BACK TO YOUR ROOTS

"The Chronicle of the Hutterian Brethren #1," Page 122. These are the words of Jakob Hutter.

"My dearly beloved brothers, there is no doubt that the only freedom we can have is the freedom of Christ, not the freedom of the flesh. Only God can make us free through Christ, and only the Holy Spirit can redeem our hearts".

Traditions and organization are important; living in the Colony is good and proper; wearing clothes that are not considered worldly is fine. These are some methods of trying to live a Godly life and in themselves, are very good works.

As good as these traditions are, do they earn you Salvation (Eternal Life)?

The Bible teaches, and I believe, Jakob Hutter practised in his teaching that:

A. Man is sinful, and because of his sin, is apart from God, Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." People try many methods to have fellowship with God. Like a good life, good ethics and philosophy. They do not work!

Jakob Hutter pointed this out many times to those who tortured him, Page 145, "Chronicles of the Hutterian Brethren."

B. Jesus died on the Cross that you might have new life (Eternal Life). Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin. Only through him, can we have fellowship with God.

John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me."

This new life is a free gift not to be earned. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Ephesians 2:8 & 9 "For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast."

C. Many know these scriptures but that is not enough! We must individually receive Christ as Lord and Savior.

John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in His name.

Revelations 3:20 (Christ speaking) "Behold I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him."

Receiving Christ is turning to God from self, trusting Christ to come into our lives, to forgive our sins and to make us what he wants us to be.

Although this gift is free and does not cost anything, there is a cost. For we are taught in Luke 14:28, to count the cost. The cost is in following Jesus Christ and is not too high; the cost of not following Him is greater.

Jakob Hutter and many other faithful servants of the Lord counted the cost, and I pray you will not find it too high.

You can receive Christ now through prayer.

Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved." Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." God knows your heart and is not as concerned with the wording. So I invite you to say this suggested prayer, to invite Christ into your heart.

"LORD JESUS, I NEED YOU, AND I CONFESS TO YOU MY SINS AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS. I BELIEVE YOU DIED ON THE CROSS TO TAKE AWAY MY SINS AND ROSE FROM THE DEAD TO SHOW YOU HAVE DEFEATED DEATH. COME INTO MY HEART. PLEASE BE MY LORD AND SAVIOUR. TAKE CONTROL OF MY LIFE, FILL ME WITH YOUR HOLY SPIRIT AND MAKE ME INTO THE KIND OF PERSON YOU WANT ME TO BE. Amen."

Does this prayer say what you want to say to Jesus Christ?

If you prayed this prayer now, or at an earlier time, you are a Christian according to God's Word.

May I encourage you to:

1. STAY IN YOUR COLONY.

2. FOLLOW JESUS's INSTRUCTION TO BE BAPTIZED, OBSERVE COMMUNION AND BE FAITHFUL TO HIM.

3. READ GOD'S WORD AND STUDY IT.

4. SHARE CHRIST WITH OTHERS IN AND OUTSIDE THE COLONY.

5. PRAY MUCH.

6. LOOK UP AND STUDY THESE SCRIPTURES:

1 JOHN 5:11-13

HEBREWS 13:5

JOHN 14:21

MATTHEW 28:18-20



CONFUSED

(A message from a Hutterite)

I have read the Chronicles of the Hutterian Brethren and the Martyr's Mirror, and never once did I find where those Hutterites tried to hide the plan of Salvation, or keep it for themselves only, but those who the Hutterites call their forefathers like Jakob Hutter, Peter Rideman, and many more were killed because they went out to preach the gospel to the world like Jesus commanded His disciples.

Mark 16:15 "And He said unto them, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Titus 2:11 "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men."

So we can clearly see that the early Hutterite church had the faith of Jesus and His disciples, because they obeyed His orders.

Today's Hutterites really lack at preaching to the world. Is it because they have never experienced the joy of having fellowship?

If we read the letters from Paul to the churches, we will see his desire he had for the Brothers, He always encouraged them to remain strong in the Lord. He really cared for lost souls, and walked many miles to preach the gospel, and it was risking His life to do so, and the same with the early Hutterites, everywhere they went to preach, was risking their life. The question is, are the Hutterites today the same as they were 2 or 3 hundred years ago? Where is their light, are they covering it when they should be preaching to the world, or do they have the same faith that we see in Jesus. How are their young folks? The Amish and Mennonite people gather to sing, but we don't hear anything about the Hutterite young people doing anything for the Lord.