I wish you could read the enthusiasm in my voice right now as I write this! You've recently made a decision to have a personal relationship with Jesus! Wow, seriously, that is the best decision you have ever made! It's one that I made and have never regretted. We, as a church, are proud of you!
All of us make mistakes (also known as "sin"), and those mistakes separate us from God (Romans 3:23); but Jesus (who is God in the flesh) died to forgive us of those sins. That gift of GRACE thus "bridges" us back to God. You chose to accept that gift by believing in Him; FAITH. With it, comes the knowledge that He lives in you, protects you, and will one day see you in Heaven!
That's a great question! Believing in Christ makes you a "Christian." Therefore, Christianity is not just a religion or a club, it's a RELATIONSHIP with Him. Like any other relationship, it requires mutual input and love. We have to get to KNOW HIM. We have to talk to God through heartfelt PRAYER. He talks to us through his Word (THE BIBLE). Jesus also encouraged us to
FELLOWSHIP with other Christians (Hebrews 10:25.)
When you start a relationship with someone, you start by asking A LOT of questions. There's so much to know! The same thing applies to your relationship with Jesus.
The great thing is that He is very patient with us! As you begin to dig deep into this relationship with Him, you may have questions of how to go about building this relationship. We are here to help! Feel free to ask any of the Pastors or Church leadership any questions you may have.
To help get you started on this excited journey of building your relationship with God we have made a list of some of the most important components to think about.
1. Knowing God (Learning how to grow the relationship)
2. Praying (Learning how to talk to God and why it’s important)
. 3. Reading the Bible (This is God’s word for you and there are many exciting things inside it)
4. Going to Church (The church isn’t just a building, just wait and see)
As you continue to scroll through the tabs on the page you will see a little info on each of these topics. Again, Congratulations on this exciting step you’ve taken. This will be the best relationship in your life.
Prayer. You might picture a quiet room with candles and some incense, a person kneeling with hands together, reciting a prayer verbatim.
While we don't knock the above scenario, prayer doesn't require any of those details. You could stand next to a jet plane during take-off, and still pray effectively. Why? Prayer is just talking to God; it's not a formula.
When you talk to your friends, do they require special ceremonial proceedings? Probably not. Neither does God. Wherever you are, you can talk to Him. Whatever you're doing, He's listening.
Tell Him how much you love and care about Him. Thank Him for the good things in your life. Ask Him for healing. Seriously, God wants to hear your voice; but more than that, He wants to be there for you. He's not just a pair of ears. He actually cares for you.
Give it a go. Yeah, right here! It doesn't have to be long!
Okay, we admit... the Bible is a BIG book! Actually, it's a big book made up of 66 smaller books. Each book breaks down into chapters, and each chapter breaks down into verses.
So, John 3:16 is:
-the 16th verse of...
-the 3rd chapter of...
-the Book of JohnIt's easier to understand when we know how to navigate the Bible.
The Bible is more than just "For God so loved the world...." It has historical information, inspirational stories, and principles for everyday life.
Where to start:
We like to recommend to people that they start in the Book of John. Why? John starts with the birth of Jesus, and then chronicles many major events in His life. Some of these stories you might even recognize. While this book is located in the second half of the Bible (the "New Testament" portion), it's a fun and interesting spot to begin your journey!
What Version:
The Bible wasn't originally written in English, so over the centuries it has been translated. Which version or translation is best? Well, that's a complicated answer; but for now, we like to recommend either the New International Version (NIV) or The Message (MSG) versions. (These are written in modern day English, without "thou's" and "thee's")
Read:
You can open your Bible, OR you can click below to start reading the Bible online! (There's even a free app!)
Church can be one of those words that sends shivers down some people's bodies. We get it. In the past, there have been some poor examples of what church should look like. It's sad. But we don't define "church" the same way that they do.
Church isn't a building. It's not a place that wacky people attend to participate in strange ceremonies just to then go home and live completely different lives. Our senior pastor has summed it up best with this expression:
What does that mean? The church is you. It's me. It's us as Christians meeting together on a regular basis to worship God, learn more about Him, and fellowship with each other.
