CHN Newsletter April 2004

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 5:23)

April 2004

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. We are fine here, and praising God for His Grace and provision for this ministry. So many of you responded to our appeal for new office equipment, and we praise and thank God for you. May God bless you a hundredfold! Thank you!

This month we will be commemorating the suffering, death, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. There has been much controversy regarding Mel Gibsons “The Passion of the Christ,” but one thing remains perfectly clear. Jesus did suffer unbearable agony as He faced the Cross of Calvary. His torture was real; it did happen. Most of us are not able to fathom the horror that Jesus went through, and that is why I believe that this movie is important to see for both Christians and unbelievers. I remember when my granddaughter was about 8 years old, and her parents and I took her to see a play called “The Seeker.” When it came time for Jesus to suffer, she cried unbearably. At first we said “Let us get her out of here! This is too intense!” But then, the lights went low, and it was quiet. By now she was almost uncontrollable, but she wanted to stay. There is a happy conclusion to this! Chrissy received the Lord into her heart that night. She will always remember His suffering and death on the Cross, and she will never forget the Glorious Resurrection as the light brightly shone on the Tomb, and Jesus emerged triumphant with the sound of angels praising and glorifying Him! Glory to God!

The controversy of the movie also revolved around the part that the Jews played in the sentencing and crucifixion. Yes, Jesus’ own people rejected Him, but it was not the Jews who are responsible for the Cross. This was God’s plan from before the beginning of time. He knew that man would sin, and fall short of the Glory of God. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23). Therefore, man would need a Savior to redeem him from sin. Before Jesus came covenants were made between God and man, and there were rules of the covenant that could never be met by man. God knew this. He wanted man to understand that by himself he could never be righteous before Him. He could never obey over 600 rules and regulations. If one rule was broken it was the same as if all rules were broken. There is no such thing as one sin being a lesser one. Sin is sin, and this breaks the relationship with God. Therefore, we are all responsible for the Cross! Circumcision could not save anyone, righteous deeds could not save anyone. No one can boast of works that will get them to heaven. It is only through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, repentance of sin, and accepting what He did for us on Calvary that we can get to heaven! Read this again. Now, think! Isn’t it so simple? We all sin. No one is perfect. But 1 John 1:9 tells us “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Alleluia! I would like to give you this opportunity right now to think about your relationship to Jesus. Have you been far away from Him? Have you tasted His Goodness, and yet allowed life and hardships to draw you away from Him? My friend, you can take this important time, right now, to return to the One who loves you so much that He suffered and died a torturous and shameful death on the Cross of Calvary. He did that for you, and for me. Jesus was the Perfect Man. He never sinned and did not deserve to die. We deserve death, yet He loves us so much that He took our place on the Cross. His shed Blood covers us, making it possible for us to be righteous before God. When God looks at us, He is not seeing us. Because the precious Blood of Jesus covers us, when God sees us, He sees Jesus!

If you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I would like to invite you to say a simple prayer to help bring you into that relationship with God. If, for any reason, you have been far away from God, and want to return to Him, it is easy to do. Just repeat these words out loud, and if you mean it with all your heart, you will become a child of God, born again, made brand new, with a whole new start in life.

that You suffered and died on the Cross for my sins, and that You rose again from the dead. Thank you for dying for my sins. Thank You for taking my place on the Cross. I give my life to You. Take over my life, and live Your life in me. I make you the Lord of my life. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to live the Christian life. I believe Your Word is true, and I receive Your forgiveness. Thank You Lord. Amen!

If you have said that prayer with all your heart then you are now “Born Again.” Congratulations! Take your Bible off the book shelf, dust it off, and open it to the Book of John. Begin reading a chapter a day, and meditate on God’s word. Let His Word speak to you. The Bible is God’s love letters to us. Everything we want to know about why we are here, how to live, and where we are going is in the Bible. As you read His Word, and spend time with Him each day, your relationship will grow with Him. You will get to know Him more, and He will reveal His heart to you. His Holy Spirit will give you the wisdom and knowledge you need to live the Christian life. You will have a peace inside, that no man can ever take away.