12 Questions to Test Your Salvation

If you missed last Sunday's (3/25/12) sermon, please listen here - http://youtu.be/jWCRI2akJQA0


As a follow up to the sermon, in an excerpt from Dr. Robert Gromacki's Salvation is Forever** (pg 177-182),   here are twelve questions to test your salvation.  In conjunction with each question is a Bible verse or two.  Spend some time asking yourself these questions and read the verses. 

1. Do you enjoy spiritual fellowship with God, with Christ, and with fellow Christians? (I John 1:3-4)
2. Do you have a sensitivity toward sin? (I John 1:5-10)
3. Are you basically obedient to the commandments of Scripture? (I John 2:3-5)
4. What is you attitude toward the world and its values? (I John 2:15)
5. Do you love Jesus Christ and look forward to His coming? (II Timothy 4:8; I John 3:2,3)
6. Do you practice sin less now that you have professed faith in Christ? (I John 3:5,6) 
7. Do you love other Christians? (I John 3:14) 
8. Have you experienced answered prayer? (I john 3:22; 5:14,15) 
9. Do you have the inner witness of the Holy Spirit? (Romans 8:15; I John 4:13)
10. Do you have the ability to discern between spiritual truth and error?(John 10:3-5,27; I John 4:1-6
11. Do you believe the basic doctrines of the faith? (I John 5:1)
12. Have you experienced persecution for your Christian position? (John 15:18-20; Philippians 1:28)

Grace through Faith equals Salvation.  We don't deserve God's Grace and we can't earn it.  God is offering you His Grace…but it is your choice to accept it.  The plan of salvation is an offering of God’s grace gift to you……








**Robert Gromacki (Th.B., Baptist Bible Seminary; Th.M., Dallas Theological Seminary; Th.D., Grace Theological Seminary) is distinguished professor emeritus of Bible and Greek at Cedarville University.  Salvation is Forever; Regular Baptist Press; (June 1, 2007)
 

Love One Another

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.  It is such a blessing for me to witness God’s work at FOTH.  We continue to grow as a “loving church”.  We are a church that has a heart for others and for one another.  To that end, I want to share with you how FOTH can remain a loving church. 

If we as Christians would simply obey the “love command” that Jesus gave us in John 13, it would solve over half the problems which exist in our churches today.  It is the will of God that we “love one another”.  This means, we should live, work, play, and worship together in harmony.  Here is what Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another." (John 13:34-35)

Love can fade and even fail when we offend or irritate others resulting in misunderstandings or even disagreements.  In Matthew 18:15-17 Jesus gives His formula for solving what I call “person-to-person problems”. The following are the words of Jesus: “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear you, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.”  Just imagine how better our relationships would be if we would follow the simple plan.

Here are a few reasons (backed by scripture) why we should never let differences come between one another:


1.  To maintain peace in the body of Christ (Eph. 4:1-3)
2.  So satan can’t gain an advantage over us (2 Cor. 2:10-11)
3.  To restore a fallen brother (Gal. 6:1)


I earnestly want our church to be filled with the Spirit and be a church that exemplifies the love of Christ toward one another.  If we will hold true to God’s Word, follow His blueprint for love and problem resolution, then FOTH will remain and continue to grow as a church in love with one another, with others, and more important with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let the love of Jesus shine through your words and actions.   During this Valentine’s month let’s make a special effort to share the love of Christ with everyone we meet.  

Is This True?

God will never give you more than you can handle....is this true?

After careful review, many feel as though 1 Corinthians 10:13 addresses this statement when in fact it does not. This verse addresses temptation, or an enticement to sin by which God provides us a way to resist.

If we carefully research the scriptures, we will find many great servants of God reported trials and pressures of life that they could not bare alone....to note a few: Moses, Job, David, Peter, Stephen, and Paul. (Reference - 2 Corinthians 1:8-10, 1 Kings 19:7, 2 Chronicles 20:12, etc.)

We are not able to cope alone, we cope and get through the unbearable time through God, see Deuteronomy 31:6, Matthew 11:28, 2 Corinthians 12:9 and Philippians 4:13. Life, at times may be unbearable, but for us as Christians we can "cast our care on Him for He cares for us". Even through the unbearable time God will get us through it (not our strength or our ability).  No one chooses to experience the pain of cancer, the loss of a child, financial tragedy, etc...the pain at that time seems unbearable, but God gives His comfort, His peace, His grace and His assurance to get us through those life altering times. Notice, God gets us through it .... still it occurred.

Bottom line, our faith will be streched. None of us wants to experience pain. I am so thankful that God "is ever present in my struggle, my pain, my adversity...God will never leave me....is my help in the time of trouble." I know this to be true because I have faced pain, a time in my life that seemed unbearable, a time I would have just as soon died, but God got me through it  - not by my ability but by His. It still hurt, it was still painful, God didn't stop it, but I thank God He was there when I went through it. Praise God! 

There is so much more to report on this topic. I welcome your thoughts and comments.

God Bless! Marty

Topics for Bible Study

Please share some topics you are interested in studying this year that will help you grow in your relationship with God.