The Foundation: Forgiveness and Grace.

Acts 26:17-18
17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

What a brilliant passage from the New Testament! It's safe to say that this was the main idea of Jesus' message.

God's number one desire for us to have our sins forgiven. We mess up all the time. Why do we sin or better yet why do we mess up? Chances are it's because we don't realize what we've received. A sign of salvation is when you have received the love and blood of Jesus Christ. Many people still haven't received that. I know and understand that my job as a servant of Christ to turn the light on and open the eyes of others.

Still, there's a little bit more to salvation than that. Once one is awakened by the truth, then they can openly receive the Word of God. Seventy percent of Americans claim to be Christians. I believe that a majority don't get the idea. You have to open your eyes AND receive. When you're reborn and alive in the light of God it's not because of your decision to accept him, but it's because of the gift that you've received from the Lord as a result of your decision. The primary gift that we receive is the forgiveness of our sins, the fundamental concept of a relationship with Christ.

Additionally, God gives us his grace. Those who are sanctified gain this gift. Sanctification is when you give up your earthly body to become an heavenly identity and entity in Christ.

So, don't let this scare you. Make it a reminder to realign yourself and your faith. Understand what salvation really is.

Now for a Christian classic..."Open The Eyes Of My Heart Lord." It's easy so sing along!



P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.