God Saves on His Terms

God loves all souls

God wants to save all

He only Saves 

on His Terms

If you want salvation 

it must be by His Ways

Just as some things are an acquired taste. 

So is the kingdom of God. 

It starts small and continues to grow. 

You are not born an adult in the kingdom. 

You are reborn a baby and must grow. 

The first step is to:

receive the witness of Truth 

and then BELIEVE it. 

The Truth is God Loves You. 

He gave you Jesus. 

Jesus came to save sinners not condemn them. 

Jesus saves to everlasting life. 

Believe and Receive this Truth, God does not LIE. 

Do not be condemned by the wrath of God. 

Believe in Jesus!

John 3:11-12

Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 3:33

He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.

John 3:36

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Jesus wants us to think clearly and to face the future, even suffering, with courage, acceptance, hope, faith, and love. 

Courage provides strength. 

Acceptance cures anxiety. 

Hope produces joy. 

And faith is the remedy for all fear. 

Love of God, because He loves me, I know this will not harm me but help me have a better resurrection. 

If It is the Father’s will, even evil will be transformed by the Father in Heaven and used for the good because of God’s almighty power.

God is Love

God knew me before he created me

He lovingly thought about who he was creating

He knew who I am he fashioned me in the womb

He made my heart

He knew every day of my life - it was written before the entire creation started

Any bad/evil thing/circumstance He knew He could change to good, if I let him heal the broken parts

The broken parts are from my flesh (everyone has a battle), world (feeling not wisdom), and devil (hate). 

The battle rages in the world, I must choose a side. 

He knew I would face these foes but was not going to ever leave me. 

He knew all my sin and lovingly created me anyway. 

He does not need-He wants because of love. 

He is with everyone who is alive at minimum by sustaining and calling. 

For those who want Him, he will live inside and never leave unless you tell him to. (Or he has too) Even if he does not dwell within He continues to sustain and call). 

He never stops loving all people because their soul alone was worth dying for. (Dollar spends the same even if dirty)

Only God determines the worth of the soul!

Each person has a choice to love him and let himself know this love he has for each. 

Each person is uniquely loved. 

Some need more love than others. 

Each person has a choice of how much they want to let God love them. 

He does not force himself on anyone. 

He wants to be Father. 

We have until our dying breath to accept the invitation. 

Any and All sin can be forgiven. He died for All sin and All sinners. 

It is an acquired gift…we must accept and grow or fall back. And it is harder to accept the longer you go on refusing. 

Communion in Christian vs Catholic

Here’s a question about Communion that I was asked recently, and then my response:

Dr. Hahn, I'm in a relationship with a woman who often joins me at Mass for the vigil on Saturday, and then we go to her Methodist church on Sunday morning. She keeps asking me why she can’t receive communion at my church, but I can at hers? How do I answer? Thanks. 

Mark

Mark, I’d like to address your question by sharing how my own understanding of Eucharistic communion developed over several years of study and prayer, as an evangelical protestant, that led me to become a Catholic. 

Basically there were three distinct stages: First: when I converted to Christ as an evangelical christian. Second, when I was ordained as a protestant pastor. Third, when my study of Scripture and the early Church Fathers led me to the truth about Christ’s Real Presence in the  Eucharist — and I became a Catholic.

1. As a bible-believing evangelical (at a non denominational fellowship), I saw the Lord's Supper and communion as a profound symbol of God's love, like a divine embrace or a warm hug. 

2. In becoming a minister, I came to see it as something even more sacred, like a tender loving kiss from our Lord, which is how mainline protestants generally see it.

3. Having discovered the Catholic faith, I came to see how the gift of the Eucharist is more closely analogous to the intimacy of the marital act, by which Christ, the divine bridegroom, unites Himself — body and blood — to His beloved bride, the Church, for the purpose of consummating and renewing His 'one-flesh' covenant as a life-giving mystery with us (Eph. 5:31-32). 

So for me, in the first two stages, inviting 'non-members' to share communion was not a big deal nor an insurmountable problem. However, in the Catholic tradition, where it is seen as comparable to marital intimacy, it is fitting and necessary to make a public act and a personal commitment to identify myself with the Catholic Church, which I profess to be the true bride of Christ. Incidentally, this perspective is reflected in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1617: 

"The entire Christian life bears the mark of the spousal love of Christ and the Church. Already Baptism, the entry into the People of God, is a nuptial mystery; it is, so to speak, the nuptial bath, which precedes the wedding feast, the Eucharist. Christian marriage in its turn becomes an efficacious sign, the sacrament of the covenant of Christ and the Church. Since it signifies and communicates grace, marriage between baptized persons is a true sacrament of the New Covenant."

In retrospect, I can see why non-catholics view our practice as a form of spiritual exclusivity; whereas for the Church Fathers, it's simply a matter of covenantal integrity and marital fidelity. 

I hope this is helpful.

Scott

PS I should add, by way of reminder, that my words also clarify why the Church expressly states that Catholics should not ever receive “communion” in any non-Catholic setting, because of the confusion (and potential scandal) that would cause.

Meditation for the Day

The fundamental basis is belief in God whose Power is greater than ourselves. This belief takes us off the center of the universe and allows us to transfer our problems to Him, the power outside of ourselves. We turn to His Power for the strength we need to stop sinning and be transformed. We put all our problems in God's hands and leave them there. We stop trying to run our own life and seek to let God run it for us.

God is your healer and your strength. You do not have to ask Him to come to you. He is always with you in spirit. At your moment of need He is there to help you. Do you know God's love and His desire to help you? Do you know that He needs no pleading for help, just a request. Your need is God's opportunity. You must learn to rely on God's strength whenever you need it. Whenever you feel inadequate in any situation, you should realize that the feeling of inadequacy is disloyalty to God. Just say to yourself. I know that God is with me and He will help me to think and say and do the right thing.

Meditation

Meditation - Listening to God 

Mental prayer or discursive meditation is a great way to listen to God. Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross give us three simple steps to listen to God in prayer.

First, read or listen to something from the Word of God. The Word of God is comprised of scripture, tradition (the writings of the Saints), and the Magisterium (the teaching of the Church). As soon as something strikes you, stop reading.

Then, eflect or think about what struck you. Try to understand it. Love God for this truth. Apply it to our lives by asking, “Am I living this or not? If not, what is preventing me? Pride, vanity, envy, sloth, anger, greed, gluttony, lust, etc? Practically, what am I going to do about it? “

This leads us to form a resolution, a gameplan for the day. Choose something practical and concrete to do that day based on your meditation. The resolution is the key to mental prayer. If we practice a resolution flowing from our meditation every day we will change and become a better person. 

If we don’t practice a resolution, then not only will we not remain the same, we will get worse because unchecked vice makes a person worse, not better.