Knowing Jesus
Jesus Christ is waiting for you to accept His gift to you.
If you want eternal peace and a guarantee of going to Heaven when you die, then the Bible lays out a simple path for you.Recognize that you NEED to be saved from your guilt. The Bible tells us that "...There is no one righteous, not even one..." None of us are clean enough to even deserve a glimpse of Heaven. (Romans 3:10) No matter how good you are, you aren't good enough to qualify for Heaven based on your own works. "... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
Understand that the penalty for sin is death, permanent separation from God in a place of torment. " Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned..." (Romans 5:12) Sin is simply breaking ANY of God's laws. It is any variation from the perfect standard. God gave us His laws to show us what is perfect.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
Understand that God has made a way to make things right. Jesus, God's Only Son, came to earth, lived a completely perfect life, gave away His life to crucifixion to take the penalty FOR us, and then was raised back to life three days later. "...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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. " (Romans 10:9-10)
By accepting Jesus as your only substitute, by putting all your trust in Him and His sacrifice, you can be marked as CLEAN and PERFECT in God's records.
No one is so bad that God cannot forgive them if they will just accept His gift.
"For God loved all people so much that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but will have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." (John 3:16-17)
There are a few things that you need to do immediately. First, if you want to make things right between you and God, tell Him so. You can use the following as an example of how to do that.
"God, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me to avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died to pay for my sins, was brought back from the dead, is now alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Master of my life, to rule and reign in my life from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life.
Next, find a Bible believing and teaching church. Calvary Chapel affiliates have been examined to make sure that they teach the truth. There is a map that shows all the Calvary Chapel affiliates that can help you find a good church. This is very important, because you need to learn more about Jesus and how to live the way He wants.
Get a Bible, either the New American Standard version, the New International version, or the New King James version, and read it, every day. Start with the Gospel of John where you will read about what Jesus did while He was on the earth. (There's an index in the front of the Bible that will tell you where the Gospel of John is). Read the book of Romans, where most of the quotes above came from. You will learn a lot about how to live correctly there. Talk to the pastor of the church you start going to. Many churches have what they might call "Discipleship Classes" that will teach you the basics of your new life.
The church will teach you more and more, and will suggest that you be baptized. Baptism is simply identifying outwardly that you have accepted that Jesus died, was buried, and was brought back to life. This is something that Jesus asked us to do.
In a good church, you will find other people, just like you, that have become followers of Jesus. They aren't perfect yet, but they are learning what God wants, and are becoming more and more like God's Son, Jesus.
We would love to know if you have decided to follow Jesus. And if you are in this area, please consider coming to church with us. We would love to meet you, and help you grow up as a strong Christian!