God created you to have relationship with Him now and also to be together with Him for all eternity. He loves you and truly wants you to know Him in a personal way. God has a unique plan for your life because you are important to Him. He intends for you to live in peace while serving Him and to receive His free gift of eternal life (to go to heaven). He offers this “opportunity” to anyone who wants to experience such.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

God didn’t make us like robots, but instead He gave us a free will and the ability to choose. Unfortunately, we each choose to disobey God, go our own ways, and do wrong things in our lives. That part of ourselves is called our sin. Sin is anything we think, say, or do that displeases Holy God. As a result, sin makes us feel a sense of guilt inside. The Bible says we’re ALL guilty people, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Our sinfulness is what separates us from God now and can cause us to be separated from Him forever if not dealt with.  Because God is holy there can be no sin in His presence. Romans 6:23 says the “wages of sin is death” (it causes us to die physically then become separated from God eternally). That is the problem that exists between each of us and God. Therefore, we need to be rescued from our condition.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only answer to this dilemma of separation from God. As God, He became a man to live out the perfect life for mankind to satisfy the standard required for entering into heaven. Then Jesus, displaying His love for us, died upon the cross to take the punishment we deserve for our sinfulness. The Bible says, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Our Lord then displayed His power, when He rose back to life from the dead. Now He is alive to save us from the problem of sin by offering unto us forgiveness, eternal life, and the opportunity to have a relationship with God through following Him as our Lord. The Lord Jesus bridges the gap between us and God to bring us back together. “For the wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). God has graciously made all the arrangements for our problem to be solved. Jesus provided the way for us to be saved. Yet, now we must believe this and make the choice. Jesus declares “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except by Me” (John 14:6). Jesus also declared “Come to ME…and I will give you rest for…your soul” (Matthew 11:28-29).

We need to receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and decide to Follow Him as our Lord (ruler). Salvation does not come by or from our doing religious works (Jesus’ coming showed thats never been sufficient). We are saved by a free gift of God’s grace when we believe these things to be true and humbly receive such for ourself (Ephesians 2:8-9). You must realize you need to be saved and then call out to the Lord for His help. The Bible promises “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13) and “as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16

The Bible shows us God's character and provides us God's revelation of Himself to His people. In each section of the Bible, we see God's holy, unchanging, faithful, gracious and loving character. Regularly reading God’s word reorients our thinking so that we can grow in maturity, which is part of the Christian calling (Ephesians 4:14–16; Romans 12:1–2).

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

God’s Word calls us to be faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12), and promises He will be near when we call (Psalm 145:18). Scripture is clear; prayer is vital in the life of faith. Consider the following verses:

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” Colossians 4:2.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” Jeremiah 33:3.

God’s Word is rich with the prayers of His people—in times of joy and wonder, and in times of sorrow and hardship. As we pray the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit will work in our hearts to grow and shape us more like Jesus. We will soon find ourselves joyfully lifting our praises and petitions, a natural result of our love and reverence for the One Who created us for a relationship with Him.

Church is the place where believers can love one another (1 John 4:12), encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13), “spur” one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24), serve one another (Galatians 5:13), instruct one another (Romans 15:14), honor one another (Romans 12:10), and be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32).

When a person trusts Jesus Christ for salvation, he or she is made a member of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). For a church body to function properly, all of its “body parts” need to be present and working (1 Corinthians 12:14–20). It’s not enough to just attend a church; we should be involved in some type of ministry to others, using the spiritual gifts God has given us (Ephesians 4:11–13). A believer will never reach full spiritual maturity without having that outlet for his gifts, and we all need the assistance and encouragement of other believers (1 Corinthians 12:21–26).

For these reasons and more, church attendance, participation, and fellowship should be regular aspects of a believer’s life. Weekly church attendance is in no sense “required” for believers, but someone who belongs to Christ should have a desire to worship God, receive His Word, and fellowship with other believers.

Sharing your faith in Jesus with others is a natural overflow of your growing relationship when you know His will, His ways, and His Word. The more you intentionally seek to share your faith, the more you will understand God’s will and purpose for your life.

By sharing your faith and life with others, your relationship with God grows. He gives you the right words (Luke 12:12) and abilities to share the message that Jesus is alive and the Bible is true. And, when they take steps to “be reconciled” (2 Cor. 5:20) with their Creator, you witness a miracle.  

There is no greater joy than seeing someone go from darkness to light—from spiritual death to spiritual life (John 5:24). Witnessing life change is another way the Holy Spirit makes Jesus real to you.

God created you to enjoy and exalt Him in every aspect of your life. You see His purpose for humanity right in the opening pages of Scripture, and His plan never changed. He wants a close relationship with you. He divinely designed you for this time and place to know Him (Acts 17:26-27), and help others do the same (2 Cor. 5:18-19). You are God’s masterpiece, and He created you to live your purpose in three ways:

• Love God
• Love People
• Teach them His Word