This episode is part of my podcast series DEAR ATHEIST… If you prefer, LISTEN NOW.

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“And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? 3″I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4″Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? 5. “I tell you, no: but, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:2-5)

At any time from this minute, any one of us could take our last breath!  The world is becoming a more hostile place to live in, and many thousands are perishing daily – not merely dying.  We don’t like to think of the distinction, to know that many who die, die in their sins, and will not be raised up in glory, but will perish for eternity.  But with every calamity we hear from all over the world, we are reminded that people who might have been saved, in more ways than one, have gone with no more hope for redemption.  Now, more than ever, there is a burden to call all men to repentance, so that though they die, they may live!

I don’t know you.  I don’t know what you do or why.  But I know that one day you will die.  And I know that if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you will perish also.  Jesus is the One sent from God to preach to us the good news of God’s great love for us (John 3:16)…not merely with words, but with His actions.   He taught us, through His life, a better way to live and to love.  He showed us the power of God; the power to heal and to deliver those bound from their chains, calling all to a life of liberty and peace (John 8:36).  And ultimately, by His sacrificial death on the cross, He paid the price for our redemption, so that we will no longer perish in our sins, but be reconciled to God, and live forever with Him.  Read more about Jesus and what He did for us all.

There are two things you must do in response to this message.  You must first believe it.  First and foremost, you need to confess that you are a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness, and accept Jesus Christ’s atonement for your sins, and believe that your sins have ALL been forgiven.  You are free from every wickedness that once held you bound and from the sting of condemnation (Rom 8:1).  When you truly believe in Jesus, you will understand why your life can never be lived the same way.  Jesus calls all who believe in Him to follow Him (Matt 16:24).  The second thing you must do, therefore, is to repent.  This means that you will turn around from the wrong way you are going, to follow in the right way that God has prepared for you to walk in (Eph 2:10).  When you do these, you submit to Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life, as well as your Saviour.

Jesus showed His love for us first (Rom 5:8), so that we will not be hindered from coming to Him.  Do not let unbelief be a barrier.  God has provided undeniable evidence, through creation, of His existence and glory (Rom 1:20).  When you respond by faith, believing and forsaking your sinful ways, and choosing to trust and obey God, you show that you love Him too (John 14:15).   Then Jesus promises that He will come and make His home with you…by giving you His Holy Spirit, which will lead you into all truth (John 14:23, 26).  This is the Spirit that gives you a new life…and will also quicken you at the Resurrection (Rom 8:11), when Christ returns to judge the world.  This is what it means to be born again or born of the Spirit.  Without this rebirth, no one can see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3).

If you have believed the message and accepted the call to repentance and received a new life of liberty in Christ, you are a new creature (2 Cor 5:17).  You have the assurance of God’s salvation, and have been saved by the grace of God, through your faith in Jesus (Eph 2:8).  No longer conform to the world’s standard of love or wisdom, but be renewed in your mind daily (Rom 12:1), as you grow in the Faith by studying the scriptures, praying and having fellowship with other believers.  Be careful that you do not carry again the burdens of religion and sin, as many did back then and still do today (Read Galatians 3).  Persecutions and tribulations will surely come; the road will be long, narrow and trying, but if you abide in Jesus, He will empower you to overcome in all things (John 15:4; Phil 4:13).

“May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest and abide with you now and forever more” (2 Cor 13:14).  Amen.

If you like this message and are among the redeemed of God, please share this call to repentance with others, and let your light shine!

Copyright © Ufuomaee

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