God's Purpose - Peace and Life.
God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life--abundant and eternal
The Bible says...
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" [Romans 5:1]
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life". [John 3:16]
"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." [John 10:10]
Why don't most people have this peace and abundant life that God planned for us to have?
God created us to have abundant life in Him
God does not force us to love Him, He gave us free will. If we choose to ignore Him and go our own way, we are living in sin and are separated from God.
The Bible says...
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." [Romans 3:23]
Our very nature is such that a holy God cannot admit us into His presence as we were born. You must be born again, made anew by a power not your own, but by the supernatural power of God
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" [Romans 6:23]
When Adam sinned, he died, yet he kept on living! The real meaning of death is separation. Adam was separated from God; he lost fellowship, spiritual life, everything, and became subject to eternal death, and that death sentence was passed on to all of us. This means that if one lives his life in sin and dies without being born again, he will be separated from God forever. That is hell, the second death.
But God has not left us alone
He has provided a way of escape through The Cross...
Jesus Christ died on the Cross and rose from the grave
When Jesus was on the cross, He suffered the agony of Hell for you and me. He was separated from God the Father: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" [Matthew 27:46] In that awful moment, He was banished from God's presence because He had your sins and mine on Him! Remember, the wages of sin is death, and death is separation. Jesus paid those wages for you.
The Bible says...
"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" [1 Timothy 2:5]
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" [Romans 5:8]
"The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." [Romans 6:23]
A gift is something you do not work for. Therefore, you cannot earn your salvation by doing good works such as joining the church, being baptized, doing deeds of charity, etc. Those are good works Christians do but good works are the result of salvation not the cause of it. Salvation is a gift given to you when you receive Christ. The only thing you can do with a gift is accept it or reject it.
God offers salvation through His Son Jesus Christ to everyone but the decision is up to us. Each person must make a choice....
We must admit we are sinners and trust Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior
Jesus says...
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me" [Revelation 3:20]
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [Romans 10:9]
There are two commandments in the Bible for the sinner to obey in order to be saved. They are: repent and believe.
Repent
To repent is to confess that you are a sinner, turn from sin to God and pray to Him for mercy and forgiveness through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. You must be willing to run from sin (be converted), but you cannot do this on your own power. That is where faith (believing) comes in.
Believe
You must not only believe facts about Him, you must believe on Him. Saving faith is to receive Jesus Christ trusting Him to take you to Heaven. Once you put your soul in His hands, you are His . He takes your sin, and you take His righteousness. You will then become a born-again child of God!
Ask Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour
Do you believe that if you call upon The Lord, He will save you?
Pray this Simple Prayer and ask Jesus to be your Savior...(click tab below)
"Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner. I am sorry for my sin, and ask You for mercy and forgiveness through the blood of Your Son, Jesus. I believe He died for me and rose again. I now accept Him as my Savior. I believe Your promise, that from this moment on, according to Your Word, I will be Your child and You will reserve a home in Heaven for me. Thank you, Lord, for saving me. In Jesus' name, Amen."
God's Assurance - His Word
The Bible says... "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." [Romans 10:13]
If you prayed this prayer, did you sincerely ask Jesus Christ to come into your life? If so then He has permanently taken up residence in your heart.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. [Ephesians 2:8,9]
Receiving Christ, we are born into God's family through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer. This is called regeneration, or the "new birth" and it is Just the Beginning!...(click tab below)
This is just the beginning of a wonderful new life in Christ
If you are a new believer, you probably have a lot of questions! What should you do next? How can you learn more? Where can you find answers? This quick guide will focus on four important things every new believer should do:
a) Read your Bible every day to know Christ better
b) Talk to God through prayer
c) Spend time with other believers
d) Share your faith with others
Reading Your Bible
Make a commitment to read your Bible every day! How much you read depends on you, but it is essential that you spend time reading and thinking about God's Word.
Until you spend time with the Bible, everything you know about God and His plan for you will be second-hand. You will have to rely on other people for answers. Once you start reading the Bible, though, that will change. In time, you will learn more and more about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and you will grow in understanding and spiritual maturity.
Of course, when you begin there will be some things you read that you just don't understand. As a matter of fact, some of those things can only be understood as the Spirit gives wisdom. But there are a lot of things in the Bible you won't understand simply because you aren't used to reading it! So the more time you spend with God's Word, the more you'll comprehend. You'll be surprised by how much progress you make once you commit to regular reading
Praying
In addition to reading your Bible every day, you should make a habit of daily prayer-in fact, you should always be in a state of prayer, communicating with God all the time. This doesn't have to be a stuffy, formal entreaty! Talking to God is as easy as talking to a friend; in fact, it's easier, because God knows you so well.
Think of it: the all-powerful God of the universe wants to commune with you. He loves you so much that He takes daily interest in your life. Share your thoughts with him. Bring your needs before His throne. Trust Him to provide.
At Open Door Baptist Church, we are convinced that one of the main reasons God has blessed us over the years is that we gone to Him in prayer and sought His will. As a believer, you can pray with confidence. God gave His Son for you, so you know He will listen to you and give you what is best!
Spending time with other Christians
Believers join together for two important experiences: worship and fellowship. We worship God because He is so worthy of our praise. As Creator and Redeemer, He has made us and re-made us-and so we sing songs about Him, we listen as His Word is preached, and we give freely of our time, talents and resources to help the body of Christ.
We fellowship with one another because we know that it is important to surround ourselves with people who believe in Jesus and want to please and honor Him. In the world, there are many temptations, and it is sometimes difficult for new believers to break free of the sin that has habitually enslaved them. Surrounding yourself with other Christians and learning from their experience and example will help you grow!
In addition to our three worship services during the week, Open Door Baptist Church provides many opportunities for you to meet fellow Christians and spend time getting to know them. Get involved in activities like Sunday School, Choir, or one of our weekly Bible Studies to make new friends!
Sharing Your Faith
Aren't you glad someone told you about Jesus Christ? As a Christian, you have the privilege of sharing the gospel with other people. It's really very easy to share your faith. All you have to do is think about what God has done for you, and then tell your story. We call this story your "testimony."
The gospel is very simple. Here it is in a nutshell: "All men are sinners, and the penalty of sin is death. But Jesus has paid that penalty for those who believe. So, if a person repents of sin and believes in Jesus Christ, he or she will inherit eternal life."
Who should you share your faith with? The answer is: everyone! If you are open, God will give you opportunities to tell your story to all kinds of people. Sometimes you may feel a little nervous, but remember: it's not up to you to save people. Jesus has commanded us to proclaim the Good News, and the Holy Spirit uses our words to bring people to faith. Witnessing is not a burden-it's a privilege we have because God has been so merciful and loving to us!
Please contact us for more information on starting your new life with Christ. Our pastor and staff will be more than glad to help you as you walk with The Lord.