| You
work hard to please other people who are sometimes grumpy, irritable
and
then have the gall to be stingy with their tips as well. So to make up
for the people who have made your day as difficult as it has been
today,
I want to give you an extra good tip, more than the customary fifteen
to
twenty percent of my bill. But besides that, even if I could give you a
million dollars, (I can't) as a tip, I have a still MORE VALUABLE TIP
for
you. In fact, it really is the most valuable tip anyone can ever give
you.
Its value is far beyond that of money or jewels.
Jesus loves YOU. It doesn't
matter who
you are. It doesn't matter if you are short or tall; fat, skinny or
just
right; pretty or just so-so, beautiful or think you are ugly, Jesus
loves
YOU. Whether you consider yourself a good person, attend church
regularly
and help the needy, or whether you are hateful, grumpy and have some
pretty
bad habits in your life, Jesus still loves YOU.
But how can YOU come to
know this for yourself?
By obeying the only PLAN OF SALVATION the Apostles preached and
practiced
throughout the first 120 years after Jesus Christ our Savior went back
into heaven. Here is God's plan: By God's Grace Jesus came into the
world
to be God's sacrifice for sin, the Savior of mankind. This undeserved
mercy,
favor and love of God makes your Salvation possible. This Grace is
available
to every human being on earth no matter if you have money, status or
power
or not. After Jesus became our sacrifice, was crucified, rose again
from
the dead and ascended into heaven, a whole new day in God's
relationship
to mankind began. When you Believe the message (1) that Jesus came to
pay
the penalty for your sins, that all of your own righteousness apart
from
Him is filthy rags and there is nothing you can do to pay your own sin
penalty, the Holy Spirit brings a heart-pricking conviction of your
sinfulness
so that you will have the desire to get right with God.
Jesus' Apostles, in
obedience to His command,
waited in Jerusalem until they were filled with the Holy Ghost and a
crowd
was attracted to see what was happening. Amazed, the crowd asked, "What
meaneth this?" Then, after hearing the first evangelistic message ever
preached. Those who had already believed Peter's message (as proved by
the fact that they were "... pricked in their heart ..." or, as we say
today, felt conviction), asked, "Men and brethren, what must we do?" (Acts
2:37).
The Apostle Peter then
answered those who
had already believed and become convicted (The same answer as it is to
you today), "Repent—" (have Godly sorrow for your sins and turn around
to go the other way) (Acts 2:38). But Peter did not stop with
repentance.
The question was, "...what must we do?" The answer to the believers
continued,
"... be Baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission
of sins...." "The Apostle Paul likens water baptism to burial of the
old
(the "I am just human") nature which has died in repentance and
resurrection
with Jesus to walk in newness of life, (Romans 6:1-4). Peter
says
that the baptism in water in the name of Jesus Christ is necessary to
obtain
the forgiveness or remission of sins. "... What must we do?" "... be
baptized
... for the remission of sins ...." The word "for," in this context can
ONLY mean: "to obtain, to receive, or to have." None of the other
meanings
of the word "for" fit the context! Your dictionary will tell you that
remission
and forgiveness mean the exact same thing with "remission" having one
added
meaning -- the removal of disease symptoms (in this case, the
disease
of sin!). Thus it is clear that the Bible teaches; you must be
baptized
in Jesus' name to be forgiven of your sins. (It was Jesus Christ
who
died for you, so you can only be correctly buried with Him.)
Finally, Peter gives God's
promise: "...ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." The Holy Spirit (or Holy
Ghost)
is poured out freely on all whom God knows have obeyed His Word
sincerely
and gives us the power to live our New Life in Christ Jesus. The first
Bible evidence of believers being accepted by God, who knows our inner
feelings and thoughts, was that they spoke with tongues. (This is
NOT
the "Gift of Tongues".) (See also Acts 2:41; 8:12-19; 9:11-18;
10:44-48;
11:15-17; 16:15, 30-34 ; 18:8; 19:1-6.)
Yes, the knowledge of how
to be truly born
again and become a new creature in Christ Jesus with the power of the
Holy
Spirit within you is the BEST TIP you will ever receive! You don't have
to "hope" you are born again, You can KNOW you are!
— S.M.S.
(1) (See John 3:15-18,
Mark 16:16; Ephesians
2.) For further Bible Studies
or
prayer, contact
the church
whose stamp appears below or
the publisher
Order
more Total Gospel tracts from:
 UP
WAY PUBLICATIONS
P. O. Box 1015
Kailua, HI 96734
U.S.A.
Order No. AP711 Printed in U. S. A.
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