October news letter 2006

Dear friends

There is a moment recorded in the Bible when a man cries out - "What must I do to be saved". (Acts 16:30) The context in which the question is asked makes it clear that this is a spiritual inquiry - he is concerned about his soul! He is a man who feels the need to be saved from sin and it's dreadful consequences. The answer he received might surprise you.

He was not instructed to try his best and let God do the rest.
He was not encouraged to become very religious and fill his life with rules.
He was not told to do lots of good works in order to win God's approval.
He was not even told to attend a place of worship.

The reply he received was simple and clear. "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved". Salvation is through personal faith in Christ. But then the question must arise - What does it mean to believe in Christ?

It means to look to Christ - and to Christ alone to be saved.
It means to trust in Christ with all our hearts - have full confidence in him.
It means to rest in Christ and in all he accomplished upon the cross.
It means to receive Christ as he is proclaimed to us in the gospel.

Faith in Christ also implies repentance - a complete turning away from the things that are contrary to God's law and condemned by our own conscience as wrong. And faith in Christ does inevitably lead to a new way of life lived in fellowship with Christ and with his people. If you care to read the whole story, as recorded in the book of Acts in the New Testament, you will see a remarkable change takes place. As the man in charge of a prison he seems rather harsh and indifferent to the plight of others. As a Christian who has come to believe in Jesus he is a very different man - tender and caring.



May you know God's blessings in Christ.

Eddie Jones Back to top