Do you have a personal relationship with God?
God Takes the Initiative: The creator of the universe desires a personal relationship with you. He pursues a love relationship with you. I don’t know about you, but that simple truth excites me. If you are reading these words, you may feel drawn to a relationship with Jesus, which is God working in you. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
God Takes the Initiative: The creator of the universe desires a personal relationship with you. He pursues a love relationship with you. I don’t know about you, but that simple truth excites me. If you are reading these words, you may feel drawn to a relationship with Jesus, which is God working in you. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Our Problem: In one word, our problem is sin. God is a holy and righteous God. He is perfect. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Without holiness no one will see God.” In other words, our sin is keeping us from being with God. Sin is very simply doing anything that displeases God (for instance: Lying, cheating, adultery, lust, envy, covetousness, drunkenness, fornication, etc.)
There is something drawing us to God. However, our sin is getting in the way. Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The Bible is very clear as to what we deserve for our sin. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We deserve death. The death we deserve is not only a physical death, but also a spiritual death; a death that separates us from God. When left on our own, we will all sin. Therefore, we are all separated from God.
The Remedy: God loves you so very much. He does not want to see you die. Therefore, He sent His Son, Jesus to die for you. 1 John 2:2 says, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” In other words, you deserve death. But in your place, Jesus died for you. What you could not do on your own, Jesus did for you. He became our bridge to God.
The remedy for our sin problem is nothing we can do. The remedy is the sacrificial death of The Savior, Jesus Christ. He died so you would not have to die. Do you believe?
God’s Invitation: God is inviting you to come over and enjoy a life of peace and forgiveness. Revelation 22:17 says, “The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” Jesus is the water of life. Jesus is your life. John 11:25-26 says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Well, do you believe this?
The Cost of Following: There is a very interesting paradox in the Christian life. It is simply, to find your life you must loose it. For Jesus to be your life, you must die to self. You must die to self so that Christ may take up residence in you and become your life. It is extremely costly to be a follower of Christ. Read the words of Christ, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). Jesus goes on to say, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26). Before you respond to God, count the cost. Christ is asking you to give Him your all. But remember, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Having eternal life through Jesus is worth any cost.
Responding to God’s Invitation: Do you see yourself stuck in sin, rebellion and separation? Respond to God’s call today. It is not difficult. Jesus said it very simply, “Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15). To repent means to turn from your self-centered sinful life and turn to Him. He becomes your life. You are born again when you put your faith and trust in Him. There are no magic words and no magic prayer. It is an act of faith. In Acts 16, the jailor asked the question of a lifetime: “What must I do to be saved.” Paul responded simply, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Once again I ask you, do you believe? Belief is an act of faith. It is trust God for your salvation. It is a spiritual death to self and allowing God to live His life through you.
If you are willing to die to self so that Christ may live in you:
REALIZE that you are a sinner. Agree with Him that Jesus’ death on the cross is your only hope for forgiveness.
REPENT - Ask God to forgive you of your sin. Tell God you are sorry.
RECEIVE - In faith, receive the free gift God is offering. Tell Him thank-you for loving you. Tell God about your love for Him.
REVISE - Surrender your will and your life to Jesus – agree to obey Him in every area of your life. Freely, accept God’s gift of salvation. Learn how to follow Him and live for Jesus.
While there is no model prayer to say that will bring you salvation, this is your day of salvation. Therefore, celebrate your new birth. I would encourage you to pause and tell God how you feel. Tell God how grateful you are to Him. Thank Him for sending His Son into this world. Ask Him to strengthen you and give you power to live a changed and transformed life. Tell Him you are sorry and you have decided to follow Him and make Him the Lord (or boss) of your life.
Follow-Up: Your life of faith has just begun. The Bible says you are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Your act of belief must lead to a change in behavior. As you live your new life of surrender, you will need some guidance. First, begin to read the Bible. I would encourage you to begin reading the Gospel of John. This is the fourth book of the New Testament. If you are not sure where to find the Gospel of John in your Bible, look in the index and you will find it. Secondly, begin to pray. Prayer is simply talking to God. Tell Him everything at all times. Thirdly, find a Bible based church. You need fellowship to grow. Get plugged in and learn of God. Fourthly, get baptized. Baptism is an act of obedience. Through baptism, you pledge your life to Christ and confess Him publicly. Finally, I would love to hear from you. Send me an email at savage_greg@fsbcodgecity.com. If you do not have a Bible, let me know I will get one to you. Also, I would love to send you a free gift that will help you grow in your life of faith.
Don’t get discouraged. Begin with small steps and follow Christ. Drop me a line so I can be praying for you and send you a free gift to help you in this process.
Matthew 11:28-30
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
NIV
The Remedy: God loves you so very much. He does not want to see you die. Therefore, He sent His Son, Jesus to die for you. 1 John 2:2 says, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” In other words, you deserve death. But in your place, Jesus died for you. What you could not do on your own, Jesus did for you. He became our bridge to God.
The remedy for our sin problem is nothing we can do. The remedy is the sacrificial death of The Savior, Jesus Christ. He died so you would not have to die. Do you believe?
God’s Invitation: God is inviting you to come over and enjoy a life of peace and forgiveness. Revelation 22:17 says, “The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” Jesus is the water of life. Jesus is your life. John 11:25-26 says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Well, do you believe this?
The Cost of Following: There is a very interesting paradox in the Christian life. It is simply, to find your life you must loose it. For Jesus to be your life, you must die to self. You must die to self so that Christ may take up residence in you and become your life. It is extremely costly to be a follower of Christ. Read the words of Christ, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). Jesus goes on to say, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26). Before you respond to God, count the cost. Christ is asking you to give Him your all. But remember, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Having eternal life through Jesus is worth any cost.
Responding to God’s Invitation: Do you see yourself stuck in sin, rebellion and separation? Respond to God’s call today. It is not difficult. Jesus said it very simply, “Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15). To repent means to turn from your self-centered sinful life and turn to Him. He becomes your life. You are born again when you put your faith and trust in Him. There are no magic words and no magic prayer. It is an act of faith. In Acts 16, the jailor asked the question of a lifetime: “What must I do to be saved.” Paul responded simply, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Once again I ask you, do you believe? Belief is an act of faith. It is trust God for your salvation. It is a spiritual death to self and allowing God to live His life through you.
If you are willing to die to self so that Christ may live in you:
REALIZE that you are a sinner. Agree with Him that Jesus’ death on the cross is your only hope for forgiveness.
REPENT - Ask God to forgive you of your sin. Tell God you are sorry.
RECEIVE - In faith, receive the free gift God is offering. Tell Him thank-you for loving you. Tell God about your love for Him.
REVISE - Surrender your will and your life to Jesus – agree to obey Him in every area of your life. Freely, accept God’s gift of salvation. Learn how to follow Him and live for Jesus.
While there is no model prayer to say that will bring you salvation, this is your day of salvation. Therefore, celebrate your new birth. I would encourage you to pause and tell God how you feel. Tell God how grateful you are to Him. Thank Him for sending His Son into this world. Ask Him to strengthen you and give you power to live a changed and transformed life. Tell Him you are sorry and you have decided to follow Him and make Him the Lord (or boss) of your life.
Follow-Up: Your life of faith has just begun. The Bible says you are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Your act of belief must lead to a change in behavior. As you live your new life of surrender, you will need some guidance. First, begin to read the Bible. I would encourage you to begin reading the Gospel of John. This is the fourth book of the New Testament. If you are not sure where to find the Gospel of John in your Bible, look in the index and you will find it. Secondly, begin to pray. Prayer is simply talking to God. Tell Him everything at all times. Thirdly, find a Bible based church. You need fellowship to grow. Get plugged in and learn of God. Fourthly, get baptized. Baptism is an act of obedience. Through baptism, you pledge your life to Christ and confess Him publicly. Finally, I would love to hear from you. Send me an email at savage_greg@fsbcodgecity.com. If you do not have a Bible, let me know I will get one to you. Also, I would love to send you a free gift that will help you grow in your life of faith.
Don’t get discouraged. Begin with small steps and follow Christ. Drop me a line so I can be praying for you and send you a free gift to help you in this process.
Matthew 11:28-30
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
NIV
