Closing Out 2023: Gratitude, Growth and the Good News

Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where, weekly, we break down the Bible into understandable, bite-sized chunks. Greetings listeners, welcome to the final episode of 2023. Can you believe it's been six months since we started, since we posted our first episode? Well, first and foremost, let's express gratitude to the Almighty for making this podcast journey possible. Thank you, God. I want to also send a big shout out and thank you to everyone who's tuned in, from different parts of the world and across the various platforms. Your support and encouragement means the world to me. I also want to extend heartfelt thanks to my spiritual authorities, who've provided guidance and kept me true to God's word. And thank you so much to the anointed teachers who joined us to share their wisdom regarding reading God's word. And now a big announcement for the future In 2024, I'm planning to bring this podcast to YouTube and include an American Sign Language Interpreted version to reach Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Stay tuned for updates on that exciting development.

Finally, as we prepare to step into a new year, I want to address something very important. I don't want to assume that all of you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ If you have never recognized your need for Jesus and asked Him to save you from your sins and be Lord of your life, then I want to invite you to do that right now. God isn't looking for perfection, he's perfect. The problem is we all of us me and you are sinners. We miss the mark. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And when we move to the first part of Romans 6:23, we learn that there is a penalty for our sin. It's death, which means to be separated from God. But guess what? God knew about this and made provisions for us. He knew that we would be, as my pastor likes to say, jacked up jokers, tore up from the floor up. But the Bible says in Romans 5:8 that God demonstrates his own love for us in this While we were still sinners. Christ died for us. God loves you and he sent his son Jesus so you can live forever with him. The Bible also says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. That's John 3:16.

Romans 6:23 b makes this even better, if that's possible. It says that the gift of God is eternal life. By gift he means free gift. We don't have to work to get it. We only need to believe in Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation or to make ourselves good enough to get into heaven. It's a free gift. And also there is no other avenue to reach heaven other than through Jesus Christ, god's Son. That's an Acts 4:12.

You might be thinking how do I accept Jesus and become his child? How do I get this free gift? Well, god in his love, has made it easy. He promised in Romans 10: 14 that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. He said in Romans 10: 9 and 10 that if you declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it's with your heart that you believe and are justified, meaning made righteous and it's with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved, if you know God is knocking on your heart's door. If you desire this free gift from God and sincerely mean it in your heart, repeat this prayer with me now.

Dear God, I'm a sinner and I know I cannot save myself. I am sorry for the sins I have committed and I turn away from sin. I believe you gave your son, Jesus, to die for me. I believe he died on the cross for my sins. He was buried and he rose from the dead. I accept this by faith. I'm asking Jesus to come into my heart to rule and reign. Thank you, lord, for forgiving me and saving me In Jesus' name, amen. If you prayed this prayer by faith, welcome to the family of God. Know that this is just the first step in your lifelong pursuit of following God. Thank you all for an incredible end to 2023. Stay tuned for exciting updates for 2024 and, as always, may the grace and peace of God be with you.