Some of Elvis’ final words, a few hours before he passed away, were to his stepbrother, Rick Stanley, when he said, “Rick, we should all begin to live for Christ.” This phrase occurs in the Bible where it says: And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him [Jesus] who died for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:15). The main theme is reconciliation. Jesus came to reconcile men to God, and those who want to live for Christ are urged to be ambassadors for God, to represent God on earth and have a ministry of reconciliation and live the good life.
Elvis would be aware that, because of some choices he made, he was not always living the good life which the Lord promised him. When we accept that our inherited, broken relationship with God is restored because of Jesus and that we are now reconciled and have a good relationship with God, we automatically want to please him and live for Him. However, because we are not perfect, we still make mistakes, even when we become Christian, but Jesus is eager to forgive us – all we need to do is ask and we are free from shame.
The most important relationship for every one of us is our relationship with Jesus Christ. Choosing to believe that he is who he claimed to be – the Son of God and the only way to restoring this intentionally good relationship (aka salvation) – and receiving him by faith as our Lord and Saviour is the most vital thing anyone will ever do.
The Bible promises, “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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
Living the good life simply means that once we are saved, we are free to love and forgive much more than humanly possible and this leads to reconciliation, peace and contentment. God didn’t put us here and leave us stranded without any guidance. He sends His Holy Spirit to teach and guide us on this sometimes perilous path known as life on earth.
Prayer
Another very important aspect of living the good life is prayer. This is a conversation with God. Sometimes we don’t know how to pray, so Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, now called The Lord’s Prayer. There are several translations/versions. This is the one which Elvis sang. It is the King James translation (KJV):
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
When praying, we need to be honest with God, (he knows our thoughts anyway) and just pour out our hearts to him. He will always listen and respond. When you read some of the Psalms you will see how David, as well as praising God, poured out his heart in times of trouble.
Also, when we don’t know how to pray, sometimes speaking in tongues, a heavenly language, is very useful. (This can also be a human language, as on the day of Pentecost everyone heard the Gospel spoken in their own language, even though the disciples hadn’t learned those languages.)
If you have not yet committed your life to Jesus, please make sure that you ask the Lord to come into your life by saying, aloud, this simple prayer:
Dear God, I believe that you love me and that you sent your son, Jesus, to die for me and rise again, so that I can have a good relationship with you. Please forgive me for all the wrong things I have said, thought or done. I ask you, Jesus, by the power of your Holy Spirit to come into my life right now. From now on I want to live the joyful, peaceful life you have promised me. Amen.
The very moment you commit your life to Jesus Christ, you are “born again” and God’s Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you, and you can enjoy living your new victorious life.
Growing in Faith
To grow in faith and enhance your life you will need to have access to a Bible of which there are many good versions. Some people prefer the “old-fashioned” King James Version (KJV), which has some very beautiful language. Others prefer the more modern language of the New International Version (NIV), which is the one that I have used mainly in this book. We at Elvis Gospel have several different translations and paraphrases and we use them all. It is good sometimes to compare different versions to get the full meaning of the passage you are studying.
If you are not already a member of a church fellowship, pray and ask the Lord which of your local churches you should join. There are many diverse kinds of Christian churches, all believing in the same Lord Jesus, but preferring different ways of worshipping and/or focussing on different ministries.
If you know a Christian who is a member of a Christian fellowship, then you can ask them for advice and/or information. They will most probably be very happy to pray with you and help you.
We also recommend the book “The Fusion of Humanity and Divinity – God’s Design to Partner with Us” by Victoria Cooper. It shows us how we can grow in grace and live more fully the loving, peaceful, victorious life the Lord desires for us. Interestingly, Elvis gets a mentioned in the book as being “a classic mix of broken humanity and beautiful Divinity, colliding in a person’s soul.”
If you need any further information or help, please do not hesitate to contact us at Elvis Gospel: [email protected]
We will be very pleased to help you as best we can. That is why we are here!
NOTES:
1. In addition to joining a church, there are several Christian radio and TV stations you can tune in to so that you can receive positive and encouraging music and speech.
2. In the UK there are radio stations Premier Christian Radio/Premier Praise (www.premierchristianradio.com) and UCB1/UCB2 (www.ucb.co.uk) broadcasting nationally on DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) and online.
3. USA Christian local radio stations include the Salem (https://salemmedia.com/radio-stations/) and K-LOVE (www.klove.com) networks.
4. Other countries have Christian radio stations such as Spirit Radio (www.spiritradio.ie) in Ireland and Radio Christian Voice (https://rcvoice.co.zm) in Zambia.
5. Christian TV channels such as God TV & TBN are easily available via their own websites or streaming using Roku Streamers (www.roku.com), offering over 250 Christian channels, or on broadcast linear TV.