Beginning a Relationship with Jesus Christ
If you’re interested in starting a relationship with the Savior, here’s a snack-sized version of the main information that’s important to know. As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are here to help.
God loves us and wants a relationship with us. Through this relationship with Christ, we will experience forgiveness and peace with God, and as a result have eternal life. John 3:16 demonstrates God’s love: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life."
Standing between us and our relationship with God is sin. What is sin? Sin is disobedience to God and selfishness toward others. So what can we do about this problem? The answer is: turn to Jesus Christ for forgiveness.
The answer to our sin problem is Jesus Christ, who sacrificed Himself for our forgiveness. Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. That brings peace with God and a relationship through God’s gift of salvation.
We receive this gift simply by believing in Jesus Christ. Jesus will do His part by providing eternal life if you do your part by believing in Him. God wants this for you more than you can know.
Talk to God through prayer. Prayer is a conversation with God—prayer isn’t a special language and there are no special words. God sees you and knows what you are thinking in your heart. Wondering where to start? Here is a simple guide:
Confess you are a sinner. God forgives us our sins as we acknowledge that we are sinners. Confessing can be as simple as saying, "Lord, I am a sinner, and I believe that You died for my sins."
Ask for forgiveness from sin. Again, no special words are needed, but you can say something like, "Lord, please forgive me of my sin."
Ask Jesus to be your Savior. It's like opening a door—the door to your life—and asking Jesus to come in and be what He wants to be: your savior and God. You might say, "Jesus, I want You to come into my life and be my God. I trust You and place my faith in You."
Complete Sample Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I need you in my life. I believe Jesus died for me, and for my sin. Jesus, please come into my life. I turn away from my sins, please wash them away, and please be my God and savior. Thank You for saving me and making me part of Your family. I pray all of this in Jesus's Name, Amen.
If you've followed these steps, we at Journey want to simply say "Welcome to the family of God!" You are now a child of God, a believer, and He has washed away your sin, given you peace with Him, and given you eternal life!