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Author: J. I. Packer Publisher: Good News Publishers ISBN: 9781682164044 Category : Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
To Be a Christian By J.I. Packer and Lane Dennis What does it mean to be a Christian? What is essential for Christian faith and life? How can we know Jesus Christ and experience the full love of God through him? How can you become a child of God, anchored in the full reality of unquenchable joy, beginning in this life and ever increasing in the life to come? It is possible to know about these things, however, without actually knowing them personally in one's life. In order not to miss what God is offering you, it is imperative that you receive Jesus Christ as your own Savior and Lord--if you have not already done so--and commit yourself to him to be his life-long disciple. There is no more important thing in life that you could ever do--both for the sake of this life and immeasurably more for the life to come. And when you have received Jesus Christ as your own Savior and Lord, to know that you have done it, so that you can go on from there, knowing the fullness of joy as a child of God both now and forever. To be a Christian is a lifelong personal commitment to Jesus Christ, but it begins with becoming a Christian in a deliberate conscious way, much like being a spouse begins with taking marriage vows. Being a Christian is a process of advance from that point. As you continue with Christ, with his Father as your heavenly Father, his Holy Spirit as your helper and guide, and his Church as your new family, you will constantly be led deeper into your born-again calling of worship, service, and Christ-like relationships. You need to know from the beginning that God creates human beings for the purpose of knowing him, loving him, and enjoying a deep friendship with him. But no one naturally fulfills this purpose. We are all out of step with God. In the words of the Bible, we are sinners, guilty before God and separated from him (Romans 3:23). Life in Christ is, first and foremost, God's taking living action to remedy our dire situation (Romans 5:8). The key facts of this divine remedy--which the Bible calls the Gospel (meaning "good news")--are these: 1. God the Father sent his eternal Son into this world to reconcile us sinners to himself, and to preserve and prepare us for his glory in the life to come. 2. Born of the Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit, God's son (whose human name is "Jesus") lived a perfect life, died a criminal's death as a sacrifice for your sins, and rose again from the grave to rule as Christ (meaning "the Anointed One"), reigning on his Father's behalf in the Kingdom of God. 3. Reigning now in heaven, Jesus continues to draw sinners to himself through the communication of the Gospel here on earth. 4. By the Holy Spirit, God enables us to turn wholeheartedly from our sinful and self-centered ways (repentance) and to entrust ourselves to him, to live in union and communion with God (faith). Our natural condition could not be more desperate and urgent. In spiritual terms, our sin and self-centeredness is the way of death, and fellowship with Christ is the way of life now and forever. As the Apostle Peter said when her proclaimed the Gospel on Pentecost morning: "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself (Acts 2:38-39). God the Father calls us to himself through his Son. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 4:16). As we come to the Father, through Jesus Christ his Son, we experience and know and grow in the unconditional and transforming love of God. God the Son calls us to believe in him. We may understand a great deal about Jesus, but that is not the same as personally believing in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We can attend church services and do many good things without knowing the risen Jesus. Knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord means personally believing in him, surrendering our lives to him, and living as his joyful followers. God the Holy Spirit enlightens our minds and hearts to believe in Jesus, giving us spiritual birth and life as we believe and trust in him. Our loving Father will "give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him" (Luke 11:13). As we place our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and wonderfully provides us with the power and gifts for life and ministry as Jesus' disciples. To live faithfully as Christians, we must rely upon the equipping and enabling power of the Holy Spirit. In a way beyond our grasp, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are revealed as equally one God and three Persons. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are near to us at all times and will hear us whenever we pray with sincerity, truly meaning what we say. God calls us to enter into continual repentance and faith in Christ. And the way to enter into life in Christ--today and forever--is to pray a prayer like this (preferably in the presence of a mature Christian): Lord Jesus Christ, I confess my faults, shortcomings, sins, and rebellious acts, and ask you to forgive me. I embrace you, Lord Jesus, as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for your atoning death on the cross in obedience to your Father's will, to wash away my sins. I enthrone you, Lord Jesus, to be in charge of every part of my life, and I ask you to indwell and empower me with your Holy Spirit, so that I may live as your faithful follower from now on, in this life and forever with you in heaven. In Jesus name I pray these words with all my heart and soul, amen. If you have prayed the prayer above "to be a Christian," we would encourage you to visit the GoodNews.org website, where you can read the Bible free and find many helpful materials for your new life as a Christian. Excerpted from To Be A Christian: An Anglican Catechism. Used by permission of the Anglican Church in North America.
Author: Greg Gilbert Publisher: Crossway ISBN: 1433543494 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 160
Book Description
The Bible stands at the heart of the Christian faith. But this leads to an inescapable question: why should we trust the Bible? Written to help non-Christians, longtime Christians, and everyone in between better understand why God’s Word is reliable, this short book explores the historical and theological arguments that have helped lead millions of believers through the centuries to trust the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Written by pastor Greg Gilbert, author of the popular books What Is the Gospel? and Who Is Jesus?, this volume will help Christians articulate why they trust the Bible when it comes to who God is, who we are, and how we’re supposed to live.
Author: Paul Washer Publisher: Reformation Heritage Books ISBN: 9781601785206 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
Paul Washer escorts readers through a biblical overview of the good news about Jesus. Presenting passage after passage from the Bible, Washer describes the holy character of God, the human problem of sin, and the divine solution found in Jesus's redemptive life, death, and resurrection for all who repent and believe. If you are interested in knowing the basic claims of the gospel or know someone exploring the truths of Christ, this succinct treatment of the greatest news the world has ever heard is just what you need.
Author: Billy Graham Publisher: Good News Publishers ISBN: 9781682164358 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
Evangelist and author Billy Graham proclaims that "the way to God is through personal faith in Jesus Christ." This redesigned tract explains the undeserved gift of salvation.
Author: John Piper Publisher: ISBN: 9781682160022 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 8
Book Description
Why did Jesus Christ suffer and die? I believe that is the most important question of the twenty-first century. Here are ten answers from the Bible. Jesus came to die... #10) To destroy hostility between races The suspicion, prejudice, and demeaning attitudes between Jews and non-Jews in Bible times were as serious as the racial, ethnic, and national hostilities today. Jesus died to create a whole new way for races to be reconciled: he "has broken down...the dividing wall of hostility...making peace...through the cross" (Ephesians 2:14-16). It is impossible to build lasting unity among races by saying that all religions can come together as equally valid. God sent his Son into the world as the only means of saving sinners and reconciling races. Only as the races find this reconciliation will they love and enjoy each other. #9) To give marriage its deepest meaning God's design was never for marriages to be miserable, yet many are. That's what sin does...it makes us treat each other badly. Jesus died to change that. He knew that his suffering would make the deepest meaning of marriage plain. That's why the Bible says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25). God's design for marriage is for a husband to love his wife the way Christ loves his people, and for the wife to respond the way Christ's people should. This kind of love is possible because Christ died for both husband and wife. #8) To absorb the wrath of God God's law demanded, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). But we have all loved other things more. This is what sin is--dishonoring God by preferring other things over him, and acting on those preferences. The seriousness of an insult rises with the dignity of the one insulted. Since our sin is against the Ruler of the Universe, "the wages of [our] sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Not to punish it would be unjust. So God sent his own Son, Jesus, to divert sin's punishment from us to himself. God "loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation"--the wrath-absorbing substitute--"for our sins" (1 John 4:10). Then God publicly endorsed Christ's accomplishment by raising him from the dead, proving the success of his suffering and death. #7) So that we would escape the curse of the law There was no escape from the curse of God's law. It was just; we were guilty. There was only one way to be free: someone must pay the penalty. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). The law's demands have been fulfilled by Christ's perfect law-keeping, its penalty fully paid by his death. This is why the Bible teaches that getting right with God is not based on law-keeping: "A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ" (Galatians 2:16). Our only hope is having the blood and righteousness of Christ credited to our account. #6) To reconcile us to God The reconciliation that needs to happen between man and God goes both ways. God's first act in reconciling us to himself was to remove the obstacle that separated him from us--the guilt of our sin. He took the steps we could not take to remove his own judgment by sending Jesus to suffer in our place: "While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son" (Romans 5:10). Reconciliation from our side is simply to receive what God has already done, the way we receive an infinitely valuable gift. #5) To show God's love for sinners The measure of God's love is shown by the degree of his sacrifice in saving us from the penalty of our sins: "he gave his only Son" (John 3:16). When we add the horrific crucifixion that Christ endured, it becomes clear that the sacrifice the Father and the Son made to save us was indescribably great! The measure of his love increases still more when we consider the degree of our unworthiness. "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Our debt is so great, only a divine sacrifice could pay it. #4) To show Jesus' own love for us The death of Christ is also the supreme expression that he "loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). It is my sin that cuts me off from God. All I can do is plead for mercy. I see Christ suffering and dying "to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). And I ask, am I among the "many"? And I hear the answer, "Whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Jesus paid the highest price possible to give me--personally--the greatest gift possible. #3) To take away our condemnation The great conclusion to the suffering and death of Christ is this: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). To be "in Christ" means to be in relationship to him by faith. Christ becomes our punishment (which we don't have to bear) and our worth before God (which we cannot earn). The death of Christ secures freedom from condemnation for those who believe that Christ has served their death sentence. It is as sure that they cannot be condemned as it is sure that Christ died! #2) To bring us to God "Gospel" means "good news," and it all ends in one thing: God himself. The gospel is the good news that at the cost of his Son's life, God has done everything necessary to captivate us with what will make us eternally and ever-increasingly happy--namely, himself. "Christ...suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). #1) To give eternal life to all who believe on Him Jesus made it plain that rejecting the eternal life he offered would result in the misery of eternity in hell: "Whoever does not believe is condemned already....the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:18, 36). But for those who trust Christ, the best is yet to come. "No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). We will see the all-satisfying glory of God. "This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (John 17:3). For all these reasons and more, Christ suffered and died. Why would you not embrace him as your Savior from sin and judgment, and live with God eternally? If you are moved to embrace God's Son in this way, tell God in words like these: Dear God, I'm convinced that Jesus suffered and died for my sins. I gratefully trust in him now as my Lord and my precious Treasure and the only way I'll ever receive your forgiveness and your promise of eternal life. Amen.
Author: Publisher: David C Cook ISBN: 9780781408592 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 16
Book Description
Designed to tell the story of Jesus in a fresh, biblical way, "The Story of Jesus" is ideal for church programs, community outreach, family devotions, and as an outreach tool for children or adults.
Author: Good News Publishers Publisher: Good News Publishers ISBN: 9781682161951 Category : Languages : en Pages : 6
Book Description
A redesign of a Good News Tracts classic, Pastor John Piper presents six biblical truths that will help seekers find the source of true joy, Jesus Christ
Author: Ted Griffin
Author: Ted Griffin
Author: J. I. Packer
Author: Greg Gilbert
Author: Paul Washer
Author: Bill Bright
Author: Jack T. Chick
Author: Billy Graham
Author: John Piper
Author: 
Author: Good News Publishers