Salvation

 

“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 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
2 Corinthians 5:17 

When we receive Jesus’ invitation to have a relationship with him and surrender our lives (heart, mind, body and soul), we are made NEW. Not made better…made NEW! This is good news. This is the GOOD NEWS message of Jesus Christ. 

“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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16

We don’t have to pray a “special prayer.”  You simply talk to God as you do a friend.  

Believe

We find salvation not through doing good things and being a “good” person, but through belief in God, His Son Jesus, and The Holy Spirit. We choose to believe: 

• God intentionally created mankind out of love to be in relationship with Him. 
• Humans chose to try and live life without God and damaged our relationship with Him. 
• God chose to send His Son, Jesus, to live and die and rise again from death to pay for our sins, making a way for us to be back in right-standing relationship with God, wiping the slate clean for all who receive this grace. 
• When we receive God’s gift of grace and mercy we are born in the Spirit, made new, a child of God. 
• Once we receive His grace, He promises to fill us with His Holy Spirit, to remind us of Jesus’ teachings, counsel us, and empower us to live Holy lives as God is Holy and share the Good News message of Jesus Christ with others. 

Confess and Repent

Tell God what you’re sorry for that you have done to hurt Him, yourself, and others (sin). And that you no longer want to be his enemy, but now His child, friend, and messenger of grace to others. 

Receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord

Tell God you want to be in relationship with Him. Your life is no longer your own. Your heart, mind, body and soul are under new management, and Jesus is your boss now. He promises to be with you always until the beautiful day you get to go to Heaven and continue your relationship with Him for eternity. 

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:1-10 

God has created all human beings in His image. And we are invited to become His children, born again, adopted into His family, and be able to be in relationship with Him for eternity in Heaven when we choose to turn from our broken ways (repent) and let him lead our lives. 

Sanctification is the Journey

Sanctification is the journey of letting the Holy Spirit form you more and more each day into the likeness of Jesus. Greater surrender to Jesus as your Lord and Savior, receiving love from God deeper every day, learning to hear from the Holy Spirit through God’s Word (The Bible), and letting Him change you. It doesn’t mean you are perfect and ALL DONE in your growth. It means you’re ALL IN.

“I [The Apostle Paul] pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:16-21

We are not meant to do this life alone. God gave us His Holy Spirit and His Church. You need your brothers and sisters in Christ to be encouraged, empowered, and living fully in Christ…and they need you!   

Live to Share Jesus

God created you on purpose and He has a plan for your life. He invites you to partner with Him in the greatest rescue mission the world has ever seen. Once you are a believer Jesus has given you this mission for life: 

The Great Commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

The Great Commission (Sending): “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me [Jesus]. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20