Got Jesus?
Regardless of the overwhelming amount of information / misinformation that assults us in this media-age, Jesus Christ is the only way to find peace and the only doorway to eternal life. Why would you not want to know Him?
If you are a “believer” then I praise the Lord for your decision and you are already a brother or sister to me… in a spiritual sense.
If you are not a “believer,” then I humbly ask you to read through this information carefully and prayerfully as it holds the key to your eternal destiny. I will put this in my own words and share my personal insights which have been developed over the many years of my life as a believer in Jesus Christ. I will try to make some points which I believe are relevant and then tell you about a simple but Biblical solution to find eternal life and peace with God. As I write this message to you, I will assume that you may not have the same understanding of the Bible that I do. Maybe you have never even read the Bible because you do not believe it to be a book of truth. So, let’s start there:
- The Bible – some do not believe this ancient book is relevant to people in modern times…. they view it as if it is an old book of fables. I believe the Bible is a book of truth which we can use as a guide-book to govern our lives and discover a way to have a genuine relationship with God through his son, Jesus Christ. Consider these two simple facts… the Bible is the all time best seller and most widely distributed book in history. Also, it is not only read by simple people who are searching for answers to make themselves feel better… no, it is read and studied by engineers, scientists, professors, astrophysicists, brain surgeons, and presidents. Yes, the class of people who you would not dare to dismiss as simpletons. Since the time of recorded history, we know that millions of people revere the Bible as true and accurate. Can they all be wrong? Proverbs 30:5-6
- Faith – when you approach the realm of spirituality, you must do so in faith. For some this is easy… for others, it is not. Yet most of us exercise faith every day that we live without even processing a passing thought. Think about this in common sense terms first… do you test every chair or seat before you sit in it? No, because you assume that whoever built it or put it together did so correctly and thus, it will hold you up. In normal circumstances, do you question a police officer when he is standing in the road and telling you to stop your car? No, because you trust that the officer has your best interest in mind… possibly there is danger ahead. Those are simple examples but I am sure you get what I mean. Now, let’s look at this spiritually. The Bible says this… “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Makes sense right? When you are considering your faith in Jesus, you must do it believing that He is exactly who the Bible says that He is. You may not be able to see or touch Him just like you didn’t see who built those chairs you sit in but you exercise trust in something or someone who you believe to be reliable. Hebrews 11:1
- God – I believe that God is indeed the creator of all that we see and understand… and as far as that goes, even the things we do not understand. We must accept His existence based solely on faith. The Bible teaches us that His ways are as far above our ways as the east is from the west. Simply put, we cannot explain God. We must simply believe that He is. In His words… “I am.” Exodus 3:14
- Mankind – I believe that God made us and that He places the spark of life into the human body at conception. We call this spark of life… the soul. Our physical bodies have a start and a finish but our soul or spirit, if you may, is eternal. God first designed man to be in harmony and fellowship with Him. The original man, Adam, was in a pure and perfect relationship with God but after he (Adam) made a selfish choice of disobedience, that perfect relationship was broken and sin entered the world. Genesis 5:1-3
- Sin – is simply disobeying God… not doing what He asks us to do. Mankind has always been rebellious and disobedient. We often seek our selfish desires over God’s desire for us to be faithful to Him and live a holy life. Sin came into the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve and we have struggled with it since then. Also, because God is holy and just, He requires that sin must be paid for sacrificially. Mankind cannot be restored into a right relationship without sin being accounted for. Romans 5:12
- Jesus Christ – is the one and only Son of God. Jesus was born through a miracle and lived a perfect sinless life. Even though He was not guilty of any sin or wrong doing, the people of his day had Him put to death through the false accusations of a mock trial which led to His crucifixion by the Romans. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. He died and in three days he was raised from the dead by the power of God the Father. Jesus is also the only path by which we may come to God and restore a right relationship with Him. If this fact is bothersome to you, I am sorry but those are words from the Bible, not my own. Acts 4:11-13
- Salvation – is what we call the second birth that Jesus told Nicodemus about in the Bible (John 3:3-8). The second birth is a spiritual one. It happens when a person simply but honestly believes what the Bible teaches us that Jesus was God’s son and that he died and was raised from the dead… and if we confess Jesus as Lord. Many people around the world either through traditional teaching or their own judgement believe that Jesus was a real person and was raised from the dead. This is seen throughout the world during the Easter holiday which so many observe. However, the second part is not so easy for some to accept… this is the part where we call Jesus “Lord.” Basically, this means that we make a personal decision to cast our selfish will aside and put Jesus upon the throne of our life, so to speak. We no longer rule over ourselves to obtain the status, wealth, and power that this world offers us… no, we step aside and ask Jesus to lead our lives through His will and teachings. It is a sad fact that many people simply will not do this… they want to control their own fate with no regard to Jesus or what He expects of us. Romans 10:9-13
- Eternity – even though the physical body dies and goes back to the dust, the spirit (soul) of a person is eternal. It will live on forever after the physical body stops functioning. God is just and is the judge of all. There is a wonderful place prepared for the souls who put their faith and belief in Jesus while they lived upon the earth. This wonderful place is called heaven and is too beautiful for any man to describe. There is also a place for those who did or do not believe in Jesus as their Savior and Lord. This place is called hell and it is a place so terrible that the words of man cannot describe it either. God does not want to send you to hell but if you do not accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you will send yourself there through your unbelief and rebelliousness. Romans 6:23
So, what must you do to inherit eternal life in heaven rather than being condemned to hell? You must acknowledge that you are a sinner and honestly believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died for your sins and was raised again on the third day. You must also confess that Jesus is Lord. Again, this is the hard part for most people because they do not want to allow Jesus to be Lord over their life. Think of it this way, you have to turn away from your old life and doing things the way you want to do them… and sincerely turn to Jesus for direction and purpose. When you do this with all of your ability and not holding back or holding on to the past, you will be saved and Jesus will become your personal Lord and Savior… forever and ever. The Bible also promises that when we do this, God sends His Holy Spirit to dwell within us to help us change our life as we restore our relationship with Him. He knows that we could not do this in our own strength. That is why He gives us the Holy Spirit who will help us and by the way, seals us unto the day of salvation (our natural death and judgement).
There is not a magic method or ritual that we have to do to trust in Jesus. It is simply an act of the will. Many people throughout history have done this through what we call a sinners prayer. Basically, this is when you open your mind and heart up to God and ask Him to forgive you for your sins and acknowledge that Jesus is God’s Son and died for your sins and was raised from the dead… and confessing Him as Lord. If you do this, God promises through the Bible that He will save you. The prayer does not have to be fancy… it is just talking to God out loud and being honest and sincere with Him. He does the rest. If you are not a believer in Jesus and you realize that you need to do this, I would encourage you to do so now. Do not wait. If you feel that nervous feeling in your gut… what some call butterflies in your stomach, well… that may well be the Spirit of God quietly speaking to you. Pray now, ask Him to come into your life and save you… you will never regret it. I promise.
If you prayed like I just discussed and you really meant it, I praise God with you because now you are reborn spiritually into God’s family. You are my brother or sister, spiritually speaking. The next steps are important. You need to find a church that you feel comfortable with and start attending it regularly. The Bible teaches us to do this (Hebrews 10:24-25). God knows that we need fellowship with other believers to grow and stay strong in our faith. Next, you need to begin reading the Bible to learn more about the teachings of Jesus and how He expects us to live (2 Timothy 3:16-17). All of the Bible is good to read but for a new believer, I would suggest focusing on the new testament. Lastly, take a moment to send me a quick message to let us know about your decision to believe in Jesus. I would love to rejoice with you and to pray for you. Click on this link to go to our contact page where you can email me.
God bless you and thank you for taking time to read this page.