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God loves you and created you to know Him
personally.
(References contained on this Home Page are linked to the
actual verses from the Bible,
and should be read in context wherever
possible.)
God's Love
"God so loved the world, that He
gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not
perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
God's Plan
"Now this is eternal life: that they
may know you, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent"
(John 17:3, NIV).
What prevents us from knowing God personally?
Man is sinful and separated from God,
so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love.
Man is Sinful
"All have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because
of his own stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent wayand
fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterizedby an
attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of
what the Bible calls sin.
Man is Separated
"The wages of sin is death"
[spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23).
This diagram illustrates that God is holy and man is
sinful. A great gulf separates the two. The arrows illustrate that man is
continually trying to reach God and establish the personal relationship
with Him through his own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or
religion - but he inevitably fails.
The third principle explains the only way to bridge
this gulf...
Jesus Christ is God's only provision for
man's sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience
God's love.
He Died in Our Place
"God demonstrates His own
love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"
(Romans 5:8).
He Rose From the Dead
"Christ died for our
sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day according to the
Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He
appeared to more than five hundred..." (1
Corinthians 15:3-6).
He is the Only Way to God
"Jesus said to him,
'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father,
but through Me'" (John 14:6).
This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf
that separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the
cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.
It is not enough just to know these truths...
We must individually receive Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His
love.
We Must Receive Christ
"As many as received
Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those
who believe in His name" (John 1:12)
We Receive Christ Through Faith
"By grace you
have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift
of God; not as a result of works that no one should boast" (Ephesians
2:8,9).
When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth
(Read John 3:1-8.)
We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one
hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him"
(Revelation 3:20).
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self
(repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of
our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree
intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the
cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional
experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will.
These two circles represent two kinds of lives:
Which circle best represents your life?
Which
circle would you like to have represent your life?
The following explains how you can receive Christ:
You Can Receive Christ
Right Now
by Faith Through
Prayer
(Prayer is talking with God)
God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your
words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a
suggested prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You
for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive
You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and
giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the
kind of person You want me to be."
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?
If it does, pray this prayer right now, and Christ will
come into your life, as He promised.
How to Know That Christ Is in Your Life
Did you
receive Christ into your life? According to His promise in Revelation 3:20, where is Christ right now in relation
to you? Christ said that He would come into your life and be your friend
so you can know Him personally. Would He mislead you? On what authority do
you know that God has answered your prayer?
(The trustworthiness
of God Himself and His Word.)
The Bible Promises Eternal Life to All Who Receive
Christ
"The witness is this, that God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does
not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have
written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that
you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:11-13).
Thank God often that Christ is in your life and that He
will never leave you (Hebrews
13:5). You can know on the basis of His promise that Christ lives in
you and that you have eternal life from the very moment you invite Him in.
He will not deceive you.
An important reminder...
Do Not Depend on Feelings
The promise of God's Word, the Bible - not our feelings -
is our authority. The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the
trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word. This train diagram
illustrates the relationship among fact (God and His Word),
faith (our trust in God and His Word), and feeling (the
result of our faith and obedience) (John
14:21).
The train will run with or without the caboose. However,
it would be useless to attempt to pull the train by the caboose. In the
same way, we as Christians do not depend on feelings or emotions, but we
place our faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God and the promises of
His Word.
Now That You Have Entered Into a Personal
Relationship With Christ
The moment you received Christ by faith, as an act of your
will, many things happened, including the following:
- Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20 and Colossians 1:27).
- Your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
- You became a child of God (John
1:12).
- You received eternal life (John 5:24).
- You began the great adventure for which God created you (John
10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Can you think of anything more wonderful that could happen
to you than entering into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Would
you like to thank God in prayer right now for what He has done for you? By
thanking God, you demonstrate your faith.
To enjoy your new relationship with God...
Suggestions
For Christian Growth
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. "The
righteous man shall live by faith" (Galatians 3:11). A life of faith will enable you to
trust God increasingly with every detail of your life, and to practice the
following:
Fellowship In a Good Church
God's Word admonishes us not to forsake "the assembling of
ourselves together..." (Hebrews
10:25). Several logs burn brightly together; but put one aside on the
cold hearth and the fire goes out. So it is with your relationship with
other Christians. If you do not belong to a church, do not wait to be
invited. Take the initiative; call the pastor of a nearby church where
Christ is honored and His Word is preached. Start this week, and make
plans to attend regularly.
If you have any questions
please feel free to Contact Us or
call (252) 355-7767
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