A. Mankind started out living with God, our maker, in a very personal, intimate way that nobody can imagine today. Then Adam and Eve sinned and we became separated from this way of being with God. The Gospel is God’s way of getting us back into this communion or fellowship by saving us from sin and His wrath. (Genesis 3:6)

Q. I believe in God, but I don’t get the importance of this “Gospel” thing or this stuff about being “Saved.” What is all this?

A. Believing in God will not reconcile you to Him. Remember, Satan believes in God; he knows and understands God better than any human being. If you want to be at peace with God and guarantee your eternal salvation, you need to know the Gospel and be saved. Believing in God isn’t enough.

Q. I’m getting along fine right now. Why do I need to be at peace with God?

A. You are getting along fine because God gives some grace to everybody regardless of their beliefs. He makes the sun shine and the rain fall upon both the good and the bad (Matthew 5:45). But just because things are going well for you now, doesn’t mean that they always will, especially when you die. The Christian is at peace with God because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We have the assurance that even though things on earth have their ups and downs, eventually we will be granted perfect rest and reward in His eternal kingdom. (1 Peter 5:10)

Q. So what does the Gospel have to do with getting this perfect life?

A. Because the Gospel is the only thing that can bridge the gap between you and God. Everyone is born in sin and most people live their entire lives as an enemy of God. Yes, God loves you, but most of us don’t love God as we should and we treat him like our enemy. Even people who are saved treat God like an enemy every time they sin. Without the Gospel, without the covering of Jesus’ perfect life and sacrificial death (called justification and atonement) we would remain enemies of God forever. (James 4:4)

Q. This is kinda crazy stuff. Why should I believe any of it?

A. Well, this might be foolishness to you. It gives me no joy to hear such a question because it means that the person asking it is still lost in sin. Until you realize and recognize that you are a sinful person, the Gospel will be foolishness to you. The first step to accepting the Gospel and being saved by Jesus is recognizing your sin and turning away from it. This is called repentance. (Mark 1:15)

Q. What’s the big deal about admitting that I’m not perfect? Everybody sins, right?

A. Yes, Everybody sins. (Romans 3:23) But not everybody considers what they do sinning. If you are outside of the saving grace of God, then you can do all the good things you want and it still won’t make you right with God. Nothing you can do will get you right with God; only God can make you right with Him and the only way that He makes you right with Him is by starting you out with a repentant heart and an understanding of His love for you.

Q. Okay, so let’s say that I admit that I’ve told a few lies, taken some little things that didn’t belong to me and I’m not exactly sexually pure. Is that enough?

A. It’s a start; a good start. Are you sorry for doing these things?

Q. Yes. What now?

A. If you’re sorry for doing these things, then tell God that you’re sorry, in your own words. Don’t try to sound like somebody else that you’ve heard pray. Tell God that He is more important than the sinful acts you have been committing. That’s called repentance. Then believe. Believe with all your heart that the God of the Bible, who made the universe from nothing, loves you and sent His son Jesus to live a perfect life and die a terrible death to reunite you with your maker by paying the price for your sins.

And the best part is that you don’t have to wait until you die. You are made right with God right here and right now. Praise the Lord!

The first thing I noticed on the card is the headline, “Life has only one purpose: SALVATION.” Assuming this is true, I expected to find out how I can get this salvation. I read the entire card, and the name of Jesus does not appear anywhere. Hmm… Maybe on the back.

Nope. Jesus isn’t on the back either. But there is an image (graven?) of a woman in a robe with the inscription, “Only I Can Help You.” I honestly can’t bring myself to open the magazine and read it. As I write this, it sits folded on my desk.

It is so hard to know where to begin with this mailing. I hesitate to call it satanic, but it certainly isn’t from God and it certainly isn’t Biblical, so my descriptive options are quite limited. (Isn’t everything either Godly or satanic?) I decided to start with prayer for my Roman Catholic friends and family who are misled by things like this.

Holy Father in heaven, I pray in the name of your Son, my savior, Jesus that you would bring the people who receive this mailing out of their blindness and into the light of your truth. Please send your Holy Spirit to my friends and family who follow the pope, to those who receive this mailing and to me also. Turn us from all unfaithfulness and selfishness. Put in us a new heart that seeks to glorify you, O Lord, and you alone. Take away all our love for idols, our love for false prophets and our love of diversions that focus our attention on something other than you. And thank you for making your grace free to all who repent and believe. Amen.

There is so much wrong with this card that I’m only going to address the two lines I mentioned previously for the sake of time and space.

The headline on the front reads, “Life has only one purpose: SALVATION” When I first read it, I thought that it was the only truth in the packet, but even that part isn’t true. Our only purpose in life is to glorify God and to begin our eternal enjoyment of Him. (See the Westminster Shorter Catechism for more) The desire for personal salvation in and of itself can be selfish unless, by doing it, we desire to bring glory to God. Remember, God created us for His pleasure and He saves us for His glory. (Ephesians 1:4-5 NKJV ).

As far as the “Only I Can Help You” inscription and the image of Mary; that is simply blasphemous. It is beyond my understanding how someone who calls himself a Christian can attribute those words to Jesus’ earthly mother.  Mary herself expressed her own need for a savior in the Magnificat. “My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47 KJV). How, then, can it be that she would say that she alone (not the Father, Son or Holy Spirit) can  save?

I mostly feel pity for the misled people who believe this un-biblical fairy-tale, but I also get angry at the deceivers who send this out. They are charlatans and false teachers. Wolves in sheep’s clothing.

If you love somebody who is a follower of the Roman church, please join me in praying for them.