HEAVEN'S DOOR

HEAVEN'S DOOR : SUPPOSE: By Tim Black HEAVEN'S DOOR

"SUPPOSE"

By Tim Black

Suppose a child
Came down to earth,
From Heaven above
Thru a virgin birth.

Suppose it happened
Like a prophet said,
Even tho' the prophet,
Was long before dead.

And, suppose this child,
Lived a sinless life,
Without riches or fame,
Or, even a wife.

Let's say they killed Him
For no good reason,
On a foretold day,
Of a certain season.

Let's go all out then,
And say He rose from the dead,
No longer the tail,
But now the Head.

Who would you say He was?
Someone rich or poor?
His Name, my friend, is Jesus,
And He's now called Heaven's Door.

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After life, then what? For the body, a hole in the ground. A grave. But man is more than flesh and bone. We are first and foremost, spirit and soul. You see, man is a three-part being: spirit, soul and body. In Genesis, Chapter 2, verse 7 it says,

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul."

The "dust of the ground" formed the body. God's breath of life gave the body a spirit and "man became a living soul". First Thessalonians, Chapter 5, verse 23 says,

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

The body dies but your spirit and soul are eternal. Your soul is that part of you that does the thinking and reasoning. It is the "intellect", or mind, of every individual.

The spirit is the part of you that communicates, or doesn't communicate, with God, Who is also a Spirit (John 4:24). These two entities, spirit and soul are eternal and what we do with them while we are alive on earth is the determining factor of WHERE they will spend eternity. Whether in Heaven or in Hell.

The soul, or intellect is more prone to pleasing the flesh (body) than it is to the spirit so the soul must be changed in order to have a relationship with God. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, Chapter 12, verse 1 says,

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God. that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Our mind, or soul must be renewed to truly know God. The beginning of the "renewal" of our mind is when we come to the point in life that we admit to the Lord that only He can save us from eternal damnation in the fires of Hell. Admission to Him also includes confession of sins and forgiveness. This procedure is commonly referred to as being "Born-Again" because it is our spirit (the one communicating with God) that is being "re-born".

From that point on it is a gradual process of our minds, or souls, also being renewed. This is called, "sanctification" which means a gradual separation from the ways of the world and becoming closer in our relationship with God.

What becomes of our body after death? It wastes away in the grave. In other words, it returns to the dust from which it was created. But it doesn't end there! You see, we are still a 3 part being of SPIRIT, SOUL and BODY. When we become "Born-Again" our spirit and soul are going to Heaven but the body must also be "renewed". That will come one day soon for every Christian, even for those who have passed away. Their spirit and souls are now with the Lord in Heaven but their bodies are still in the grave. When Jesus returns to earth it will be to "catch-up" (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17 - also known as the "Rapture" which means to be caught up) all of His Believers, the dead first who will rise from their graves, then those which are alive. (Again, see 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18) They will all be "caught-up" into Heaven in a new and glorified body! One that will never know corruption again but will be with our Lord for all of eternity. Hallelujah!

So, you see, the Door, or entry, into Heaven is only a heartbeat away from anyone at anytime. It is closed but never locked and you don't have to pay to enter. God has paid the price through His Son and now the latch, or handle to the door to Heaven is in a Name:

"J - E - S - U - S ".

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WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

What makes the difference between Christianity and all other religions? It's an empty tomb! Jesus Christ walked away from His tomb 3 days after being cruelly beaten and nailed to a cross where He died. THINK OF IT! The Creator of all things, YOUR Maker, came to earth as One of us for one purpose . . . to die for you and me. Not because we deserved it. Not because of anything we have done or are going to do. But because of Who He is! A loving, merciful and forgiving God. His blood was poured out in order for you to live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven. And all we can do is return our love and serve Him by telling others what an awesome God He really is. What a small price we pay for eternal happiness! What a price He paid that you may claim it!

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THE PROMISE

(The small numbers in parentheses refer to Scripture references which are given at the end)

In the beginning of the world, no . . . even before the world began, God, the Creator of all things, made a Promise concerning you. (1) How can that be? It was because He can see far into time and space and knows all things. (2). . . . He even saw you reading this.

God made you because He loves you and wants you to live with Him forever. He wants you to know Him(3) and to feel His love for you, not because of what you have done or are going to do, but because of Who He is. (4) He is a loving and a merciful God. Everyone has done things which He doesn't like but He is willing to forgive us. (5) Long ago He looked down into time and saw you in your worst way. He saw all the ugly things you have done. He heard all of the bad things you have said and knows all of your wicked thoughts (6) but loved you anyway. He loves you so much that He would even die for you. In fact, He did just that. He died for you but He didn't stay dead because He conquered death in His love for you. (7)

His Promise, made so many years ago, was to save you from punishment in the eternal fires of Hell. That is, if you want to. He doesn't force you, or anyone else, to accept His gift of eternal life and happiness. (8) That's a decision, a choice we all have to make. But, does it seem reasonable to turn down Heaven for Hell? Eternal life and happiness for eternal death and suffering?

One day, long ago, God kept His Promise and sent His Son, Jesus, to earth. (10) Jesus is THE Promise. (11) The Name "Jesus" means "Jehovah (or God) is salvation (12) and salvation is the one thing that all men, women, and children need to live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven. (13) Jesus, God's only Son, became a Man and died a cruel death so that you could come to this point in your life. (14) To a point for you to decide if you want to spend eternity with Someone Who loved you so much.

Do you want this eternal life? Would you choose it over death and Hell? If so, say this prayer OUT LOUD to God. The reason for saying it out loud is to let the Devil (God's enemy) know that you are making the decision and that he no longer has control over your life. (15)

The Prayer:

"Dear God in Heaven. I am a sinner, now and always have been but, I want to live with you forever. I accept Your Promise (Jesus) and what He has done for me. He shed His Blood and died. He was buried in a grave. And He rose from the dead. He has gone to Heaven where He waits for me. Please forgive my sins. Come into my life, my heart, my whole being and help me live like you would want me to live. Thank You. Amen"

Now that you have said that prayer, and meant it in your heart, YOU ARE SAVED AND GOING TO HEAVEN but, this is only the beginning. You see, Jesus was THE Promise but, before He left earth to go to Heaven, He made another Promise to His followers. (16)

He told His followers that He was going to leave them but He wouldn't leave them without help. In fact, He said He would send another a "Helper" to them. (17) The Helper would be with them until Jesus came back to earth. The Helper's Name is the "Holy Spirit". It was the Spirit of God. You see, Jesus has a physical Body and is now in Heaven. One body cannot live inside another body so, Jesus sent His Spirit, the Holy Spirit to live inside the ones who believe in Him. (18) The Holy Spirit is our guide through life. Now, when we are tempted to sin the Holy Spirit helps us to change our mind. He will guide you through life and be your protector in trouble. (19)

When Jesus left this earth to go to Heaven, He told His followers to wait in a city called, Jerusalem. (20) After Jesus did all that He had to do in Heaven, the time was right.(21) Then Jesus sent the Holy Spirit back to earth to "baptize" His followers in "fire". (22) This "baptism" was to give the followers power and boldness so they could tell others about Jesus. (23) Jesus also told them that they would do the same wonderful things that He had done, and even greater things! (24)
While Jesus was here He healed many people from their sickness and diseases. He freed people from the bondage of the Devil and evil spirits that had lived inside them. (24) Until Jesus came there was no power on earth strong enough to do these things. Jesus had the power and authority to do them.(25) Then, He sent the Holy Spirit to His followers with the same power.(26)

Now you can have power and authority over the Devil, sickness, disease and evil spirits by asking Jesus for it (27) If you have prayed the prayer to ask Jesus for forgiveness for your sins and to come into your heart and live, you can also ask Him to "baptize", or totally "immerse" you in this great power of the Holy Spirit. Say this prayer: (28)

Dear Jesus, I have already asked you to forgive my sins and come into my heart and You have done that. Thank You. Now, dear Jesus, I know that I am given the authority over the works of the Devil but I need the Power of the Holy Spirit to do the works that You did. Please Jesus, baptize me in the Power of the Holy Spirit now and I will be a witness for You wherever I go. Amen"

Now just lift your hands up to Jesus and begin to tell Him how much you love Him for what He has done for you. Give Him praise and honor for giving His life on the Cross for you, not because of who you are or what you have done or going to do but because of Who He is. A loving, caring, and personal Saviour. When praising Him, don't be alarmed if you begin to speak a language which you don't understand as that is an indication that you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Now, go and tell others about THE PROMISE (JESUS) and His love, His forgiveness, and His salvation. Tell them about the Power of the Holy Spirit. Lay your hands on the sick and rebuke sickness by saying:

"In the Name of Jesus, I bind this evil spirit of sickness and cast it out of this body. Father God, in Jesus' Name, loose Your healing power and heal this person. Amen"

Remember, you have the authority over the Devil and all his works when you ask anything in the Name of Jesus. (29)

Now you should find a church, a group of people who believe in Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Being with these people will teach you more about this new life. Then, get a Bible, God's Word, and begin to read it. Ask the Holy Spirit, Who lives inside you now, to help you to understand what it says and He will.
Scriptural References:
(1) I Peter 1:20; 2 Timothy 1:9 (2) Hebrews 4:13 (3) John 17:3 (4) I John 4:8 (5) 2 Peter 3:9 (6) Ezekiel 11:5 (7) John 3:16 (8) Isaiah 65:12 (9) Romans 3:23 (10) John 1:14 (11) Genesis 3:15 (12) Matthew 1:21 (13) Romans 6:23; Romans 10:9-10 (14) I Corinthians 15:1-5 (15) Romans 10:9-10; James 4:7 (16) Acts 1:1-4; Luke 24:49 (17) John 14:26; Romans 8:14; Matthew 10:19-20; Romans 8:26, 27; Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Hebrews 2:4; Galatians 6:8; Galatians 3:14 (18) Ezekiel 36:27; I Corinthians 6:19 (19) Ezekiel 36:27; John 16:13 (20) Luke 24:49 (21) Hebrews 9:11, 12 (22) Matthew 3:11 (23) Acts 1:8 (24) John 14:12 (25) Acts 10:38 (26) I John 3:8 (27) Acts 2:1-4 (28) Mark 16:17, 18 (29) Acts 2:38,39 (30) Acts 2:4 (31) Mark 16:15-20 (32) John 14:13; Matthew 16:19

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HOW TO BRING REVIVAL
by R.A. Torrey
"I can give a prescription that will bring a revival to any church or community or any city on earth.
"First, let a few Christians (they need not be many) get thoroughly right with God themselves. This is the prime essential. If this is not done, the rest that I am to say will come to nothing.
"Second, let them bind themselves together in a prayer group to pray for a revival until God opens heavens and comes down.
"Third, let them put themselves at the disposal of God for Him to use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ.
That is all!
"This is sure to bring a revival to any church or community. I have given this prescription around the world. It has been taken by many churches and many communities, and in no instance has it ever failed; and it cannot fail!" R.A. Torrey

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