Conference–2024
Acts 16:30
- Believe in Jesus—with Repentance & Faith (Matthew 3:2, Mark 1:14-15, Hebrews 11:1-3)
- Read the Bible—Holy Spirit inspiration (II Timothy 3:10-17, Acts 6:2, Romans 15:4, II Peter 1:19-21)
- Pray—to God the Father (Matthew 6:9-13, John 11:39-44)
- Worship—Jesus (Matthew 2:11, Matthew 8:1-4, Revelation 5:8-14)
Repentance is at the core and center of the gospel message. Repentance and faith are co-dependent upon each other’s essence; however, in the profession of faith, Jesus Christ either accepts that confession or rejects it (Genesis 4:4-5). Once a profession of faith is spoken, the speaker must examine their life to determine if it lines with Jesus Christ according to scripture (II Corinthians 13:5). After several months of professing to be Christ-like, you should, in fact, be Christ-like. If not—quickly return to repentance (Matthew 7:21-23). Remember that in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man had no name. He found himself in the flames of the fire for all eternity because he denied that Jesus Christ was Lord of his life. So, if repentance doesn’t produce fruit in your life on the first try (Galatians 5:22-24), try again and do it according to Psalms 51. Then, if you still don’t know how to produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life, write all your sins on index cards and sleep on them. Then, confess all of them to your loved one (spouse) so that you can be free of your addictions and violation of the moral law of God. This will not be an enjoyable experience for anyone, but neither will going to hell for eternity. So, turn to Jesus Christ until you are sure that you are soundly established in Jesus Christ and that He is your savior. Paul wrote about a concept in II Corinthians 7:8-10: godly sorrow leads to repentance. So then, when someone speaks a confession, no matter how hard it may be, it will produce a sorrowful spirit, breaking the desire for sinful behavior for a time. Then, when that person calls upon the name of the Lord (which is Jesus), they will be saved (Romans 10:8-10).
Understand a fundamental concept of salvation: Malachi 3:3-5 deals with the refiner’s fire, which is the concept that John the Baptist declared in Matthew 3:11. When someone comes to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith, they offer to Him their sins and make Jesus Christ Lord of their lives. The person who is saved through repentance and faith by confession of sins receives the Holy Spirit, who begins the refiner’s fire process so that they may offer an offering in righteousness to the Lord.
Additionally, the election of God is a foundational doctrine that is essential to understanding salvation. 2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
In Acts 7:2, God CALLED Abram (aka Abraham) the FIRST time when he lived in Ur of the Chaldeans [which is in the region of Mesopotamia] (Genesis 11:31-32). Then, while living in Haran, God called Abram a SECOND time, changing his name to Abraham. Leaving Haran, Abraham traveled by faith to the land of inheritance when God said, “…To a land that I will show you…” He traveled through Shechem, awaiting the promised City whose builder and maker is God (Genesis 12:1-9, Hebrews 11:8-10, Genesis 15:7, Nehemiah 9:7).
One’s thoughts must always turn to Jesus Christ when thinking about salvation. The word of God never returns void (Isaiah 55:1-13). Therefore, when the call of election went out from God, did you receive it the first time? It took two calls from God for Abraham to travel to the promise land. How many times has God called your name? Quoting from vs. 11, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Looking at Ephesians 1:3-6 God chose the elect for salvation before the foundation of the world. So, the questions that need to be asked are:
1. Has God called me to salvation through the election process?
2. How have I responded to that call?
Now, suppose you think you have heard the call of election upon your life but did not receive salvation through repentance and faith. In that case, what may be missing from your salvation process is found in Psalms 51. This passage deals with the humbled and broken concerning repentance.
The Psalmist David asked God for mercy, desiring to be cleansed from his iniquities and sins. He acknowledged his transgressions before the Lord, stating that he had sinned against the Lord, and the Lord knew it. David brought out that God longs for truth in the inward parts and that in the hidden part of a man or woman, God will make known His wisdom. He further highlights the desire to be purged, cleaned, and washed, with faith following giving place for purity. We also see a desire to have joy and gladness. David wanted God to hide His face from all of the sins of his heart. Only God can create a clean heart and a perfect spirit in a man or woman. His desire was to stay in the Lord’s presence as nothing else could compare. There was a great desire to have the joy of salvation with an emphasis on joy. Joy is also a fruit of the spirit.
Through faith, the Lord provided David all the desires of his heart. As long as they are rooted and grounded in the will of God. David goes on in faith to express that when these points are established, he will share God’s message to others, and he would teach them the ways of God. There’s also a deep faith that sinners and unbelievers will be converted. There’s a desire to be delivered from not only the sin but also the guilt of the sin. When this deliverance was granted, the author said he would sing of the righteousness of God. There is a praise to God that is found through faith. It’s clear that God does not want religious declarations; instead, He delights in a broken spirit and a contrite heart; these are God’s delights.
If you feel you have heard the call of God on your life but are unsure if you have been saved, seek out a quiet, secluded place. Begin to pray to God while reading from Psalms 51.
Also, remember the blood that Jesus shed while dying on the cross canceled our debt of sin. Not only that, but the blood of Jesus voided the penalty of our sins (Colossians 2:11-15). However, we must still confess our sins, and Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us” (I John 1:7-9).
Jonah 1:1-3 is the first call for Jonah to preach the LORD’s word to the people of Nineveh. The second call is Jonah 3:1-2. In the intermediate verses, he is persuaded to “Arise” and go to Nineveh to preach God’s word. In this case, submission to God wasn’t until the second call. Nonetheless, Jonah, through hardships created by his refusal to comply with the LORD, finally came under the Lordship of God and His Christ. Then Jonah proclaimed the word of the LORD, saying in vs.3:4, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” The city was so large that it took Jonah three days to give his message to the people. The message was effective, and the people repented. The moral of the story is Jonah refused to be led by the will of God and instead followed his own will. This was the opposite situation when Jesus prayed the garden prayer when He said, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” And the difference between Jonah and Jesus was that the will of the Father was always the priority (Matthew 26:39).
The Cabin 