Gateway to Heaven by Aije Barnes, April 2 issue 2 Vol 4

I was asking The Lord for guidance  on what I should share for this Easter weekend and the topic that came to me was 'gateway to heaven'.  

Gateway to heaven? What does that mean I asked? Below I share with you what came to my heart and pray that it blesses you. 

This Friday will be Good Friday. The day we remember the sacrifice that God the Father gave for us to reconcile us back to Him - even the death of His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Chris on the cross at Cavalry. That love sacrifice  became the gateway to Heaven to everyone who believes and receives him as their Saviour and Lord. There is no other way and no other name under heaven by which we can be saved. 

 

But not many people know this. Some people feel that by doing good, obeying the Ten Commandments, being born into a Christian family, being extremely nice and kind or serving God through some other mediator other than through Jesus will get them into the Kingdom of heaven. This is not true. The bible says: 

 

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (1 Timothy 2:5 KJV); and

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12 KJV); and

 

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6 KJV). 

 

You must personally be born again before you can see or even enter the kingdom of God as the scripture says:

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ....Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:3, 5 KJV). 

 

I recently met an amazing little boy who loves The Lord say to me ' 'Good Friday should be called bad Friday because it was sad that Jesus died on that day.' He could not understand why Jesus, whom he loves so much should have had to suffer so much and be crucified and left to die in such a cruel manner on the cross on that day, only for the day to now be called good in the memory of this'. I wonder how many grown ups feel the same as this little boy? The responses from Jesus' disciples when he told them of his coming death, pretty much reflected the same response given by this little boy. Little did they know that what made the day good, was  when Jesus died on that day he opened up the gateway to heaven both for the Jews and Gentles (the rest of the world). What a Saviour!

 

If you have not yet made the personal decision to give your life to Christ this is the time to do it. Jesus is the only door, the only gateway into the Kingdom of God. There is no other way or short cuts. 

 

If you are already a born again Christian remember that you were saved by grace through faith and not by works less any man should boast. It is the gift of God.  You are the workmanship of God in Christ Jesus created to do good works that God has prepared for you to do. So get busy and don't give up!