‘And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Acts 2:21

Dear brothers and sisters, while the messages of ‘Full Salvation’ in Church camp by Rev. Dr. Alan Cairns are still fresh in our minds, what needs refreshing is also that on the day of Pentecost the apostle Peter stood before a crowd of Jews to proclaim the Gospel and 3,000 of them were saved. Today, the Gospel is the same message that is as fresh as it was preached 2,000 years ago and has not changed in its power to transform life. It is a message that still brings hope to the hopeless, life to the dead and forgiveness to those who desire to be freed from the burden of sin. It is God’s plan and not ours and it was the plan before the foundation of the world. Many things in this life may appear to be exclusive like country clubs, golf clubs and nightclubs. But the universal plan and scope of God’s salvation knows no bounds. And if the question, “Who does it work for?” and the answer at once if it is God’s plan, is all inclusive and anyone can be saved. Jesus saved the dying thief in Luke 23, the sinful woman in John chapter 4, Zacchaeus the tax collector in Luke chapter 19, the self-righteous Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus in chapter 9 and so on, is the truth of the matter that, “whosoever” can be saved.

The Bible further illustrates the case that the plan of salvation includes everyone in John 3:16, ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ It is one thing to want to know who the plan of salvation works for but it is quite another to know how it is being carried out. The apostle Peter would have us to how it is being carried out is by simply calling on the name of the Lord. To call upon the name of the Lord does not mean to go around calling out the Lord’s name, but it does refer to the call of faith unto the Lord. Salvation has to do with a person to be involved in these things below.

1. To know that he is a sinner.  Romans 3:23, ‘For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.’

2. To know the price on sin. Romans 6:23, ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’

3. To know that Jesus paid the penalty for their sins. Romans 5:6-8, ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’

4. To know the truth of the gospel of the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9-10, ‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’

5. To be willing to ask the Lord to save his soul. Romans 10:13, ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

The above five points may sound difficult, but salvation is obtained by simply believing, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of our souls.

Two thousand years ago, the apostle Peter preached the same gospel to the multitude and 3,000 got saved. After two thousands years still, nothing else is more important than the condition of the soul. Mark 8:36-37, ‘For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’

Pastor Douglas Ho

Testimony

Thank the Lord for enabling me to teach the children in this Bible camp. The theme for the children’s programme this year was, ‘Walk in the Spirit’ which theme verse was Galatians 5:16, ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.’ The messages for the children were split into the following titles, ‘Are you saved?’, ‘Walking in the Spirit’ and ‘Not fulfilling the lust of the flesh’, along with activities such as songs, art and craft which were related to the theme.

I was encouraged to see the children trying their best to memorize the Bible verses and songs which were given out to them. Over all, sister Joan and I see an earnestness and desire in the children in the learning of God’s Word. The blessings which the Lord has given to me are more than what I had expected, thank the Lord for His goodness.

Sister Tammy Ho