How to Become a Christian
Everyone wants to be happy. Television programs and songs on the radio constantly bombard us with the illusion of what brings happiness. The beautiful people driving with the top down of their Mercedes Bins say through the television advertisement “if you want to be happy you then you need to be like us! "Subconsciously or consciously all of us have bought into these ideas. We have believed I could be happy if I looked like so and so or if I was as intelligent as X, if I had this car, that house, or made a six figure income.
The sad truth is even for those who have been able to accomplish these tasks they still hunger for more! Inside each of us there is an unquenchable desire and thirst for more. For some its money, for others it's intelligence, for some it is beauty and for others it's power. Whatever it is we are always chasing an illusion that never ends. We keep on doing what our culture has taught us in attempt to be happy. We “stuff” ourselves with “things.” Chasing happiness is alluring, tantalizing, and deceptive. It works on the premise that if we get what we want we will feel good. All of us want to “feel good” so naturally we navigate towards it. The problem is these great feelings don’t last very long so we chase “happiness” again and again and again. There is something about this deception that lures us into believing that happiness is just around the corner. We think if only my mother in law would treat me better, if only my child would quit misbehaving, if only I could get this project off my desk, if only my boss would like me, if only I could lose weight people would notice me, if only I could get that plastic surgery, if only I could...
We deceive ourselves when we believe the rich and famous are happy. In the 1970’s Jean Paul Getty, an oil tycoon and the richest man in the world was asked how much money is enough. Mr. Getty’s replied “just one more dollar. "More was never enough for him too. Money might have made Mr. Getty’s life easier in some ways but it sure did not make him happier.
There is an endless list of people who never found happiness; Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Lucile Ball, Dean Martin, Rock Hudson, Kathryn Hepburn to name a few. And these were some of the beautiful people. The truth is this has been going on since the beginning of time.
In 935 BC there was a King of tremendous intelligence, power, and wealth. In fact he had more power, more money, and was smarter than anyone in the world. His name was Solomon; he was the King of Israel. Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes (in the Bible). In his writing Solomon took a mental journey of his life, explaining everything he had tried, tested, or tasted was meaningless, useless, irrational, pointless, foolish, and empty. Solomon called his life an exercise in futility. Near the end of his life Solomon looked back with an attitude of humility and repentance. He took stock of the world as he had experienced it, hoping to spare his readers the bitterness of learning through personal experience that everything apart from God is empty, hollow, and meaningless.
Millions of people live their lives like Solomon in a vicious cycle and as a result struggle with bouts of depression and anxiety. Many become cynical and pessimistic. Unfortunately very few people ever resolve the issue. Notice what Solomon said after tasting everything the world has to offer. He stated “everything is empty” apart from having a relationship with God. Solomon had all of the intelligence, money, the best clothes, any woman he wanted, and the list goes on. And in the end he said without God everything is worthless.
A contemporary of Solomon’s in many ways was Paul of Tarsus. He wrote a significant portion in the New Testament of the Bible. Around 61 AD while sitting in a prison in Rome Paul wrote a letter to the church at Philippi and said “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
Notice the circumstances to which Paul wrote this letter. He was in prison for knowing Christ and telling others about Him. Being in a difficult situation after Paul considered everything that he has accomplished in his life, he said that it was all “a loss” when compared with the greatness of knowing Christ. This was a profound statement about Paul’s values; his personal relationship with Christ was more important than anything else.
Here Paul was not talking about obtaining God’s acceptance by following a list of rules such as not cussing, not drinking, not smoking, and not working on Sunday. He had been there, done that. Paul knew the law (commandments and other religious regulations) made him conscious of things he had done wrong. Paul also knew trying to keep the rules and regulations would not set him right with God. Paul learned in order for him to have a relationship with God he would have to ask God for forgiveness for the things that he has done wrong in his life and trust with his whole heart that Jesus completed all of the work (paid the price for his sin) on the cross. Paul turned his “will” over to God to do God’s “will.” This transformed Paul and he became a member of God’s family. As a natural response Paul talked to God on a regular basis, read God’s Word and God guided Paul’s daily life and worked through his experiences. Through moments, hours, days, weeks, months, and years Paul grew close to God.
All of us have chased happiness. Jean Paul Getty chased it. Solomon chased it. I chased happiness and lost the battle. Only by God’s providence I was given the opportunity to learn who God is and how to have a personal relationship with Him.
For many people reading this information is unsettling. For other’s it will make you angry. I want to stop here and say thank you for taking the time to read this article. You didn't have to and you did and I want to say that I appreciate it very much. To those that this makes sense I want to humbly ask are you tired of trying to find happiness? I hope you will give some thought to what has been said and read on. God wants to have a personal relationship with you.
The Bible says God made the world because He wanted to. He created the perfect man and woman (Adam and Eve) and wanted to have a relationship with them. He gave Adam and Eve the freedom of choice. God put them in the perfect place called Eden and told them they could have everything except for the fruit on the tree of knowledge of good and evil . God said if they choose to eat the fruit they would die. Adam and Eve chose to do wrong and ate the fruit. At that point God could not continue a relationship with them because they were no longer perfect. From Adam and Eve's perspective there wasn't anything they could do. Physical and spiritual death was on the horizon. God in His great mercy and grace saw how broken Adam and Eve were (and every single one of us who have done wrong) and provided a means for reconciliation.
God said the cost of doing wrong is both physical and spiritual death. Physical death means each one of us will die once. Spiritual death means being separated from God and heaven and not ever being able to see, talk, or have a relationship with God. It also means the person that does not have a
relationship with God will suffer for eternity for not being in the loving arms of God. God said He wants every person to have a relationship with Him. God said the price for wronging (sin) is death. God stated in order for reconciliation to occur someone has to die. That is the cost God set up. God said because He loves each person in the world so much He sent His Son Jesus to live on planet earth, be tempted in every way like we are and He would never do wrong (sin). And because Jesus was perfect He could and did pay the price of our wrong doings by dying on the cross and was raised from the dead.
The Bible says our purpose in life is to have a personal relationship with God. Our choices to do wrong (sinning) separate us from Him. The Bible says I have to get to the point where I realize I am not happy with my life and I want to have meaning and purpose. I have to understand I have done wrong and realize I need forgiveness. I must be willing to ask God to forgive me, trust the complete work Jesus did on the cross for my sins, and trust God to take over my life to do His will.
Paul in the letter to the Roman Church in Rome said it clearly in chapter 10 "That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the scripture says, anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
Below is a Summary of the Bible’s teaching and verses regarding having a personal relationship with God
1. God loves you and created you to know Him personally.
"God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
God's Plan: "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3, NIV).
What prevents us from knowing God personally?
2. Man is sinful (does wrong) and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love.
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Man was created to have a personal relationship with God; but, because of his own self-will, he chose do what he wanted to do and as a result God could not have a relationship with man.
This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active doing what I want and not what God wants is what the Bible calls sin (wrong doing).
3. Man is Separated
"The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God (can’t talk with God)] (Romans 6:23). (Those) who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus...will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord..." (2 Thessalonians 1:8,9)
4. Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's wrong doing. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience God's love. "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
5. 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).
6. Jesus is the only way to have a relationship with 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).
The Bible says it is not enough just to know these truths. In order to have a relationship with God we must:
7. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love.
8. 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)
9. 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.)
10. We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
In the book of Revelation Christ said "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 (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of 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 (wrong doings) is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will.
The following explains how you can receive Christ:
You can receive Christ by faith by talking to 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 (talking to God):
"Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins (things that I have done wrong). I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord.
Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control
of my life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be."
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).
Christ said 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 your Feelings: The promise of God's Word, the Bible - not our feelings - is the authority. The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word.
Confidence in your relationship with God
You enter into a personal relationship With Christ the moment you received Christ by faith. As an act of your will, many things happened, including the following:
1. Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20 and Colossians 1:27).
2. Your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
3. You became a child of God (John 1:12).
4. You received eternal life (John 5:24).
5. You began the great adventure for which God created you (John 10:10; 2nd Corinthians 5:17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Suggestions For Christian Growth
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. "The righteous man shall live by faith" (Galatians 3:11). A life of faith will enable you to trust God increasingly with every detail of your life, and to practice the following:
1. Talk to God daily (John 15:7).
2. Read God’s Word daily (Acts 17:11) - begin with the Gospel of John.
3. As you learn follow what God’s Word says: (John 14:21).
4. Trust God for every detail of your life (1 Peter 5:7).
5. Allow the Holy Spirit to control and empower your daily life and witness (Galatians 5:16,17; Acts 1:8).
For many chasing happiness all of their life is as far as they get. For many millions of people multiple tragedies occur and still they are not ready to change. Some people die without finding meaning and purpose for their life. The Bible said God is not in the business of strong arming anyone. It says God loves you and wants to make sense out of your life.
I want to thank-you for taking the time to read all of this information. I hope that this information has is of assistance. If you would like to talk further with me please email me at [email protected]
May God bless you.
Sincerely,
Bill
The sad truth is even for those who have been able to accomplish these tasks they still hunger for more! Inside each of us there is an unquenchable desire and thirst for more. For some its money, for others it's intelligence, for some it is beauty and for others it's power. Whatever it is we are always chasing an illusion that never ends. We keep on doing what our culture has taught us in attempt to be happy. We “stuff” ourselves with “things.” Chasing happiness is alluring, tantalizing, and deceptive. It works on the premise that if we get what we want we will feel good. All of us want to “feel good” so naturally we navigate towards it. The problem is these great feelings don’t last very long so we chase “happiness” again and again and again. There is something about this deception that lures us into believing that happiness is just around the corner. We think if only my mother in law would treat me better, if only my child would quit misbehaving, if only I could get this project off my desk, if only my boss would like me, if only I could lose weight people would notice me, if only I could get that plastic surgery, if only I could...
We deceive ourselves when we believe the rich and famous are happy. In the 1970’s Jean Paul Getty, an oil tycoon and the richest man in the world was asked how much money is enough. Mr. Getty’s replied “just one more dollar. "More was never enough for him too. Money might have made Mr. Getty’s life easier in some ways but it sure did not make him happier.
There is an endless list of people who never found happiness; Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Lucile Ball, Dean Martin, Rock Hudson, Kathryn Hepburn to name a few. And these were some of the beautiful people. The truth is this has been going on since the beginning of time.
In 935 BC there was a King of tremendous intelligence, power, and wealth. In fact he had more power, more money, and was smarter than anyone in the world. His name was Solomon; he was the King of Israel. Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes (in the Bible). In his writing Solomon took a mental journey of his life, explaining everything he had tried, tested, or tasted was meaningless, useless, irrational, pointless, foolish, and empty. Solomon called his life an exercise in futility. Near the end of his life Solomon looked back with an attitude of humility and repentance. He took stock of the world as he had experienced it, hoping to spare his readers the bitterness of learning through personal experience that everything apart from God is empty, hollow, and meaningless.
Millions of people live their lives like Solomon in a vicious cycle and as a result struggle with bouts of depression and anxiety. Many become cynical and pessimistic. Unfortunately very few people ever resolve the issue. Notice what Solomon said after tasting everything the world has to offer. He stated “everything is empty” apart from having a relationship with God. Solomon had all of the intelligence, money, the best clothes, any woman he wanted, and the list goes on. And in the end he said without God everything is worthless.
A contemporary of Solomon’s in many ways was Paul of Tarsus. He wrote a significant portion in the New Testament of the Bible. Around 61 AD while sitting in a prison in Rome Paul wrote a letter to the church at Philippi and said “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
Notice the circumstances to which Paul wrote this letter. He was in prison for knowing Christ and telling others about Him. Being in a difficult situation after Paul considered everything that he has accomplished in his life, he said that it was all “a loss” when compared with the greatness of knowing Christ. This was a profound statement about Paul’s values; his personal relationship with Christ was more important than anything else.
Here Paul was not talking about obtaining God’s acceptance by following a list of rules such as not cussing, not drinking, not smoking, and not working on Sunday. He had been there, done that. Paul knew the law (commandments and other religious regulations) made him conscious of things he had done wrong. Paul also knew trying to keep the rules and regulations would not set him right with God. Paul learned in order for him to have a relationship with God he would have to ask God for forgiveness for the things that he has done wrong in his life and trust with his whole heart that Jesus completed all of the work (paid the price for his sin) on the cross. Paul turned his “will” over to God to do God’s “will.” This transformed Paul and he became a member of God’s family. As a natural response Paul talked to God on a regular basis, read God’s Word and God guided Paul’s daily life and worked through his experiences. Through moments, hours, days, weeks, months, and years Paul grew close to God.
All of us have chased happiness. Jean Paul Getty chased it. Solomon chased it. I chased happiness and lost the battle. Only by God’s providence I was given the opportunity to learn who God is and how to have a personal relationship with Him.
For many people reading this information is unsettling. For other’s it will make you angry. I want to stop here and say thank you for taking the time to read this article. You didn't have to and you did and I want to say that I appreciate it very much. To those that this makes sense I want to humbly ask are you tired of trying to find happiness? I hope you will give some thought to what has been said and read on. God wants to have a personal relationship with you.
The Bible says God made the world because He wanted to. He created the perfect man and woman (Adam and Eve) and wanted to have a relationship with them. He gave Adam and Eve the freedom of choice. God put them in the perfect place called Eden and told them they could have everything except for the fruit on the tree of knowledge of good and evil . God said if they choose to eat the fruit they would die. Adam and Eve chose to do wrong and ate the fruit. At that point God could not continue a relationship with them because they were no longer perfect. From Adam and Eve's perspective there wasn't anything they could do. Physical and spiritual death was on the horizon. God in His great mercy and grace saw how broken Adam and Eve were (and every single one of us who have done wrong) and provided a means for reconciliation.
God said the cost of doing wrong is both physical and spiritual death. Physical death means each one of us will die once. Spiritual death means being separated from God and heaven and not ever being able to see, talk, or have a relationship with God. It also means the person that does not have a
relationship with God will suffer for eternity for not being in the loving arms of God. God said He wants every person to have a relationship with Him. God said the price for wronging (sin) is death. God stated in order for reconciliation to occur someone has to die. That is the cost God set up. God said because He loves each person in the world so much He sent His Son Jesus to live on planet earth, be tempted in every way like we are and He would never do wrong (sin). And because Jesus was perfect He could and did pay the price of our wrong doings by dying on the cross and was raised from the dead.
The Bible says our purpose in life is to have a personal relationship with God. Our choices to do wrong (sinning) separate us from Him. The Bible says I have to get to the point where I realize I am not happy with my life and I want to have meaning and purpose. I have to understand I have done wrong and realize I need forgiveness. I must be willing to ask God to forgive me, trust the complete work Jesus did on the cross for my sins, and trust God to take over my life to do His will.
Paul in the letter to the Roman Church in Rome said it clearly in chapter 10 "That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the scripture says, anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
Below is a Summary of the Bible’s teaching and verses regarding having a personal relationship with God
1. God loves you and created you to know Him personally.
"God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
God's Plan: "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3, NIV).
What prevents us from knowing God personally?
2. Man is sinful (does wrong) and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love.
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Man was created to have a personal relationship with God; but, because of his own self-will, he chose do what he wanted to do and as a result God could not have a relationship with man.
This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active doing what I want and not what God wants is what the Bible calls sin (wrong doing).
3. Man is Separated
"The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God (can’t talk with God)] (Romans 6:23). (Those) who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus...will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord..." (2 Thessalonians 1:8,9)
4. Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's wrong doing. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience God's love. "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
5. 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).
6. Jesus is the only way to have a relationship with 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).
The Bible says it is not enough just to know these truths. In order to have a relationship with God we must:
7. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love.
8. 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)
9. 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.)
10. We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
In the book of Revelation Christ said "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 (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of 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 (wrong doings) is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will.
The following explains how you can receive Christ:
You can receive Christ by faith by talking to 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 (talking to God):
"Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins (things that I have done wrong). I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord.
Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control
of my life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be."
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).
Christ said 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 your Feelings: The promise of God's Word, the Bible - not our feelings - is the authority. The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word.
Confidence in your relationship with God
You enter into a personal relationship With Christ the moment you received Christ by faith. As an act of your will, many things happened, including the following:
1. Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20 and Colossians 1:27).
2. Your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
3. You became a child of God (John 1:12).
4. You received eternal life (John 5:24).
5. You began the great adventure for which God created you (John 10:10; 2nd Corinthians 5:17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Suggestions For Christian Growth
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. "The righteous man shall live by faith" (Galatians 3:11). A life of faith will enable you to trust God increasingly with every detail of your life, and to practice the following:
1. Talk to God daily (John 15:7).
2. Read God’s Word daily (Acts 17:11) - begin with the Gospel of John.
3. As you learn follow what God’s Word says: (John 14:21).
4. Trust God for every detail of your life (1 Peter 5:7).
5. Allow the Holy Spirit to control and empower your daily life and witness (Galatians 5:16,17; Acts 1:8).
For many chasing happiness all of their life is as far as they get. For many millions of people multiple tragedies occur and still they are not ready to change. Some people die without finding meaning and purpose for their life. The Bible said God is not in the business of strong arming anyone. It says God loves you and wants to make sense out of your life.
I want to thank-you for taking the time to read all of this information. I hope that this information has is of assistance. If you would like to talk further with me please email me at [email protected]
May God bless you.
Sincerely,
Bill