Good-NewsPersonal question…Five seconds after eternity begins, what will you be thinking?

The whole purpose of the ministry of Larry Alan Thompson is to have an impact on eternity–yours. And the most important question that you can answer is, “Where will you spend eternity?” If you think or hope it might be Heaven, but you’re not sure, the Bible has some good news and some bad news for you…

FIRST, THE BAD NEWS…

You can’t get to God or to Heaven on your own. The Bible teaches that all people are sinners (Romans 3:23), and even one sin separates us from a holy God and dooms us to hell. It says that a death penalty must be paid for sin (Romans 6:23). A lot of people have a false idea of how to get to Heaven. They reason that if you’re basically good, you go to Heaven. And if you’re bad, you go to hell. They measure themselves against other people. That’s not what the Bible teaches. Someone who’s 7-feet tall may be a giant compared to someone who’s 4-feet tall. But compared to Mount Everest, both are short. From God’s perspective all people fall short. Our standard is not other people. It’s God. And He is perfect. None comes close to reaching Heaven on their own (Romans 3:10). That’s bad news for us, but thankfully, that’s not the end of the story…

NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS!…

The Gospel literally means “good news!” The good news is this: God loves us so much He made a plan for us to be with Him in Heaven even though we’ve sinned. God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, came to earth and lived a sinless life. He died on the cross, paying the death penalty that holy God requires of sin (Romans 5:8). Then he conquered death, rising again, so that through Him–and through Him alone–we can get to God and Heaven. We can’t earn and don’t deserve Heaven. But Jesus purchased a place in Heaven for you which He offers as a free gift. But a gift is not yours until you receive it personally (read on for how to receive it). You must trust Jesus to do what you cannot do–pay for your sin so that in God’s eyes, you are as sinless as Jesus Himself. Now that’s good news!

MAKE HEADLINES IN HEAVEN

The good news won’t do you any good until you receive it personally (Romans 10:9-10). Here’s how. Pray (talk to God) and tell Him…

1. I agree with You, God, that I am a sinner. I’ll never be good enough to save myself. I admit it. I am getting out of the Savior business.

2. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay my death penalty for sin. I believe that He arose victorious over death to give me eternal life in Heaven. I accept it. Receive it. I trust, rely, depend, put my faith, rest in Him as my personal Savior.

3. I commit my life to Jesus. I make Him my master, my Lord. I put Him in the driver’s seat of my life. I put my sin behind me. I recognize that because I’m trusting Him for eternal life, I can surely trust Him with my life while here on Earth. I know He wants what’s best for me. Thank you for saving me.

Now tell someone else the good news–what Jesus has done for you. Start with a friend or family member. Then go to a Bible-teaching church and tell them what you’ve done. Read God’s Word each day; start in the book of John. Also pray to God daily. These steps will help you to grow closer to God. And they’ll help make the good news better and better each day!

If you just trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior for the first time, that’s the best news ever. We would like to send you some more information. Please contact Larry Thompson at 859.327.3337 or click here to contact us by e-mail and let us know.