If Jesus Came to Your House

What would you do if you knew that in five minutes, Jesus would be knocking on your front door? Would you hurry around the house and put things in closets or turn the TV off? What about the magazines that are on your desk or end table? What about the towels in your bathroom that you stole from Holiday Inn? Here is a poem that asks that question:

If Jesus Came to Your House

by Red Sovine

If Jesus came to your house, I wonder what you'd do.

Yes, if Jesus came to your house, to spend a day or two,
If He came unexpected, just dropped in on you.
I know you'd give your nicest room to such an honored guest,
And all the food you'd serve to Him would be the very best.
And you would keep assuring Him you're glad to have Him there,
That serving Him in your home is joy beyond compare.

But when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door
With arms outstretched in welcome to your heavenly visitor?
Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in?
Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they'd been?
Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn't heard?
And wish you hadn't uttered that last loud hasty word?
And would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out?
Could you let Jesus just walk right in, or would you rush about?

And I wonder if the Savior spend a day or two with you,
Would you go right on doing the things you always do?
Would you go right on saying the things you always say?
Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?
And would your family conversation keep up it's usual pace?
And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?
Would you sing the songs you always sing, and read the books you read,
And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?

And would you take Jesus with you everywhere you'd planned to go?
Or maybe would you change your plans for just a day or so?
Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends,
Or hope that they would stay away until His visit ends?
And would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on?
Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?

Oh, it might be interesting to know the things that you would do,
If Jesus came in person to spend some time with you.


Quite thought provoking, isn't it?

The Curtain

   If you have ever studied the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, or the Temple that replaced the Tabernacle, you would be familiar with some of the features of the structure. There were different items that were part of the Tabernacle and related to worshiping God. One of the jobs of the priests was to offer sacrifices to God, on behalf of our sins. Many different animals were sacrificed for various reasons, and all were symbolic of what God was going to do to take care of our sin problem. Our sin is deadly serious before God. God can never have sin in His presence and one day He will destroy all sin with an eternal punishment in hell, forever. He has no choice in this matter. If He just ignores our sin, He would no longer be God. God can never change who He is. But He did do something about our sin. And as we look at the parts of the Tabernacle or Temple, it will help us understand it better.
   There was a special room inside the Tabernacle called the 'Holy of Holies'. It was definitely the most holy place on earth. Only a priest could go inside of this room once a year to bring in the sacrifice. If a priest went in without first dealing with his own sin, he would die when he entered into the Holy of Holies. There was a thick curtain that surrounded this special, inside room. People could go into the courts of the Temple, after the Temple was finished, but they could not go into the Holy of Holies. It was forbidden.
   There was a special item inside of the Holy of Holies, inside the Tabernacle, called, the Ark of the Covenant. Inside the Ark of the Covenant was the 10 Commandments that Moses received from God. One time, really long ago, the Ark of the Covenant got away from the Israelites, and when they recovered it and were trying to bring it back into their country, it started to fall over when the oxen that were carrying it stumbled. A man put out his hand to keep it from falling and the man died because he touched something so holy, and his hands weren't clean (he had sin that was not dealt with). So this holy item, the Ark of the Covenant, was in the Holy of Holies.
   The Holy of Holies shows us how holy God is, and how unholy we are. We could never go into God's presence that way we are. But, remember the curtain that was around this room? It was a thick, heavy curtain, not like the ones we have on our windows today.
  Something very interesting happened to this curtain though. Around 2,000 years ago, God sent His Son Jesus to live on earth. He lived a perfect life and never sinned. He is the only Person who could have gone into the Holy of Holies and not die. But here is what happened;
  Bad men took God's Son and tortured Him, then punished Him by putting Him on a wooden cross. This was one of the cruelest forms of punishment history has ever known. Jesus could have gotten out of being punished because He didn't do anything wrong. But the Bible says He didn't say anything when being accused that would have made Him go free. When He was dying, God put all of our sins upon Him, and He bore our sins and took our punishment for them. But then the most amazing thing happened. This thick curtain actually split apart and now people were able to have access to God. People are able to access God now because of the death of His Son. That's why Jesus told us that 'He is the way, the truth, and the life; No one comes to the Father but by me.'
   I'm sure many people didn't understand the significance of the tearing of this curtain. Many people were probably horrified when they saw the Holy of Holies open now. Many people missed the meaning of why Jesus died. They don't see themselves as sinners who need to be saved from their sins. They see themselves as good people who will go to heaven when they die because they didn't kill anyone. But God sees it differently. He sees all our sins, every one of them, and we will give an account to Him one day. Either we will die in our sins, or we will die cleansed from our sins. If we are cleansed from our sins, God looks at us as if we never sinned. He can do that because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. But if we don't repent of our sins, and don't turn to God, trusting in His atonement for us, we will die in our sins and they will always be before us in hell.
   Yes, the curtain is torn and we can have access to God now because of the death of Jesus, His Son. Will you turn to Him and trust Him now, or will you choose to stay in your sins and die in an unforgiven state? The choice is yours. For more help please write in the comment box or send an email to; awestruck@bellsouth.net

The Gospel Told Using Colors

Using Colors to Explain the Gospel

There is a colorful way to explain the Gospel. There are five or six colors to describe parts of the Gospel. They are:

Gold=Reminds us of God. He is holy and perfect. No sin or wrongdoing will ever be in His presence. The streets of Heaven are paved with Gold. When people die, they go to meet God. Either they will be in Heaven and live with God forever, or they will be in Hell to be punished for their sins.

Black= Sin. Sin is wrongdoing. We commit sin when we break the 10 Commandments. If we break just one Commandment, we are guilty of breaking them all. On a scale of 1-10, how would you score yourself on keeping the Commandments. All lawbreakers will be punished in Hell for eternity. God has no choice but to punish sin.

Red= the Blood of Jesus Christ, God's Perfect Son. Around 2000 years ago, God sent His Son to live on earth and to die for the sins of people. He lived a perfect life without sin, and God placed all our sin upon Him on the Cross. He died and was buried in a tomb. He came back to life three days later and has gone back into the Heavens. He will come back one day to judge people for their sins, and to take back to Heaven His own people.

White= a Clean Heart. You might be asking yourself, how can I get rid of my sin? If no sin is allowed in Heaven, and God must punish sin, what is the answer? Jesus blood can cleanse a sinful heart. It is powerful enough to cleanse every person from sin who wants to be cleansed. The key question is, "Do you really want to be cleansed from all your sins?" If you do, you will turn away from your sin and you can trust in what Jesus did on the Cross to pay for your sins. He promises to cleanse and will give you a new heart with right desires. You will become a new creature in Christ. You will also have the power and the desire to say 'no' when you are tempted to sin, and to say 'yes' to doing what is right. You will become a new creature in Christ.

Green=Growing Things. Just like you feed yourself with food for nourishment, you can feed your soul with spiritual nourishment. The Bible is like food for the soul. You can be healthy spiritually. If you turn from your sin, and trust in Jesus Christ, you are part of the Body of Christ, which is the church. You will need to find a good Bible believing church to be part of to help you with your spiritual walk. Good communication with God is important. That is what prayer is. God helps us to grow as we develop our relationship with Him through prayer.

Gray= the 10 Commandments. This color is one that some people have added to the story. It probably belongs next to the black color because it reminds us of the 10 Commandments, which we have broken and it shows us our sin, and need for a Savior.

If you have any questions about the Gospel or your relationship with God, please send an email with your questions to: awestruck@bellsouth.net

You can put 'The Gospel Conversation' or 'Gospel Questions' in your subject line.

Are You Good Enough For Heaven?

Are you good enough for heaven?
How good do you have to be?
Go to www.thegoodtest.net
and take the test to see!

If you were to give yourself a grade on keeping the 10 Commandments, on a scale of 1-10, what grade would you give yourself?
Have you ever hated someone? How about being angry with your parents? Have you ever taken something that belongs to someone else? What about taking God's name in vain or not using it in a holy way? Is there something you love more than God? What does your check book and calendar say about how you use your money and time? What is most important to you? Have you ever told a lie or been deceitful? Cheated in any games? How about cheating on tests? Do you value others as much or more than yourself? Have you always honored your mom and dad? The Bible says that if we break one commandment, we have broken all of them. The two great Commandments are: 1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength, and 2. Love your neighbor as yourself. Those are hard to do all the time. Actually, they are impossible. The reason they are impossible is because we don't have the right kind of heart to do them. Our heart is self-centered and self-serving. We love ourselves more than any body else. We need a new heart.
How do we get a new heart? First, we have to understand our sin. Sin is not only the bad things that we do, but it is what we are. God did not make us to be sinners. We became sinners when Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden of Eden. After that their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren all have sinned. No person born from them has been without sin. Very sad.
Our sins need to be forgiven if we are to have a right relationship with God. Because God sent His Son to die in our place, we can now have the forgiveness for our sins. When Jesus died on the Cross, God put all our sin on Him. He took the punishment for our sins, that we deserved. But it gets better. He not only can take away our sins, but now He can give us a new heart. We don't have to live selfish lives any more. God can give us the power to live a holy life. After Jesus died, He was put in a tomb, then three days later he came back to life. We call this the Resurrection. Jesus is alive today and is in heaven praying for His people. He will come back one day and take all His people to be with Him forever. The key is, are you one of His people? Do you belong to Him? Will you go with Him to heaven when He comes back, or will you be left behind and await God's Judgment that will come to every person that has ever been born?

Advocate or Judge?

You cannot ignore Jesus Christ. On that Day, either He will be your Advocate, or He will be your Judge. There is no neutral ground on this.

How Good Are You?

Are you good enough for heaven?
How good do you have to be?
Go to www.thegoodtest.net
and take the test to see!

How good do you have to be to go to heaven? You would have to be absolutely perfect and without any sin. Do you fit that category? How would you score yourself on keeping the 10 Commandments? Have you ever told a lie, lusted, wanted something badly that you don't have, taken something that was not yours (even downloading things from the Internet that aren't yours to take)? How about taking God's name in vain? Is anything more important to you than your relationship with God? How about creating an idea of what you want God to be like instead of believing that He is who He says He is? Have you ALWAYS obeyed and honored your mom and dad? Have you ever murdered, or become angry with someone because you didn't get your way? This is a short, partial list of sins we commit. If you have broken them, there is Good News for you, if you want it. Your heart loves yourself instead of God. That is the basis for all other sins. When you stand before God, all your sin will be before you and God will tell you to depart and go into the Lake of Fire. That's terrible. Once a person is in it, they can never get out. They will be there for eternity. The Good News is that you don't have to go there. Jesus never broke any of the 10 Commandments, but He died to take your place so you don't have to go to hell. You have to turn away from your sin and turn to God, and trust in what Jesus did on the Cross 2000 years ago. After He died, he was buried and on the third day he came back alive from the dead! Before you put your head on your pillow tonight, please consider this. Repent, and believe in Jesus Christ and you will have eternal life with Him in heaven. Please send me a message if you want help or have questions.

Using Colors to Explain the Gospel

There is a colorful way to explain the Gospel. There are five or six colors to describe parts of the Gospel. They are:

Gold=Reminds us of God. He is holy and perfect. No sin or wrongdoing will ever be in His presence. The streets of Heaven are paved with Gold. When people die, they go to meet God. Either they will be in Heaven and live with God forever, or they will be in Hell to be punished for their sins.

Black= Sin. Sin is wrongdoing. We commit sin when we break the 10 Commandments. If we break just one Commandment, we are guilty of breaking them all. On a scale of 1-10, how would you score yourself on keeping the Commandments. All lawbreakers will be punished in Hell for eternity. God has no choice but to punish sin.

Red= the Blood of Jesus Christ, God's Perfect Son. Around 2000 years ago, God sent His Son to live on earth and to die for the sins of people. He lived a perfect life without sin, and God placed all our sin upon Him on the Cross. He died and was buried in a tomb. He came back to life three days later and has gone back into the Heavens. He will come back one day to judge people for their sins, and to take back to Heaven His own people.

White= a Clean Heart. You might be asking yourself, how can I get rid of my sin? If no sin is allowed in Heaven, and God must punish sin, what is the answer? Jesus blood can cleanse a sinful heart. It is powerful enough to cleanse every person from sin who wants to be cleansed. The key question is, "Do you really want to be cleansed from all your sins?" If you do, you will turn away from your sin and you can trust in what Jesus did on the Cross to pay for your sins. He promises to cleanse and will give you a new heart with right desires. You will become a new creature in Christ. You will also have the power and the desire to say 'no' when you are tempted to sin, and to say 'yes' to doing what is right. You will become a new creature in Christ.

Green=Growing Things. Just like you feed yourself with food for nourishment, you can feed your soul with spiritual nourishment. The Bible is like food for the soul. You can be healthy spiritually. If you turn from your sin, and trust in Jesus Christ, you are part of the Body of Christ, which is the church. You will need to find a good Bible believing church to be part of to help you with your spiritual walk. Good communication with God is important. That is what prayer is. God helps us to grow as we develop our relationship with Him through prayer.

Gray= the 10 Commandments. This color is one that some people have added to the story. It probably belongs next to the black color because it reminds us of the 10 Commandments, which we have broken and it shows us our sin, and need for a Savior.

If you have any questions about the Gospel or your relationship with God, please send an email with your questions to: awestruck@bellsouth.net

You can put 'The Gospel Conversation' or 'Gospel Questions' in your subject line.