Welcome

to another wake up call to the German speaking people. A

 call on you, dear German speaking person, to get to know Jesus.

 

         It is our fervent wish and desire to lead all the German speaking people,

who are willing, to a real personal relationship with our redeeming Savior

Jesus Christ the Lord. This naturally is not possible without your willing par-

ticipation. Because without your willing and freely given participation Jesus

will not accept you. That means, you can not neglect to look at the Lord’s

commandments or instructions that are found in the Bible. To find the re-

deeming faith, “that was once for all entrusted to the saints”, we can’t just

overlook the facts about the commandments and doctrines of salvation that

Jesus and His Apostles lived and died for. For that would mean, to exclude

God and Jesus completely from the way of our salvation. That would be

following the way of the world who celebrates the Lords resurrection without

considering why He had to die and why He rose. It would also mean to dis-

regard God’s will and New Covenant with all the people of today’s world.

 

          If you want to be sure about your salvation through Christ, you will

have to make sure, that the contents of your faith reflect the whole will of

God in all its form and doctrine. Only the Words of Jesus and  the writers of

the Bible are the inspired Word of God and belong for that reason to the re-

velations of God about the way of redemption. Whoever changes these words

and teachings of the Bible and proclaims or believes in another way of

salvation puts him or herself under the condemnation of God. (Gal. 1:8, 9)

 

       Does your church proclaim or teach something other than the will

and Word of God concerning salvation? How can you know that with-

out knowing what the Bible says?

 

The Jews in the days of the Apostles wanted to add circumcision to the

way of salvation through Christ. They could and would not believe that their

religion had found its end in Jesus Christ. They did not recognize nor

acknowledge Him as their  promised Messiah. (Ro. 10:1-4)

 

I have to say it again, God and Jesus insist on blind obedience from

those who want to be saved or redeemed. This is one of the first steps of faith

one has to take. (Hebr. 11:1; cf.  Jn 20:29)

 

Noah had seen very little rain in his life until the flood. But when God

commanded him to built the ark he had no doubts about it. He didn’t ask why

or what for. He trusted God and did what he was told to do. This is what it

means to have faith in God. This is what God and Jesus require of those who

are looking for salvation. This is the only way to please God.

 

 

When God commanded Abram (later changed to Abraham), to leave

his hometown without telling him where he was to go. He didn’t ask the why

and what for either. He packed and left without doubting or questioning

God’s Words. He trusted in God’s wisdom. Even when God later asked him

to sacrifice his son Isaac he did not hesitate to obey God’s command. ( Hebr.

11:8; 17-19). This is the quality of trust or faith Jesus asks of His followers

even today. Without such a faith it will be impossible for anyone to please

God (Hebr. 11:6).

 

 

        God made several Covenants with individual people.The first Covenant

with a whole nation He made with the people whom He brought out of

Egypt, the Jewish nation. (Book of Exodus) This Covenant and its rituals

however lost their effectiveness, as mentioned before, with the sacrificial

death on the cross of Jesus Christ. He fulfilled them. (See lesson # 35)

 

Since the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection and the coming of the

Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost a New Covenant has gone into effect.

This New Covenant is now the will of God and Jesus. Not just for the Jewish

people, but for every person in the whole world. Even though this New

Covenant is, for people who are like Noah and Abraham easy to understand

and to fulfill, it remains for the majority of the German speaking people,