In Roman 10:13 it says: “Whosoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved”.

God loves the whole world and every person in the world.  His love is not limited to any one nation or people or type of person.  The gospel is universal; it is for the world.  That means that the Lord treats all people (men and women) the same.  Since all men are saved by the promise that the world cannot be saved apart from the Gospel; even Israel’s disobedience proves to us that the Gospel is Universal and Truth.
 
In Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
 
The Bible tells us that God is not willing that any person should perish.  He wants every person to be saved (2 Peter 3:9) and all we have to do is to call upon the name of the Lord in humility and repent-ask Christ to forgive us.
 
That word whosoever means that any person can be saved, no matter who he or she is. No matter how terrible a person and his circumstances may be, he can be saved.
 
Now you may ask: What does that word saved or salvation mean?????
 

• Salvation means deliverance, being made whole and preserved
• Salvation means deliverance from being lost
• Salvation means deliverance from sin
• Salvation means deliverance in the future from all evil and corruption, from aging and wasting away, deterioration and decay, death and hell
• Salvation means deliverance from enemies and dangers
• Salvation means to be made well, to heal, to restore to health: physically, mentally and even spiritually.

Christ is concerned with our suffering.  Christ takes a man who suffers and makes him whole. That is what salvation is all about!
 
I saw this inspiration piece recently and I want to pass it along to you.  Many times we Christians get focused on things that have to be done in a certain way (“This is the way we have always done it”), but Christ is creative and can handle all things and He knows each soul and what we need.

Now what about the inspirational piece I saw:  “SO……How does the thief on the cross fit into your theology? 

No baptism, no communion, no confirmation, no speaking in tongues, no mission trips, no volunteerism, and no church clothes. 
He could not even bend his knees to pray. 
He did not say the sinner’s prayer and among other things, he was a thief. 
Jesus did not take away his pain, heal his body or smite the scoffers.  Yet, it was a thief who walked into heaven the same hour as Jesus simply by believing.  He had nothing more to offer other than his belief that Jesus was who He said He was. 
No spin from brilliant theologians. 
No ego or arrogance. 
No shiny lights, no skinny jeans, or crafty words.  No haze machines, donuts or coffee in the entrance,  just a naked dying man on a cross unable to even fold his hands to pray”.

The thief was not redeemed or saved merely because he “believed.” The Bible tells us that even demons “believe that Jesus was who he said he was.” The difference here is that the thief believed AND repented.

Now I know some people will say: “ Hey, I will wait until it is almost my time to die.”  that is sometimes referred to as the eleventh hour acceptance of Christ into their lives to save them.  This is also referred to as a Deathbed Confession. My question to you is: How do you know when it is your last breath that you are taking?  Remember, there were two thieves on the cross and the other one cursed Jesus and never made it to heaven.  So stop putting off your decision to serve the Lord.

As a word of warning; in your theology, please don’t place too much emphasis on the thief on the cross. (Yes, there was the one who was saved and went to heaven- the other one did not).  The thief who accepted Christ as Savior may be the standard for some but he is not the standard for most. And he will most likely not be your standard. While it is true that God saves some repentant sinners at the end of their lives (before they are able to be baptized, exercise their gifts, and bear fruit) this is not the norm. Nor should it be set as an ideal.

God saves most sinners long before He takes them into paradise.  He saves them while they still have time: time to live; time to grow in their faith, in their holiness, in their usefulness. He invites them to identify themselves with Jesus’ death through baptism. He invites them to join a body of believers to be built up and build others up. He invites them to remember the finished work of Jesus by regularly eating the Lord’s Supper. He invites them to learn to pray: to adore, to confess, to thank, to petition, to intercede. He invites them to validate their faith by their works. He invites them to endure trials. He invites them to resist the sinful patterns that used to trip them up. He invites them to share the gospel with their neighbors. He invites them to love their friends and their enemies. He invites them to this and so much more.

If you are hoping that your one-time profession of faith (or your potential deathbed confession) will get you into heaven, you may be pleasantly surprised. But you will have missed out on all the good (though often challenging) things the Lord had for you in this life. 

Please don’t use God’s offer of salvation just as a ticket out of hell. Treat it like a job offer with amazing retirement benefits.

Many times we hear phrases thrown around and one of those phrases is Freedom of Religion.  But what does it really mean when we say--FREEDOM OF RELIGION? 

Perhaps a good definition comes from our Founding Fathers.  They believed that religious freedom was most vital to the functioning of a moral free society.  Religion was an essential part of everyday life in the United States. The Founding Fathers did not believe in having a national church.  These rights are referred to as unalienable rights in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to pursue a course in life that will bring happiness.  Our Supreme Court has stated many times that freedom
of religion is the most precious rights next to life itself.
 
We can believe or worship anybody or anything we want with no one to tell us differently.  People have said over the years that there is freedom of religion in China.   Yes, only if you are willing to do, say, live and worship exactly as the government instructs to do so.  You do know that many thousands of Christians around the world die for true freedom of religion each and every year.
 
BUT  in America--a country established for that very right—for that very reason many will not give God the time of day, much less their lives.
 
What has happened that made millions now celebrate  "Freedom from Religion" instead of the "Freedom of Religion"?
 
Many have tried and succeeded in getting God kicked out of our schools, sporting events, public places and work places? Almost every week someone is offended by God and tries their best to stop Him.  You do notice it is not the god of the Hindu, or the Muslims, it’s not the philosophy of reincarnation or the New Age, it’s not homosexuality or condom distribution they want out:  It is Jehovah God that they want out!
 
As you read and hear people talk we hear the word "Spiritualism" taking the place of Christianity.  You especially hear this from Hollywood and others as they pontificate on Talk Shows.  Spiritualism puts itself on the throne and religion in general.  You can clearly see that Christianity--the founding guide for America--is under attack.
 
In the April 1994 edition of Reader’s Digest, an article written by former Secretary of Education William Bennett entitled: "What Really Ails America" had this to say....
 
"Today, much of society ridicules and mocks those who are serious about their faith. America’s only respectable form of bigotry is bigotry against religious people. And the only reason for hatred of religion is that it forces us to confront matters many would prefer to ignore."
 
Well boys and girls our society has gotten what it always wanted since Genesis 3: A society without God.  But my question to you is what good has it done?
 
Bennett goes on to say in his article...

"Last year I compiled The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators, a statistical portrait of American behavioral trends of the past three decades. Among the findings:
 
“Since 1960, while the gross domestic product has nearly tripled, violent crime has increased at least 560 percent.  Divorces have more than doubled.  The percentage of children in single-parent homes has tripled. And by the end of the decade 40 percent of all American births and 80 percent of minority births will occur out of wedlock.  These are not good things to get used to. But we have gotten used to them.  We have adjusted ourselves to the cultural trends.  We have accepted things that were once not bragged about to accepting all
things.”
 
Do you know that The United States leads the industrialized world in murder, rape and violent crime?  At the same time, our elementary-school students rank at or near the bottom in tests of math and science skills. Since 1960, average SAT scores in our high schools has dropped 75 points.
 
In 1940, teachers identified the top problems in America’s schools as: talking out of turn, chewing gum, making noise and running in the hall. 

In 1990, teachers listed the top problems as drugs, alcohol, pregnancy, suicide, rape and assault. 

Today we can add abortions for all, mutilation of children’s bodies, drag queens reading to kindergartners in schools and libraries, even mutilation of bodies.  We have come a long way, baby!!!!!!!!

What is culture? It is the ways of thinking, living, and behaving that define a people and underlie its achievements. It is a nation’s collective mind, its sense of right and wrong, the way it perceives reality, and its definition of self. Culture is the morals and habits a mother strives to instill in her children. It is the obligations we acknowledge toward our neighbors, our community, and our government. It is the worker’s dedication to craftsmanship and the owner’s acceptance of the responsibilities of stewardship. It is the standards we set and enforce for ourselves and for others: our definitions of duty, honor, and character. It is our collective conscience. 

It's kind of depressing to see how our American society has decreased in values and morals, and how this decrease has affected everything in life. Crimes, births, marriage, divorce, education, youth, popular culture, and even religion.
 
These are not good things to get used to, either. We have become hardened and trained to the cultural rot that is setting in. People are losing their capacity for shock, disgust and outrage.  What is the answer? 

Today we must carry on a new struggle for the country we love.  We must push hard against an age that is
pushing hard against us.  If we have full employment and greater economic growth-if we have cities of gold and alabaster -but our children have not learned  to walk in goodness, justice and mercy, then the American experiment, no matter how good it looks on paper or on the outside, - it  will have failed.
 
Do not surrender of just get angry, instead, "Get in the fight."  This is battle that is not fought with weapons of warfare, but on our knees praying to the One who has all the authority and power.  The only One who can help us - the ONE TRUE GOD, JEHOVAH!