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STEP I
(To Peace with God)
God's Purpose: Peace and Life
God loves you and wants
you to experience peace and life—abundant and eternal.
The
Bible says...
We have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should
not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). I have come that they
may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
Why don't most people
have this peace and abundant life that God planned for us to have?
STEP
II (To Peace with God)
The Problem: Our Separation
God created us in His
own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us as robots to
automatically love and obey Him. God gave us a will and a freedom of
choice. We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still
make this choice today. This results in separation from God.
The
Bible says...
For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). For the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
(Romans 6:23).
Our
Attempts to Reach God
People have tried in
many ways to bridge this gap between themselves and God... The Bible
says... There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it
leads to death (Proverbs 14:12). But your iniquities have separated you
from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will
not hear (Isaiah 59:2).
No bridge reaches
God...except one.
STEP
III (To Peace with God)
God's Bridge: The Cross
Jesus Christ died on
the Cross and rose from the grave. He paid the penalty for our sin and
bridged the gap between God and people.
The
Bible says...
For there is one God
and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ (1 Timothy
2:5). For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the
unrighteous, to bring you to God (1 Peter 3:18). But God demonstrates
his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died
for us (Romans 5:8). God has provided the only way. Each person must
make a choice.
Our
Response: Receive Christ
We must trust Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal invitation.
The Bible says...
Here I am! I stand at
the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will
come in and eat with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20). Yet to all
who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right
to become children of God (John 1:12). That if you confess with your
mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him
from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).
Where
are you?
Will
you receive Jesus Christ right now?
Here is how you can
receive Christ:
1.
Admit your need (I am a sinner).
2.
Be willing to turn from your sins (repent).
3.
Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave.
4.
Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit. (Receive Him as Lord and Savior.)
How
to Pray:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know
that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died
for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into
my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
God's
Assurance: His Word
If you prayed this
prayer, The Bible says...
Everyone who calls on
the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).
Did you sincerely ask
Jesus Christ to come into your life? Where is He right now? What has He
given you?
For it is by grace you
have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast
(Ephesians 2:8,9).
Receiving Christ, we are
born into God's family through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit
who indwells every believer. This is called regeneration, or the new
birth.
This is just the
beginning of a wonderful new life in Christ. To deepen this
relationship you should:
1.
Read your Bible everyday to know Christ better.
2.
Talk to God in prayer every day.
3.
Tell others about Christ.
4.
Worship, fellowship, and serve with other Christians in a church where
Christ is preached.
5.
As Christ's representative in a needy world, demonstrate your new life
by your love and concern for others.
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