THE first person I brought to the Lord was an AETHEIST.
My first question is: How is a Man saved? We can never be effective in sharing the Gospel if we do not know this TRUTH: Paano nga ba na liligtas ang tao?
Today let us discover what the Bible is saying how a man is saved.
Kagabi natulog ako sa Shalom nanaginip ako. Sa panaginip ko, ang una kong nakita si Doc Mangaoil. So, sa panaginip ko merong hagdan bah from sa lupa hanggang sa langit. Si Doc Mangaoil nakita ko may hawak na chalk. Para maka akyat ka sa langit, binubura mo yung mga kasalanan mo na ginagawa mo sa lupa. So, bawat baitang, bawat step naka sulat iyong mga kasalanan. So, you have to erase it with chalk. Pag inerase niya yung chalk, nakaka hakbang siya, erase-hakbang, erase-hakbang hanggang mawala siya sa ulap.”
Then ang sabi ko: Doc nasa langit ka na ba? “Then sumigaw siya pa baba sabi niya: Pastor Romy nasa langit na ako. Ang ganda-ganda dito kasama ko ang mga anghel.”
Maya-maya nakita ko naman si Pastor Wenzyl may hawak din ng chalk.
Then ang sabi ko: “Pastor Wenzyl nasa langit ka na ba?”
And then later on nakita ko si Pastor Haniel may hawak din siya na chalk.
Binubura din ni Pastor Haniel ang kanyang mga ginawang kasalanan. Bura-akyat, bura-akyat hanggang mawala na rin siya sa ulap si Pastor Haniel.
And then ang sabi ko: “Pastor Haniel are you there in heaven?”
And then Pastor Haniel shouted back: “Pastor Romy? PAHINGI PA NG CHALK!”
Meron bang kaligtasan kung basta na lang tayong mananampalataya na mayroong Dios? Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19)
Is there salvation in any religion? There are 800 religions in the Philippines alone. All religion must end up with the Bible and the Word of God because only the Bible will give us the truth who God is.
It is still not enough to find salvation.
Behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
“35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.”
Many people are reading the Bible, preaching the Bible but that is not enough. Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Always remember that to be Christian is not a CHANGED LIFE. It is a NEW LIFE. The old self must DIE.
Christianity is not about RENOVATED LIFE or REFORMED LIFE but Christianity is a new life that you can find in believing in Christ.
How a man is saved? Romans 10:13-15: “13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Luke 23:38-43 “38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
“Romans 10:14-15 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”
How a Man is SAVED?
• GOSPEL
• PREACH
• HEAR
• BELIEVED
• CALL
• SAVED
But the Bible clearly declares that there is NO POWER available for God to save men EXCEPT the POWER of the GOSPEL.
Romans 1:16 “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
1 Corinthians 15:1 “15 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.”
The Gospel of the Lord is only composed of or constitutes two things: It is about the DEATH and the RESURRECTION of JESUS.
But I have always said, what is the use of being forgiven. What is the use of being justified from sin if after you die you will not live again? Now, to complete salvation, Jesus had to rise from the dead because the Bible says, He is the first born of all resurrected ones, Na buhay si Hesus muli upang masabi sa atin lahat na Siya ang muling pagka buhay. I am the Resurrection and the Life and if you will believe in Me though you will die yet you will live. That completes the salvation.
To know that Jesus died 2,000 years ago is HISTORY. But to know and believe that Jesus died for your sins and my sins is SALVATION. The Gospel is intended for the POOR and not for the EDUCATED.
The will of the Lord on earth is that everyone must come to repentance and be saved. It is the will of the Lord to fill this Church with people who will come to heaven one day.
It is not the will of the Lord that we are here 100 or 200 and hundreds of thousands out there is still perishing.
How can a fireman sit in idle while the houses around him are burning?
The commandment of the Lord for all of us is to GO and I will be WITH YOU, says the Lord.
That to go in all the world you have to go to your relatives, yan lang yan. Classmates, officemate, neighbor, friends, and colleagues. Yan ang world. Sa kanila tayo pumunta. Hindi mo naman kailangan pumunta sa Arab, sa Africa, o sa mga taga-Thailand.
Kay lang, na ni-neglect natin yan. Hindi tayo maka pag share sa kanila. Bakit 95% ng mga Christians today hindi nag si-share ng gospel. Ang number one reason, wala kasi tayong BURDEN, wala tayong CARE for the perishing soul. Hindi natin mararamdaman ang kabigatan na siya ay HINDI MAKARARATING ng langit. We call it APATHY.
Not like Jesus. When he looked at them, He looked at them with COMPASSION. They look at people like SHEEP that has NO SHEPHERD.
And most of us are FEARFUL and SHAMEFUL, and TIMID. Nahihiya tayo. We should be reminded: Sabi ni Jesus, “If you will acknowledge me before men, I will also acknowledge you before my Father in Heaven and if you will DENY me before men, I will also DENY you before my Father who is in heaven.
Paano ba mag Direct Sharing.
1. Starting Conversation from EARTHLY TO HEAVENLY (“Chitchat to GOSPELCHAT.”)
Eh kung minsan, mali ang approach natin kung paano natin i-share ang gospel. Kasi nga hindi tayo na turuan ng Panginoon kung paano.”
Pastor Romy: “Meron akong kaibigan (na pastor).”
Pastor: “Pastor (Romy) ano ba ang problem ko?”
Pastor Romy: “Bakit?,”
Pastor: “sini-share ko yung salvation sa mga firemen (bumbero). Alam mo pastor, ipinag didiinan ko, tinatakot ko na sila, ang sabi ko na pag hindi kayo sumampalataya kay Hesus mapupunta kayo sa apoy ng impyerno.”
Pastor: “Abay, panay ako kwento ng impyerno wala pang conviction. Ano ba ang problema ko pastor?”
Pastor Romy: “Sabi ko, pastor mali man ang approach mo.”
Pastor: “Bakit?”
Pastor Romy: “Aba mga bumbero yun! Hindi yun takot sa apoy! Kaya huwag ka mag si-share ng apoy ng impyerno. Eh, nang lulusob nga ng apoy eh!”
Hindi bah? Wrong approach ba.
Meron na mang isa na babae. Tatalon na siya sa Ilog ng Pasig sa tulay. Nung tatalon na siya, ang sabi niya: “Ayaw ko nang ma-buhay, sawang-sawa na ako sa buhay!!!” Sumisigaw siya.
“Ayaw ko ng ma buhay!!! I am fed up with life!!!I want to die!!! Ayaw ko nang ma buhay!!!”
Eh, nakita man ng pastor. Na daanan, sabi niya: “Sister huwag kang tumalon! Lumapit ka sa Panginoon at bibigyan ka Niya ng BUHAY NA WALANG HANGGAN (Life with no end).”
Tumalon pa rin. Nag pakamatay. Ang sabi ng pastor: “Ano ba ang mali ko?”
Pastor Romy: “Mali ka na naman pastor. Ayaw na ngang ma buhay. Mali man ang approach mo. Hindi ba narinig mo: “Ayaw ko nang ma buhay! Ayaw ko ng ma buhay!” tapos ang sabi mo “bibigyan mo ng BUHAY NA WALANG HANGGAN??!!”
Pastor Romy: “Mag papakamatay nga naman talaga yun!” Yung woman sumasalod ng tubig and He said, “Give me a drink.
So, si Jesus nag simula sa EARTHLY CONVERSATION yung actual na tubig. And later on, Jesus is now offering, ang sabi Niya: “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you , ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you LIVING WATER.
So, when you are taking about TSISMIS i-lead mo rin sa Gospel. Hindi mag hapon panay pa rin ang TSISMIS hindi mo na i-share ang Gospel.
Kung napag usapan ninyo ang sakit, i-lead mo siya kay Jesus who is the Healer. When you are talking about problem, i-lead mo siya kay Jesus who said: ‘Come to Me those who are in labor and heavily laden and I will give you rest.
And my second suggestion is, you must have a STARTING VERSE. And then, Third, you OFFER A PRAYER.
(Matthew 4:18-22 By Pastor Romeo Dela Merced March 8, 2020 Second Sunday of Lent On the occasion of Witnessing and Evangelism Sunday)
