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The Journey Church, we believe that accepting
Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior
is the most important decision that any person
can make. It is our prayer that after reading
the following page you will ask Christ into
your heart as your Savior or that you will renew
your committment to live your life for Christ.
Should you have any furthur questions or comments,
please feel free to contact us.
Thank
you and God's blessings - The Staff of the Journey
Church
How
you can have a Personal Relationship with Jesus:
 God loves you and offers a wonderful
plan for your life.
GOD's
LOVE: "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"
(John 3:16)
GOD's
PLAN: [Christ speaking] "I came that they
might have life, and might have it abundantly"
[that it might be full and meaningful] (John
10:10)
Why
is it that most people are not experiencing
the abundant life? Because . . .
 Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot
know and experience God's love and plan for
his life.
MAN
IS SINFUL: "All have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
Man
was created to have fellowship with God; but,
because of his own stubborn self-will, he chose
to go his own independent way and fellowship
with God was broken. This self-will, characterized
by an attitude of active rebellion or passive
indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible
calls sin.
 MAN IS SEPARATED: "The wages
of sin is death" [spiritual separation from
God] (Romans 6:23)
The diagram illustrates that God is holy and
man is sinful. A great gulf separates the two.
The arrows illustrate that man is continually
trying to reach God and the abundant life through
his own efforts, such as a "good" life, philosophy,
or religion - but he inevitably fails.
The
third law explains the only way to bridge this
gulf between God and man . . .
 Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin. Through
Him you can know and experience God's love and
plan for your life.
JESUS
DIED IN OUR PLACE: "God demonstrates His
own love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
HE
ROSE FROM THE DEAD: Christ died for our
sins ... He was buried... He was raised on the
third day, according to the Scriptures ... He
appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After
that He appeared to more than five hundred ..."
(1 Corinthians 15:3-6)
HE
IS THE ONLY WAY TO GOD: "Jesus said to him,
'I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through Me'"
(John 14:6)
 This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf that separates
us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ,
to die on the cross in our place to pay the
penalty (our penalty) for sins. It is not enough
just to know these three laws . .
 We must individually receive Jesus Christ
as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience
God's love and plan for our lives.
WE
MUST RECEIVE CHRIST: "As many as received
Him, to them He gave the right to become children
of God, even to those who believe in His name"
(John 1:12)
WE
RECEIVE CHRIST THROUGH FAITH: "By grace
you have been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not
as a result of works that no one should boast"
(Ephesians 2:8,9)
WHEN
WE RECEIVE CHRIST, WE EXPERIENCE A NEW BIRTH:
(Read John 3:1:8)
WE
RECEIVE CHRIST THROUGH PERSONAL INVITATION:
[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door
and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens
the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation
3:20)
Receiving
Christ involves turning to God from self (called:
repentance) and trusting Christ to come into
our lives to forgive our sins and to make us
what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that
He died on the cross for our sins is not enough.
Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience.
We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act
of the will. These two circles represent two
kinds of lives:
Which circle best represents your life?
Which circle would you like to have represent
your life?
The
following explains how you can receive Christ:
You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through
Prayer: (Prayer is talking with God)
God
knows your heart and is not so concerned with
your words as He is with the attitude of your
heart. The following is a suggested prayer:
Lord
Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on
the cross for my sins. I open the door of
my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord.
Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving
me eternal life. Take control of the throne
of my life. Make me the kind of person You
want me to be.
Does
this prayer express the desire of your heart?
If it does, I invite you to pray this prayer
right now, and Christ will come into your life,
as He promised.
Did
you just say that prayer to God? If so, you
are now a New Believer - a true Christian! If
so, Please e-mail us so we can rejoice with
you.
How
to Know That Christ Is in Your Life:
Did you receive Christ into your life? According
to His promise in Revelation 3:20, where is
Christ right now in relation to you? Christ
said that He would come into your life. Would
He mislead you? On what authority do you know
that God has answered your prayer? (The trustworthiness
of God Himself and His Word)
The
Bible Promises Eternal Life to All Who Receive
Christ
"The witness is this, that God has given us
eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He
who has the Son has the life; he who does not
have the Son of God does not have the life.
These things I have written to you who believe
in the name of the Son of God, in order that
you may know that you have eternal life" (1
John 5:11-13).
Thank
God often that Christ is in your life and that
He will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5). You
can know on the basis of His promise that Christ
lives in you and that you have eternal life
from the very moment you invite Him in. He will
not deceive you.
An
important reminder . . .
Do
Not Depend on Feelings
The promise of God's Word, the Bible - not our
feelings - is our authority. The Christian lives
by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God
Himself and His Word. This train diagram illustrates
the relationship among fact (God and His Word,
faith (our trust in God and His Word) and feeling
(the result of our faith and obedience). Read
John 14:21)
The
train will run with or without the caboose.
However, it would be useless to attempt to pull
the train by the caboose. In the same way, as
Christians we do not depend on feelings or emotions,
but we place our faith (trust) in the trustworthiness
of God and the promises of His Word.
Now
That You Have Received Christ
The
moment you received Christ by faith, as an act
of the will, many things happened, including
the following:
Christ
came into your life (Revelation 3:20; Colosians
1:27)
Your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14)
You became a child of God (John 1:12)
You received eternal life (John 5:24)
You began the great adventure for which God
created you
................(John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17;
1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Can
you think of anything more wonderful that could
happen to you than receiving Christ? Would you
like to thank God in prayer right now for what
He has done for you? By thanking God, you demonstrate
your faith.
To
enjoy your new life to the fullest . . .
Suggestions
for Christian Growth
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus
Christ. "The righteous man shall life by faith"
(Galations 3:11). A life of faith will enable
you to trust God increasingly with every detail
of your life, and to practice the following:
G
...Go to God in prayer daily (John 15:7).
R ...Read God's Word daily
(Acts 17:11); begin with the Gospel ofJohn.
O ...Obey God moment by moment
(John 14:21).
W...Witness for Christ by your
life and words (Matthew 4:19; John 15:8).
T ...Trust God God for every
detail of your life (1 Peter 5:7).
H ...Holy Spirit - allow Him
to control and empower your daily life and witness
(Galations 5:16,17; Acts 1:8).
Fellowship
In A Good Church
God's Word instructs us not to forsake "the
assembling of ourselvestogether" (Hebrews 10:25),
Several logs burn brightly together, but put
one aside on the cold hearth and the fire goes
out. So it is with your relationship with other
Christians.
If
you do not belong to a church, do not wait to
be invited. Take the initiative; call the pastor
of a nearby church where Christ is honored and
His Word is preached. Start this week, and make
plans to attend regularly.
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