In the Australian edition of Encounter magazine Ivor Bailey wrote how Trinity College in Cambridge, England, has a long-held tradition of sending students to the slums of South London. At the parish of Camberwell the students sleep in the parish hall and spend a week each year working among the parishioners.

Some years ago a student was helping do some home repairs when the occupant, a bed-ridden elderly lady, asked him if anyone had ever told him that he bore a remarkable likeness to Prince Charles. “Spitting image of him you are,” she said. The student replied, quite truthfully, that no one had ever told him that before. “Strange,” she replied, “even with my poor eyes you look just like him.” To her dying day she probably never realized that her drains were being cleaned by the heir to the throne of England [Prince Charles].²

Some 2,000 years ago the King of kings came into the world as a baby and most of the people of his day, including the religious leaders, never recognized him as the long-promised Messiah because he didn’t fit the role of what they expected. However, there were those who did see him for who he was. Even the loose-living woman, whom Jesus ministered to at the well in Samaria, was so impressed with the fact that Jesus accepted her that she ran back to her community and shared how this stranger ministered to her and she asked, “Could this be the Christ?”

How sad and how tragic when we don’t recognize Jesus for who he is and for the gift of salvation and eternal life he has for all who come to him.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, though I cannot see you with my physical eyes, please open the eyes of my understanding so that I recognize you for who you truly are and always be aware of the leading of your Spirit in every area of my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 4:28-29 (NIV).

2. Ivor Bailey, Encounter, December ’04-January ’05, p 15. ACTS International, Australia. www.actsinternational.org/au.

Michael Josephson, founder of Character Counts, shares how, “during my idealistic youth I attended an event in a large stadium. Everyone was given an unlit candle. Later, a speaker talked about the power of one person with an enlightened message. He also had a candle and a single match. He lit his candle and walked over to two people in the stands and with his candle he lit theirs and asked each of them to just light two other candles. Within a few minutes, everyone’s candle was lit and the entire stadium glowed.

“It was the most powerful visual metaphor I’ve ever experienced. First of all, thousands of candles were lit by a single tiny flame. What’s more, while the flame was passed on and on, each flame continued to burn with undiminished light. The speed with which the light and warmth of that single flame spread to everyone in the stadium was literally awe-inspiring.”²

In this day of increasing darkness caused by so much evil, terrorism, and turning from God there is an urgent need for every Christian to let his/her light shine. As we used to sing as kids in Sunday school: “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine … Hide it under a bushel, NO! I’m going to let it shine … Don’t let Satan puff it out … I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

The only way we are going to make an impact on the world in which we live is to let our light shine. Our words may be eloquent, our speeches inspiring, our writing powerful, but unless people see and/or sense Jesus and God’s love within us, we are not going to impact anyone.

Remember, too, that all the darkness in the world cannot put out or diminish the light of one small candle. And while Jesus is the Light of the World,³ we are his “lesser lights” and need to be reflectors of his light.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I’m available today, please help me to reflect your light—the Light of the World—and to be as Jesus to every life I touch and grant that they, seeing Jesus in me, will want him for themselves. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 5:15-16 (NIV).

2. Michael Josephson, “The Power of a Single Flame” Character Counts 387.5 www.charactercounts.org.

3. John 8:12.

“I don’t believe in God,” say some, “because to do so means committing intellectual suicide.” Really?

There is nothing wrong with having honest doubts about God, asking intelligent questions, and examining evidence. This is good for one’s growth. Furthermore, most of us struggle with doubts from time to time. I certainly do. And there are many things I don’t understand and probably won’t be able to this side of heaven. However, is belief in God an intellectual issue?

Partially yes, but I wonder if it’s not more a moral issue. For example, if I choose to believe in God, I know that I am morally responsible and accountable for my life and actions. This is a demanding path to choose and follow. If, on the other hand, I choose not to believe in God, I don’t have to follow his directives. I then deceive myself into thinking that I am not responsible for my life and actions and am only accountable to myself. This way I can live and do as I please—a very easy path to follow. This, however, is not only self-deceptive but also ultimately self-destructive. For as God’s Word clearly states, in the end “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,” ² and again, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”³

And, by the way, if I say I believe in God but disregard his directives, do I really believe in God? Belief may have many facets but one thing is certain, it is also a moral issue and a moral choice. And it’s not what we say that counts, but what we do.

Furthermore, choice needs to be based not on emotion but on an act of one’s will. As another has wisely said, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

Remember too, “It is choice, not chance that determines destiny.” This includes our eternal destiny. And as Joshua said to the ancient Israelites, “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please open the eyes of my understanding so that I can see my true motives in all the choices I make. Help me to see truth from your perspective and give me the wisdom and courage to choose your way and not my own. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

For further help click on the Know God button below.

1. Joshua 24:14-16 (NIV).

2. 2 Corinthians 5:10.

3. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).

In response to the Daily Encounters on “Do Good People Go to Heaven?” I received many responses. Most were positive and as expected, some disagreeable. On the positive side, in those two days we received 90 salvation responses. On the negative side, we lost a bunch of subscribers, which always happens when I write on “touchy topics” as I like to call them. However, what was most disconcerting was those who claimed that because God was a God of love all good people will go to heaven.

What is alarming is not that people disagreed with me, for my word isn’t of any more value than anybody else’s. Disagreement is a good thing and helps keep me on my toes. The problem is when people disagree with what God has clearly said in his Word and what Jesus, the Son of God, said when he was here on earth. What I have to say is of little consequence but what God has to say is of ultimate and eternal consequence.

Herein lies the danger of disagreeing with God. When we do this, we put ourselves above the God of all creation and make ourselves the judge of God as to whether he is telling the truth or not. When we claim that what God has said is not the truth we are implying that God is a liar. And who are we to judge God, the Creator of you and me and the entire universe?

I may not understand why God says what he says or does what he does. That is acceptable, but to put myself above God and become the judge of him is, in essence, making myself god. Instead of God having the ultimate voice of authority, I usurp his position and make myself the ultimate voice of authority. That’s about the equivalent of an ant telling a man that it knows better than the man—and even this is a hopelessly inadequate comparison. To put myself and my word above God and his word is the ultimate in pride, self-delusion, and absurdity.

What is even more alarming is that putting myself above God is the essence of sin. When man was tested in the Garden of Eden (whether this is literal or symbolic is beside the point in this context), God told man one thing. Satan came along and told him the opposite. Man then made himself the judge of who was correct. In doing so he elevated himself above God and made himself the judge of God. The tragic consequence was that man chose to disregard God’s directive and go his own way. This is how sin entered the human race and is the very nature of sin. What many don’t understand is that sin is rebelling against God and his directives and in essence making ourselves god. Acts of sin are the outcome. To put it another way, we are not sinners because we sin but rather, we sin because we are sinners.

The only sensible and safe way to go is to let God be God and adhere to his directives. To do otherwise is not only the sin of pride (I know better than God) but the pathway to ultimate disaster and eternal damnation in hell which is eternal separation from God and all loving life.

Remember, “In the beginning God.” He will also have the final word in the end. Years ago Nietzsche said, “God is dead.” Today God says, “Nietzsche is dead.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from the sin of pride and making myself the ultimate voice of authority, and always lead me on the path of truth—your truth as found in your Word, the Bible. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Genesis 1:1.

Do Good people go to Heaven? If so, why? And if not, why not?

Continuing our two-part series on “Do Good People Go to Heaven?” If ever there were an individual who would have qualified for heaven through his goodness, it would have been Nicodemus, a religious leader of Christ’s day.

By all human standards Nicodemus would have been a model citizen—strong in character, a man of integrity, and a sincere religious leader. It was to this good man that Jesus said, “You must be born again.” In other words, unless a man/woman is born again he will not even see the kingdom of God/heaven let alone enter it.

“You must be born again,” meant that Nicodemus, like everybody else, needed to be born spiritually (as well as physically) if he is to enter God’s heaven.

Once, after addressing a group of church workers, the famous evangelist Dwight Moody was confronted by an angry person. “Mr. Moody,” she said, “do you mean to tell me that I, an educated woman, taught from childhood in good ways, and all my life interested in the church and doing good, must enter heaven the same way as the worst criminal of our day?”

“No, madam,” said Mr. Moody, “I don’t. God does. He says everyone who would enter heaven, no matter how good they think they are, or how well educated, or zealous in good works, must be born again [that is, born spiritually].”

The difficult thing to grasp is that our sin has made us spiritually dead to God. This is why we all need to be reborn spiritually. To become a member of the human family, we were born physically. To become a member of God’s family, we need to be born spiritually. But how can we do this?

Contrary to what many people think, it isn’t by being good or through good works…or religion. It is simply by confessing our sinfulness to God and by believing that his Son, Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and by responding to his call to receive him into our heart and life as personal Lord and Savior.

If you’re not sure that you have been born again spiritually, you can be—right now—by sincerely praying a prayer such as the following:

“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus, your Son, died on the cross to pay the consequences and penalty for all my sins. And, dear Jesus, I thank you for doing this for me. Please come into my life as Savior and Lord and help me to become the person you want me to be and to live always for you. Thank you for your forgiveness and the assurance that I will spend eternity with you in heaven forever.”

NOTE: For more information read “Born Again People” at: https://learning.actsweb.org/art_bornagain1.htm

1. John 3:3(NIV).

Do Good people go to Heaven, and if so, why, and if not, why not?

A Daily Encounter reader asks, “My aunts are of a non-Christian faith and have been good persons all their lives. They are elderly and I’d like to believe that they will be in Heaven. I talked to God about this yesterday. He did not speak directly back to me, but I felt that they would. God is a good and understanding God, and although not all of his children are believers, I think he will use his judgment when it comes to the end times as to who is, and who is not allowed in Heaven.”

Dear Friend: Thank you for your email and for your concern about your aunts. First, however, the only way to know and understand God’s plan for salvation and who qualifies for heaven is to know what his Word—the Bible—teaches, for God never acts contrary to his Word. Never. Furthermore, the issue is never what we feel or think but always based on what God says in his Word.

Second, sad to say no matter how good we are, our goodness doesn’t qualify us for God’s heaven. None of us is sinless no matter how good we are and because God is a God of absolute holiness, no sin or sinner can ever survive in his presence any more than a moth can survive in a flame. It just isn’t possible.

Third, God is also a God of absolute justice and therefore all sinners—no matter how small—must be judged, otherwise God wouldn’t be God. Because God IS God, the just judgment of all sin is death; that is, spiritual death which is actually eternal separation from a holy and just God in the place the Bible calls hell, whatever and wherever that may be.

Fourth, fortunately, God is also a God of absolute love. That’s why he sent his Son Jesus to die in our place on the cross to pay the just penalty for all of our sins. If being good, religious, sincere, or being anything else could have qualified us for getting into God’s heaven, Jesus would never have had to come to earth to die for our sins.

Fifth, to enter God’s heaven we have to be saved or delivered from sin’s consequences. That is, we need to be totally forgiven by God and cleansed from our sinfulness. All we need to do is: (1) believe that Jesus is the Son of God, (2) that he died in our place on the cross to pay the just penalty for our sins, (3) repent of [turn from] and confess our sinfulness to God and, (4) ask God for his forgiveness and accept and invite Jesus into our heart and life as our Savior.

For help to do this click on: https://learning.actsweb.org/invitation.htm

To be continued.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have made it very clear in your Word, the Bible, what we need to do to have our sins forgiven and how we can become qualified for entering your heaven. And thank you for your love in giving your Son, Jesus, to die for my sins and making forgiveness and eternal life in heaven possible. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 14:6(NIV).

A headline in NYDailyNews.com reads, “Australian flood hero: Teen boy [Jordan] sacrifices life so that his younger brother could be rescued.” In the following article, Staff Writer, Sean Alfano, reports:

A teenage boy heroically sacrificed his life so that his younger brother could survive after floodwaters ravaged their Australian hometown. Jordan Rice, 13, alerted a truck driver to his mother, Donna, and 10-year-old brother, Blake, who were clinging to a tree in Toowoomba, where a 26-foot torrent of water blasted through the city, killing nearly 10 people on Monday.

The driver [Warren McErlean] tried to help Jordan, who couldn’t swim, first, but the teen told the man to rescue Blake instead.

Kyle Rice, the boys’ 16-year-old brother, who was not with the family at the time, said Jordan would do anything for his family. “Courage kicked in and he would rather his little brother live,” he said.

McErlean was able to rescue Blake, but when he went back to get the mother and older son, both had been swept to their deaths by the current.”²

We can’t help but greatly appreciate what Jordan did in order to save his brother. And what a graphic reminder this is of God’s great love for you and me when he gave his Son, Jesus, to die in our place on the cruel Roman cross to pay the penalty for all of your sins and mine.

As God’s Word, the Bible, says, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”³

Dear Reader, if you have never confessed your sinfulness to God and accepted his forgiveness and eternal life, I urge you to do this today while you have the opportunity. For help, please click on the Know God link below.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for giving your Son, Jesus, to die in my place to save me from the penalty of all my sins? And Lord Jesus because of your great love in giving your life to save me, please help me to always live for you and help bring others to you for your forgiveness and gift of eternal life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 15:13 (NLT).

2. Source: http://tinyurl.com/6c499l3

3. Romans 5:7-8 (NIV).

When one of my nephews was only five, he heard me talking about Christmas being the time when we celebrate Jesus Christ’s coming to earth. He wanted to know if Jesus would come back to earth again. I assured him that Jesus promised that he would come back again.²

According to Bible scholars the return of, or second coming of, Jesus Christ is called the Rapture which comes from the Latin word “Rapare” which means to take away or to snatch out.

Following Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, he was “snatched away” and taken up to heaven. While Jesus’ disciples were standing there looking up in amazement, two angels appeared to them and said: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”³

Jesus’ first coming to earth 2000 years ago is an undeniable fact of history. His second coming is just as certain. The critical issue is to be ready for Christ’s return. According to God’s Word here’s what will take place at the rapture: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we [true followers of Jesus] who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”⁴

Jesus is coming again just as he went. It could be today. He said that he would come at an hour when we do not expect him.⁵

To be absolutely sure you are ready for the rapture be sure to accept God’s invitation for forgiveness and his gift of eternal life. To do so click on the “God’s Invitation” button below or for further help click on the “Know God” button or on: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, again I thank you for the promise of Christ’s return. Thank you for your great salvation and the promise of a home in Heaven for all who believe in and have accepted you as their Savior. Help me to be sure I am ready today for Christ’s return by having repented of my sins, asked for and accepted your forgiveness and received Jesus as my Savior. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 24:44(NIV).

2. See John 14:3.

3. Acts 1:11 (NIV).

4. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NIV).

5. See Matthew 24:44.

Sometime later came disaster. In the Duke’s own realm his chief servant plotted to overthrow the Duke and take his place. He was subsequently caught and dismissed.

Eaten up with resentment, the servant vowed to get even with the Duke. Remembering the Duke’s priceless gift to the King of England, he went to the British Museum in London to find it. When no one was in sight, he climbed over the barrier, picked up this priceless treasure and smashed it into a thousand pieces.

“Save every piece,” the King said when hearing of the tragedy. “This is my most treasured gift. We’ll search for someone who can repair it no matter what the cost.” Eventually, a man was found who, with painstaking skill, sorted each broken fragment, and meticulously placed it back where it belonged.

Though I cannot vouch for its authenticity, this story offers a graphic illustration of God’s dealing with mankind. Biblical accounts tell of an angel who lived in heaven. Second only to God, he was brilliant, beautiful, and majestic. His name was Lucifer, son of the morning. He, too, had a problem with pride. Plotting to overthrow God, he said, “I will ascend into heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will set enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will make myself like the Most High.”¹

Lucifer, now identified as Satan, the Devil, was caught and dismissed from his pinnacle of power and cast out of heaven.² Filled with bitter resentment, he was determined to strike back at God. This is when he changed to a being filled with evil and determined to destroy the apex of God’s creation—mankind. He did this by causing mankind to sin and consequently be separated from a God of purity and holiness—in whose presence no sinner could ever survive.

But because God is also a God of infinite love he sent his Son, Jesus, to save broken humanity by dying on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins and mine, so we could be freely forgiven and placed back into God’s “masterpiece” of creation.

When Jesus healed all the sick who came to him, and forgave the prostitute, the thief, the despised tax collector and all who asked for forgiveness, he was picking up the broken pieces of his creation and lovingly placing them back into God’s master design. All were of infinite value to him.

And when God found me, another piece of broken humanity—a fallen, lost sinner—he picked me up, forgave my sin, healed my spirit, and placed me back into his great plan. Today, Christ the Savior is still seeking the lost and calling young and old alike everywhere to come to him for forgiveness, to receive his gift of eternal life, and to be placed back into his divine plan. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,” Jesus said, “and I will give you rest.”³

Christ’s invitation includes you too, dear reader. Today he is calling you to come to him for forgiveness, wholeness and the gift of eternal life. This indeed is the world’s greatest treasure.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you gave your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to save me from the consequences of my sins and to forgive me, and thereby place me back into your master plan for my life. I confess that I am a sinner and, believing that your Son, Jesus, died to pay the penalty for all my sins, I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Please help me to become the person you want me to be and always live to faithfully serve you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you prayed this prayer and genuinely meant it, please go to www.actsweb.org/decision.php to let us know and we will send you a free copy of the eBrochure, “How to Grow.”

Note: For this complete article and more help go to: http://tinyurl.com/greatest-treasure. This website includes a photo of the Portland Vase.

1. Isaiah 14:13-14 (NIV).

2. Isaiah 14:12,15.

3. Matthew 11:28(NIV).