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Where
will you be 30 seconds
after you die? |
We
live in a world with a lot of hype.
From movies, to commercials, to music videos, and more, there’s a lot of stuff that’s
pumped up to be more than it really is. Even the Christian life
can appear to be hyped up by hypocrites talking it, but not walking it. But
Christianity is much better than shallow hype. Jesus came not only
so that we could go to heaven when we die, but also so that life
right now can rock! Christianity is “the good life”… when we live
it like the Bible says. That’s when it becomes real to us personally!
| If
you’re wanting to know more about God,
then you are a seeker. And that’s good. Jesus said that seekers find what they’re looking
for. |
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Is
there really life after death? The Bible says there is. And your
ticket to heaven is free, but it’s not to be taken lightly. It’s the
biggest decision that you’ll ever make.
Want
to know how to begin a real, personal relationship with God? Here’s
a few things you’ll need to understand…
1
| God
created us because He LOVES us and wants us to ENJOY a personal
relationship with Him. |
Even
before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be His
through our union with Christ... because of His love, God had
already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us His
children - this was God’s pleasure and purpose.”
Ephesians 1:4-5 |
2
| When
we KNOW and LOVE God, and LIVE according to God’s purpose for
our lives, it produces tremendous benefits in our lives.
|
“The
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have
come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:10 |
3
| HOWEVER,
there is a problem! Nobody is perfect! And the Bible calls that
imperfection “SIN.” Sin means we are separate from God. Sin
results in a consequence... death in hell! |
“The
wages of sin is (eternal) death.”
Romans
6:23 |
4
| God
came to earth as Jesus, to lead a perfect life and to PAY THE
PRICE of OUR imperfections! Why did God do this? Because He
loves us so much. He did EVERYTHING to restore the relationship
with imperfect people. Jesus offers this gift - free of charge! |
“But
God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die
for us while we were still sinners.”
Romans
5:8
“God
saved you by His special favor when you believed. And you
can’t take credit for this; it is a free gift from God. Salvation
is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none
of us can brag about it.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 |
5
|
Remember
that you don’t get saved by being good, so you don’t keep
your salvation by being good either. After you give your life
to Christ, you will still stumble at times. That’s normal.
God will forgive you (1 John 1:9). The whole thing is to get
back up and keep Him as the Leader in your life. Once you’re
truly saved, you’re saved forever.
BUT,
that doesn’t mean that someone can get saved, and then live
like the devil. True Christians will act like true Christians.
Those who consistently don’t may have never been saved to
begin with. |
We
didn’t get saved by being good, so we don’t keep it by being
good. (see Galatians 3)
“A
tree is identified by its fruit. Make a tree good, and its
fruit will be good. Make a tree bad, and its fruit will be
bad.”
Matthew 12:33 |
6
| How
can I get this free gift? (1) Admit that you’re a sinner; (2)
put your trust in Jesus instead of trying to be “good” enough
to make it to heaven on your own; (3) make Jesus the Lord (Boss/
Leader) of your life. |
“We
are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ
to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same
way, no matter who we are or what we have done.” Romans
3:22
"That if you
confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe
in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will
be saved." Romans
10:9
“So you
see, it isn’t good enough to have ‘faith.’ Faith that doesn’t
show itself by good deeds is no faith at all – it is dead
and useless. Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith;
others have good deeds.’ I say, ‘I can’t see your faith if
you don’t have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through
my good deeds.’” James
2:17-18 |
| Here’s
an example of what one person prayed when he got saved: |
“Dear God, I know that I’m a sinner
and that I deserve to go to hell when I die. I know that
I could never earn my way into heaven because I’ve already
sinned. I know that if I’m trying to be “good” enough to
make it to heaven, I’m really trusting in myself instead
of trusting in you.
I want to begin right now to trust in Jesus to get
me into heaven, instead of trusting in myself. I trust Jesus
enough that I want Him to be in charge of my life from now
on. Please help me to grow as a Christian. I pray these
things in the name of Jesus, Amen.”
IMPORTANT: You
must really believe the words, not just repeat them after
somebody else, or read them from this web page. THERE
ARE NO MAGICAL WORDS to get you saved... it’s your faith
deep down in your heart. YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN WORDS. The
above prayer is just to help you have an idea of how you
might pray. It's not the wording that matters at all...
it's what happens inside of your mind and heart. If you
really put your trust in Jesus (instead of in yourself),
then you have just receive eternal life!! Congratulations! |
IF
YOU BELIEVE,
YOU BELONG!
When
you give your life to Christ, you belong with the rest of God’s
family in a Bible-believing church. I hope you’ll find a church
with life in it, life that comes from God being active there.
When you find one like that – get baptized, join it, and jump
right in!
From
me to you,
If
you decide to accept Jesus as your Rescuer and Leader, I really
urge you to tell somebody who is a Christian. Don't keep it a secret!
Jesus said that if we deny Him before people, then He will deny
us before His Father. Don’t keep it to yourself.
Also,
Jesus has something that He wants you to do as soon as possible:
GET BAPTIZED.. It's a very important
next step for you, and Christ commands that all believers should
be baptized. Click
here to learn about it.
Also,
please talk with me or any other leader about getting your hands
on some growth tools! If you
need a Bible, we’ll send you one for free. Call me (505-623-4110),
or drop me a line through email at Chris@Teens4God.org.
I've got some stuff I'd like to give you. We would love to celebrate
with you, and help you start growing in your new relationship with
God!
Here
for you,
Chris Tomlinson
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