It will impact where you will spend eternity. It will also allow you to experience a more fulfilled life as you move closer to God's plan for you. For the Eden Church ministry team, it would be our greatest joy for you to become a Christian.
To become a Christian you don't need to be perfect. None of us are perfect, because we all have sinned and not lived God's plan for us. This sin leads us into a spiritual separation from God. Romans 3:23 "All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory."
The results of our separation from God can be seen throughout the world in the horrible things people sometimes do. Our separation from God leads to an emptiness now and ultimately, eternal separation from God. That eternal separation is referred to as "hell." And "heaven" is spending eternity with God. Romans 6:23 "Sin leads to death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord."
The great news is that God loves us even though we don't deserve it. But since God is perfect, a penalty must be paid for the evil choices we have made. The great news is that God sent a perfect solution. His name is Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect life on earth and died on a cross as payment for our rebelliousness against God. His sacrifice is a gift from God. Romans 5:8 "But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful."; John 3:16 "God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die."
The process for receiving the gift is pretty straight forward, but because of our rebellion and unwillingness to submit to God's authority, many people choose not to accept this gift. First, you need to pray, which is talking to God. Whether you pray out loud or silently, God hears. It does not need to be fancy. God will hear and understand. Romans 10:13 "All who call out to the Lord will be saved."
As you pray in your heart, you need to believe and tell God the following key things. You are deeply sorry for rebelling against him and you know deep down that you need his forgiveness. You know Jesus died on the cross for you. You don't want to rebel against God any more and you ask for forgiveness. You want to invite Jesus into your heart and life. You trust Jesus as the one who will save you from your rebellion against God. You will submit to him as your perfect master. And you thank God for saving you. Amen! Romans 10:9 "So you will be saved, if you honestly say, 'Jesus is Lord,' and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death."
Whatever words you used, if you prayed in this way and believed it with all your heart, then you are a Christian and your life is changed. Praise God! Please tell a friend who you know is a Christian about this, and please get connected with a local church where you can go to church, learn more about Jesus, join in community with other Christians, and be baptized. You are invited to worship at Eden Church and to begin to explore a deeper relationship with God. Acts 2:38 "Turn back to God! Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will be given the Holy Spirit. ." For more information about being a Christian, please contact a pastor at Eden Church at 618-656-4330 or send an email to info(at)eden-ucc.org.
Perhaps you know deep in your heart that you aren't ready to turn from your sin and believe the good news of Jesus Christ. Please know that we are praying for you. No matter how you have been hurt and how much you've sinned, God loves you and God will pardon your guilt. He made you for a special purpose. He has an awesome plan for you. And please know that we want to help you discover God's purpose for your life. Will all your spiritual questions be answered now? No. There is much mystery to the Christian life. After all, how could we ever understand the Creator of the universe? So, becoming a Christian is less about knowing all the details and more about just submitting to God and acknowledging Jesus. So, please consider and ponder this. This is the most important thing you will ever do.
If you have any questions, please e-mail us at info(at)eden-ucc.org and we will do our best to answer.
Quotations are from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible.
You can look up any Bible passage at BibleGateway.com.
Link to Wikipedia article about Jesus