Are you...
Out of choices?
Up against a wall?
Empty and lonely?
No place to turn?
We're glad you found us.
It's no wonder you feel the way you do. We're not surprised that you have no place to turn, that you're out of choices, you're up against a wall, that your relationships are shallow and falling apart, and that you are constantly feeling empty and lonely.
You may have wondered how God feels about you. You do your best to keep the Ten Commandments, to be kind, and even to pray on occasions. You may be turned off to organized Christianity altogether, but it's impossible to turn off the spiritual thump that pulsates within and the longing you have for your life to be whole and meaningful. You may or may not believe in God, but let me assure you, He believes in you.
We're not here to preach to you. We're not here to say that we're better or smarter than you. We're here simply because we've found hope and real life, and thought you might want and need a taste of it, too.
Can we tell you how we discovered life?
Can we tell you how we discovered life?
God created men and women in his image.
Biblehttp://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_02_discovered_life.php scholars have discussed what that means for centuries, but one thing it definitely means is that God created us with the ability to choose. He gave us a free will. He wants us to choose to have a friendship with Him. He wants us to choose to enjoy His company forever. Adam and Eve, the very first couple He created, experienced happiness and joy in life because they walked and talked with God on a daily basis.
With freedom, however, comes risk and responsibility. It's true for a nation. It's true for a business. It's true in raising teenagers. And it's true for us as individuals. Because God gave us freedom to choose, we can freely choose to live independently of God. That's what Adam and Eve did. They signed on their own "declaration of independence," and in doing so, declared themselves to be "King of the Mountain."
Why should I believe the Bible is the word of God and not the words of man?
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We flip light switches by faith, believing the bulb will illuminate even though we don't have a clue about how electricity works. Same goes for all sorts of earthy things. Believing the Koran falls into this category believing that the Bible is alive and dynamically true, however, takes God-given, supernatural faith (Gal. 2:20). If a person refuses to come to God as a legitimate inquirer he just won't get it. Here is some ammo from my book "What God Wishes Christians Knew About Christianity," however, that may help. You friends have no such ligitimate litany to prove their faith. I also recommend former agnostic, C. S. Lewis'"Mere Christianity" for the serious thinker. "I want to go on record as stating unequivocally that I believe the Bible is totally God-inspired and infallible. It is God's revelation to man and is absolutely true. Here are some basics about the Bible that I embrace:
? The Bible was inspired by God's Holy Spirit.
? It was penned in Hebrew, Greek, and some Aramaic.
? Alexander the Great conquered the Middle East in 330 B.C. His philosophy was to impose Koine Greek upon those he conquered. Consequently, it was spoken throughout the Græco-Roman world when the New Testament was penned. Greek was later banned by Roman decree and eventually became a dead language. So, Koine Greek became "frozen" in the cultural time zone spanning roughly 330 B.C. to A.D. 200. Thus, Koine Greek will never become corrupted. This phenomenon assures us that the Word of God will never change.
? The time gap between the originals and our oldest manuscripts of Plato's and Aristotle's writings is 1200 and 1400 years, respectively. We have seven such copies of Plato's and five of Aristotle's. The gap between the actual events and our oldest Greek manuscripts of the New Testament is only 150 to 300 years and we have some 25,000 copies! Go figure.
? Although the Word of God never changes, language changes. For example, when I was a teenager the word cool indicated temperature, whereas today's culture attaches multiple meanings to this word. We must always consider the original meaning of a word when interpreting the Bible.
? This necessitates ongoing, new, accurate translations of the Bible into the multiplicity of earth's languages.
A Few Words About Our FAQs
We believe Jesus Christ is the ultimate Resource and Authority for your life. Lifetime Guarantee Ministries is honored to be one of the resources available for your encouragement and spiritual growth. Please understand that we are only a resource and not your authority. While we may offer a biblical interpretation relative to your question it is essential that you prayerfully evaluate all Scripture pertinent to your question and if necessary seek trusted counsel from someone who knows you well and understands our identity in Christ. Remember that you are responsible for the decisions you make and the actions you take. If you have a question that hasn't been addressed here, we'd love to help you.
This isn't a forum for counseling, but we can help answer some questions you might have regarding God, the Bible, Christianity, and faith.
Because you and I (and everyone else) are descendents of Adam and Eve, the Bible says we...
? are a "child of God's wrath" http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_03_gets_worse.php
? are "spiritually dead" http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_03_gets_worse.php
? are "separated from Christ" http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_03_gets_worse.php
? are a "sinner" http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_03_gets_worse.php
? are "without God" http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_03_gets_worse.php
Talk about bad news! You may try to be a good person, but the heart of the problem is not only that you do bad things. The main issue is that you were born with an identity problem. You were born a sinner because you descended from Adam.
Even though God's heart aches to be close and enjoy a relationship with you, your sinner identity prevents you from having a relationship with God. It is a wall standing between you and God, keeping you from knowing and experiencing true life. http://www.lifetime.org/
Notes:
? 1 "Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest."
- Ephesians 2:3 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NASB&p... )
? 2 "...even when we were dead in our transgressions,"
- Ephesians 2:5 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NASB&p... )
? 3 "...remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."
- Ephesians 2:12 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NASB&p... )
? 4 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
- Romans 5:8 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?passage=ROM+5&language=english&... )
? 5 "...remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."
- Ephesians 2:12 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NASB&p... )
? 6 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
- Romans 6:23 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NASB&p... )
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But God's pursuing love would not give up. God came to earth in the form of a baby named Jesus Christ. Jesus was God wearing an earthsuit. He lived a perfect sin-free life then took upon himself every wrongdoing that you and I have ever or will ever commit. Our shame, our guilt, our condemnation, our punishment was placed on his shoulders. He willingly allowed Himself to be arrested and sentenced to death in our place.
This was no ordinary execution, however. Crucifixion was the ugliest, most heinous, torturous means of execution. You know, that should have been you and me on that cross, but God loves us so much He was willing to die for us. http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_04_gods_pursuing.php
Jesus was resurrected three days after His death. He spent a little more time on earth giving final instructions to His followers, and then He ascended back into Heaven to reign in the glory He deserved. He looked forward to the day when you and I would believe in Him and get to know Him, and that would make it worth all the intense suffering He underwent.
So where does that leave us?
Notes:
? 1 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
- John 3:16 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NASB&p... )
So Where Does That Leave Us?
Well, because of what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross, we can experience a different identity than the "sinner" identity we inherited from Adam and Eve. Instead of being "in Adam" we now have the option of choosing to be "in Christ." What are the benefits of being "in Christ?"
? You are justified and redeemed http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_05_leave_us.php
? You are holy, set apart http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_05_leave_us.php
? You are a new creation http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_05_leave_us.php
? You are liberated http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_05_leave_us.php
? You are blessed with every spiritual blessing http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_05_leave_us.php
? You are forgiven http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_05_leave_us.php
? You have life! http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_05_leave_us.php
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Through faith in Jesus Christ, all these things plus many more wonderful changes too numerous to include here can be true of you. You may have heard evangelists and perhaps street corner preachers use the term "repent." That term basically means to change your mind. It means that you reject your old "King-of-the-Mountain" life. By faith, you believe that your old life was crucified with Christ on the cross nearly 2000 years ago. http://www.lifetime.org/
Notes:
? 1 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;"
- Romans 3:23-24 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?passage=ROM+3&language=english&... )
? 2 "To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: "
- 1 Corinthians 1:2 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?passage=1COR+1&language=english... )
? 3 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?passage=2COR+5&language=english... )
? 4 "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery."
- Galatians 5:1 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NASB&p... )
? 5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,"
- Ephesians 1:3 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NASB&p... )
? 6 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace"
- Ephesians 1:7 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NASB&p... )
? 7 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us"
- Ephesians 2:5 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NASB&p... )
? 8 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
- Galatians 2:20 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NASB&p... )
God Invites You to Pray
There is nothing magical or mystical about the words. It's not a formula but belief that matters:
Please pray this:
Jesus, I'm sorry for the way I have treated you. Please forgive me. I reject my "King of the Mountain" life of rebellion against you. I believe you are the Son of God who came to this earth to save me from a life that I have lived apart from You. Please save me from this "sinner" identity and give me a new identity that is holy, acceptable, and (as unbelievable as it may seem) saintly. I believe that I am now in You, and You are now in me. Change me from the inside out. I mean this. Though I will surely fail at some point, I believe that You will never fail in me. Thank you. Amen.
Immediately you are spiritually reborn. You have new life. You have every reason to celebrate. You may not feel any different yet, but faith and feelings don't always agree with each other. It's okay if fireworks don't go off or you don't hear God's audible voice or you don't hear a choir singing "Hallelujah." You still have a new life. Believe it by faith. Faith is living like God is telling the truth.
So what's so different then about this new life?
So What's So Different Then About This New Life?
Are you sitting down because this is huge? (Of course you're sitting down. Who surfs the net standing up?) Your life has been exchanged. You may have exchanged a Christmas gift or two, but you've never exchanged anything like this. You have actually exchanged your old self-centered, self-serving, sinner life with the life of Christ. The Holy Spirit has now moved in and taken up residence within you. Didn't you notice the big U-Haul? It is the Spirit of God that now lives in you that causes Christ's life to be expressed through you. This happens by daily learning to depend on Christ. http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_07_whats_different.php
Branches do not produce fruit, branches only bear fruit. It's the life inside the vine that actually produces the fruit. In the same way, Christ's life will produce your love for God, through you, by faith. http://www.lifetime.org/find_freedom_07_whats_different.php
You have a new spiritual identity in Christ. You can stop thinking of yourself as a sinner because that's not who you are. You are a saint! It's not that you don't sin; it's just that when you do, your behavior isn't matching up to who you really are. What you believe about yourself determines how you live and behave. Believe that you are an accepted, deeply loved, child of God, and gradually your behavior will begin to reflect that. Just be patient.
Experiencing this life in Christ is the way life was meant to be lived. You've got life! You have just won the spiritual lottery. Now go spend it hilariously!
Notes:
? 1 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."
- John 15:5 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=50&chapter=15&version=49 )
? 2 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
- Philippians 4:13 (Read this chapter in the Bible http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%204;&version=49 )
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