Student Ministry 

Naqui

*This blog entry was written by Ms Brandy Miller*

There is now no condemnation for those who are in union with Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1

My shirt has done it again.  I wrote to you several months back about being asked about the Hebrew lettering on my Ascent shirt.  It has happened again.

I was in Wal-Mart tonight and as I was leaving, the Wal-Mart attendant stopped me to ask about the word.  I told her it was Hebrew, but she knew that.  Seems she used to cook for the Jews while she lived up in New York.

I told her it was the word “naqi” meaning clean or innocent.  She repeated the words as I said them, then told me again about what she would cook for the Jews in New York.  She made matzah bread for the Passover.  I asked her did she know the Jew Jesus.

That took her back.  She said yes.  I asked her did she know what He did on the cross?  She said of course.  I then said, He has made me innocent by what He did on the cross when He saved me.  What about you?

She said, He done saved us all.

I walked away only to have the Holy Spirit literally grab me by the ear and drag me back.  I’m serious.  I left, got in my car, and was compelled to pull back up to the fire lane.  I threw the van in park and headed back in for round 2.

I took in a tract.  It had a football on the front and my name and number on the back.  I said, “Ma’am, I had to come back and tell you, Jesus died for the sins of the world.”

She said, that’s what I told you.

“You said He saved us all.  But we’re not all saved, ma’am.  That’s a personal decision each person has to make.  You have to ask Jesus to make you clean before God and then He saves you.  It didn’t happen all at once for the whole world.”

She had stiffened considerably during our exchanged.  She then grabbed me by the shoulder and leaned in closely.  She told me she’s been to religious school.

I said, Ma’am, I’m talking about a relationship, not religion.  The Bible says they’re not the same thing.

She said, what do you think I learned about?  The Bible!

Her Bible and my Bible weren’t seeming to say the same things.

I asked her to take the tract.  She refused.  I laid it on the table.  She let me.  Said maybe somebody else would need it. 

I had to leave (there were four children sitting in a parked van on the fire lane!).  I ask that you pray for the pretty lady at Wal-Mart .  See, I really believe she’s lost.

Wait a minute!  That’s very judgmental of you to say that!  Salvation is between a person and God. You don’t even know her!

No, I don’t.  But I have the Holy Spirit residing in me.  And He knows Himself well.  The Holy Spirit in me did not recognize Himself anywhere in her!  How do I know this?  Because what she said did not line up with the truth of God’s Word.  I must hold up other doctrines to the Word to see if they are true.

Yes, Jesus died on the cross in order to save the world.  But that salvation is NOT automatic. 

There are some things in life that ARE automatic.  #1-Our sinful nature:  you and I were born sinners. 

Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to everyone, because all have sinned.

5:12

#2-Payment due for that sinful nature:  death.

For the wages of sin is death

3:23

Jesus came and died on that cross to make that payment.  Your sins are completely paid in full, whether you are a believer in Christ or not.  He paid the payment for the entire world.

Just as one offense resulted in condemnation for everyone, so one act of righteousness results in justification and life for everyone.

7:18

Do you see the word “results”?  How do you get those results?  Everyone can have it.  I can see that in the scripture.

The salvation takes place for your soul in the moment you call upon Jesus to save you.  Before that moment, your sins are paid for.  They’re just not forgiven.  Those are two completely different things. 

This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9That if you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For a person believes with his heart and is justified, and a person declares with his mouth and is saved.

10:8-10

What word do you see twice in verse 10?  PERSON

You, as a person, must have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.  You will not make it to heaven based on the historical fact that Jesus died on the cross.  You must embrace it, declare it, believe it, receive it, and let it justify you.  That, my friends, is the way to heaven.  There is no other!

I hope she reads the tract.  I pray she does. 

I’m gonna go wash this shirt…seems “clean” is working for me!

-bbm

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?

      Or who may stand in His holy place?

     He who has clean (NAQI) hands and a pure heart,

      Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,

      Nor sworn deceitfully.

      He shall receive blessing from the Lord,

      And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 

Psalm 24:3-5

Bro P's Blog

Focus on the Family has recently released the results of  research that sought out “Christmas Friendly Stores” for American shoppers this holiday season.  They have grouped the stores into 3 categories:
1.    “Christmas-friendly" retailers — prominent acknowledgment of "Christmas"
2.    "Christmas-negligent" retailers — marginalized use of "Christmas"
3.    "Christmas-offensive" retailers — apparent abandonment of "Christmas"

Among those in category 3, the following stores have blatantly decided to abandon the acknowledgement of “Christmas” as a legitimate holiday:

American Eagle
Banana Republic
Bloomingdale's
Lane Bryant
Old Navy

For the complete list, see www.family.org

    I find it amazing that stores like Old Navy and others who benefit so much from the Christmas retail frenzy would take a stand against the celebration of Christmas.  Why is that?  The following excerpt from Ergun Caner’s book “When Worldviews Collide” may shed some light on this:

    An online encyclopedia describes political correctness as “the attempted erection of boundaries or limits to language, the range of acceptable public debate, and conduct.”  In its most common usage, it describes the altering of language or terminology for the purpose of eliminating offensive or objectionable words or stereotypes, frequently in regard to an individual or group’s race, gender, disability, or another characteristic.
    Efforts to be politically correct frequently emphasize being inoffensive at the expense of honesty or truth.  The idea of aborting a baby creates mental pain, so the colder, harsher, less-cuddly term fetus is used.  A homosexual takes offense at being told his chosen lifestyle is sinful: political correctness refers to his sexual orientation, implying a condition beyond his control.
    Society also applies political correctness to religion.  So as not to offend individuals from various religious backgrounds, political correctness says we must accept all religions and all beliefs as equally valid and worthy.  When the Christian community speaks of Jesus as the only way to God or of the need for all to come to salvation through Christ, political correctness attempts to step in and rule the message out of order.

    I don’t know about you, but I am much more interested in being Biblically Correct than Politically Correct.  Our society is much like the one that Paul found himself in as he walked the streets of Athens in Acts chapter seventeen.  Paul met that culture where they were and then engaged them with the “politically incorrect” message of the cross!  What will you do?
Take a few moments to read Acts 17:16-34.