Christianity is not about following a rulebook of do’s and don’ts, or about being a good person. Being a good person will not take any of us to heaven. It is all about knowing Jesus — having an intimate, personal relationship with Him. Knowing Jesus is wonderful!
The Bible tells us that “God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him (Jesus) will not perish, but will have everlasting life.”
Believing on Jesus means believing He is God, trusting Him to forgive us and free us from all sin, and determining in our hearts to live for Him from now on. When we take these few simple steps from a heart attitude of truly wanting to know God, He actually enters into us and lives inside of us. Peace and gladness fill our hearts. We start to think and act like Jesus would. It is an unending love relationship.
If you would like to know God, pray and ask Jesus to be Lord and Savior of your life. If you need some help praying, we’ve included a prayer for you (but if you would rather pray in your own words, just go ahead and do that):
Dear Jesus,
I want to know You. Please come and live inside of me, and be my Lord from now on. I believe You died for my sins, and I’m so grateful that You did that for me. Please forgive me for all wrong I have ever done. I will love You and be Yours all the days of my life from now on.
Once you have asked Jesus to come into your heart, be sure to tell others that you now belong to Him. You might be able to help them know Jesus too!
Keep in mind that asking Him into your life is just a beginning. To deepen your relationship with God, talk with Him frequently in prayer and read the Bible. The New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are a good place to start. It is also important to find a Bible-believing church or home fellowship that is alive and full of the Presence of God, so that you can connect with other Christians who can help you grow in your relationship with Jesus.
Congratulations! By receiving Jesus, you have entered into a wonderful adventure that will last for eternity. May the Lord bless you and help you through every step along the way.
Please see our series of articles, The Nature of God.
_______________
Objections?
Perhaps you are thinking, “Well, I don’t agree with what you are saying about how I must come to God. I am a good person. God will accept me based on my goodness. ”
The problem with that idea is, it doesn’t matter if you agree. God Himself has laid in place the one way to be in fellowship with Him — accepting Jesus and His death on the cross on your behalf. If you don’t agree, since He is the One Who makes the rules, your disagreement is a moot point.
If I lay out conditions upon which you may enter my house, and you respond, “I don’t agree with your conditions,” you still can’t enter my house. It’s the same with God the Father — with one big difference —
If it’s my home, you may still be able by sheer force to enter it, even if you don’t agree with my conditions. but if it’s God’s home (heaven), and you don’t agree with how He said you must enter it, He’s way bigger than you are. You can’t force your way past Him to get in. Think about that a moment. And if God doesn’t let you into His home, where will you end up?
You may say, “I don’t believe in hell.” You may be a person who thinks it’s all over at the end of this life. Once again, your opinion does not matter. If there is a hell (and the Bible says there is), not believing in it will not keep you out of it. You will end up there forever, no matter how firmly you believe now that it doesn’t exist.
There is a simple solution, and I have given it to you in this post. So, how about going back and considering it again?
Out of the Fire 