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Who is Jesus?
Have I
Changed?
Discipleship
Christian Walk
Christ-like Character
Evangelism

Jesus offers blessings for those who call upon his name.
See the results of the Bible phrase search: "In my name" |

His name means salvation.
This attests to his ultimate purpose and mission: to bring salvation to
people. So it is highly appropriate that Jesus is the name of the Savior
of the world. As it is written:
| "She will give birth to a
son, and you are to give him the name Jesus
because he will save his people from their sins."
- MATTHEW 1:21 |
Why
do we need a Savior? Why
do we need Jesus? Because of our sin. Sin keeps you from receiving
protection and blessings from God, and later, eternal life in heaven. Literally, sin means that we have missed the mark and have fallen short
of the target. Sin is disobedience and rebellion to God. People were
made with a free will so we could choose to love or to hate, to obey or
to sin. But once there was sin, we became slaves to sin.
The immediate consequences of sin are fear, shame, guilt,
and broken relationships. Other, more severe consequences follow. As a
result of sin, death came into the world.
“For as in Adam all die…” (1 Cor 15:22). People not only die physically,
but spiritually. Scripture states:
As for you, you were
dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used
to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the
ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at
work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived
among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our
sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.
Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
– EPHESIANS 2:1-3 |
Spiritual death cut us off from God and left
humankind completely helpless. But the worst is yet to come. There will
come a day of judgment. Scripture also states:
But the cowardly, the
unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral,
those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all
liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning
sulfur. This is the second death.
- REVELATION 21:8 |
This verse seems to include every human being. We all
have our faults. Then, who can rescue us? Since all people are in the same condition, there was no one person who
was free of sin's corrupting influence. Only God himself was outside of
the boundaries of corruption, and only God himself could save. The
Savior needed to have the purity of God, and yet somehow be associated
with man.
You
may have heard of Jesus Christ.
Christ is not his last name (surname). It is his title. Both
Christ (derived from Greek) and Messiah (derived from Hebrew) mean “the
Anointed One.” Ancient kings and spiritual leaders were ceremonially
anointed by having oil poured on their head as a symbol of being
empowered to lead with authority. Jesus is the Anointed One.
He is the chosen of God. He is God’s one and only Son.
Jesus came into the world and lived
sinlessly. After a time, Jesus suffered at the hands of evil men and was
nailed to a wooden cross to die. This was God's plan to pay the cost for
your sins. He was buried, but after three days he rose from the dead,
proving that what he claimed about himself was true. He showed himself
to his disciples, to more than 500 people at the same time (1 Cor.
15:5). After that, he returned to heaven to prepare a place for those
who would trust in him.
For God so loved the
world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have Everlasting Life.
– JOHN 3:16 |
How then can we gain this wonderful everlasting life?
Not by our own acts of goodness. Our goodness is only relative to
the standard of sinful men, not to God's absolute and perfect standard. Our only act can be to believe in Jesus
by respecting who Jesus is and what he has done for you.
| Therefore God exalted him
to the highest place and gave him the name that is
above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.
– Philippians 2:9-11 |
Gospel means Good News.
The story of Jesus' life, death
and resurrection is called the Gospel. This can be good news for you,
too. To become a follower of Jesus, you begin with a simple prayer to
God asking to be forgiven for your sins and claiming Jesus Christ as
your Savior. Scripture states:
| 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. – ROMANS
10:9 |
DO IT NOW.
| Salvation is found in no one else, for
there is no
other name under heaven given to men by which we must be
saved.
- Acts 4:12 |
If you have accepted Jesus Christ, your new life begins
today. Like a newborn baby, you need to be nurtured in order to grow
spiritually healthy.
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You need to be a part of a local church. Contact us
to help you find one.
-
You will need a Bible to read. It is Scripture
that is your spiritual food. Contact us and we will help you choose a
good Bible to start with.
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Pray to God in the name of Jesus, asking for his help
in all things. - JOHN 14:14
The goal now is to become more like Jesus. Others
may notice personality changes in you. You may feel more
guilty about certain acts of sin that you were not sensitive to before.
However, it is more than likely that it will take time to notice an
outward change. Nevertheless, you have been changed - on the
inside - in your heart. Go to our
"Have I Changed?" page to learn more.
| I will give you a new heart and put a
new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of
stone and give you a heart of flesh. -
Ezekiel 36:26 |
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