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Does a person have to attend church to go to Heaven?
Posted on Feb 1st, 2022
From the website: https://www.gotquestions.org/church-heaven.html
Salvation is found in Christ. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God gave His Son so that we may have eternal life, thus destroying our need to perform good works, including going to church, to go to heaven. Eternal life is attained by faith alone in Christ alone. “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12). Those who believe in Christ, who have accepted His sacrifice in payment of their sins, will spend eternity in heaven. Those who reject Him will not.

No amount of church attendance will earn eternity in heaven. No lack of church attendance will result in the loss of salvation. However, church attendance is important. The universal Church, made up of all who believe in Christ to the glory of God the Father, is Christ’s body (Colossians 1:18) as well as His Bride (Revelation 21:2). A church is a place of Christian fellowship. In addition, as members of the body of Christ, we possess certain gifts of the Spirit, and we are to exercise those gifts for the glory of God and the edification of the rest of the body. For a church body to function properly, all of its “body parts” need to be present (1 Corinthians 12:14-20).

Christians have been made “new creations” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and have a desire to attend church because they recognize that doing so is crucial to their spiritual development and maturity. Reluctance toward church attendance may indicate a lack of spiritual growth or a disillusionment with “organized religion.” There are indeed false churches today, and there’s no perfect church, but there are local bodies of believers in most communities. The true, universal Church is modeled in congregations whose doctrines are Scripture-based, who honor Christ in all things, who worship God together, and who minister to each other. Although church attendance will not guarantee eternal life, finding a good local church is crucial for Christians.
Question: "What does the Bible say about pandemic diseases/sicknesses?"
Posted on Apr 5th, 2020
 
 
Question: "What does the Bible say about pandemic diseases/sicknesses?"

Answer: Various outbreaks of pandemic diseases, such as Ebola or the coronavirus, have prompted many to ask why God allows—or even causes—pandemic diseases and whether such illnesses are a sign of the end times. The Bible, particularly the Old Testament, describes numerous occasions when God brought plagues and diseases on His people and on His enemies “to make you see my power” (Exodus 9:14, 16). He used plagues on Egypt to force Pharaoh to free the Israelites from bondage, while sparing His people from being affected by them (Exodus 12:13; 15:26), thus indicating His sovereign control over diseases and other afflictions.


God also warned His people of the consequences of disobedience, including plagues (Leviticus 26:21, 25). On two occasions, God destroyed 14,700 people and 24,000 people for various acts of disobedience (Numbers 16:49 and 25:9). After giving the Mosaic Law, God commanded the people to obey it or suffer many evils, including something that sounds like Ebola: “The Lord will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation . . . which will plague you until you perish” (Deuteronomy 28:22). These are just a few examples of many plagues and diseases God caused.

 
 
Does Jesus love me?
Posted on Jul 20th, 2018
 Many people have wondered if Jesus really loves them. The Bible is clear that no matter what we have done, Jesus does love us. In fact, He promises to both forgive us of every wrong we have done and provide us eternal life if only we will believe in Him: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Before we were even born, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on our behalf to give us the opportunity for eternal life. This amazing gift comes to us because of His wonderful grace toward us: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). We don’t have to earn His love; we simply accept it.

It may be difficult to believe Jesus loves you because of other people who have let you down in the past. However, Jesus is unlike any other person; He is God in human form (John 1:14). He was involved in creating us, He sustains our every breath, and He offers us new life now and eternal life in heaven with Him.

Another reason it may be difficult to accept the truth that Jesus loves you is that something you have done in the past troubles you. Jesus already knows your past and still offers you eternal life and forgiveness. A wonderful example of His love can be found in His last hours on the cross. One of the men crucified next to Him was being put to death for his crimes. Turning to Jesus, he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, saying, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42–43). Despite this criminal’s sins, Jesus accepted his simple and sincere act of faith and promised him eternity in heaven—even though Jesus knew the man had no time to live his life differently.

When we ask, “How much does Jesus love me?” we only need to look at the cross. He stretched out His hands and said, “I love you this much.” He gave His life to give you new life.

You can pray to receive Jesus as your Savior right now and accept His love and eternal life. There is no special prayer to pray, but you can respond with a prayer similar to this:

“Dear God, I realize I am a sinner and could never reach heaven by my own good deeds. Right now I place my faith in Jesus Christ as God’s Son who rose from the dead to give me eternal life. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to live for you. Thank you for accepting me and giving me eternal life.”