| About your relationship with God. Whether you realize it or not God wants a relationship with you. If you have been searching for God or have just found Him, perhaps the following will be of some help to you. |
First, some background
God simply asks that you turn your life over to Him.
In return you'll receive joy that surpasses all
understanding. You'll never be alone again and
you'll understand what enables Christians to be
cheerful even in adversity.
If you've never prayed before and want to ask Jesus
into your heart you can say this simple prayer and
mean it with all your being.
Dear God in heaven, I come to you as a lost sinner.
I ask that you save my soul and cleanse me from
all sin. I accept Jesus Christ into my heart and what
He did for me on the cross to purchase my
redemption.
You have said in your word, which cannot lie, "for
whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord
shall be saved."
I have called upon Your name exactly as You have
said and I believe right now, I am saved.
If you have sincerely prayed this prayer, and
believed in your heart upon the Lord Jesus Christ,
you are at this moment saved and your name is
written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
Some Things to Do
First, tell someone of your decision. Each time a
person comes back to God, the angels in heaven
sing. Christians may not all sing but they'll love to
hear of your decision.
Study your Bible everyday. If you've never really read
one before it can seem overwhelming and difficult
to grasp. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and
give you insight. Jesus sent Him as a Helper and
Comforter. Allow Him to be a part of your life.
Make time every day to pray. Tell God how much
you love Him, listen for Him to speak to your heart.
Tell Him your needs and concerns. He already
knows but wants you to tell Him anyway.
Find a Bible believing and teaching church, one
that believes God's Word is the final authority in all
things and whose members try to live that way.
Be prepared for attacks from the enemy, Satan.
While a person is unsaved they are of no concern
to him. However, Satan knows that in the end he is
doomed to eternal Hell and wants to take as many
of God's children as he can with him.
You may lose some friends, maybe even some
members of your family will turn against you and
ridicule you, but you now have the best Friend ever,
Jesus Christ. Some day soon He will come for His
people and take them to His home in heaven
where He is even now preparing an eternal home
for us.
In return you'll receive joy that surpasses all
understanding. You'll never be alone again and
you'll understand what enables Christians to be
cheerful even in adversity.
If you've never prayed before and want to ask Jesus
into your heart you can say this simple prayer and
mean it with all your being.
Dear God in heaven, I come to you as a lost sinner.
I ask that you save my soul and cleanse me from
all sin. I accept Jesus Christ into my heart and what
He did for me on the cross to purchase my
redemption.
You have said in your word, which cannot lie, "for
whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord
shall be saved."
I have called upon Your name exactly as You have
said and I believe right now, I am saved.
If you have sincerely prayed this prayer, and
believed in your heart upon the Lord Jesus Christ,
you are at this moment saved and your name is
written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
Some Things to Do
First, tell someone of your decision. Each time a
person comes back to God, the angels in heaven
sing. Christians may not all sing but they'll love to
hear of your decision.
Study your Bible everyday. If you've never really read
one before it can seem overwhelming and difficult
to grasp. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and
give you insight. Jesus sent Him as a Helper and
Comforter. Allow Him to be a part of your life.
Make time every day to pray. Tell God how much
you love Him, listen for Him to speak to your heart.
Tell Him your needs and concerns. He already
knows but wants you to tell Him anyway.
Find a Bible believing and teaching church, one
that believes God's Word is the final authority in all
things and whose members try to live that way.
Be prepared for attacks from the enemy, Satan.
While a person is unsaved they are of no concern
to him. However, Satan knows that in the end he is
doomed to eternal Hell and wants to take as many
of God's children as he can with him.
You may lose some friends, maybe even some
members of your family will turn against you and
ridicule you, but you now have the best Friend ever,
Jesus Christ. Some day soon He will come for His
people and take them to His home in heaven
where He is even now preparing an eternal home
for us.
God created man in His image and placed him in a
paradise on earth, called Eden. He gave man
stewardship of this paradise and they enjoyed a
wonderful relationship for a season. All God asked
of man was obedience.
However, because God wanted this relationship to
be one of choice, He gave man free will to decide
whether to keep this close relationship.
After a time, one of God's fallen creations, named
Satan, was allowed by God to visit these humans.
He deceived them and tricked them into disobeying
God. As a consequence, the relationship between
God and man suffered and they were expelled from
Eden. The promise of eternal life was surrendered.
However, because God loved man, He didn't give
up on them. He had a plan worked out ahead of
time to restore this relationship if man wanted it.
Over the next few thousand years He raised up a
people to Whom He introduced written laws,
religious leaders and prophets so that man would
come to know the nature of God and what He
expected of them.
The Penalty
His law said that the penalty for sin, willfully
breaking His law, was death. To atone, or make up
for that sin, a sacrifice had to be made. Over the
years sacrifice of animals was made on a daily
basis, but this only covered the sin, it didn't do
away with it. The only full cure was the death of a
sinless man.
However, since all mankind was descended from
the original sinful man in Eden, they carried the
taint of sin.
The True Sacrifice
God the Father has a Son, Jesus Christ, Who has
been with God from the beginning. In Him was no
sin, so God through the Holy Spirit, the third person
of the God-head, fathered a sinless child through a
Jewish virgin named Mary.
That child, Jesus Christ, lived a sinless life for 33
years showing others the nature of God through
Himself. He gave His own life as a freewill offering
to pay the sin debt that man couldn't that enables
us to once again enjoy a personal relationship with
God.
It's a gift available to all just for the asking. John
3:16 tells us that God loves us so much that He
gave His only Son so that anyone believing in Him
would not perish but would have everlasting life.
This sacrifice was once for all sin past, present
and future.
paradise on earth, called Eden. He gave man
stewardship of this paradise and they enjoyed a
wonderful relationship for a season. All God asked
of man was obedience.
However, because God wanted this relationship to
be one of choice, He gave man free will to decide
whether to keep this close relationship.
After a time, one of God's fallen creations, named
Satan, was allowed by God to visit these humans.
He deceived them and tricked them into disobeying
God. As a consequence, the relationship between
God and man suffered and they were expelled from
Eden. The promise of eternal life was surrendered.
However, because God loved man, He didn't give
up on them. He had a plan worked out ahead of
time to restore this relationship if man wanted it.
Over the next few thousand years He raised up a
people to Whom He introduced written laws,
religious leaders and prophets so that man would
come to know the nature of God and what He
expected of them.
The Penalty
His law said that the penalty for sin, willfully
breaking His law, was death. To atone, or make up
for that sin, a sacrifice had to be made. Over the
years sacrifice of animals was made on a daily
basis, but this only covered the sin, it didn't do
away with it. The only full cure was the death of a
sinless man.
However, since all mankind was descended from
the original sinful man in Eden, they carried the
taint of sin.
The True Sacrifice
God the Father has a Son, Jesus Christ, Who has
been with God from the beginning. In Him was no
sin, so God through the Holy Spirit, the third person
of the God-head, fathered a sinless child through a
Jewish virgin named Mary.
That child, Jesus Christ, lived a sinless life for 33
years showing others the nature of God through
Himself. He gave His own life as a freewill offering
to pay the sin debt that man couldn't that enables
us to once again enjoy a personal relationship with
God.
It's a gift available to all just for the asking. John
3:16 tells us that God loves us so much that He
gave His only Son so that anyone believing in Him
would not perish but would have everlasting life.
This sacrifice was once for all sin past, present
and future.
Some Good News
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Faith Chapel
Wesleyan Church
Wesleyan Church
What's the Catch?
43 Lower Landsdown Rd
Annandale, NJ 08801
908-735-2691
Annandale, NJ 08801
908-735-2691
As you grow in faith and read your Bible on a regular basis you may find you want to really dig into it to learn and
understand more. Today's Bible software is awesome in the amount of information available and the ease of use.
However, much of it has a hefty price tag.
You may wish to check out these websites. One has a fairly extensive list of Bible translations, commentaries, maps,
etc that can be downloaded, most of them for free since many of the great old commentaries and other writings are
now in the public domain. However, they are excellent resources to help in gaining understanding of God's Holy Word.
e-sword was developed and is maintained by a Christian computer programmer who maintains the site on donations
and out of his own pocket.
Another valuable site to visit is StudyLight.org. This is an on-line resource rich in Bible translations, new and old, study
aids, daily devotionals, etc.
One of the most extensive and easy to use affordable software programs is SwordSearcher. While not free, you can
download a trial version and if you like it you may order a complete version on CD for a very reasonable price. Upgrades
with additional resources are offered periodically at a discounted price. Periodic e-mails offer tips in getting the most
out of it and keep the user up to date on new releases. Again, the developer is a Christian programmer who is not in it
for the money.
A frequently asked question is, "What Bible translation should I use?" The King James version is what's called a
word-for-word translation In other words it has been accurately translated from the original manuscripts. However, it's
not always easy to understand. There are several other translations widely available that are considered to be fairly
accurate, among the most popular being the NIV and the New King James. Many versions are what is called
paraphrases and may not always be accurate in some points since the author's own concepts and ideas can influence
the text.
Any accurate translation will be able to prove itself. You won't have to refer to footnotes or other references to prove what
is written. However, they may be helpful in understanding difficult passages.
If you don't have a Bible and would like to have one but perhaps can't afford it just now, please call the church office and
we'll see that you get one.
understand more. Today's Bible software is awesome in the amount of information available and the ease of use.
However, much of it has a hefty price tag.
You may wish to check out these websites. One has a fairly extensive list of Bible translations, commentaries, maps,
etc that can be downloaded, most of them for free since many of the great old commentaries and other writings are
now in the public domain. However, they are excellent resources to help in gaining understanding of God's Holy Word.
e-sword was developed and is maintained by a Christian computer programmer who maintains the site on donations
and out of his own pocket.
Another valuable site to visit is StudyLight.org. This is an on-line resource rich in Bible translations, new and old, study
aids, daily devotionals, etc.
One of the most extensive and easy to use affordable software programs is SwordSearcher. While not free, you can
download a trial version and if you like it you may order a complete version on CD for a very reasonable price. Upgrades
with additional resources are offered periodically at a discounted price. Periodic e-mails offer tips in getting the most
out of it and keep the user up to date on new releases. Again, the developer is a Christian programmer who is not in it
for the money.
A frequently asked question is, "What Bible translation should I use?" The King James version is what's called a
word-for-word translation In other words it has been accurately translated from the original manuscripts. However, it's
not always easy to understand. There are several other translations widely available that are considered to be fairly
accurate, among the most popular being the NIV and the New King James. Many versions are what is called
paraphrases and may not always be accurate in some points since the author's own concepts and ideas can influence
the text.
Any accurate translation will be able to prove itself. You won't have to refer to footnotes or other references to prove what
is written. However, they may be helpful in understanding difficult passages.
If you don't have a Bible and would like to have one but perhaps can't afford it just now, please call the church office and
we'll see that you get one.