Newsletter May 6, 2011

	E-mail Newsletter from Stewart Topping ... May 6th, 2011
	Grace is free ... Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) 8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9. not of works, lest anyone should boast.  Link to my website Jesus is the Way ... Do you know someone like this?  Recently I asked someone about their salvation; I asked are you saved and the answer was I hope so.  My first thought was he has not studied to be sure and I hope that Fire Insurance Policy he boug Link to my website Salvation 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (NKJV)  1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to youthe gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, Link to my website	Gods Grace .... It's great to be a Christian, to know where your going and that when all the problems we encounter each day will be gone. Read and be thankful you have made the correct decision.  God has wrapped up grace as a free gift to everyone is is willing to believe. help reach others with the good news  Forward this message to a friend Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) 8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9. not of works, lest anyone should boast.  But do we really understand the meaning of Eph 2:8. If we did then why do we add things to a list of items required to be saved. When do we cross the line and create bondage to the family of believers. Churches should not be different, we must be the same since we are all in the body of Christ. We are all the same, when we are born again with the Holy Spirit of promise and we are part of the Body of Christ. There should be no difference in our beliefs concerning Salvation and how we worship together. Where do we get these ideas?   Why do we accept what others say is the truth? Most of the people we listen to are school taught, but are they Jesus taught? There are so many distortions in the Church today it is hard to know the actual truth. That why we must study and learn the truth.  Don’t you think that we should be keeper of truth? What is Grace?  1. A gift of God to humankind; the infinite love, mercy, favor, and goodwill shown to humankind by God ; 2. Complete freedom from sin; in Christianity, the condition of being free of sin So God has extended favor, love, mercy to mankind. But why would he do that unless he had a plan from the beginning. Nothing we could have done because of our sinful nature. Romans 3:22-25 (KJV) 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;  As I read this verse's by the apostle Paul it says we are justified by that grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God has set a plan in motion by telling the Prophets of the coming future events. Then many years later Jesus is born and comes to fulfill Gods plan of redemption. Then because the Jewish Nation rejected that plan of God the Apostle Paul brings it to the gentiles (you and me). So what do we do with this simple message; we attach all kind of requirements. It does not matter what we add to the requirements of Salvation; it still is not correct.  Remember what it says in Eph 2:8-9; It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. You can’t pay for a gift it is free! No requirement for salvation but to believe.  Can you imagine?   When we get to heaven we can all debate the merits of our beliefs on how we got to heaven? Come on now, maybe that is why so many Christian Church teach many ways to heaven.  It is the grace thru Jesus Christ that is Gods way of granting his pardon of sin for what Adam did in the Garden.  Now we need to understand that it is the sin nature we need to deal with of which Adam was held accountable for. Now we have received grace and we are free of sin not because someone says so or a Church tells you but because God said it. Jesus went to the cross and died for our sins and it is finished and we are forgiven forever if we believe GOD. Colossians 2:13-14 (KJV) 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the Uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;  How can you turn forgiveness in to un-forgiveness when you do something wrong?  Does Jesus go back up on the cross for that sin? Or do you say “thank you for dying for that sin 2000 years ago. Why do you have to repent every time you do something wrong. Look back at the cross (in time) and say thank you Jesus for what you did. All my sins have been forgiven and forgotten. Only satan will remind you of your faults and want you to repent and put Jesus back on the cross.  Did Jesus Die for our sin's, then we must believe that our have been forgiven, they are gone. We start a new life in Jesus, being filled with Gods present which is “THE HOLY SPIRIT”.  In conclusion, I hope you can see that your salvation is a free gift from God, something he planned for us, and to do nothing except accept the free gift because he already in the past has already paid the price require for sin with his life.  The requirement is very simple; the shed blood from a perfect Lamb of God.  If you have been forgiven at the cross why then do you need to be forgiven ever again? Instead when you have done something wrong thank Jesus for what he did on the cross for you.  We need to be in a state of thankfulness not repentances.   How many times do we put Jesus back on the cross to die for our sins? He rose from the dead and gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the same power that raised Jesus from the ground after he was buried. Don't you want it?