God Loves You:
God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not be lost, but have eternal life (see John 3:16). Jesus came that we might have life, and that we might have it to the fullest (see John 10:10). If God loves the world, why are most people not experiencing the full and meaningful life He offers?
Our Sin:
Sin is anything that we do that belittles the glory of God. It is an offense against His perfection. The Bible says that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, NAS). God’s truth declares that, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23, NAS). Sin costs! Its ultimate cost is death – an eternity apart from the God who made all that exists. But God loves us and has provided a way for us to experience forgiveness of sin, abundant life on earth, and eternal life in heaven.
Jesus Christ Is The Only Way Of Salvation:
Jesus is the very Creator God, eternally one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, who became a man. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14, NAS). Jesus died on the cross for us. “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18, NAS). Jesus was raised from the dead so that those who believe in Him may have life. Romans 8:11 reads, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.” Speaking of Jesus, Acts 4: 12 says, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (NAS).
We Must Respond by Faith in Jesus In Order To Be Saved From Our Sin:
It is not enough just to know the facts about Jesus. Each individual must come to know Him personally by trusting Him alone for forgiveness. We must repent which means to turn from our ways and turn to God, surrendering everything to Him. We must receive Jesus as our Savior. We must follow Him and His ways. “But 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, NAS). A personal relationship with God begins by trusting your life to Christ in a sincere, repentant prayer to Him. “Whoever will call on the name of the LORD will be saved” (Romans 10:13, NAS).
A Sample Prayer To Trust In Christ:
Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me and coming to earth to show me the way to live. I have sinned against You, please forgive me. I believe that You died to pay for my sin and that You were raised from the dead so that I may live in the strength of Your life. You are the one, true, living God. I turn from my sin and believe in You. Please take your rightful place as Lord and Savior of my life and I will follow you all the days of my life. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
How To Grow As A Christian:
Attend a good church where Jesus Christ is honored above all, the Bible is the only authority, and everyone is welcome. Church is where others encourage us and we worship God together. We invite you to come worship Jesus with us here at First Baptist Church, Bettendorf, IA.
Read the Bible every day. It is our spiritual food. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (NAS). A good place to begin is the book of John. Learn as much as you can about Jesus.
Pray daily. Prayer is communicating with God. You can pray anytime, even when you sin or fail in life.
Tell someone about your surrender to Christ as Lord.
We pray that you will find everlasting peace in salvation by receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today.
The Elders – First Baptist Church of Bettendorf