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Dear
Friend,
You
can know God personally for yourself. God
is eager to establish a personal, loving
relationship with you that He has already
made all the arrangements. He is patiently
and lovingly waiting for you to respond
to His invitation. You can receive forgiveness
of your sins and an assurance of eternal
life through faith in His only Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ.
The
major barrier that prevents us from knowing
God personally is ignorance of who God is
and what He has done for us.
The
following principles will help you discover
how you can get to know God personally for
yourself and experience the abundant life
he has promised.
Firstly, God loves you and created you to know Him personally.
God's
Love For You
"God so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life" (John 3:16).
God's
Plan For You
"Now this is eternal life: that they
may know you, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3,
NIV).
So
what is it that prevents us from knowing
God personally?
Man
in his sinful state is separated
from God, so we cannot know Him personally
or experience His love.
Man
is Sinful
"All have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Man
was created to have fellowship with God;
but, because of his own stubborn self-will,
he chose to go his own independent way and
fellowship with God was broken. This self-will,
characterized by an attitude of active rebellion
or passive indifference, is an evidence
of what the Bible calls sin.
Man
is Separated
"The wages of sin is death" [spiritual
separation from God] (Romans 6:23).
Jesus
Christ is God's only provision for
man's sin. Through Him alone we can know
God personally and experience God's love.
He
is the Only Way to God
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way,
and the truth, and the life; no one comes
to the Father, but through Me'" (John
14:6).
He
Died in Our Place
"God demonstrates His own love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us" (Romans 5:8).
He
Rose From the Dead
"Christ died for our sins...He was
buried...He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures...He appeared
to Peter, then to the twelve. After that
He appeared to more than five hundred..."
(1
Corinthians 15:3-6).
But
It’s not enough just to know these truths...
We
must individually receive Jesus Christ
as Saviour and Lord; then we can know God
personally and experience His love.
We
Must Receive Christ
"As many as received Him, to them He
gave the right to become children of God,
even to those who believe in His name"
(John 1:12)
We
Receive Christ Through Faith
"By grace you have been saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves, it is
the gift of God; not as a result of works
that no one should boast" (Ephesians
2:8,9).
When
We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth
(Read John
3:1-8.)
We
Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand
at the door and knock; if any one hears
My voice and opens the door, I will come
in to him" (Revelation 3:20).
Receiving
Christ involves turning to God from self
(repentance) and trusting Christ to come
into our lives to forgive us of our sins
and to make us what He wants us to be. Just
to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God and that He died on the
cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is
it enough to have an emotional experience.
We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an
act of our will.
You Can Receive Christ Right Now by
Faith Through Prayer
(Prayer is talking with God)
God
knows your heart and is not so concerned
with your words as He is with the attitude
of your heart. The following is a suggested
prayer:
Pray
this prayer right now, and Christ will come
into your life, as He promised.
"Lord
Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank
You for dying on the cross for my sins.
I confess that I am a sinner and in need
of salvation, Lord Jesus I ask you to forgive
me of all of my sins,
I open the door of my heart and invite
you to into my life to be my Lord and Saviour.
Thank
You for forgiving me of my sins and giving
me eternal life. Take control of the throne
of my life. Make me the kind of person You
want me to be in Jesus name, Amen”
The
Bible Promises Eternal Life to All Who Receive
Christ
"The witness is this, that God has
given us eternal life, and this life is
in His Son. He who has the Son has the life;
he who does not have the Son of God does
not have the life. These things I have written
to you who believe in the name of the Son
of God, in order that you may know that
you have eternal life" (1 John 5:11-13).
Thank
God often that Christ is in your life and
that He will never leave you (Hebrews
13:5). You can know on the basis of
His promise that Christ lives in you and
that you have eternal life from the very
moment you invite Him in. He will not deceive
you.
An
important reminder...
Do
Not Depend on Feelings
The
promise of God's Word, the Bible - not our
feelings - is our authority. The Christian
lives by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness
of God Himself and His Word. This train
diagram illustrates the relationship among
fact (God and His Word), faith
(our trust in God and His Word), and feeling
(the result of our faith and obedience)
(John
14:21).
Now
That You Have Entered Into a Personal Relationship
With Christ
The
moment you received Christ by faith, as
an act of your will, many things happened,
including the following:
Christ
came into your life (Revelation
3:20 and Colossians
1:27).
Your sins were forgiven (Colossians
1:14).
You became a child of God (John
1:12).
You received eternal life (John
5:24).
You began the great adventure for which
God created you (John
10:10, 2
Corinthians 5:17 and 1
Thessalonians 5:18).
Can you think of anything more wonderful
that could happen to you than entering into
a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
Would you like to thank God in prayer right
now for what He has done for you? By thanking
God, you demonstrate your faith.
To enjoy your new relationship with God...
Can
you think of anything more wonderful that
could happen to you than entering into a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
Would you like to thank God in prayer right
now for what He has done for you? By thanking
God, you demonstrate your faith.
To
enjoy your new relationship with God...
Suggestions
For Christian Growth
Spiritual
growth results from trusting Jesus Christ.
"The righteous man shall live by faith"
(Galatians
3:11). A life of faith will enable you
to trust God increasingly with every detail
of your life, and to practice the following:
Fellowship
In a Good Church
God's
Word admonishes us not to forsake "the
assembling of ourselves together..."
(Hebrews
10:25). Several logs burn brightly together;
but put one aside on the cold hearth and
the fire goes out. So it is with your relationship
with other Christians. If you do not belong
to a church, do not wait to be invited.
Take the initiative; call the pastor of
a nearby church where Christ is honoured
and His Word is preached. Start this week,
and make plans to attend regularly.
www.v2vchurch.org
v2vchurch
victory to victory church douglas goodman
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