A Spiritual Message to Latin America and Beyond

IN SHORT: This article presents a clear Christian message for readers in Latin America about salvation, personal faith in Jesus Christ, and the hope of new life through the Gospel. It explains how a restored relationship with God is possible through repentance, faith, and trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

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Welcome to Original Pentecostal
Sermons and Bible Studies
by Pastor Jim Feeney, PhD

These sermons & Bible teachings,
personally written by Dr. Jim
Feeney, are drawn from 50+
years of Spirit-filled ministry
in the Pentecostal tradition.

Pastor Feeney has served as a
church planter, senior pastor,
Bible college teacher and Dean,
and as a trainer of ministers.

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I grew up in the Catholic Church. I was an altar boy, and I studied 8 years of Religion and Theology in high school and college. In my head I believed in God and in His Son Jesus Christ. But deep in my heart there was a strong sense that something was missing. Then I began to meet other people who clearly had a deep, personal faith relationship with Jesus — a relationship that I realized I did not have. And that led to several years of wondering why, even though I had grown up as a regular member of the Church.

The answer came in early 1969. A friend of mine encouraged me to buy a New Testament of the Bible. I did, and I began to read it. Everything changed! From God’s Word the Bible I began to see His light replacing my inner spiritual darkness.

Where did I find the answer? — in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through repentance for sin and a sincere faith commitment to Jesus personally as my Lord and Savior. I was — as Jesus Himself described it — “born again.” The old Jim was left behind and I became a “new creation in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17). You can too!

The Bible describes this as being born again, being a new creation through Jesus Christ, coming out “from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18). I experienced that in 1969, at the age of 25, all alone in my room on a U.S. Air Force base. My life changed forever!

I came to know Jesus in a very personal way, as my Lord, my Savior, the One who loved me enough to die on the cross for me (and for you) in order to forgive our sins and give us eternal life with Him.

Perhaps God is speaking to your heart today. Like most Latin Americans, you may have grown up in a loving family that believed in Jesus. You went to church. But inside you felt like me — where is the life? the truth? the confident hope of heaven? That was me, and probably many of you.

There is hope for you in this life and for eternity. And that hope is in a personal, repentant, faith-filled relationship with Jesus Christ, the one and only way to God the Father (John 14:6). Jesus desires to have that relationship with you. I’ll share below how He can come powerfully into your life. You do not need to do this through a priest or other minister. You can experience salvation and new birth in Christ now, wherever you are.

How Can YOU Find True Salvation in a Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ?

Jesus is the one and only Savior from sin and into eternal life with God the Father and Jesus His Son. And He freely offers that to you today. Below I list for you a very simple outline of the “Gospel” — the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. That salvation can be yours today as you “turn to God in repentance [for your sins] and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:21).

• The Gospel, the “Good News,” Is the Best News You’ll Hear in Your Lifetime

1 Corinthians 15:2-4 By this gospel you are saved … Christ died for our sins … was buried … and was raised on the third day.

This is the saving Gospel of the wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He died to take on Himself the punishment for all our sins. He was buried. And on the third day Jesus rose from the dead and returned to heaven. And from heaven He calls you to come to Him in love, faith, and repentance for sins. He will forgive those sins, because on the cross He died to take on Himself the penalty for your sins and mine. Let’s now look at how that happens.

• All Have Sinned - Every one of Us

Romans 3:10, 23 There is no one righteous, not even one … [23] all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

There is no ignoring this. “All” of us, every one, has committed sin. We have disobeyed God and His call to us to be holy and godly in our daily living (Ephesians 4:24). No one is innocent.

• Our Sins Led to Us Being Spiritually Dead in Our Transgressions and Sins (Ephesians 2:1)

Romans 5:12; 6:23 …through sin … death came to all people, because all sinned … [6:23] for the wages of sin is death.

The Bible says that our iniquities “have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you” (Isaiah 59:2). God is “too pure to look on evil … [and] cannot tolerate wrongdoing” (Habakkuk 1:13). A perfectly holy God cannot just overlook our sins. There needs to be a remedy for God’s judgment against our sins.

• God in Heaven Loved Us Enough to Provide a Remedy in Jesus

Romans 5:8 God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Because of the great love of God the Father for us sinners, He sent His Son Jesus from heaven to earth to die for us. By doing this, in His excruciating death on the cross Jesus paid the price (redeemed us) from the judgment of God upon our sins. “He Himself bore our sins” (1 Peter 2:24)!

• In Jesus Is the Opportunity for Every One of Us to be Saved

Romans 10:13 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

By calling out to God through the Lord Jesus Christ, you can and will be saved. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and is the one and only one able (John 14:6) to bring us to salvation and back to a wonderful, forgiven relationship with our heavenly God the Father.

• How Do We “Call on the Lord” for Salvation?

Romans 10:9 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.

Acts 20:21 [We] must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

Receiving salvation and eternal life from God is simple, but it requires a genuine commitment in two ways: (1) We must turn our hearts to God in sincere repentance for our sins; and (2) we must have faith in and proclaim the risen-from-the-dead Savior Jesus as our Lord personally.

• If I Do These Things, What Will Happen in My Life?

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you choose to come to God through the Savior Jesus in a heartfelt, personal commitment of repentance and faith, you will be at “peace with God.” The former separation from God by our sins is replaced with forgiveness, with God’s great love for you in your life, and with the wonderful assurance that you are among God’s “sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:18).

Your sins have been fully paid for by your Savior Jesus Christ. Now you are a born-again child of God, excited to serve Him in this life, and then to spend a glorious eternity with Him and His Son Jesus after your life on this earth.

Would You Like Help in Praying to the Lord for His Salvation for You?

A Prayer for Salvation: Dear God, I know that I am a sinner, and I need Your forgiveness. I turn away from my sins and turn to You with a sincere heart. I believe that Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died on the cross for my sins, and that you raised Him from the dead. Today I place my trust in Jesus as my Savior, and I confess Him as my Lord. Come into my life, forgive my sins, and make me a new person through your grace. From this day forward, I want to live for You. Guide my life and help me to do Your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Did you make a decision for Jesus?

God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ welcome you into the family of God. The Bible says you are now a born-again son or daughter of God (2 Corinthians 6:18). Get a good Bible and read it daily to get to know God the Father and Jesus better. One that I recommend is the New International Version (NIV). A Spanish translation that I read and recommend is the Nueva Version Internacional (NVI).

Live every day with Jesus in your heart. Pray to God often in the name of Jesus. And find a good church to attend regularly. In the church that you now attend or once attended, perhaps you have felt the same way that I once felt — in spiritual darkness, unrelated personally to Jesus. If that’s true for you, then with Jesus in your life now move on from that church and find a church near you that is devoted to Jesus Christ, preaches and teaches from the Word of God the Bible, and expects the power of the Holy Spirit to be active in your life. My own personal experience of the past 50+ years is that you will most likely find those important things in churches that identify as “Pentecostal” or “Charismatic.”

God bless you as you begin the rest of your life as a “new creation in Christ,” a son or daughter of the Lord Almighty. Devote yourself to knowing, loving, and serving God the Father and His Son Jesus your Savior. You will be blessed in this life and in all eternity.

One Last Request, Please

If this message has spoken to your heart, I encourage you to share it with your family and friends. Someone close to you may be searching for hope, truth, or a new beginning with God. This message could be the means God uses to change their life — now and for eternity. If you have any Spanish-speaking friends or family, and you think that this might speak to their hearts, please send them this message in their native language. It's Un Mensaje Espiritual para América Latina.

Thank you for sharing this message of hope in Jesus Christ.