[3rd file of 5, ARROWS] "I CAN'T HOLD OUT" Have you ever held back on doing something new because other people were watching you and you were afraid you would flub it? Some people are afraid to try skiing on snow or water, afraid to ride a motorcycle or even a bicycle, afraid even to try cooking a new dish, because they are afraid someone will point and snicker. Tragically, some put off receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior because they think, "I can't hold out." They see that the Christian life is challenging and demanding, and they recognize that they don't have the strength to do it on their own. These people are RIGHT. They CAN'T hold out in their own strength. But the Lord Jesus Christ CAN HOLD OUT, and He WILL, for all who put their trust in Him. Jesus Christ Himself will exert His own world-creating and universe-maintaining power for each believer in Him. Fear of your own failure is no excuse to put off receiving Christ as Lord and Savior RIGHT NOW. The Bible says, "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25 NKJ) Christians have the resources of all the promises of God energized by the power of the Holy Spirit and guaranteed and administered by the Living King Jesus Christ. He is the One who saves "to the uttermost", forever and completely, all those who put their trust in Him. You can find out more about these resources promised to believers by reading the New Testament for yourself. We suggest that you start in the Gospel of John or the letters of Peter. But don't wait. Trust Him today. Then come and see us. We want to meet you. [Clyde Price, Arrows18] "LATER" Have you ever seen a bargain at a sale, but waited until later to find that the item you wanted was no longer available? Some people presume that they can put God off that way. Certainly, He will still be there tomorrow, but maybe you won't be, or maybe by tomorrow your heart may be too hardened to respond. If you are one who has told God, "I'll wait 'til later," then God's Word has a warning for you: "Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1 NKJ) You have no right to assume that you will even be alive tomorrow, or even an hour from now. God says to you, "NOW is the acceptable time, TODAY is the day of salvation." (II Corinthians 6:2) The Lord Jesus Christ became a human being, lived the only perfect life ever lived on earth, and became the only atoning sacrifice for sin. "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses every sin" for all those who put their trust in Him. He rose from the dead to give you victory over every sin and bondage in your life, if you put your faith in Him. The apostle Paul told the leaders of Athens about the Lord Jesus Christ, and His death and resurrection, and while addressing a city council meeting told them, "God is now commanding all people everywhere to repent." Although you have the ABILITY to disobey the gospel, you do not have the RIGHT. Salvation is a COMMAND, and delaying for any reason is DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD. For you, "tomorrow" may or may not come. Don't put Him off. Take Jesus as your Savior and King and Friend today. NOW. Start reading or listening to the New Testament. We recommend beginning in the Gospel of John. We'd like to hear from you and if possible meet you. [Clyde Price, Arrows19] "TOO MANY HYPOCRITES" "Oh, I don't go to church. The church is full of hypocrites!" A hypocrite is someone who pretends to be something other than what he or she actually is. You need to know that you cannot use the real or imagined failures of other people as an excuse before God for your own sins. The apostle Paul warns, "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God." (Romans 14:12 NKJ) You must stand before God for YOURSELF, and you will be sentenced for YOUR OWN sins, UNLESS...you receive Jesus Christ as your substitute sin-bearer, and the Lord of your life. When you receive the Lord Jesus and confess your faith in Him, you are NOT proclaiming to the world that you have suddenly become perfect. When you confess Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life, you are not announcing that you will never again sin or stumble or make mistakes. You ARE admitting publicly that you were a sinner, were helpless on your own, were in desperate need of God's provision for the problem, and have now received the free forgiveness that God purchased for you and has offered you. The Bible does NOT teach that Christians or even preachers will never fall into sin. The Bible observes that even leaders in the church might continue secretly in sin for a time, perhaps not even being exposed until Judgment Day. This does not mean anybody "gets away with" sin, or that God doesn't disapprove. God hates sin so much that He killed His Son on the cross because of it, to be the only atoning sacrifice He would accept in the place of sinners who trust in Him. You need to be more concerned about your own eternal destiny, than that of others who may or may not be fakes. Certainly there are hypocrites in churches. If you hate hypocrites, don't spend eternity in Hell with them. Put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, and become a "real" Christian today. [Clyde Price, Arrows20] ONLY ONE WAY "Oh, I believe there are many ways to God. Don't you believe that there will be people from all religions in heaven?" No, that's not what the Bible teaches. Peter proclaimed to the city leaders of Jerusalem, "Salvation is to be found through him (Jesus of Nazareth) alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us." (Acts 4:12 GNB) Jesus Christ is God's ONLY answer to the sin-problem. He is the only one who ever died as a substitute for sinners and rose again victorious from the dead. He has the right to say, "I am the Way,...no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6), because He is the only One who opened that way with the blood-sacrifice of Himself. The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is the pre-existent God the Son, the creator and sustainer of the universe, the virgin-born Lamb of God, the Crucified and Risen Lord. Any religion which fails to recognize Jesus of Nazareth as all this is a false religion. (This includes apostate forms of historic "churchianity".) If you are in a group or under a pastor that disbelieves in Jesus, GET OUT! There are many religions in this world, but there is only one way to heaven. His name is Jesus. Trust Him today, the Christ of the Scriptures; trust Him alone, and not in combination with your own works or anything else. We challenge you to read the Bible for yourself, beginning in the 4th book in the New Testament, the Gospel of John. We urge you to find a local church that holds to the Bible as the inerrant rule for faith and practice, and which is seeking to share the Good News and make disciples at home and all over the world. We invite you to come visit us. We'd like to meet you. [Clyde Price, Arrows21] "I HAVE MY OWN KIND OF RELIGION" "Well, I serve a LOVING God, MY God would never send anybody to Hell." If you are one of the many people who have said this, your biggest problem is that "your God" DOES NOT EXIST! The Bible warns, "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." (Proverbs 14:12 NKJ) "The-God-who-really-is" is the one who has revealed Himself in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said, "I am... the Truth" or another translation, "I am...Reality." (John 14:6) Jesus, addressing God the Father, said, "Your Word is Truth" or "Your Word is Reality." (John 17:17) Many people engage in comparison shopping for a belief that "makes sense" to them, especially if it does not cramp their lifestyle. This may SEEM okay, but its end is eternal death. The Reality that created and sustains the universe calls you to transfer your trust away from your own good deeds, or any other belief-system, over to Jesus Christ as your ONLY hope of heaven. The Son became a human being, lived the only perfect human life ever lived, died as a sacrifice for sinners who would put their trust in Him, and rose again from the dead to rule the universe as King. No other religion or system can solve the sin-problem. Jesus Christ is the only "way" that doesn't lead to eternal death. Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY to the God who really is. Trust Him today. [Clyde Price, Arrows22] "GOD WON'T SEND ANYBODY TO HELL" "Oh, I don't believe in Hell. I think Hell is right here on earth, don't you?" Jesus of Nazareth obviously did not think that, because He said about twice as much about Hell during His earthly ministry as He did about Heaven. Speaking of Himself as the Son of Man on Judgment Day, Jesus said: "Then He will say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels...'" (Matthew 25:41 NKJ) Jesus Christ did not die primarily as a martyr or as an example. He was not duped or trapped. A careful reading of the gospels will show any number of ways that Jesus could have avoided the cross. It was not a surprise. He repeatedly and frequently predicted to His disciples His death by crucifixion, along with His purpose, "as a RANSOM for many" (Mark 10:45). He died to purchase salvation effectively for all who would put their faith in Him, so that they would not have to go to Hell. If Hell does not exist, then the death of Jesus was entirely pointless. BUT IT WASN'T! We urge you to read the Gospel of Matthew for yourself. Count how many times the Lord Jesus and others refer to Hell or the lake of fire or the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Count for yourself the number of times the Lord Jesus predicted His own death, burial and resurrection, and what He said the purpose was. Put your faith in the Messiah of Israel, who died as the Suffering Servant, the Lamb of God, to redeem His people, to save every Jew or Gentile who would trust in Him. Then, you won't have to go to that place you didn't want to believe in. We guarantee that someday, you too will believe in Hell. Sooner or later. [Clyde Price, Arrows23] "WHAT ABOUT THE HEATHEN?" "You say I've got to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. Well, what about the heathen who've never heard?" This is usually a smokescreen question thrown up by people who want to shift attention away from themselves. But here is a Scriptural answer to it: God has given each human being a conscience, and has put us in a universe which testifies to His power and glory and wisdom and order. The apostle Paul observed, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse..." (Romans 1:20 NKJ). Although neither conscience nor creation can inform of the redemption provided for believers in Christ, Paul makes the point in Romans 1 and 2 that "they are without excuse" for their SIN. People will be judged and condemned for their SINS, whether they have ever heard the Good News about Jesus Christ or not. Certainly, it is a very serious sin to hear this "good news" and reject it, but this is just another sin, and "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). The rest of the letter to the Romans explains that the Law of God was given to show the need of a Savior. Trying to follow conscience or trying to keep the Law will never save anybody. The point is that people who have Bibles of their own as well as people who have never heard of Jesus of Nazareth all need a Savior. Otherwise, we can only receive what we deserve: eternal DEATH in Hell for our sins. If you are genuinely concerned about the "heathen who've never heard", you should take Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and GO TELL THEM! But if you have not yet received the Lord Jesus, we would ask, what about YOU? You HAVE heard. What about the "heathen" holding this paper? [Clyde Price, Arrows24] TRYING TO BALANCE THE SCALES "Well, the church I grew up in doesn't believe the way you folks do." Peter wrote his first letter to people who had grown up with strong religious traditions. He wrote, "And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:17-19 NKJ) Whatever your previous religious traditions, God is not impressed with your attempts to bribe Him with "silver or gold", or with attempts to "balance the scales" by trying to pile up good deeds to offset your sins. The prophet Isaiah wrote, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment." (Isa. 64:6 NAS) If your hope is in "scales", you need to know that your "good deeds" pile up on the same side as your sins. That system doesn't work. You need to change systems. Trust Messiah Jesus as your sin-bearing Savior and Lord. Quit trying to "balance out" or bribe God, and ask Him to wash you clean from your sin. "The blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7) God the Son, the Creator and sustainer of the universe, became a human being and was rejected by His covenant people. He died as the perfect sin-bearing Lamb of God, and arose again in victory from the dead. And to as many as receive Him as Savior and Lord, He gives eternal life, the indwelling and empowering Holy Spirit, and the status of Spirit-born children of God. He will come again to earth to rule actively as supreme King and Judge. You need to submit yourself to Him voluntarily before that time. God's dealings with His people in the Scriptures demonstrate His long-suffering, His forgiveness and grace, His desire to bring rebellious sinners back to Himself. You can never work off your own sins: you are a sinner, and need a Savior. Jesus Christ says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He is the ONLY Savior available. Read about Him yourself in the Gospel of John or the Gospel of Matthew. Admit to Him that you need His help, His salvation, that you cannot do it on your own. Become a real child of God, and then take the Good News of free and perfect salvation back to those folks who are depending vainly on their traditions. We'd like to meet you, and try to answer your questions. [Clyde Price, Arrows-25] BE RECONCILED "God ...reconciled us (believers) to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." (II Corinthians 5:18 NAS) God's plan for reconciling the world to Himself is to "offer His terms of peace" to this rebellious world through other human beings who have already been reconciled to Him. Just as the only people who can effectively sell food supplements are people who TAKE what they're selling, the best method of telling people about the eternal life found in Jesus Christ is by word of mouth from real people who already have it. If a particular vitamin salesman (or vitamin user) looks unkempt and grungy, it wouldn't be logical to let the person's appearance cast doubt on the vitamin company. Even a slob needs good nutrition. Some of the people in this world who have found forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ do not look very impressive. And many, probably most, of us are being dealt with by God as He brings problem areas into the light to resolve them an area at a time. The fact that God's people have visible problems should not devalue our testimony, but rather confirm the fact that we are real people living in a real world in fellowship with the only real God. Even if some of us are not "dressed for success", we're eager to give our "testimonials" about what a difference Jesus Christ has made in our lives. In the chapter quoted above, Paul explains how Jesus Christ became an offering for sin who laid down His life to be a substitute-sacrifice, as an act of love; and He rose again from the dead on behalf of believers. Paul explains that believers who are captivated and mastered by the love of Christ are compelled by His powerful love to go out and boldly proclaim and urge and compel others to come. We are putting out articles and pamphlets, and urging people to read their own Bibles, and going out to meet people face to face because we want to help YOU make your reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus Christ. That's our most important ministry. We want you to encounter the Lord Jesus for yourself, and become a "new creature" in Him. Read about Him for yourself in the New Testament, and put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Do it RIGHT NOW. Come by and see us, or give us a call. [Clyde Price, Arrows26] [end of 3rd file of 5]