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Posted on Sat, Dec 08, 2007 at 10:10 a.m. EST

 

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Photos: “Egyptian-American Ascends to SGB Presidency with INTEGRITY believing in Almighty!"

 

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Video: Delta Zeta Deliciously Delivers Lusciously with Lambda Chi Alpha

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Photos: “Egyptian-American Ascends to SGB Presidency with INTEGRITY believing in Almighty!"

 

Will Powers of TRUE slate attacks Shady Henien of INTEGRITY slate"

 

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Slideshow: "Peer PGSIS 2006 Poster Portfolio Presentations! "

 

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"If Cocaine were an alien, what it would not want you to know!"

 

EDUCATION:

 

Food and Culture Sample Exam I

 

Nutrition Exam II Sample Questions on Energy Balance, Water Balance, Vitamins, and Minerals 

 

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Nutrition Exam V, Sample II for FinalNutrition Final Sample Exam

“Are people saved by sinner’s prayer without knowing the Gospel?”

By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard

Sunday, Dec 16, 2007

Editors Note: There is a background song called 'There is a Redeemer' that can be heard if you are using Internet Explorer.

“Are people saved by sinner’s prayer without knowing the Gospel?”

To that question asked by a friend, we have to define 3 terms here and know what they really mean before answering ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ because sometimes ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ is not the answer but ‘IT DEPENDS WHAT YOU MEAN’ could be the answer.

Let’s look at the 3 words:

1. SAVED
2. SINNER’S PRAYER
3. KNOWING THE GOSPEL

PART I: SAVED

SAVED means “to rescue from danger or possible harm, injury, or loss” according to http://www.dictionary.com

In our case, when a human being is SAVED, they are being rescued from danger, injury, or loss as a result of sin. Being rescued implies, there is a rescuer who is doing the rescuing.

Who is that Rescuer?
It is Jesus Christ, the Son of Man.

“No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who BELIEVES in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:13-15, NIV)

‘in him’ refers to Jesus Christ.

“So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people. Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!” (Numbers 21:6-9, NIV)

Now in the same way, all humanity that is bitten by the bondage of sin will be SAVED, if they look at the Son of Man who was lifted up on a cross and BELIEVE in Him.

VERSES PERTAINING TO SAVED:

"And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” (Matthew 1:21-23, NLT)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever BELIEVES in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to SAVE the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not BELIEVED in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18, NIV)

“I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.” (John 10:9, NLT)

“But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ (Acts 2:21, NLT)

“For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11-12, NLT)

“We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 15:11, NLT)

“They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” (Acts 16:31, NLT)

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.” (Romans 5:8-10)

“In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” (Romans 10:8-10, NLT)

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”  (Ephesians 2:9, NLT)

VERSES PERTAINING TO SAVED FROM SIN

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, NLT)

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-26, NLT)

“And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:16-17, NLT)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NLT)

“While we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” (Titus 2:13-15, NLT)

PART II: SINNER’S PRAYER

What is a sinner’s prayer anyway?
Simply, it is a prayer prayed by a sinner who acknowledges his/her sin before the Lord and asks for the Lord’s intervention in their lives. It can be a complex prayer as listed below with biblical references or a simple prayer. I will list both with references.

I believe a sinner’s prayer makes someone a believer in Christ if the prayer being prayed is meant in the person’s heart before the Lord in prayer.

COMPLEX and well thought of prayer before giving your life to CHRIST:

1. Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. (Romans 3:23)
2. I am so sorry for my sins. (1 John 1:9)
3. I confess my sins to you and repent of my sins. (Acts 3:19)
4. Please forgive my sins. (Acts 13:38)
5. I believe you died on the cross for my sins by shedding your blood for me. (John 3:13-18, Romans 5:8-10)
6. And I believe you rose from the dead to give me Eternal Life when I repent of my sin. (Romans 10:8-10)
7. I now accept you into my heart as my Lord and Personal Savior and ask you to come into my heart as I receive you Jesus you into my heart. (John 1:12)
8. Please live in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. (Luke 9:23-27)
9. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home, for living in me. (John 1:12-13)
10. Thank you Jesus that you alone can save me by your grace and it is not on my own ability. (Ephesians 2:9)
11. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me! (John 14)
12. In Your Name I pray Jesus! AMEN! (John 14)

SIMPLE ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND STILL SAVED:

“But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:40-43, NLT)

“They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household. And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized.” (Acts 16:31-33, NLT)

It bothers me when people want to make things complex. We don’t save people but we are used as an instrument to lead people to Christ if He chooses to use us. The Billy Graham Crusades have been effective in my mom’s life and my life too. They hear the Gospel presented and then those willing to give their life to Christ pray the sinners prayer whether it is complex or simple. At that point, the Lord Jesus has come into their life and saved them. The Christian life is a journey and we need the Lord's help. The follow-up after the Billy Graham Crusades is awesome and I have experienced it. Following up on baby Christians is so important. Salvation is what the Lord does in a person's life and not what a person does to earn it. If it is earned then it is not a gift because a gift is unmerited and that is God's gift of grace!

“But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ (Acts 2:21, NLT)

A simple prayer like, ‘Lord Jesus, I need you, please save me’ is enough for the Lord to come and work in a person’s life.

Jesus will take over from there through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are not saved by the good works we do but good works are a result of our Salvation. It is grace of the Lord Jesus that saves us and is a free gift. A gift is something that has to be received.

People don’t need all the answers to come to Christ. When they come, Jesus will take care of the rest if they truly come to Him. A person who comes to Jesus, Jesus will not cast out. (John 10)

PART III: THE GOSPEL

God Offers Salvation Providing Eternal Life! (G.O.S.P.E.L)

"For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.  This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” (Romans 1:16-17, NLT)

What is the GOSPEL?
It is the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ through which God offers salvation, providing Eternal Life!

"This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” (Acts 10:36, NLT)

“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” (Acts 20:24, NLT)

“God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 2:3-4, NLT)

“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20, NLT)

I am going to share with you a long message the Lord Jesus put upon my heart almost 10 years ago regarding the G.O.S.P.E.L!

The law is there to expose our sins and bring them to surface by stripping us of our self-righteousness.

Our self-righteousness is there to make us proud of our own good works.

Our own good works are there to make us think we will be accepted by God just because our good works are accepted by others.

Others are there who cannot be compared to God.

God is there to make us know He does not go by others standards.

Standards are there to show that our good works will never be able to keep the Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments are there to show us we do violate them and we will face judgment.

Judgment is there to show us that the holiness of God will not allow sin to enter His presence.

His presence is there that will not tolerate the slightest sin.

Sin is there because man disobeyed God which resulted in the fall of man.

Man is there, who without God in his life gives allegiance to Satan.

Satan is there to separate us from God, so when we die Satan can have us in Hell.

Hell is there to imprison us eternally, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, when we rebel against God and his ways.

His ways are there that show us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God because we have taken the wrong path.

The wrong path is there pointing to methods that make people think they can reach God by their own self-reliance.

Self-reliance is there that points to self.

Self is there working things its own way giving sin the opportunity to give its wages.

Wages are there to give spiritual death that can only be prevented with an antidote.

Antidote is there because God so loved us so much, even in our sins, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Everlasting life is there because the antidote was given for each of us to wash away our sinful disease.

Sinful disease is there until we accept the cure.

The cure is there because of the cross. 

The cross is there because that was the only way for the antidote to be made.

Antidote to be made was there because Jesus loved us so much that, while we were yet sinners, He shed His blood to cleanse us from sin and make us have good spiritual health.

Good spiritual health is there only when we freely accept the antidote, Christ's cleansing blood.

Christ's cleansing blood is there to cure us only when we come to grips that we have this sinister disease and confess all the symptoms of this disease called sin and ask for the cure by believing in Jesus, our Lord and Personal Savior.

Jesus, our Lord and Personal Savior is there for us to accept Him because after shedding His blood and dying for us, God brought Him back to life on the third day and He sits at the right Hand of God, the Father interceding on our behalf in a wonderful place called Heaven.

Heaven is there so that God can receive us when we leave this earth because through what Jesus did for us, God sees in us the righteousness of Christ.

The righteousness of Christ is there to cover our sins with his precious blood crucifying our sin to the cross and making us live a life worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Gospel of Jesus Christ is there to show us that we are not saved by works so let no man boast, but by Jesus Christ who has given us the free gift of grace.

Free gift of grace is there to show us that we cannot reach God by our own works but God reaches out to us through the perfect work accomplished by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The Son of God is there to tell us that no man cometh to the Father except through Him because He alone is the Life, the Way, and the Truth.

The Truth is out there pointing the only one way to Heaven, with no other way.

No other way is there to Heaven because Jesus is the only one who can give us access to God.

Access to God is there only when we have Jesus in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is there because when Jesus died and ascended to Heaven, He sent His Spirit.

His Spirit is there to live in us and work in us helping us follow His Word.

His Word is there to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus who diligently Himself, followed all Scripture.

All Scripture is there which is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Every good work is there now because of our faith in Christ that produce the good deeds.

Good deeds are there because when we believe in Jesus we will do what He asks us to do not by might, nor by power but by the Spirit of the Lord.

Spirit of the Lord is there to instruct us and guide us along the best pathway of life advising us and watching our progress.

Our progress shows the world that we bear fruit because we believe in God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit to work in us as we are eventually baptized into the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as Jesus commanded in the Great Commission.

The Great Commission is what we should embark on because we are commanded to proclaim the Gospel.

The Gospel can be now summarized in a nutshell with what I call the ABCDEF.

The ABCDEF stands for

Acknowledge you are a sinner and are in need of Jesus Christ, God-incarnate who alone can redeem you from the power and bondage of sin.

Believe in your heart that Jesus died for you, shedding His blood on the cross, and rose again on the third day so now when God looks at you, He sees the Righteousness of Christ because of being covered by the Blood of the Lamb of God who washes away our sin so God's judgment will pass over us similar to what happened on PASSOVER.

Confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord as you take Him as your Lord and Personal Savior who is God-incarnate.

Discipline yourself to spend daily time in prayer and the Scriptures to fully understand the Word of God as you show yourself approved to do God's work so you can disciple others who come to Jesus Christ.

Evangelize to those around you with the saving power and knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Follow the Lord Jesus Christ who became God-incarnate and is God as you depend on the power of the Holy Spirit.

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Romans 10:12-15, NIV)

I hope this message has touched each of your lives as it has mine when God put it in my heart. I hope this message will help you give the Gospel in a non-threatening way to your pre-Christian friends.

God desires that none should perish but that all come to repentance. I know

God can save our loved ones in according to His way and His will.

This is important to realize because these days the message of the Gospel has been watered down in many places.

I do not know about you but I have heard tons of times when the Gospel of Jesus Christ is sugar-coated to make it sound like what people want to hear than what they should hear.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about 'Come to Jesus and everything will be ok in your life no matter what suffering you are going through' but the Gospel of Jesus Christ is about the reality of Heaven and Hell.

We should make people realize they cannot ever keep the law how much they try, they are diseased with sin that only Christ can cure them to have entrance to be in the presence of God Almighty and escape the fires of Hell, that Satan desires for them.

Unfortunately, many have tried to get converts to Jesus by addressing life's issues that they struggle with. They come to Christ hoping to overcome their struggles and many do, but many have never understood that there is a cost to follow Jesus. It won't be a peachy road. When things fall apart, many of the converts fall away.

Why is that?

Because most of them did not come to Jesus so that one day they can live with Him in Heaven as Jesus helps them overcome their sin disease. They have come to escape their problems and when that does not happen, they give up on the Lord. The Lord never promises that when we come to Him our life will be peachy without any turmoil. If anything suffering, trials, and tribulations are emphasized and also what Christ will give us when we meet Him face to face is promised as encouragement.

Now that itself is reason for joy. I am not saying that Jesus does not send healing, peace, love, and joy into people's lives. Many people have experienced that including myself but I have also experienced the dark side of suffering. Through all this Christ can give us the endurance and strength to bear it and He will walk by our side.

We should come to Jesus because we realize we are with sin and only He can deliver us rather than coming to Jesus because of what we can get in this life.

This life passes away with everything in it but those in Christ who endure to the end shall be saved.

God's Omnipotent Salvation Provides Eternal Life! (G.O.S.P.E.L)


Prayer:
Dear God you have revealed to us your law and we have not been able to keep your law. We have broken your commandments everyday and because of that sin has engulfed us. Since sin has engulfed us we cannot come into your presence because you are a Holy God. We have done so many good works and yet you have rejected us. We have missed the mark because 99.9% good works and 00.1% sin can keep us from your presence. We are diseased with sin and have no escape on our own. We ask you God for help. Help us Oh God of our Salvation for the glory of your Name and deliver us and provide atonement for our sins for your Name's sake, for your Name's sake. Thank you God that you have provided us atonement through the sacrificial death of Jesus who paid the penalty for our sins that we do not have to face hell when we confess our sins to you and accept the antidote you provide for us. We take this antidote and acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Personal Savior who died for us and was brought back to life to give us Salvation and Eternal life. We thank you that we can be with you in Heaven when we die and you will work in us through the power of the Holy Spirit hear on earth. Thank you so much. We give our lives to thee as we are and ask thee to give us strength and endurance to bear through the tough times that come our way. Thank you so much Father God! Thank you for hearing us and answering us. Thank you we belong to you. In the Name Jesus Christ we pray! Amen!


I will let you draw the conclusion of ‘Yes’, ‘No’ or ‘It Depends’ based on what I have written in the three parts!

“Now may the God of peace— who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21, NLT)

Friend, you may feel something or you may not but this you can be assured that the Lord Jesus has come into your life and will give you a new beginning! Amen!

Get yourself involved in a campus Bible study, fellowship, and most of all find a Bible believing church and be involved to grow in your Christian walk with the Lord. They all need to be supplements for your own precious time with the Lord in prayer and meditating on His Word. If you need a Bible, please let me know!

If you need anyone to talk to, pray with, or study the Bible with this Christmas season of 2007, you can email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579.

Express Your View

 

 Christmas Archive:

What does God do with your G.E.N.E.A.L.O.G.Y? (Dec 01, 07, 11:12 a.m.)

' I AM ' Series Archives:

"What kind of B.R.E.A.D do you eat?" (Dec 08, 07, 10:10 a.m.)

What kind of L.I.G.H.T do you follow? (Dec 13, 07, 10:09 a.m.)

Related Articles:

Taken from the From the Book of Philippians

Philippians 2:1-2: What C.O.N.D.I.T.I.O.N are you in?"(May 22, 07,  10:03 a.m.)

Philippians 2:3-4, How do you respond to C.O.M.M.A.N.D.S?"  (May 23, 07, 10:30 a.m)

Philippians 2:5-7: How do you match J.E.S.U.S' attitude?"(May 24, 07, 9:24 a.m.)

Philippians 2:8: "What does the C.R.O.S.S mean to you?"(May 25, 07, 8:41 a.m.)

Philippians 2:9-11: "How do you handle the N.A.M.E?"(May 29, 07, 9:01 a.m.)

Philippians 2:12-14: "What is your type of S.A.L.V.A.T.I.O.N?"(May 30, 07, 8:18 a.m.)

Philippians 2:15-16: "How is your B.E.H.A.V.I.O.R?"(May 31, 07, 9:59 a.m.)

Philippians 2:17-18: When do you live out your F.A.I.T.H? (June 01, 07, 1:28 p.m.)

Philippians 2:19-24: "How do you Q.U.A.L.I.F.Y?" (June 04, 07, 10:37 a.m.)

Philippians 2:25-30: "Has Your H.O.M.E.C.O.M.I.N.G begun?" (June 05, 07, 11:02 a.m.)

Only the right antidote can protect your life! (April 2004)

Only the right antidote can protect your life:  Part II"  (April 2006)
 

 

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