God loves us and wants us to experience peace and eternal life.
In the Bible Romans 5:1 says "We have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ." John 3:16 states, "For God so
loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
If God created us and His plan was for us to have peace and relationship with Him and to enjoy Him, why is it that we don't know Him in our lives? Well, the Bible talks about God being holy and pure and without any form of wrong. He does not force us to love Him or to obey Him but has given us a will and a freedom of choice. Today we often choose to go our own way and not God's. This is known as sin. We have all chosen to go our own way and our sin has separated us from God. The Bible says "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 and "The wages of sin is death" Romans 6:23.
So where does this leave us? Basically if we are without Jesus we are in a lot of trouble. But God has provided a way for forgiveness and reconciliation through His Son. Jesus Christ is the only answer to man's separation. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave. He took the punishment for our sin and bridged the gap between God and man. In 1 Timothy 2:5-6 it says, "There is only one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ who gave Himself as a ransom for all men." Romans 5:8 states, "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Our response must be to trust Jesus and to receive Him as Lord of our lives by faith. The Bible says: "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God." John 1:12.
To receive Christ you must first admit that you have sinned and that you have turned your back on God; be willing to turn from your sin; believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the grave; and finally, invite Jesus Christ to come into your life through the Holy Spirit. Here is a prayer that you might like to use:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I have turned my back on you, that I am separated from you because of my sins and I need your forgiveness. I believe that you died for my sins and I want to turn from them. I ask you now to forgive me. I invite you into my heart and life to be my Saviour and Lord. I commit my life to You and will serve You in the fellowship of your church. Thank you for hearing my prayer. Amen.
If you sincerely prayed this prayer in faith you have now been forgiven completely by God and you belong to Him. You are now a Christian! Can we encourage you to do two things. Firstly, within 24 hours be sure to tell someone else what you have done and secondly, seek out a local Christian church where you can find help, encouragement and support as you start out in your Christian life.
If we can help in any way, please contact us direct:
Tel: 01206-843232
