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Have you ever felt like no one really loves you or
understands you?
There is only one person who ever really will do that
perfectly.
That's God.
He's got a big reason for wanting you to know Him.
That's because you're His kid.
He made you.
Sure, your Mom and Dad and other friends and relatives
love you.
But this is different. God loves you in a special
way, and He wants you to know it.
So He made a plan.
A BIG, MAJOR plan... |
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CHECK
IT OUT!
God wrote the most important Book of all time, The
Bible, His "Owner's Manual" for humans.
In His Book, He says:
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Romans 8:16 (CEV) - God's Spriit makes us
sure that we are His children. |
There's a problem though.
A BIG problem between us and God.
He made us so that we could have our own free will and
make our own decisions.
That was a gift.
Sometimes we abuse that gift by doing things that hurt
God's feelings.
We all do it.
That's called sin.
And sin is a problem between us and God.
It separates us from Him.
The reason it's such a BIG problem is that this
separation keeps us out of Heaven!
Good thing for us, God has a plan... |
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CHECK
IT OUT!
Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God.
Psalm 53:2-3 (NIV) - God looks down from heaven on
the sons of men to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have
together become corrupt; there is no one who does good,
not even one. |
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Because He loves us, God can't
stand for us to be separated from Him.
God is the perfect parent.
But because He is perfect, He can't allow our sin to go
unpunished or He wouldn't be perfect anymore.
Somebody has to pay for all the things we have done
wrong, that have hurt God and separated us from Him, or
we can't get back with Him.
It doesn't matter how many good things you try to do,
you can never do enough of them to make up for the bad
things. We're all like that.
The perfect plan means someone has to pay.
God chose His own Son, Jesus Christ.
He had Jesus be born as a little baby and be raised by
his earth parents.
When Jesus grew up, He was killed on a cross by some
very bad people.
This was OUR punishment for OUR sins, but Jesus took it
instead of us having to take it.
(Kind of like YOU breaking your Mom's best lamp, and
your brother being willing to take your punishment
instead of you.)
Three days later, Jesus Christ came to life again. It's
not just a story. It really happened.
He did it so you could do it too when you die.
When you accept what Jesus did for you that day, you get
to be where He is when you die.
H E A V E N.
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CHECK
IT OUT!
1 Peter 2:24 - He personally carried the load of our
sins in his own body when he died on the cross.
Isaiah 53:4-6 (CEV) - He suffered and endured great
pain for us, but we thought his suffering was punishment
from God. He was wounded and crushed because of our
sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely
well. All of us were like sheep that had wandered off.
We had each gone our own way, but the Lord gave him the
punishment we deserve |
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God has done all He can do to get us back.
The rest is up to us.
He never MAKES us do anything we don't want to do.
Below are the things God asks you to do, if you want to
know Him and and accept what He did for you: |
These things are simple.
There are no
tricks.
You just have to ask.
But you have to
mean it. |
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To accept Jesus, you need to do four things: |
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1. Admit you have sinned and that you need Jesus. |
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2. You have to be sorry for your sins and want to
change. |
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3. Understand that Jesus paid so you could be
forgiven. |
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4. Accept Jesus Christ into your heart and life.
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How do I ask? |
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Pray like this: |
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Prayer is just talking to God, not magic words.
Your prayer should be your own, from your
own heart. If you really aren't sure how to
start, you could say something like this to
Him: |
Lord Jesus, I know that I have done wrong
things and that I need Your help. I believe that
You died in my place, to pay for my sin, and
that you came back to life again to save me. I
want to change and be more like You.. I now
invite You to come into my heart and life as
my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen. |
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CHECK
IT OUT:
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I
will come in.
Romans 10:13 - Whoever calls upon the name of the
Lord will be saved. |
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If
you just asked Jesus into your heart, you now belong to
Him. Forever.
Here's what to do... |
You prayed, committing your life to Christ. What does
the Bible say happened?
You
are saved - Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters
by Me, he will be saved"
(John 10:9).
You
are a child of God - The Bible says: "But as many as
received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, to those who believe in His name"
(John 1:12).
You
will live forever- The Bible says: "For God so love the
world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life"
(John 3:16). |
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WHAT'S NEXT?
Please, will you write or share your decision
with Pastor Long by
E-mailing him or in church
Sunday or Wednesday. |
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