An Invitation to Come Home and Links
Is it Time for You to Come Home?
Salvation is both the simplest thing in the world, and yet the most wondrous and seemingly impossible. Salvation is the Good News that God, Whom we can only know as Love (1 Jo. 4:8), loves you so much that He became a human and died for you that you might live now and forever in His Love. The Good News is that Jesus Christ, in Whom we can see and know the Love of God, because He is God, is not only alive but is present to you even today. The God Who is Love offers His amazing gift of Love, and His salvation and wellbeing through Jesus Christ, to everyone … to include YOU.
Our Lord Jesus Himself describes His offer of salvation as an invitation to His wedding feast (Mat. 22:1-14), where the banner He shall place over you is Love (Ca. 2:4). Why not say "yes" to God? Why not let yourself fall in love with the God Who loves you? There is no magic "sinner's prayer" to recite. And you certainly don't need to pass a sectarian theology test to be saved! Just let God love you, and let God's love fill you, and let God's love radiate out from you to the people around you.
Once the fire of God's love has scorched your heart, there is really no turning back. You will know what it means to be "born again", or "born from above". You will know what it means to have the Holy Spirit of God sweep through your entire being like a heavenly flame. You will know what it means to cast off the heavy burden of sin and unworthiness like a foul-smelling winter coat on a glorious Spring day.
Once you are in love with the God who is Love, you will gladly answer His call to holiness. But it's not always easy to live as a witness to the Love of God: even Christ Jesus Himself saw fit to experience death as a testimony of God's love for you. The first thing that you will have to understand is that you really can't do it alone, for Jesus Christ calls us to be a Church. We are called to be the People of God. We are called to be united in love and peace. We are called to be the very Body of Christ, living, loving, and suffering together that God's love may be complete in us.
Let there be no doubt about it: you can know God's love and walk in God's love in a Baptist church. To put it more simply, you can be saved in a Baptist church. If you are truly living the Christian life in your Baptist church, then you should probably stay there.
But you should also at least consider these questions, particularly if you are not really fully aware of God's immense love for you, or if you are a former Catholic:
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Why not unite yourself with the Church that that was founded by Jesus Christ Himself and the Apostles nearly 2,000 years ago … the Catholic Church? |
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Why not learn to walk in the holiness of the Christian life from the Church whose doctrines and teachings are fully (and without exegetical gymnastics) in accord with the Bible … the Catholic Church? |
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Why not study the Bible with the pastors and teachers of the very Church which, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, compiled and canonized the Bible … the Catholic Church? |
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Why not experience the indescribably beautiful Real Presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Eucharist … in the Catholic Church? |
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Why not know the true comfort of genuine Security in the God-ordained sacrament of Reconciliation … in the Catholic Church? |
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If you are a parent of young children, why not accept God's offer of love and salvation in Jesus Christ which is for you and your children (Acts 2:39) by baptizing them into the Christian faith … in the Catholic Church? |
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Why let the misgivings and prejudices of your forebears continue to blind you to the Good News of God's love and salvation which the Catholic Church has proclaimed since the Day of Pentecost? |
Links to Pertinent Catholic Resources:
If you are like most Baptists, you have probably heard a great many mistruths and even outright lies about the Catholic Church and Catholic doctrines. You have probably never had a chance to learn why Catholics believe as we do. You have probably never been shown the overwhelming Scriptural and historical evidence for the truth of Catholic teaching. The following links will give you a chance to begin assessing Catholicism in the light of an honest reading of Scripture, and an unbiased view of history. Good luck in your hunt!
Great Catholic Links Sites:
Peter's Net: http://www.trincomm.org/
Totally Catholic Link Directory: http://www.tcld.net/
The Bread of Life Catholic Webring: http://www.icdc.com/~vickery/breadoflife.htm
Apologetics Resources:
Aedificatio: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7273/
All Roads Lead to Rome: A Southern Baptist's Journey into the Catholic Church:
http://www.geocities.com/confiteor_deo/convert.html
Answers for Troubled Times: http://www.saint-mike.org/apologetics/answers/
Apologia: A Catholic Page for Protestants and Eastern Orthodox: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atrium/8410/
At the Gate of Bliss: Catholic Converts Information: http://home.att.net/~wklimon/Converts.htm
Biblical Evidence for Catholicism: http://ic.net/~erasmus/
Catholicism According to the Early Church Fathers: http://www.geocities.com/kathers_60/Early_Church_F/Contentsx.html
Catholic Answers: http://www.catholic.com/
Catholic Apologetics: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Rhodes/3543/
Catholic Apologetics on the Internet: http://www.cwo.com/~pentrack/catholic/apolo.html
Catholic and Christian Crossroads: http://www.catholichost.com/ccc/
Catholic Faith and Reason: http://www.catholicfaithandreason.org/
Catholic Home Study Service: http://www.amm.org/chss.htm
Catholic Information League: http://www.angelfire.com/mi/CIL/
A Catholic Response: http://users.binary.net/polycarp/
Catholic Society of Evangelists: http://www.saint-mike.org/apologetics/cse/
Catholic Source: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Woods/2495/Default.htm
Catholic Truth Society Pamphlets: http://cts.bvm.com.au/
Catholics: What Do they Believe? http://www.anawim.pair.com/CATHOLICS/
Corunum Apologetic Web Site: http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/contents.htm
Defenders of the Catholic Faith: http://www.catholic-convert.com/main.html
Defending the Bride: http://members.aol.com/johnprh/
In Defense of the Roman Catholic Church: http://www.catholic-defense.com/
Don't Be Fooled by Jack Chick Tracts: http://net2.netacc.net/~mafg/jtchick/jtc02.html
Faith Seeking Understanding: http://www.geocities.com/faithseeking/
Frank's Pillar of Truth: http://members.tripod.com/roamincat/index.html
Gehenna: http://members.tripod.com/~frjoe/
Gospel Truth: http://home.flash.net/~truth/
The Great Converts: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/1909/
I Converted … Now What? http://hometown.aol.com/priestvoca/Home.html
John 6:54: http://www.john654.org/
Joint Declaration on Justification: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html
Keeping Catholics Catholic: http://members.aol.com/KCC1TIM/index.html
Lumen Verum Apologetics: http://www.lumenverum.com/
Matt's Catholic Apologetics: http://home.netcom.com/~matt1618/
Matt's Catholic Site: http://www.mattscatholicsite.com/
Nazareth Resource Library: http://www.cin.org/users/james/
One Faith - Una Fides: http://net2.netacc.net/~mafg/
A Protestant's Guide to the Catholic Church: http://www.protcath.com/
Returning Home: Seeking those Who Left the Catholic Church: http://www.catholicity.com/cathedral/returninghome/
Sacred Heart Catholic Essays: http://www.catholic.butlerlinks.com/
To Tell You The Whole Truth about the Church and the Holy Bible: http://www.scborromeo.org/truth/truth.htm
The Work of God: http://www.theworkofgod.org/
Documentary Sources:
All Catholic Church Ecumenical Councils: http://www.piar.hu/councils/~index.htm
Anti-Catholicism on the Net: http://shakti.trincoll.edu/~dcruzuri/anti-catholic/anti-catholic.html
Interesting Catholic Perspectives:
Gazing Upon Ever-Lasting Day: The Catholic Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Column/7573/
