Hi, I’m Bob Yandian, pastor of Grace Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. If you live in the Tulsa area we would love for you to come and visit our church. Or if you’re just passing through the area, I’d love to say “Hi” and introduce myself to you and to your family.
If you will be passing through the Tulsa area or live in the area and would like to visit Grace Church, you can click the link below for more information."
God said He loved the world so much He gave Jesus Christ, His only Son, to be our Savior. You and I were born into sin. You cannot redeem me and I cannot redeem you. God had to find some way to come to this earth and redeem us back to Himself. He lost us through Adam because Adam and Eve failed Him. But in the Bible, Jesus Christ is called “the last Adam.” In other words, He came so He could redeem us back to God. Jesus came into this earth free from sin, born of a virgin; He walked in this earth and never committed a sin the entire thirty-three years of His natural life. Then He took your sin and my sin to the Cross, was crucified, and removed sin from us forever! Our only requirement is to accept Him as our Lord and Savior. The Word of God tells us if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and confess Him as Lord, we will be saved.
Romans 10:9-10 (NLT)
In Acts the first chapter, Jesus told His disciples that if they would go to the upper room they would be filled with the Holy Spirit. He promised them, “You will receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” (Acts 1:8) The experience of the infilling of the Holy Spirit is what God desires for every born again believer. You see, at the new birth we receive life, but God wants to give us power for our everyday Christian life. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not an experience that takes you to heaven. That was secure the moment you accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. But in addition to being born again, God also wants you to have power to live a successful Christian life.
In Acts chapter two, the 120 waited in the upper room and the Holy Spirit descended. He will never descend again. He has been here ever since so we no longer have to wait on Him to descend. We simply receive Him by faith.
Acts 2:1-4: (KJV)
There’s a story in the Bible about the prodigal son. (Luke 15:11-32) The prodigal son was living in fellowship with his father and brother but one day decided to leave his home and squander his inheritance. Christians often do the same thing. This is not a story about a sinner coming to the Lord, it’s a story about a person who is already saved, a child of God who decides he’s going to go out and try to live his own life without the power of God.
The prodigal ended up losing everything he had been given by his father and the Bible says he wound up in the pig-pen before he came to himself. He made the decision to return home because he knew, even as a servant in his father’s house, it would be a better place than where he was.
Perhaps you’re in the same position the prodigal found himself. You were saved a number of years ago, but have turned away from the Lord Jesus Christ. First John, the first chapter describes you as out of fellowship with God. You are no longer walking in the light of communion and fellowship with God, but are now walking in the darkness of your own desires, of your own wisdom, and finding yourself alienate—outside fellowship with God and in the same place the prodigal son found himself, but you have come to yourself.
What are you supposed to do? First John 1:9 says “If we…”—“we” is referring to Christians. John even included himself in this group because there were times when John had sin in his own life. As Christians we can sin, and when we do sin, we separate ourselves from fellowship with God. The longer we remain out of fellowship, the less power we have operating in our lives in each day.
First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
If you’ll confess your sin—ask God to forgive you, the Bible says He is faithful and just. God will forgive you and bring you back into fellowship with Him. If this happens in your life and you pray that payer right now, I guarantee you the joy of God will come back into your life.
First John 1:4 introduces this entire passage and says, “…these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
Do you remember what David said when he came back into fellowship with the Lord after that terrible sin with Bathsheba? For a whole year David tried to convince God and himself that everything was okay. He finally confessed his sin and wrote in Psalm 51:12, “Lord, restore to me the joy of your salvation.”
When you ask God from your heart to forgive you, the joy of God will return to your life and you will have the happiness and peace that has been missing for some time.
If you prayed that prayer, would contact me? I would love to hear from you. I am always blessed to hear about people who have come back into fellowship with God, regained their joy, and regained their strength. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
To contact us:
Email: bym@gracetulsa.com
Call: 1-800-284-0595
Correspondence:
Bob Yandian Ministries
PO Box 55236
Tulsa, OK 74155