Have You Received Since You Believed?

By Jay S. Prewitt

Have you ever wondered why there are so many religions in the world today? Who is Right? Is anybody wrong or are we all on the same course through different paths? This groundbreaking book explains the simple truths of the Bible in a plain and understandable fashion without all of the confusion. Jay leaves no stone unturned. If truth is what you are searching for, search no further. Open your heart when you open your Bible and let God's Spirit have His way in your life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jay S. Prewitt
• Release date: Sep 3, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310156359

Book preview

Have You Received Since You Believed

By Jay Prewitt

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Jay Prewitt

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

I would like to dedicate this book to God,

my children and my wife.

This one is for you.

Jesus Christ

Tracy June Prewitt

Josiah Steven Prewitt

And

Madison Winter Prewitt

All Scripture quotations in this book are from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

The author may be contacted by email: http://www.salvationcast.com/contact.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1:

HE THAT BELIEVETH

Chapter 2:

WHY REPENT

Chapter 3:

UNTO WHAT WERE YOU BAPTIZED?

Chapter 4:

HOLY GHOST, WHAT’S THAT?

Chapter 5:

HEAR O ISRAEL!

Chapter 6:

ON A HILL CALLED CALVARY

Chapter 7:

RULES, REGULATIONS, AND COMMANDMENTS

OH MY!

Chapter 8

MY HEART, MY MIND, AND MY STRENGTH

Chapter 9:

THE TABERNACLE PLAN

Chapter 10:

LET US HEAR THE CONCLUSION OF THE

WHOLE MATTER

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Introduction

The Bible says, Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived (II Timothy 3:13). It is unfortunate but true, that now more than ever before the devil is doing everything within his power to pervert the irrefutable truths of God’s Word. Not long ago, I had sorrowful occasion to be at the funeral of a young man who lost his life in an automobile accident. An unfortunate loss of life indeed, but even more unfortunate was the thought of this thirty-six year old man stepping out into eternity not knowing the saving power of Jesus Christ. The minister that stood behind the pulpit made a statement that pierced me to my soul. I have had the privilege to know that Chris took the Lord as his personal Savior. It wasn’t that he had asked the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive him of his sins, or that he had received the promise of the Holy Ghost that God freely gives to all that believe (Acts 2:38-39). Just that he accepted the Lord as his personal Savior. This aforementioned phrase, take the Lord as your personal Savior, cannot be found in any verse of Scripture, yet it is used quite frequently when salvation is being alluded to.

You might ask, So where are you going with this? What is your point? What is the matter with taking the Lord as my personal Savior? What must I do to be saved? All of these questions are valid, and they deserve valid answers. These answers can only come through the study of the Word of God. Salvation is not something that can be obtained by shaking a preacher’s hand or by professing a halfhearted belief in God. Accepting the Lord as your personal Savior without repentance, water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, and the in-filling of God’s Spirit is like claiming an inheritance without ever receiving the bequest. As born again Christians, we have an inheritance that stands far and above any inheritance that could ever be received from our earthly family (I Peter 1:4). Unfortunately, if we fail to follow the plan of salvation as outlined in the Bible, we will never be able to claim the inheritance that God has provided for us through the death of His Son. With this in mind, this book is an attempt to answer the above-mentioned questions, as well as, many other pertinent questions concerning God’s plan of redemption.

It is my sincerest desire to provide an understandable, yet comprehensive, look at what it Biblically means to believe on Jesus Christ. It is not my intent to try to come up with a new plan of salvation, or imply that the Bible is not sufficient in and of itself to provide an explanation of that plan. On the contrary, the Bible is very precise, and it needs no private interpreter. After all, there are no private interpretations of Scripture (II Peter 1:20). For all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good works (II Timothy 3:16-17). Yet, I feel that it is imperative that we take a closer look at what it really means to believe as the Scripture has said (John 7:38). The devil, through deceit, has caused many to err because of their lack of knowledge of Scripture (Hosea 4:6). In an effort to make the Word of God ineffective, Satan has caused men to misinterpret the truths of Scripture. He has exploiting man’s desire to touch God without submitting to his authority (II Thessalonians 2:10-15). Because of this deception, and in an effort to avenge the soul of this young man and so many like him, the idea of this book was born.

Chapter 1

HE THAT BELIEVETH

Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the word believe as follows: 1a: to have a firm religious faith b: to accept as true, genuine or real (that is ideals) 2: to have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something (that is in exercise). The words believe, in all of its forms, occurs around three hundred and seven times in the Bible. According to Webster, it is also closely related with the word faith. It is impossible to please God without faith. According to Hebrews chapter eleven and verse six, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Faith and the word believe are used interchangeably in the Word of God. The word believe in most instances comes from the Greek word pisteuo, which is derived from the word pistis, which means faith.

The Word of God says that it is by grace that we are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Faith, here again, is derived from the word pistis (believe or belief). Salvation is the gift of God, obtained by believing in Him. Not because of our greatness, or our good works, or our abilities, therefore, there is no reason for us to boast. Even though it is not by our works, or by our good name, that we have been given the opportunity to be saved, it is still important to know that we are not excluded from being obedient to Scripture.

It is clear, a belief is not only the mental image of something; it is something that we put into action. What good would it possibly do to believe that we were in a burning building if we did not act upon what we believed? Simply accepting that the building we are in might be on fire does not automatically save us from the flame. It is only in the act of removing ourselves from the fire that we have salvation from it. Thus, it is with the Word of God. The Bible tells us that if we believe in Him that we shall not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). That is a promise from God, and let it be clear; God keeps his promises (II Peter 3:9).

Which brings us to the all-important question: What does it mean to believe? As the very meaning of the word implies, we have to have a firm conviction that Christ, in His goodness, has the ability to save us; bearing in mind that we must be obedient to God’s Word. When the Apostles began to preach Christ to the Gentiles, a great number of them believed and turned to the Lord (Acts 11:21). In this simple scripture, we see action. They believed, and then, because of their belief they turned away from sin and came to the Lord. It is evident that believing initiates change. To believe not only means to accept something as true, but it also means to act on that truth by the measure of our faith.

So what then is truth? Is the fact that Jesus suffered and died on the cross that we might have life and have it more abundantly truth? Certainly, read John chapter number ten and verse ten. There is, however, more to truth than Christ’s love for us. There is more to truth than the death, burial and resurrection. Too often, we get excited about the wonderful sacrifice that the Lord in His abundant mercy made for us, and forget what He asked us to do for Him. Truth, according to Webster, in one word, is simply, fact.

What are the facts? One of the most fundamental facts that the Bible teaches is that there is only one way to eternal life. That way is through Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:16). No one can get to the Father except it be through Him and Him alone. There are not hundreds of different ways to come to God, there is only one. The Bible says that there is one Lord, ONE FAITH and one baptism (Ephesians 4:5). It is not my intent to be judgmental, but the Word of God says what it means, and that cannot be changed by any man (Revelation 22:16). Adhering to the words of Christ may not always be the most popular route, but