Begin Your Journey
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Watch this video for a quick introduction to what it means to have a personal relationship with God. Then click one of the four principles below to read supporting scriptures. Scroll down for additional resources to help you with every step of your journey. |
1. gOD LOVES YOU and created you to know him and experience his love.
God Offers Love
"For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NLT)
God Offers Life
...Jesus said "I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness." (John 10:10, GNT)
"For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NLT)
God Offers Life
...Jesus said "I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness." (John 10:10, GNT)
2. ALL PEOPLE ARE SINFUL AND SEPARATED FROM GOD. THEREFORE, NONE CAN KNOW HIM PERSONALLY OR EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE.
People Are Sinful
"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard." (Romans 3:23, NLT)
Sin Separates Us From God
"but your iniquities [sins] have made a separation between you and your God." (Isaiah 59:2, ESV)
"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard." (Romans 3:23, NLT)
Sin Separates Us From God
"but your iniquities [sins] have made a separation between you and your God." (Isaiah 59:2, ESV)
3. JESUS CHRIST IS GOD'S ONLY PROVISION FOR OUR SIN. THROUGH HIM ALONE WE CAN KNOW GOD PERSONALLY AND EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE.
He Died in Our Place
"But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:8, NLT)
He Rose From the Dead
"...Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, He was seen by more than 500 of His followers at one time..." (I Corinthians 15:3-6, NLT)
He is the Only Way to God
"Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.'" (John 14:6, NLT)
"But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:8, NLT)
He Rose From the Dead
"...Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, He was seen by more than 500 of His followers at one time..." (I Corinthians 15:3-6, NLT)
He is the Only Way to God
"Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.'" (John 14:6, NLT)
4. WE MUST INDIVIDUALLY BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST. THEN WE CAN KNOW GOD PERSONALLY AND EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE.
We Must Believe and Accept Christ
"But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12, NLT)
We Receive Christ Through Faith
"God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NLT)
"But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12, NLT)
We Receive Christ Through Faith
"God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NLT)
(Bible translations used are English Standard Version, Good News Translation, and New Living Translation.)
Are you ready to accept God's gift of love to you? Just tell Him in your own words that you need His forgiveness and His help to live for Him. If you would like to talk to someone about beginning your journey of faith, use the form below and we'll be in touch.
Take the First Steps
If you just made a decision to put your faith in Jesus, several things happened:
Christ came into your life. (Revelation 3:20)
Your sins were forgiven. ( Colossians 1:13-14)
You received eternal life. (John 5:24)
You became a child of God and a member of His family. (John 1:12-13)
You may be thinking, "Now what? Where do I go from here?".
As a new child of God, you will want to GROW in your relationship with God. The acronym below will help you take the next steps.
G - Go to God in prayer. Talk to Him each day. (Philippians 4:6-7)
R - Read God’s Word every day. It will build your faith. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
O - Obey God as you learn new truths from His Word. (John 14:21)
W - Witness - Tell others about your faith in Christ by your life and words. (Matthew 5:14-16; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 3:15-16)
T - Trust God with every detail of your life. (1 Peter 5:7)
H - Holy Spirit - This is God’s Spirit living in you. Allow Him to give you His power to live your life and tell others. (John 15:7-8; Galatians 5:16; Acts 1:8)
We encourage you to find a local, Bible-teaching church where you can connect with other believers and continue on your faith journey. If you are in the St. Charles county area, you are always welcome at Grace Community Chapel!
(Hebrews 10:24-25; I Corinthians 12:12-22; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Christ came into your life. (Revelation 3:20)
Your sins were forgiven. ( Colossians 1:13-14)
You received eternal life. (John 5:24)
You became a child of God and a member of His family. (John 1:12-13)
You may be thinking, "Now what? Where do I go from here?".
As a new child of God, you will want to GROW in your relationship with God. The acronym below will help you take the next steps.
G - Go to God in prayer. Talk to Him each day. (Philippians 4:6-7)
R - Read God’s Word every day. It will build your faith. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
O - Obey God as you learn new truths from His Word. (John 14:21)
W - Witness - Tell others about your faith in Christ by your life and words. (Matthew 5:14-16; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 3:15-16)
T - Trust God with every detail of your life. (1 Peter 5:7)
H - Holy Spirit - This is God’s Spirit living in you. Allow Him to give you His power to live your life and tell others. (John 15:7-8; Galatians 5:16; Acts 1:8)
We encourage you to find a local, Bible-teaching church where you can connect with other believers and continue on your faith journey. If you are in the St. Charles county area, you are always welcome at Grace Community Chapel!
(Hebrews 10:24-25; I Corinthians 12:12-22; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Dig Deeper
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One of the basic disciplines of following Jesus is reading and studying God’s Word. If you are wondering why that is important, you can begin to answer that question by reading Psalm 119. This chapter, found in the Old Testament, is full of reasons to know God’s Word. While Psalm 119 gives many reasons, verses 11 and 105 are two verses to grab hold of. They read:
"I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11 NLT) "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path." (Psalm 119:105 NLT) Another passage, this one found in the New Testament, also points to the importance of reading and studying God’s Word. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) reads: "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work." Yes, reading God’s Word is important. But we encourage you to go deeper. Deeper studying, meditating and memorizing the Word. There are many Bible study plans available to help you. One that we recommend is Discovery Bible Study. This plan is a simple method to see for yourself what the Bible says and how it applies to life’s big questions. It is also a plan that can easily be done with others. CLICK HERE to learn more about Discovery Bible Study (DBS). CLICK HERE for the DBS Study Guide. CLICK HERE for Bible passages suggested by DBS. |
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Share Your Faith
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are told in scriptures that we are the "light of the world" (Matthew 5:14) and to "go and make disciples" (Matthew 28:19). This is a basic discipline of the Christian faith. If you are just learning how to share your faith, here are a few thoughts to consider:
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1. Begin with prayer. (Colossians 4:2-5)
2. Listen and ask questions. (John 4:4-26)
3. Take your time.
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4. Share your story.
Telling your story is a powerful bridge for the gospel message. Be prepared by writing it out and memorizing it. This is not so you can read or recite your story to someone. You do this exercise so that you will be clear and concise when you have the opportunity to share.
You can follow the guideline of:
(1) my life before Jesus
(2) when/how I decided to follow Jesus
(3) my life as a follower of Jesus.
Caution: Don’t exaggerate your past. Don’t make the past sound better than your present. Be accurate! When you tell your story, your purpose is not to talk about yourself but rather let others know the impact Jesus has had in your life and to point them to Him.
5. Sharing the gospel can be as simple as bad news / good news …
Bad news - We are sinners, and the penalty of our sin is death. (Romans 3:23 / Romans 6:23)
Good news - God made a way for us to be reconciled to Him. (John 3:16 / Romans 5:8)
The Good News gets better! Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) tells us “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” I John 5:11-13 (ESV) adds to our confidence. “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
6. Conclusion
After you have shared your story and if it leads to sharing the gospel, be sure to conclude with an opportunity for the person to accept Jesus. You can simply ask, “Would you like to accept Jesus right now?” Allow your friend the opportunity to begin their walk of faith in Jesus asap.
God bless you as you walk in obedience to God’s Word and live your life as a "light of the world" as you go and make disciples!
Telling your story is a powerful bridge for the gospel message. Be prepared by writing it out and memorizing it. This is not so you can read or recite your story to someone. You do this exercise so that you will be clear and concise when you have the opportunity to share.
You can follow the guideline of:
(1) my life before Jesus
(2) when/how I decided to follow Jesus
(3) my life as a follower of Jesus.
Caution: Don’t exaggerate your past. Don’t make the past sound better than your present. Be accurate! When you tell your story, your purpose is not to talk about yourself but rather let others know the impact Jesus has had in your life and to point them to Him.
5. Sharing the gospel can be as simple as bad news / good news …
Bad news - We are sinners, and the penalty of our sin is death. (Romans 3:23 / Romans 6:23)
Good news - God made a way for us to be reconciled to Him. (John 3:16 / Romans 5:8)
The Good News gets better! Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) tells us “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” I John 5:11-13 (ESV) adds to our confidence. “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
6. Conclusion
After you have shared your story and if it leads to sharing the gospel, be sure to conclude with an opportunity for the person to accept Jesus. You can simply ask, “Would you like to accept Jesus right now?” Allow your friend the opportunity to begin their walk of faith in Jesus asap.
God bless you as you walk in obedience to God’s Word and live your life as a "light of the world" as you go and make disciples!