{"id":4041,"date":"2022-08-20T15:16:37","date_gmt":"2022-08-20T15:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/?p=4041"},"modified":"2022-08-20T15:16:53","modified_gmt":"2022-08-20T15:16:53","slug":"8-21-27-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/?p=4041","title":{"rendered":"8\/21-27\/2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"this-week\">This Week<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sunday: 10:00 Worship (Sermon: &#8220;<strong>Healing Disability<\/strong>; Isaiah 58:9-14; Luke 13:10-17) <\/li><li>Tuesday: Bible Study @ Jeremiah&#8217;s, 2 p.m.; Elders, 3 p.m. <\/li><li>Wednesday: Outreach 1 p.m. <\/li><li>Saturday: Emmaus Reunion Group, 8 a.m. <\/li><li>AA Meetings: in the Parish Hall: \u25e6 Tuesdays, 6:30 \u2013 7:30 p.m. &#8211; Discussion \u25e6 Wednesdays, 7:00 \u2013 8:00 p.m. &#8211; Big Book \u25e6 Fridays 7:00 \u2013 8:00 p.m. &#8211; Discussion<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"many-religious-people-remain-unconverted\">Many Religious People Remain Unconverted<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>By Dan Delzel<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An unbeliever becomes a believer in Jesus Christ by the miracle of conversion. This supernatural act occurs on the front end of a person\u2019s relationship with God. (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 15:3; 16:29-34; 17:12; Romans 5:1,2; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:4-7)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No one gets converted by being religious, yet that doesn\u2019t stop many people from trying. Man naturally assumes he can earn salvation by being good enough and jumping through certain religious hoops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many people choose to rely upon their religious efforts for salvation rather than upon Christ\u2019s sacrifice on the cross. This insistence on trying to work your way to Heaven is the biggest indicator that a person is spiritually dead. (Galatians 3:10; Ephesians 2:1, 8-9)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unconverted religious people are tragically mistaken to assume they are saved. \u201cThere is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death\u201d (Proverbs 14:12). The fact of the matter is that man\u2019s religious deeds cannot wash away even one of his sins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fallen angels also hinder people from getting converted. Demons constantly oppose the proclamation of the Gospel, (Ephesians 6:10-12) which \u201cis the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes\u201d (Romans 1:16). Satan works to distort the message and has actually &#8220;blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel\u201d (2 Corinthians 4:4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, false prophets lead hordes of unsuspecting people astray. Scripture describes how churches in Galatia were infiltrated by false teachers who claimed that circumcision is necessary for salvation. This unbiblical teaching created spiritual havoc and utter confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Apostle Paul addressed this deadly error head-on: \u201cYou foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the Law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?\u201d (Galatians 3:1-3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If man could save his soul by doing religious deeds, do you honestly think God would have sent his only Son to suffer what Jesus endured on the cross for our sins? Paul wrote: \u201cI do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the Law, Christ died for nothing!\u201d (Galatians 2:21) The Law has never brought a single soul to Heaven. In fact, \u201cAll who rely on observing the Law are under a curse\u201d (Galatians 3:10). That\u2019s right. A curse! God has made it very clear in his Word that it is impossible for man to earn eternal life in Heaven by his deeds. Salvation is a free gift that is received through faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26; 6:23)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Conversion is not a work of man, but a miracle of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, \u201cFlesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit\u201d (John 3:6). Attending church services does not make a person a Christian and religious practices cannot save your soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The New Testament uses a variety of words to describe those who have been converted: saved, redeemed, born again, justified, and forgiven. Jesus never told anyone, \u201cYou must be religious.\u201d But he did say, \u201cYou must be born again\u201d (John 3:7). The miracle of conversion takes place when a sinner trusts Jesus to wash away his sins. Have you been converted? Perhaps you are not sure. You could resolve the uncertainty right now. Simply ask the Lord in faith: \u201cWash me, Jesus, with your precious blood.\u201d And believe in your heart that Christ died to redeem your soul from sin and death, and that the Messiah rose from the dead on the third day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pharisees assumed they knew God. But Jesus told them, \u201cYou do not know me or my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also\u201d (John 7:19). Most of those religious leaders remained unconverted because they refused to receive Jesus the Messiah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Apostle John wrote,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God &#8211; children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband\u2019s will, but born of God\u201d (John 1:12,13).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Have you received Jesus as your Savior? Are you saved, redeemed, born again, justified and forgiven? Or are you merely jumping through some religious hoops in hopes that you can do enough to gain God\u2019s acceptance and forgiveness?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA man is justified by faith apart from observing the Law\u201d (Romans 3:28). \u201cClearly no one is justified before God by the Law, because, \u2019The righteous will live by faith.\u2019 (Galatians 3:11). Forgiveness of sins is only given to those who trust in Christ alone. Don\u2019t be surprised, however, if you find yourself resisting the Gospel message. Believe it or not, people often have a hard time accepting the free gift of salvation. \u201dI did it my way\u201d describes man\u2019s natural determination to try to save his own soul. Pride keeps many people out of Heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Are you currently too proud to be converted? If so, will you transfer your confidence away from your \u201cdead works\u201d (Hebrews 6:1) and place your faith in Christ alone? After all, what makes you think you are good enough to get into Heaven on your own merits? God\u2019s Word reminds believers: \u201cFor it is by grace you have been saved, through faith &#8211; and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God &#8211; not by works, so that no one can boast\u201d (Ephesians 2:8,9).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regardless of your religious history, you would be wise to repent of your sins and place your faith in the death of Jesus for the salvation of your soul. Receive Christ by faith. (John 1:12) Trust him to forgive your sins. (Romans 10:11) &#8220;Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved\u201d (Acts 16:31).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This Week Sunday: 10:00 Worship (Sermon: &#8220;Healing Disability; Isaiah 58:9-14; Luke 13:10-17) Tuesday: Bible<span class=\"more-dots\">&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-worship-this-week"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/SPEC-GNC-2022-scaled.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Paross","author_link":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/?author=1"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4041"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4044,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4041\/revisions\/4044"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}