Every day pray that everyone you know will either become a Christian or influence others to become a Christian, and please share this online book with others - www.areyousureyouaresaved.com
Worship music - Please click the links and sing along if you know the words (You can also click skip ad to go straight to the songs) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3vYyGPFYo8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLibkQbb8-E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj3ebaO3HoY
For Wednesday evening services, the Lord has lead me to do a Bible study for practical Bible verses in Luke. Please come back to these Bible lessons in order to review them and learn them. Whenever we have learned the meaning of Bible verses and think about them throughout each day, we will be in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). Not only that, but when we are in a situation in our daily lives and are tempted to sin, we can think back to what we have learned from the Bible and say to ourselves, "The Bible says to not do what I am tempted to say, think, do, and/or desire right now, so I am going to refuse to give in to this temptation." This is what Romans 12:2 means, and it says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." This is also the pattern that Jesus used when the devil tempted Him to sin in Matthew 4:1-11.
Chapter 3
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE
Luke 3:1-9
1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
4As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (John the Baptist's purpose was to prepare people for Jesus' coming by getting them to repent (turn from) of their sins. If people were willing to stop sinning on purpose after they accepted Jesus as their Savior, their hearts were prepared. After this, they became Christians when they believed He was their Savior when He appeared. If you would like more information about repentance and it's relation to salvation, (Please follow this website - http://chriswaug5.wix.com/nocontridiction and this website - http://chriswaug5.wix.com/theanswer)
5Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low (This is referring to the sin of pride.); and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; (The theme of verse 5 is sinners becoming Christians.)
6And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
7Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance (When John the Baptist said, “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance,” he meant that if people repented (or changed, with God’s help, and began to think and live the way God wants them to think and live), they will know it because they will begin to bear good fruit (think and live the way God wants them to think and live). Although good fruit is the result of someone who has had a change in the way they live (for example, someone beginning to doing good works (Colossians 1:10), it is also the result of someone who has had a change in the way they think (holy living – Romans 6:22). When someone lives a holy lifestyle, they are setting aside what they used to want to do and think about each day, and spending their time doing and thinking about what God wants them to think about each day (such as thinking about what they read in the Bible (Psalm 119:15), thinking about things such as a miracle they witnessed or heard of, someone who got saved, some act of kindness they saw or heard of, something amazing an athlete did because God gifted them with that ability, or imagining what will be going on in heaven when they get there (Philippians 4:8); and praying how Jesus taught in Matthew 6:9-13). Although the Pharisees and Sadducees could have thought those type of ways, they undoubtly had hatred and jealously in their minds toward John the Baptist. The Pharisees and Sadducees also did things like good works, but the reason they did them was to make themselves look good and not to glorify God (Matthew 5:20). Since those things were true, the Pharisees and Sadducees needed to repent.), and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (If someone claims to be saved, but they do not bear good fruit as a result, they are not really saved (with the exception of those who pass on shortly after they make a decision to get saved or are in bad health and can't get out and do much, etc.). Examples of good fruit are - becoming more holy in the way they live (Romans 6:22) - someone who sets their old plans of each day aside and spends their time following Jesus (living the type of lifestyle explained in chapter 39 of this book - www.areyousureyouaresaved.com), sharing their material possessions with others (Romans 15:28), witnessing to lost people and leading them to the Lord (Romans 1:16), having Jesus' character traits (Galatians 5:22–23), praising the Lord (Hebrews 13:15), answered prayer (1 John 5:14–15), and doing good works (Colossians 1:10).)
If you have prayed or made a decision to become a Christian, but you haven't been living the way this message has described, please follow chapter 10 of this book - www.areyousureyouaresaved.com
If you have not prayed or made a decision to become a Christian, please follow chapter 41 of this book - www.areyousureyouaresaved.com
If you have prayed or made a decision to become a Christian, but you are not sure you are really a Christian (Hebrews 11:6, Matthew 21:18-22, 1 John 5:14, and Hebrews 11:1), please follow this website - http://chriswaug5.wix.com/howtogotoheaven