"Make No Mistake"

"I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving." (Psalms 69:30) There is one thing for sure, it only takes believing in Jesus as your Lord and Savior to be saved. We get that proof from the thief on the cross, and nobody can take that truth away. Still, there will be those that try and stretch that truth out, making being baptized the only real way to salvation in the Lord. If you really want to know the truth, then you should know that there is one thing that is more important to God than baptism when it comes to salvation, and I believe that this verse declares what that one thing is. That's right! Praise Him, and be thankful for what He has done! One day, about sixteen years ago, my wife and I were invited to a lunch to hear about insurance and investing. We were seated across from an elderly couple, and I happened to be wearing a shirt that had a Calvary Chapel logo on the front; I believe it might have been from a recent Men's Conference or Retreat. Anywho; the gentleman was staring rather sourly at my shirt, and when I caught his eye, he asked if I was associated with that church; to which I replied, "Yes, I have been for almost twenty years." To which he harshly replied, "Why do we need a church like that?" Obviously he did not agree with some of what Calvary Chapel stood for; which he quickly made aware by telling me that he believed and taught that a person was not saved until they were baptized. At which time, I gently leaned into him and said, "That, my brother, is why we need a Calvary Chapel." Almost immediately his wife began choking on what she was eating, but he did not seem to notice or care, he just wanted to refute what I had just said; even after we gestured to him that his wife was having difficulties, he was focused on giving me a reply. Finally, my wife gave her some water, and she was alright; but he would not back down from making a stand against any church that did not believe what he believed. He made it a salvation issue, therefore, it became an issue that he believed had to be doctrinal and had to be kept. So I asked him about the thief on the cross, or even about a dying person whom he might lead in the Sinners Prayer on their death bed; crickets, that's all I got in return; no more argument, no more nasty looks, just silence. After the lunch, he shook my hand and said it was nice to meet; but there was no more discussion on beliefs. I had a feeling that I hit a nerve with the dying person comment; and by the expression of his wife's face, it must have been up close a personal. There is absolutely nothing that we can make our salvation contingent upon except for sincere belief in Jesus Christ! But make no mistake about it, when there is sincere belief and acceptance, there will be praise and thanksgiving; that is the true outward expression of an inward experience...
"I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak His praises. I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the LORD'S greatness; let us exalt His name together. I prayed to the LORD, and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces." (Psalms 34:1-5) NLT