A SPECIAL INVITATION TO EVERYONE

"And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst, come. And Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely"
(Revelation 22:17)

Here at Calvary Chapel, we are always thrilled to have new people come to our services and events. It is our great joy to meet and serve others in whatever way the LORD will allow us to. As wonderful as it is to meet and minister to new people, though, this is not our greatest desire or goal.

Our Greatest Desire

Our greatest desire, privilege and joy is to introduce all who come our way to our great Savior, the LORD Jesus Christ. God's Word makes it very clear that unless every individual has a personal relationship to Him through Jesus Christ, and Him alone, they have no part in Him or His kingdom. Friends, this is a vital truth which everyone must know and understand. The Bible makes it absolutely certain that unless every individual has this relationship with the LORD himself, they will never be allowed to enjoy the glory and joy of eternal life with the LORD forever in that wonderful place known as heaven. But will instead be eternally condemned to the misery, torment, sorrow and suffering of a real, literal place known as Hell. (Revelation 20:11 - 15).

Revelation 20:11 - 15
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

My friends, this is not an easy message to bring to others, or to receive, but it is the truth nonetheless.

The
Good News

The Good News is that God makes it very clear in His Word that it is not His desire that any person come to this horrible end - Hell. But that they can be saved from the penalty of sin by simply trusting that He has provided a way for all to escape this condemnation.
(John 3:16)

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

His special invitation to forgiveness, eternal life and a personal relationship with Him is extended to all through the gospel message. However, it must be understood and acted upon by each of us as an individual. God's invitation to eternal life requires an RSVP! We encourage you to read over the following explanation of the Gospel, and to respond by calling upon the name of the LORD Jesus Christ for salvation and forgiveness!

The Gospel Message

The gospel message is very simple my friends. All it requires is a child-like trust, believing that God as a loving Father will keep the promise He makes in His Word. But we must believe that His Word, the Bible, is the one source of absolute Truth from God, and accept what it says about every one of us with regard to our condition before we can truly know His forgiveness.

God makes it very clear that every person is born into this world in a state of separation from Him. This separation occurred when the first human being God created, Adam, chose to rebel against God and was from that moment separated from the spiritual life of God, and became spiritually dead. Since that time, every person born has been separated from the spiritual life of God, and enters this world having only a body and a soul, devoid of the Spirit of God.

In this condition, we are separated from God's very life and presence, and are by our very human nature, sinners, deserving the condemnation and wrath of God against sin.
(Romans 3:10-12; Romans 3:23)

Romans 3:10-12; Romans 3:23
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

Friends, this is the bad news, for it tells us something we do not really want to hear about ourselves, but it is nevertheless the truth. And we must accept that truth if we are to find the solution to this terrible problem.

If you went to a doctor, and he found that you had cancer, would you want him not to tell you, fearing that you might not accept him or like him because of his diagnosis? If so that disease would eventually overtake your body and kill you. No, you would have to accept the bad news as reality and allow him to treat you as quickly as possible. My friend, God declares that all are born with this "spiritual cancer" known as sin, which has left everyone in a state of spiritual death, and will ultimately lead to the horrible second death of Hell!
(Romans 6:23); (Ephesians 2:1-3)

Romans 6:23;Ephesians 2:1-3
Romans 6
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ephesians 2
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

The Good News is that God is the greatest Doctor of all, and has provided the cure for this "spiritual cancer" through the gospel. He offers this wonderful cure to everyone who will accept His assessment of their condition, as well as His remedy, found only in the LORD Jesus Christ.

In desperate need of a Savior

At this point, my friend, it is important that you, as an individual would take time to seriously consider whether or not you are willing to accept God's assessment of your true condition. If you will not agree with God's Word, which very plainly declares to us that our first and foremost problem is that we are all sinners, in desperate need of a Savior, you will never get any farther along in a true understanding of God or His plan for your life. Every one of us must humbly confess to the LORD himself that we agree with His Word, when it reveals to us that we must repent or be willing to turn away from the very sins which have separated us from the LORD (Isaiah 59:1-2); (II Peter 3:9)

Isaiah 59:1-2; II Peter 3:9
Isaiah 59
1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
II Peter 3
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Friend, are you willing to believe and confess to God that you know that you are a sinner and deserve His judgment? If so, then read this next passage carefully:
(I Timothy 1:15)

I Timothy 1:15
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

God has provided a way - Jesus Christ

What a wonderful relief it is to know that God has already provided a way for each of us to be saved from the consequences of our sin. It is because of the work that Jesus Christ accom-plished on the cross! That truth is made very clear to us in the following portion of God's Word:
(I Corinthians 15:3-4)

I Corinthians 15:3-4
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how 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:

Here God has very simply declared that we must believe that it was Jesus Christ who died to pay the penalty for each of our sins. He did not deserve to die for His own sin, because He, being God in a human body, is the only one ever born into this world who never sinned. Hence He was never separated from the Spiritual life of God and was never under the condemnation of Adam's sin.
(II Corinthians 5:21)

II Corinthians 5:21
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

As the pure, virgin-born Son of God, He was the only one qualified to pay the price for our sin by shedding His blood on the cross. When He was first introduced to the world by John the Baptist, this is how John described Him:
(John 1:29)

John 1:29
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Later in His life, Jesus, speaking to His friends, said: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
(John 14:6)

John 14:6
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.

In the book of Acts, Peter declares the same Truth:
(Acts 4:12)

Acts 4:12
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

My friend, God's cure for the "spiritual cancer" of sin is Jesus' death on the cross. This is how God first and foremost reveals to us that He loves us!
(Romans 5:8)

Romans 5:8
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Are you willing to humbly believe this truth and accept Jesus' death and shed blood as the only way to be saved? If so then out of a true and trusting heart, cry out to God and tell Him that you believe Christ died on the cross for your sins.

This is the "gospel truth" we must all believe with all our hearts. But there is another truth that is just as wonderful to understand. Not only did Christ die for our sins, but He rose again from the dead on the third day after He died. This is the most glorious fact in all history! Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and will never die again!
(Revelation 1:18)

Revelation 1:18
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Many have tried to disprove this fact, only to find it is impossible to disprove. That is because it is absolutely true. And because Christ is risen from the dead, we can have hope that goes beyond the grave as well, for God's Word makes it very clear that all who believe that Christ died and rose again will also be raised from the dead by this same power of God.
(Romans 8:11)

Romans 8:11
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

An invitation to be saved

Friend, have you believed this glorious truth with a sincere heart? If so, then follow the instructions given in God's Word
(Romans 10:9)

Romans 10:9
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

With repentance of your sin, confess that you believe that Jesus died on the cross and shed His precious blood for your sins. Ask the LORD to forgive your sins, and believe with all your heart that He has been raised from the dead! If, out of a sincere heart you have cried out to the LORD confessing your true faith in these truths, read what God's Word says has happened in your life:
(Romans 10:13)

Romans 10:13
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

You should at this very moment sense that God has come into your life through a wonderful sense of His presence and peace! I pray that it is so! If this has been your genuine experience from reading this invitation to be saved, we, along with all the angels in heaven rejoice with you and welcome you to God's wonderful family!

We encourage you to contact us and let us know that you have experienced this glorious event, and allow us to help you to grow in your newly found life.

God Bless.

Our Greatest Desire

The Good News

The Gospel Message

© 2003 Calvary Chapel of Western Massachusetts, Inc. All rights reserved

The
Good News