Words of Encouragement... (A Final Letter to our Loved Ones.)

In the year 2021, my wife and I had a deep conversation regarding what would we want to tell our grown children in the event of our deaths. It went like this.....

One of life’s certainties is that it will someday come to an end. And both of us have been thinking of what we’d like to say if we had a chance to say our final words. Perhaps it’s the sign of the times or just the simple reality that we could perish together during a simple trip to the store. We got to thinking and decided to put those things in writing for you all. After a very short debate, we concluded that the message of Salvation is the most important words to share with you.

One day our mortal bodies will be no more, but then what?... nothingness? reincarnation? Heaven? Hell?

There are lots of beliefs and if you lean to one or another you will certainly find reasonable arguments for or against them. This is true with about everything that’s debatable. But be careful because lots of false beliefs have a hint of undeniable truth sprinkled in to make false doctrines seem real. We see this in political and religious arguments. But first, let us start with the facts.

· God is our Creator. “In the beginning God created the heaven & the earth.” Genesis 1:1 KJV

Jesus died to atone for Our sins. “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.” John 3:16 KJV

· We are saved by God’s grace through our Faith in Jesus. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV

Confess that Jesus is Lord. “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32 KJV

· Repent of your sins. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” Act 2:38 KJV

Baptism. And as they went on their way, they came to a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Phillip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Phillip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.” Act 8:36-38. KJV

· Every Knee! “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2: 10-11 KJV

Every Tongue! “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord. Every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God” Romans 14:11 KJV

· Judgement Day. “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20: 12-15 KJV

R****** and I hold these beliefs and we will lay down our lives for them. Once you know the Truth, you cannot un-know it. When you see the light, you can’t un-see it and when you hear the Word, you cannot un-hear it. The words of the song Amazing Grace embody this… “Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

“And I say onto you, Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.” Jesus said in Luke 11:9 KJV

Now we know you needn’t go far to find so called preachers that are supposedly doing “God’s work” by taking from the poor, giving false hope, and spreading unsound doctrine. Television is filled with these wolves in sheep’s clothing. For this reason, you must take your salvation seriously and not leave anything up to chance. A lost teacher will lead you astray. That’s why it’s crucial you get into your scripture. Don’t leave anything up to chance. Even well-meaning teachers make mistakes.

Some notable teachers we listen to are:

Paul Washer, John McArthur, Steven Lawson, John Barnett, Robert Breaker, R.C. Sproul & Voddie Baucham.

As an early church reformer John Calvin once stated that no theologian is more than 80% correct. And even these learned men have differing views on Biblical points but they don’t disagree on the gospel of our Lord.These Truth’s are non-negotiable. They stick to evangelical fundamentals. By understanding these fundamentals, you will not easily be lead into any false forms of Christianity. For there are many false forms. False teachers wrap their warped beliefs around Truths and distort the Bible. I was always told to “get into my Bible” and now I understand why. If something isn’t backed up in scripture then it’s not for us.

And this brings us to the next point…the Bible. There’s a very good argument about the Bible being written by man and as such it has mistakes and contradictions. The deeper I look, the deeper I see people take things out of context. And put their spin on it.

However, the Bible was inspired divinely by the Holy Spirit working through man and is inerrant.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16. KJV

Jesus said; “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35 KJV

And it is written in the last chapter of the Bible; “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.” Revelation 22:18 KJV

Even something as important as which Bible you read from is important. All the scripture I quoted is from the King James Bible -KJV. (Not to be confused with the New King James Bible – NKJV) Like I stated earlier, many deceptions sprinkle in truths to bolster their arguments. Including which bible translations that are used. The KJV is the purest English translation from the original Hebrew texts (Old Testament) & Greek texts (New Testament). There’s lots of pro and against information on the net regarding different translations. There are subtle changes in the bible translations that have omitted doctrinal truths outright. Search the “The History of The King James Bible (KJV Documentary 2020). This is a well-done documentary detailing lots of the facts stated above.

And finally,

Pray for understanding to be led in the right direction. The devil doesn’t just lurk in the shadows, but he works in the church as well. He is the prince of lies and deceit.

In conclusion, we write these words because we love you. And we hope you will come to the realization that Jesus is Lord. He has given us the gift of salvation freely. Take it.

Open your heart and put aside all the anti-Christian things you’ve seen and heard. Some of the best examples of staying away from Christ are so called Christians. Don’t let them get in the way of the Truth. And please remember that being a Christian is not about perfection or being “holier than thou”. Also know that prayers are not like some magic lamp you rub for problems to magically go away. God answers prayers on his time, and when He’s ready. And some prayers aren’t answered for our best interest. Think of it as a parent, you don’t (and shouldn’t) give a child whatever they want at whatever time they want it. You give a child what they need when it’s the right time. And you don’t give them what is not in their best interest. Our heavenly Father knows what’s best for us. He has a plan for us if we but let go of our control.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” Proverbs 3:5

You will go through highs and lows but know you’re not alone. Know there is hope and a promise of something better. Have the knowledge that there is life after death. The life God intended for us from the beginning.

We can leave you with encouraging words to “do your best” and “the sun will come out tomorrow” and so on. We would be failing in our duties to point you in the only direction that matters. The only thing that matters is Salvation. And the only way is through Jesus Christ. There is no other way.

We love you all individually and these are some words of encouragement.

D & R

In Conclusion....

Our children were from previous relations and they are vastly differing people, so the letter was laid out as such. We didn't personalize it to fit any one particular individual but we wanted the message to be clear and concise. In truth, these words can serve anyone that seeks to understand the message of Salvation. As we didn't provide this most precious gift (Jesus our Lord did) but we can share it to those that want to begin to understand it.

Thank You for reading, and as always....God Bless.