Friend, I want to tell you about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news!
As a result of Adam’s choice to sin, all people born after Adam were then also born into sin. Not fair, you say? Wait, it get’s better. God loved us and He wanted to have a close personal relationship with us so much, that He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to be born as a man, live like we live, feel what we feel, and die for us as One final sacrifice for all time and for all people. (see Hebrews 8:10-12)
Jesus not only died an agonizing death as someone put to death by crucifixion, but Jesus also carried the punishment for the sins of the whole world in His body on that cross. There is no way that we could imagine what He really went through on our behalf. The Bible says in Isaiah 53 that Jesus was despised, rejected, forsaken, wounded, bruised, beaten, whipped, oppressed and afflicted for us. Because of Jesus’ great sacrifice, those who believe in Him are forgiven, healed and made whole in every way.
Once a person makes a decision to receive Jesus into their life to be their Lord and Savior, they are taken out of Adam (out of sin) and placed into Christ (into right standing with God). The only reason we have this privilege to live in Christ is that God was willing to give up His only Son and because Jesus was willing to come and rescue us. And the best news is that Jesus didn’t stay in the grave. He rose again and lives forevermore!
Galatians 2:20 says:
I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Amplified)
– AND –
1 Corinthians 15:22 says:
For just as all people die because of their union with Adam, in the same way all will be raised to life because of their union with Christ. (Good News Translation)
I don’t know what you have been told or taught, but as you can see, the gospel is very good news! God loves you, He is for you and not against you and He cares about everything that concerns you.
I have a question for you. Would you like to receive God’s gift of salvation today by inviting Jesus to be your Lord and Savior? If your answer is yes, I want to encourage you to pray the prayer below sincerely from your heart and when you do, you will become a Follower of Jesus (a Christian).
I fully understand that you may have encountered some Christians over the years whose attitude or behavior turned you off to God and Christianity. Unfortunately, before I understood God’s amazing grace, I used to be one of those judgmental types, disapproving of anyone whom I felt lived below my standard of morality, but thankfully God has changed me and is continuing to do so through a revelation of His grace.
Despite the imperfect behavior of His followers you can be assured of this – when Jesus lived here among people, they didn’t feel measured by Him, they felt loved. He didn’t look to see if they were following all the rules before inviting Himself into their world because He knew that His entrance into their world would transform them. So you can come to Jesus just as you are because you and I are not saved by our own works. We are saved by God’s amazing grace – His unearned, undeserved, unmerited favor (see John 3:16-17)
God sent Jesus and Jesus made a way for us to be redeemed. In fact, Jesus Himself is our redemption. He’s the greatest gift you could ever receive and the truest friend you will ever have.
John 14:6 says:
Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (New Living Translation)
Receive Jesus today and spend eternity with God in Heaven!
Pray This Prayer From Your Heart
Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are for me and not against me, that You desire a close relationship with me. I want to have a personal relationship with You, and I want Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I repent of all my sins and ask You to forgive me. Right now I receive Your gift of salvation and forgiveness made available to me through Your Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross in my place to save me from the penalty of my sins. I believe His blood has completely cleansed me. I believe You raised Him from the dead as a testimony that all my sins, borne by Him on the cross, are cleansed forever. Jesus Christ is my Lord. I am greatly blessed, completely forgiven, and forever loved in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Yes, it is that simple. You believe and you are Born Again!
Check this out:
It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what He did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting Him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between Him and me!” Romans 10:8-10 (MSG)
So incredible. Jesus literally did it all, and you have just chosen to believe it and receive God’s free gift of salvation! Brilliant choice, by the way!
You have been Born Again as God’s child but children cannot live alone. You have been born into God’s family and God has designed you to need other brothers and sisters in Christ to help you grow. I want to encourage you to get connected with a good church that teaches the gospel of grace and avoid getting connected with one that puts you under rules and regulations. Here is how you can tell the difference.
If the pastor is always talking about what you need to do in order to be acceptable to God, this is probably a church that teaches law, because you are already perfectly acceptable to God. Now that you have received Christ as Savior and Lord, God has fully accepted you and He sees you finished, completed in His Son. If the Pastor is constantly talking about Jesus and what He has already done for you through His finished work on the cross and what He wants to do in and through you as a result of your growing relationship with Him, this is probably a church that teaches grace.
You have just received salvation by grace and now you can live the Christian life by grace. In fact, Jesus will live His life through you if you just trust Him every step of the way. (see Philippians 1:6) It’s not up to you to live your new life by your own self-efforts. If you try to live the Christian life in your own strength, you will be frustrated and anxious because it can’t be done.
God wants you to keep your eyes on what Jesus has already accomplished on your behalf through His finished work on the cross instead of being focused on what you think you need to do in order to be a good Christian. And as you approach your new Christian life this way you will find that your desire to do good works will increase. It’s just a natural result from hanging out with Jesus!
Always remember to let your Christian life flow from your growing relationship with Jesus and His amazing grace. Don’t make it about following rules. Make it about your relationship with Jesus! This way of living will bring you great peace.
As you grow in your relationship with Jesus and read the Bible – which is God’s love letter to you – God will begin to unveil the beauty of Jesus to you and as you rest in Jesus’ finished work and place all your trust in Him, He will produce good fruit in you personally and in your life.
And you’ll find yourself waking up every morning so thankful that God sent His only Son for you because He loves you so very much.
I told you it would get better. (wink) Out of Adam and into Christ Jesus! Thank You God!
Here is what you have to look forward to in the future.
John 14:1-3 (NKJV)
Jesus said:
1 Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
So my friend, if I don’t see you before then, I’ll see you in Heaven. Welcome to the family of God!
Special Note: I want you to get a great foundation in God’s amazing grace and learn who you are in Christ right from the start of your Christian walk. To help you, I recommend that you watch Andy Stanley’s series titled FREE (click on the word FREE to watch this series). I know that learning the things Andy teaches here will help you have a solid foundation right from the start of your new relationship with Jesus!
If you have any questions feel free to email me at sandramccollom@gmail.com
God Bless You!
Sandra
