Let me share a picture with you of my Cross Walk experience. It was on Good Friday that we gathered at Church on the North Coast and walked for seven miles praying and carrying the cross. What an awesome experience. As I wrote about this previously, we did do this throughout many surrounding communities over 10 years ago. At the time I also participated and wanted to take a turn carrying the cross but I just didn't. I guess this was the time to do it and I did. It really was quite heavy even with padding on my shoulder. In this picture as I walked beside Pastor I was asking him questions of how long Jesus walked with the cross to his final destiny. Pastor told me that he has been on the path Jesus walked a couple of times. I think he said it was about a mile or mile and a half. I still remember that I couldn't get the idea out of my mind as I carried the cross that when Jesus carried His it was probably not a smooth beam of wood like I carried. It was probably more rugged and at that point of His journey He had already been beaten beyond recognition and He could have been actually carrying that cross on His shoulder and if His flesh was already beaten off of Him He may have carried that beam of wood and it quite possibly could have been resting on exposed bone. People please think about that. I do not know of anyone that would have such a deep love for me to carry the sins of the world on His shoulders so I will be able to choose life through Jesus to not have to perish in hell for eternity. Please think about this and think about this hard and long. Do you really want to burn, be tortured beyond pain that you can only conceive in our mind now, or never ever ever be in the presence of God for all of eternity?
Hell is real. There are people that are there right now and there will be even more people there as time progresses. I implore you to explore your options today and do not wait another day because no man is promised tomorrow. What if you say to yourself I think it makes sense but I think I will wait and pray the prayer tomorrow or next week. What if you rest your head upon your pillow tonight with good intentions of praying the prayer and you never wake up tomorrow morning? Your good intention without action just cost you your place in hell for eternity. Eternity is a very long time. Our mind probably cannot grasp the fullness of actually how long that is. It is a no brainer why would you personally chose to live in hell with continual torture forever when salvation is right there for you? My friend, I implore you to chose life and not eternal damnation.
Salvation is a gift freely given to you by what Jesus already did for you when he came to the earth as a mere baby that was born to a virgin mother that was selected by God to bring forth this child. She had a will of her own and when she was presented with this opportunity she could have chose to say no to the plan. Guess what? She did not say no but said let your will be done. Jesus then chose to take on the sins of the world for us so we would not have to suffer forever in hell. Each stripe on His back and every drop of blood that emanated from His body was taken for your healing. It could be a physical healing or even an emotional healing whatever healing is needed in your life. Jesus endured the suffering for you and me. He then died on the cross and three days later he ROSE from the dead and is alive today.
In my heart I feel overwhelmed to tell you this (with tears in my eyes as I write this) "He loves you so very much and endured all for you to come to Him with an open and repentant heart. Ask forgiveness and tell Him that you leave it all at His feet. Not to be taken up again by you. He will cleanse you and your heart. Ask Him to." Say this simple yet profound prayer and one day I will join with you in heaven. Do not forget to come to me and introduce yourself to me OK. I will probably be the one with a tambourine in my hand. You see, I have to start thinking heaven bound for earth is just a temporary place for me where heaven will be my home forever. I am thinking tambourine but there may be an even more glorious percussion instrument waiting just for me to be able to pick up and use in my worship of the King of kings forever.
I invite to to join me in this simple prayer, please repeat after me "Jesus, I am a sinner and forgive me of all that I have done, known to my memory and even those things that I cannot remember anymore. I acknowledge that you did come to this earth through the womb of a virgin mother, you died on the cruel, rugged cross for me, you rose from the dead and you are alive right now. I realize that I cannot do enough good deeds to get me a pass to heaven because You already did the work for me at Calvary. I accept your free gift you so graciously bestow upon me. Come into my heart and renew who I really am suppose to be. Take away my phony exterior and let me shine with your beauty and light inside of me. Teach me your ways through reading the new testament in the bible and become real to me. Show me how to get to where I need to go and fulfill the destiny that heaven has for me. I choose to forgive all the mockers and people that have been cruel to me throughout the years and I ask you with a heart that is now filled with your love to bless my enemies and send forth others to share this same story with them so they will not perish in hell also. One day soon I will see you face to face and I will be able to lay at your feet and sing praises unto you and worship you with the song that I sing within my heart. Until that day I will worship you and share of your goodness and kindness with others. In Jesus name I pray this AMEN."
Holy Spirit I ask you to seal the words spoken upon their hearts and give them a fresh wind of heaven. Move on their behalf mightily and bring forth blessings to them and their household. I ask with faith and believe that each and everyone of their households will receive salvation too. In Jesus name I pray this Amen.
A special thanks to Mark for sending me this picture and for taking the pictures that day. History in the making, I like that.
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