ACH Study Groups
Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders
7659 Gingerblossom Drive
Citrus Heights, CA 95621
916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com
www.ACHStudyGroups.com
May 13, 2019
This is a letter to our friends –
There are no Baptists in Heaven
There are no Baptists in Heaven, nor are there any Methodists, Presbyterians, or Roman Catholics. The denominational label will either fall off or burn off! Christ did not come to save groups of believers. He came to save individual believers.
“[I]f thou shalt confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, Whosoever believes in him shall not be ashamed.” [Romans 10:9-11]
Fellowship with fellow believers is important. It helps you learn and grow closer to the Lord, – but – your life adventure here and throughout eternity does not depend upon a group membership, or something your dear grandmother taught you!
You must come to grips with the fact that there is a creator God (intelligent design), and that He is doing everything He can to help you learn to love Him and to love others! No one can think that through for you. Once you understand that, you must confess your sorry state of selfishness and pride and submit your will to His.
No – He is not likely to send you off to Africa! Rather, He will open the doorway to an adventure that will surprise and thrill you. A fulfilling and exciting adventure that never ends!
This creative God, to whom you have submitted, never stops creating. Your pathway may be different than another’s. Human nature tempts us to say, “Because theirs is different than what God has shown me, theirs must be wrong.” Be careful not to put your suit on the other guy and criticize him because it wrinkles!
Once your personal relationship is established and settled, please don’t miss out on the excitement. Dig down into what you can learn and experience with Him. Learn to laugh, love teach, pray, dream, prophesy, speak in other tongues, serve, heal, …, …, … . As long as your heart is truly right with Him (and only you can know that!), you can trust His guidance.
This December, Fran and I will have been married 66 years. Or marriage has been a “threesome”, Fran, Christ, and me. As we have each grown closer to Christ, we have grown closer to one another!
I have taken Proverbs 16:3 as my life verse: “Commit your works unto the Lord, and your thoughts shall be established.” I have learned to trust that – and – it works!!!
These columns are archived since 12/10/09
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