His radiance, His life was flowing through me. I tried to make a few changes. On day one, I failed. I decided that it was all ridiculous and that I had been very tired and was just caught up in the moment. The whole experience was a little like being on drugs – the high and then the crashing low. But the low came once man tried to get involved…I wonder what would have happened if I had just been allowed a natural relationship with God, without interference.
I went on for the next couple of years, living my way…doing everything I could to avoid the appearance of looking like a Christian of which I was not.
But God, in His grace and wisdom, sought me. He pursued me. He pursued me so that I really had no choice but to accept the Truth – that He is God, Lord and ruler of all. I either accept it and live in it or spend my life trying to deny it. Well, denial hadn’t got me very far at all (and that is an understatement) so I decided to go to church. Hmmm, this is turning into a whole nother post so I’ll cut it here.
Suffice to say that when god touches lives- He truly touches lives and we’ll never be the same again. It may not be an overnight transformation, but He is slowly finishing the work in us, transforming us into the image of His son. Hallelujah!
Thanks for your thoughts!
Heh, quick secondary post to set the new website address as the default instead of the old one. 🙂 It should be correct now.
I’ve linked to your post here
http://newbeginningsabba12.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-absence-and-sweet-things.html
Hope you don’t mind 🙂