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A series of Bible studies for gaining a foundation for
the Christian life.
CONTENTS
This is designed for you to go through in stages, you will find each
section on the following links:
Look up the verses in bold-face and fill in the blanks where
required.
click on the links to assist you with
scripture search
The New Testament uses the word "saved" nearly 60 times. However,
many people are confused about what it means to be a Christian. The
Bible has all the answers concerning this important subject.
To understand what it means to be saved. Let’s consider it in the
following way:
WHY DO WE NEED TO BE SAVED?
A person will never be saved until they first see their great need to
be saved. Regardless of how we feel about ourselves, we must see
ourselves as God sees us.
The Bible declares plainly in
Romans 3:23 that
 have sinned. That includes everyone no matter how religious or
good we try to act.
To live without sin is to be righteous. According to
Romans 3:10, how many are righteous?
.
Because God is holy, sin is very offensive to Him. As
the "Judge of all the earth," God must punish sin. The following verses
tell us how sin is punished:
Romans 6:23 tells that the wages of sin is
. Basically, death is separation. When our body dies, our soul is
separated from it. But this death includes more than just the death of
the body.
Revelation 20:14 tells us that the lake of fire is the
death.
Condemned because of sin, man was without hope. Many
hope that their good deeds will somehow balance out their bad ones,
however, in
Titus 3:5 we are told that we cannot be saved by our
but our only hope is in the mercy of God
see
(Luke 18:10-14).
GOD’S SOLUTION TO MAN’S PROBLEM
Thankfully, the Bible assures us that God loved us "while we were yet
sinners"
(Romans 5:8). In this same verse, we see that in order
to show his love, Christ
for us.
Christ died to pay for our sins. He paid the debt that we should pay
in Hell. Because the price for our sins is completely paid for, God
offers us the gift of
through Christ
(Romans
6:23).
A gift is free and must be accepted as such. We cannot try to pay for
something that has already been fully purchased.
WHAT A PERSON MUST DO?
We are not automatically saved just because He died for our sins. God
freely offers us salvation, but we must receive it on His terms.
In
Luke 13:3, Jesus warned that unless we
, we shall
perish. A genuine realisation of our sinfulness should cause us to
sincerely turn from our sin to God.
But merely being sorry for our sin alone cannot save us.
Acts
16:31 tells us that if we
on the Lord Jesus Christ, we
shall be saved. Believing about Jesus is not enough. In
John
1:12, we are told that we must
Him in order to become
the sons of God.
Then, claiming salvation according to
Romans 10:13, by
on the name of the Lord.
When we have done this from our heart, according to
I John 5:13
we can
we have eternal life.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I RECEIVED CHRIST?
Many things happen the moment we receive Christ. We do not
necessarily feel these things, but we accept them by faith. The
most important things that happened are:
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1. We receive the
of sins
(Ephesians 1:7).
This includes all past, present and future sins.
2.
I Corinthians 6:19 says our body becomes the
of
the Holy Spirit who lives in our hearts forever.
3. We become the sons of God
(John 1:12).
4. Heaven becomes our home upon death
(I Peter 1:4).
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CAN I LOSE MY SALVATION?
It is a wonderful thing to know that we are saved, but is it possible
to loose it? In
John 10:28, Jesus promised us that if we have
eternal life we shall
perish. The very world "eternal" reminds
us that the life we have will never end.
We don’t deserve Heaven, but God assures us in
Ephesians 1:13
that we have been
with the Holy Spirit. Remember, salvation
is a gift which we did nothing to earn
(Eph 2:8-9). A gift taken back by
the giver is no gift at all. Since we have done nothing to merit
salvation, how could we do anything to lose it?
Some Words to Know
Reading Assignment
Begin reading the gospel of John every day. As little as a chapter to
begin with, but make it a habit. Ask your pastor about anything you
don’t understand. Memorise
John 1:12.
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STEPS TO CHRISTIAN GROWTH
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Read
John 3:1-7. Here, Jesus told
Nicodemus that he needed to be
. This is
another term for becoming a Christian.
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Once we are "born" into God’s family, the most important thing is to
grow as a Christian. We must mot neglect the following things if we are
to grow in the Christian life.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BIBLE
Look up
I Peter 2:2. A new Christian is likened unto a newborn
baby. In this verse, we are to desire the milk of the
that we
may
thereby.
What is the Word?
.
The Bible contains sixty-six books. It was written by forty different
authors over a period 1600 years. There is, however, more to the Bible
than just the writings of good men:
Read
2 Timothy 3:16. The Bible was given by
of God. Therefore, it is God’s Word and not merely the words of men.
2 Peter 1:21 explains that the Bible was written by men of God
who were
by the Holy Ghost.
Jesus told the people of His day to "search the scriptures"
(John
5:39). The Word of God is our spiritual food that makes us strong.
1. Immediately start making reading your Bible a DAILY habit.
Start with the gospel of John.
2. Attend church every week. Make sure the church teaches and
preaches the Bible.
The Bible is God’s instruction manual for life! Always read the
manual!
DEALING WITH SIN
Just because we are saved, doesn’t mean that we never sin. As
Christians, our sin will never send us to Hell, but it will cause
problems if we do not deal with it God’s way.
Look up
I John 1:9. If we sin, what is the one
thing we are to do about it?
it to God.
The following verse
(Hebrew 12:6) also teaches us
something about sin:
"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth
(disciplines), and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."
We must realise that sin will bring us grief here on earth. Just as
an earthly father needs to discipline his child, so does our Heavenly
Father. God will bring trial and trouble into our life to teach us to
obey Him.
2 Timothy 2:22 tells us to
youthful lusts. Much sin can
be avoided by not being in a place where we are tempted to sin.
Psalm 66:18, also tells us that our prayer life is hindered if we
hold on to sin in our hearts:
The Bible warns us many times about keeping bad company. A Christian
should walk with those who seek to obey the Lord and should shun
companions that walk a different path
Pro 13:20,
Psalm 1:1.
Some other words for sin in the Bible:
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Iniquity
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Transgression
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Unrighteousness
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Lawlessness
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There is a great need today for people to go back to the Bible to
find out God’s will in this important area. We must obey the Bible and
not simply follow the traditions of men.
WHO SHOULD BE BAPTIZED?
In
Acts 8:36-37, one man asked Philip the
evangelist, "What doth hinder me to be baptized?" Philip gave him the
condition for baptism: Those who are to be baptised must first
with all their
.
Acts 8:12. They first
Philip
preaching then they were
.
Acts 16:30-33. The apostles told the jailor to
on the Lord Jesus Christ and he would be
. The
same night he was
Acts 18:8. The Corinthians hearing
and were
.
The Bible makes it abundantly clear that faith in Christ must
precede baptism. The Bible never once commands us to baptize infants.
WHAT IS THE METHOD OF BAPTISM?
The word "baptize" means to immerse
(completely cover).
In
John 3:23. John the Baptist baptised in
Aenon because he needed
to baptize.
Jesus was baptised in the river
.
Matthew 3:13
In
Acts 8:38-39. The Ethiopian believer went into the water and then came
of the water.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF BAPTISM?
Baptism in water symbolises a spiritual truth. It is important to
consider what baptism pictures:
Spiritual baptism pictures our identification with
Jesus Christ in His death, burial and resurrection
(Rom. 6:3-4).
Water baptism is the outward display of that same truth.
When you get saved, nobody can see any outward evidence of that. Baptism
is a public testimony to your faith in Christ.
HOW IMPORTANT IS BAPTISM?
It is not essential for salvation. You are
saved by faith and not works
(Ephesians 2:8-9). Baptism always took
place after salvation.
It is essential in order to be obedient to the
Lord. In
Acts 10:48 the apostles
them to be
baptized in the name of the Lord.
Matthew 28:19-20. Jesus Christ commanded his
disciples to teach all nations,
them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
If we
Him, we will keep his commandments.
John 14:15
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER BAPTISM?
Acts 2:41. After they received his word, they
were
and then
to the group of believers.
Acts 2:47. Those who were saved were added to the
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MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CHURCH
Sometimes when people are asked about going
to church we hear replies such as...
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You don’t have to go to church to go to heaven.
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I can go out in my backyard and see God all around me.
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I can pray and worship God just as good when I am fishing.
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Churches are full of hypocrites.
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As soon as I find a church I like, I will join it.
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All churches are the same, it doesn’t matter where you go.
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Some of these statements have some truth to them, but they all lead
to wrong conclusions about the church. In order to properly understand
about church, we need to see what the Bible says.
WHO STARTED THE CHURCH?
Look up
Matthew 16:18, the Lord Jesus said "I will
build
. Many view the church as a human
institution and therefore minimise its importance. However, Jesus
promised that He would establish the New Testament church, Himself being
the rock and the head of the church.
A church is not the building (as many wrongly assume), but the people
that meet in the building. When a church meets together it becomes the
"house of God"
(I Timothy 3:15).
IS IT NECESSARY TO GO TO CHURCH?
Look up
Hebrews 10:25. God tells us that we
are not to forsake the
of ourselves together.
Look up
Acts 2:47. The Lord added to the
those who were
.
God knows our weakness as individuals and therefore
Christians to meet together to encourage one another.
WHAT IS CHURCH FOR?
Church is a place to go learn the Bible (doctrine) and how to live
the Christian life. God has placed the pastor and teachers within the
local church to teach and preach the Word of God so that we can grow.
Church is a place to meet with other Christians
(fellowship). Just as a football team must work together as one, so
must Christians.
Church is a place where we can meet together to pray. We
need God’s help in every area of our lives and prayer moves the hand
of God to work in our lives.
AREN’T ALL CHURCHES THE SAME?
Some people think that it is not important what church you go to as
long as you go. While it is important to go to church, it is also
critically important what type of church you go to.
Put in very simple terms, a church must follow the teachings of the
New Testament in order to be a real New Testament church. Following are
some points to consider about a church:
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DOES IT PREACH SALVATION BY FAITH ALONE?
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You can not over-emphasise this point. Look up
Galatians 1:9.
Any church that teaches any another gospel, the Bible teaches let him
be
.
-
Sometimes people go to a church for many years and are never shown
how to receive Christ as their Saviour. After they get saved, the
sometimes decide to go back to that church. There is something
seriously wrong with a church that is not repeatedly challenging
people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
DOES IT FOLLOW THE BIBLE METHOD OF BAPTISM?
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Does the church baptize infants? If so, then it is not following
the Biblical method.
-
Does the church baptize by immersion (not sprinkling)? This is the
only method found in the Bible.
DOES IT USE THE KING JAMES BIBLE?
-
There are many modern corrupt versions of the Bible on the market
today. These are not simply "easier to read" but actually leave
hundreds of words and verses out of the Bible. Much truth has been
watered down in an attempt to make money.
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Look up the following verses in a modern version and see what they
say:
Matthew 17:21,
18:11,
23:14;
Mark 9:44 &
Acts 8:37.
IS THE BIBLE THE ONLY SOURCE OF AUTHORITY?
-
In
Mark 7:8, Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of his day
for laying aside the
of God so they could hold
on to the
of men.
-
Does the church follow the traditions of men or does it follow the
plain literal teachings of the Bible.
IS IT INDEPENDENT?
-
There is no such thing as a denomination found in the Bible.
Denominations are man-made institutions which steal the independence
and authority from the local church which Christ intended for it to
have.
-
Look up
Ephesians 5:23. Christ is the
of the
church. He has placed the pastor responsible for the practical
leadership
(Hebrews 13:17). Under no circumstances should a church be
governed or controlled from some man-made hierarchy.
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BIBLE PRINCIPLES ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN & CHURCH
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After you have received Christ, you should be baptized by
immersion and become a member of a Bible-believing church
(Acts 2:41).
-
Make new friends of people in the church who can encourage and
help you in the Christian walk.
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Attend faithfully and make it the most important event of the week
(Heb 10:25). Don’t let anything keep you from being in God’s house
every week.
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Get involved. Ask your pastor if there is anything you can do to
help. A Christian’s desire should be to serve the Lord, not to be
served.
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Invite friends and loved ones that need to hear the gospel. Jesus
said, "Compel them to come in"
(Luke 14:23).
THE PASTOR
Although Christ is the head of the church, He is not here in person
to be in charge of the affairs. For that reason, He has appointed men to
hold the position called the pastor.
Pastor means shepherd which describes his role
to feed and guide the flock (local church). Remember, the pastor is
there to help you. Call him when you need advice or help in any way.
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Jesus’ disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray." Prayer must become a
regular part of a Christian’s life. Prayer is an important part of our
relationship with God.
WHAT IS PRAYER?
Prayer is talking to God. God speaks to us through
the Bible, we speak to God through prayer.
Look up
Matthew 6:7. Prayer is not vain
.
We pray from the heart. We should not repeat written or memorised
prayers. The Lord Jesus gave what is known as ‘the Lord’s Prayer’ as a
model prayer, not to be said repeatedly!
TO WHOM SHOULD WE PRAY?
We should ask the
in Jesus’ name.
John
16:23
We call upon the name of
.
I
Corinth. 1:2
We must never address anyone other than God in
prayer. Praying to "saints," statues or Mary is idolatry.
HOW SHOULD WE PRAY?
God is our Father and we have the great privilege of being able to
come into His presence through prayer. There is no special formula for
how to pray, but the following acrostic is a helpful way of reminding us
the elements that we should include in prayer:
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A doration or praise
(Psalm 150:1-6). This is
when we think of all the wonderful attributes of God & we express our
love to Him.
C onfession
(Proverbs 28:13). That is admitting
our sins specifically and claiming his forgiveness.
T hanksgiving
(I Thess 5:18). Thanking Him for
the good and even the bad things that He allows into our life to mould
us.
S upplication (asking). Lastly, we should ask God to meet the
needs of our life. We can ask for the following:
James 1:5
I Timothy 2:1, 4
Philippians 4:6
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Also, pray for your family, your pastor, the sick,
and for guidance.
WHEN SHOULD WE PRAY?
The wonderful thing about prayer is that it can be
done at anytime in any place. We should set some special times aside for
prayer, but we can also pray when we are doing other things.
In
Psalms 5:3, we are reminded that the
is a good time to pray. We can start the day well putting God
first and asking for help in the coming day.
WHY DOESN’T GOD ALWAYS ANSWER PRAYER?
God promises to answer our prayers, but there are certain conditions
when God will not answer prayer:
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The Past – Major Points of Bible History
God created the world and all things including mankind
(Genesis
1:1).
Man sinned and became spiritually separated from God.
The population grew and became increasingly violent and wicked.
God warned of a coming flood and warned the world to repent through
the preaching of Noah. No-one but Noah’s own family responded to God’s
warning so He destroyed the world with a flood.
God told Abraham to separate from his land and family and promised
to establish a special nation through his descendants
(Genesis 12:1).
The nation of Israel was born and God used this nation as the channel
of truth to the world. The remainder of the Old Testament deals with
the Israelites.
Throughout the Old Testament God promised to send a Messiah to
save the nation of Israel and be a light to the Gentiles. He pictured
the sacrifice of the coming Messiah in the sacrifices that Israel
offered in the temple.
When Jesus Christ came to earth, His own nation rejected Him and
ordered Him to be crucified. They were expecting Him to establish His
kingdom, not understanding that He must first suffer for the sins of
the world.
After His resurrection, and through the preaching of His
disciples, Christ was again presented to Israel but they continued to
reject Him, so God turned to the Gentiles and added them to the New
Testament church which would become His new vehicle of truth to the
world.
The Present – God’s Plan For This Age
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God plan is now carried out through local New Testament churches
that are governed by the written Word of God. The gospel is to be
preached all over the world, those who believe are to be baptised and
added to the church (Mark 16:15,
Matthew 28:19-20).
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God has called the church to be separated from the world
(2
Corinthians 6:14,17) and to live holy lives with the apostle Paul
as our example
(1 Corinthians 11:1)
and his writings as our source of
church doctrine
(Romans 11:13).
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The devil is operating as the "god of this world." Our world and
society is under the dominion of Satan – we are to be the light of the
world amidst the darkness.
The Future – What Will Happen Next
Just as the past has been characterised by ages or periods, so also
will the future. There still remain dispensations in which God deals
with both the nation Israel and church saints in unique ways.
A. THE RAPTURE OR CATCHING AWAY
-
Read I Thessalonians 4:13-18.
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Hope for Christians who have died – "asleep" (v.13) – to have
their bodies raised and be with the Lord.
-
At this time Christ returns not to the world, but to the air to
gather His children to meet Him.
-
The Christians who are alive when He comes will be "caught up" or
raptured and will receive new incorruptible bodies:
1 Corinthians 15:52, "In a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the
dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
B. THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST
-
Read
I Corinthians 3:11-15.
-
Every Christian will stand before Jesus Christ to give account of
his or her life.
-
It will not be a judgment for punishment of sin, as this was
already dealt with by Jesus Christ on the cross.
-
 We will be rewarded for our service
to Christ while here on earth. For this reason we must not live for
earthly gain, but for eternity as Jesus commanded us in Matthew
6:19-20:
Jesus said, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures
upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break
through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not
break through nor steal."
C. THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
After Christians are taken from the earth, this world will experience
a period characterised by unparalleled catastrophic and cataclysmic
events never before seen. God has been withholding His judgment from
this ungodly world, but His day of vengeance is coming. Huge proportions
of the world’s population will be killed during this time.
-
It will last for 7 years.
-
It is primarily a Jewish chastisement. It is called the time of
"Jacob’s trouble"
(Jeremiah 30:7).
-
It is also a time that the world will be punished.
Isaiah 13:11,
"And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for
their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to
cease..."
-
It is a time of God’s wrath (anger). "For the great day of his
wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
(Rev. 6:17).
-
It will be proceeded by talk of
and
and will
come unexpectedly
(I Thessalonians 5:2-3).
-
Christians are not appointed to this judgment
(I Thessalonians
5:9). There are no warnings to Christians in the church
epistles about the tribulation period.
-
Israel will turn to Christ and God will once again use them as His
messengers to the world.
-
This period will end with the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST to the
earth
(Revelation 1:7).
D. THE JUDGMENT OF NATIONS
-
Read
Matthew 25:31-34, 41.
-
A judgment of nations – not individuals.
-
For determining who will enter the Kingdom (millennium).
-
Treatment of Israel by the nations is the chief concern.
-
The righteous will inherit the kingdom and the wicked are cast
into hell.
E. THE KINGDOM AGE (MILLENNIUM)
This time is the great hope of the nation Israel. It is a day when
the Lord Jesus Christ will reign as King from Jerusalem over the whole
world. It will be the only time when this world will know world peace.
The kingdom was offered to Israel by Christ and John the Baptist:
"In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in
the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:1-2).
However Israel rejected Christ as their King and the kingdom was
postponed. The church age then began.
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"And he shall judge among the nations, and
shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not
lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any
more."
(Isaiah 2:4).
-
Resurrected saints will reign with Christ
(Revelation 20:6).
-
Satan will be bound – no influence
(Revelation 20:3).
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F. THE FINAL JUDGEMENT
-
After the kingdom age, the devil is loosed for a season and
gathers some nations into one final revolt against God. He is defeated
and is finally and eternally cast into the lake of fire
(Revelation
20:7-10).
-
All the unsaved of the ages will stand before the Great White
Throne judgment
(Revelation 20:11-15). This is the final
judgment for all lost people.
-
The Book of Life is opened and all not found are judged.
-
Other "books" which have recorded the deeds of every man and woman
are used to judge. Punishment is allocated according to their works.
OUR RESPONSE
In
Matthew 24:44, Jesus warned His hearers to be
for
His coming. We should give our lives to serving the Lord. Time will pass
and material possessions will fail, but our service to Christ is an
investment that will last throughout eternity.
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"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast,
unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye
know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor 15:58).
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The last command the Lord Jesus gave before going to heaven was to:
We must be telling others about how to be saved and their need to be
born-again.
Only one life, t’will soon be past
Only what’s done for Christ will last
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The Bible commands us to be "doers of the word, and not hearers only"
(James 1:22). Therefore, it is important that we apply and obey what we
have learned. The following checklist summarises our response to the
things that we have covered in these Bible studies:
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Please tick as applicable --- |
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| I have received Christ as
my Saviour. |
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Date: _______________ |
| I am regularly reading my
Bible. |
r |
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| I have been baptised by
immersion since I have been saved. |
r |
Date: _______________ |
| I am a member of a
Bible-believing church. |
r |
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| I am praying regularly. |
r |
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| I have started telling
others about Christ and salvation. |
r |
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| I am trying to live so as
to be ready when Christ returns for His own. |
r |
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"Blessed are they that hear the
word of God, and keep it."
(Luke 11:28)
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