Leading A Child To Christ

Transcription

1 Leading A Child To Christ 1

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3 Between the ages of 4 14, 85% of the commitments made to Christ will be made. Figure 1: Ages at which people become Christians 90% 85% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 10% 4% 1% 0-4 Years 4-14 Years Years 30+ Years 3

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5 Plans for Presenting Salvation The Roman s Road 1. Romans 3:23 All have sinned. 2. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death. 3. Romans 5:8 But God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. 4. Romans 6:23b But the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 5. Romans 6:1-4 Romans 10: Salvation 1. God s part John 3:16 2. Christ s part Romans 5:8 3. Man s part John 6:37 The A B C s of Salvation A. Acknowledge self as a sinner. Romans 3:23; Isaiah 53:6; James 2:10; Romans 3:10-12; John 3:3; Acts 4:12 B. Believe in Christ Acts 16:31; Luke 5:32, 13:3; Hebrews 11:6; Romans 2:4, 10:17; John 3:16, 20:21 C. Confess to Christ a Savior Romans 10:9-10; Acts 19:18; 1 John 1:9, 4:15 Four Words of Salvation 1. Needed Romans 3:3 2. Provided 1 Peter 2:24 3. Offered Ephesians 2:8 4. Accepted 1 John 5:12 The Four Spiritual Laws (by Campus Crusade) 1. God LOVES you, and offers a wonderful PLAN for your life. John 3:16; John 10:10 2. Man is SINFUL and SEPARATED from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God s love and plan for his life. Romans 3:23, 6:23 3. Jesus Christ is God s ONLY provision for man s sin. Through Him you can know and experience God s love and plan for your life. Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15: We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God s love and plan for our lives. John 1:12, 3:1-8 5

6 What does a child need to know to appreciate Christ s death and receive Him as Savior? These basic facts should be emphasized: 1. God loves all kids including me. I don t have to earn His love. 2. I have done wrong, and this wrong (called sin) must be punished. 3. Christ died to pay for my sin. 4. I must accept Jesus as my Savior to receive God s forgiveness. 5. When I do this, I become God s child. 6

7 Things to remember in leading a child to Christ: 1. Memorize scripture. 2. Establish a key in your Bible. 3. Read from the Bible. 4. Sharing your faith. 5. Be clear! 6. Use terms that they will understand. 7. Know what age group you are speaking with. 8. They need to understand: a. b. c. d. e. 9. God desires that none would perish! 10. Free gift. 11. Vessels of God. 12. Don t scare the child. 13. The decision is between them and God. 14. Don t convince them! 7

8 When they receive Christ 15. Pray with them 16. Review 17. Make sure they understand what just took place. 18. Explain what they need to do next a. b. c. d. Discipling begins after they receive Christ 8

9 The A B C s of Salvation Acknowledge: Believe: Confess: 9

10 ABC s of Salvation Acknowledge self as a sinner Romans 3:23 Isaiah 53:6 James 2:10 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. Romans 3:10-12 As it is written there is none righteous, no not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good no, not one. John 3:3 Acts 4:12 Jesus answered and said unto him Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 10

11 Believe in Christ Acts 16:31 Luke 5:32 Luke 13:3 Hebrews 11:6 Romans 2:4 Romans 10:17 John 3:16 John 20:21 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. I tell you Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Or despiseth thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. 11

12 Confess Christ as Savior Romans 9:9-10 Acts 19:18 That if thou shalt confess with they mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart of man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 12

13 How to Become a Christian God s solution is Jesus Christ The only way to be free from the sin that separates us from God is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ died on a cross to take the punishment for our sin. Jesus death made it possible to cross the gap that separates us from God. God s Word says: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:16 Jesus does not force Himself on us. We must each choose whether or not we will accept the solution to the sin that separates us from God. Man s response is to receive Christ We must personally ask God to forgive us our sins and ask Jesus to come into our lives and take charge. God s Word says: that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9, 10 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew 16:24 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. Romans 6:22 When we invite Jesus to come in and clean up our lives, He makes us members of God s own family and His Spirit lives in us. God s Word 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 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, Romans 8:16 13

14 God cares about every person He has made. He has a plan for your life and He has sent you this message. God wants you to know four things: God s Goal for you is abundant life God love you and wants to give you an abundant life a full and satisfying life! God s Word says: 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. John 3:16 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 Man s problem is sin. God and man are separated by sin. God gave people free will. That means that each one of us can choose to reject God s law, His love and to disobey Him. This disobedience or breaking of God s law, is called sin. Sin makes it impossible to be close to God. The Bible tells us that every person has been disobedient to God. God s Word Says: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 The wages of sin is death [separation from God]. Romans 6:23 So what can you do to get rid of sin and the habit of sinning? If you want to become a part of God s family, here s how: Admit that you are a sinner. Believe that Jesus Christ loves you so much that He died for you so you can be close to God. Change your mind about sin. Be willing to break your sinful habits and build good habits by obeying God s Word, the Bible. The Bible calls this repentance. Ask God to live in you through His Spirit, to forgive you for the sinful things you have done and to take charge of your life. When you talk to God and ask him to do these things for you, you are praying. When you pray, talk honestly to God. God knows what you are thinking and feeling. He is not concerned about the words you use. When you ask Jesus to come into your life, He promises to do it! 14

15 If you asked Jesus to come into your life, you have just begun a new life. God s Word says: Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 15

16 Examples That Help Kids Relate to the Gospel Use the acronym S E A R C H S erpent E ve A dam R iptide C aught Speeding H eaven 16

17 The SEARCH Serpent Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. (Numbers 21:4-9 and John 3:14-21) Eve and Adam Decision in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:1-24) Riptide Example of being caught in a riptide and being saved by the lifeguard. Caught Speeding Example of being caught speeding and giving excuses to the officer. Heaven The eternal perspective. 17

18 Serpent in the Wilderness Read the account of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9) Discuss and draw attention to the following important points: The people were disobedient and sinned against God. Their sin brought God s judgment. God s judgment brought death. The people didn t want to die. The people realized their sin and went to God through their mediator (Moses) God wanted to help the people. God told Moses what to do in order to be saved and live. There was no other way for the people to be saved from death. Moses obeyed God s command when he gave the people the remedy. The people couldn t save themselves. The people chose to accept God s method of salvation. The result: new life was given them. Read John 3:14-16 and discuss the following similarities by explaining what God s people experienced in Numbers 21 and how we are like them. We have sinned against God. God has said that we will receive His judgment, which is death. We cannot save ourselves from sin. If we want to be saved from death, we must pray to God, just like Moses prayed to God to help the people who were bitten by serpents and dying. Only God s remedy will save us. We must respond to God s solution to fix our problem of sin. God s solution is Jesus. Jesus said that He would be lifted up just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. If we look to Jesus we will be saved, just like those who were bitten by the serpents. New life will be given to anyone who believes in Jesus (looks to Jesus on the cross). 18

19 Eve and Adam Read the account of Eve and Adam in Genesis 3:1-24. Discuss and draw attention to the following important points: God s command was clear If you eat of the fruit of the tree, you shall surely die. Eve and Adam disobeyed. (It was their choice to go against God s Word.) Their behavior caused their problems and difficult circumstances. When God wanted their fellowship, they tried to hide from God. Their fellowship with God was broken. They didn t want to take responsibility for their own actions, and as a result, they tried to blame others for their sin. They tried to cover their sin (nakedness) with their own works. (They sewed fig leaves.) God rejected their own attempts to cover their sin. God covered their sin by shedding blood (God used coats of skin). Discuss the following similarities by explaining what Eve and Adam experienced and how we are like them. God has given us commandments that are clear and understandable. We have disobeyed the commandments, we have sinned against God. Because we have disobeyed, we are in a terrible circumstance and have our own problem. We are condemned to death because of our sin. (Just as God told Eve and Adam that they would surely die, so will we and all of the world.) We may try to hide from God like Eve and Adam, but God always sees us and He will seek for us just like He did for Eve and Adam. Our fellowship with God is broken, and we don t desire to know Him. We don t want to take responsibility for sinning against God. We may try to cover-up our own sins by doing good deeds or trying to ignore our problem. If we want to restore fellowship with God, we must accept God s remedy to cover ( forgive our sins). God s remedy is Jesus Christ. God had Jesus die on a cross and shed His blood so we could receive forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. Al people must receive Jesus Christ, God s remedy, in order to live eternally with God. 19

20 Riptide This example doesn t have an opening passage of scripture, but it has been used powerfully as an illustration to draw children to Christ as they understand their need to be saved. Begin by drawing a picture similar to the one below: 20

21 Begin describing the picture as you draw it and focus the child s attention on the water, the shore (dry land), and the lifeguard tower. Begin telling the story with the following key points: A person is swimming in the water at the beach. He was warned about a Riptide and he was encouraged to do the right thing to protect himself. He either: 1) didn t listen, 2) disobeyed, or 3) was subtly deceived (e.g., he didn t realize that he was in any danger until it was too late). He now finds himself caught in a riptide. The riptide pulls him away from shore. He cannot be freed from the riptide using his own strength. If he continues trying to free himself from the grip of the riptide, he will eventually die because the strength of the riptide is greater than his own. He contemplates his choices: save myself or cry out to the lifeguard. He knows that the lifeguard will save him if he is willing to let him. He cries out to the lifeguard, who comes to his rescue. The lifeguard frees him from the riptide and brings him safely back to shore. After telling the story, draw associations as follows: You are the person, God is the shore, the Riptide is like sin, and Jesus is the lifeguard. Then, retell the story in the same manner as the first time, but replace the characters, landmarks, and the riptide as indicated above. As the lesson becomes very clear to the child, indicate that they must also cry out to the lifeguard to be saved from their sins. 21

22 Caught Speeding (Time for Excuses) This example also doesn t have an opening passage of scripture, but it has been used powerfully as an illustration to draw children to Christ as they understand their problem with God s Law and their need to be freed from the effects of breaking the law. Similar to the Riptide example, begin by telling a story in which you describe yourself driving down a recognizable street or freeway. As you tell the story, discuss the following: The law says No Speeding. The law is a higher authority, so I must obey or pay the consequences (whether I like it or not). We are obligated to keep the law. We may intentionally or unintentionally break the law. The law is for my safety and the safety of others. PROBLEM: You are caught speeding, and here are the excuses you give to the officer: You: I didn t see the sign. Officer: Sorry, you re suppose to identify the signs and know the law. You: If you let me go without a ticket this time, I promise to never speed again. Officer: You re not promising anything special. You re saying that you will do what the law requires and you don t receive any extra credit for keeping the law. You: OK, I ve driven this stretch of road 100 times and I ve never exceeded the speed limit. Do you mean to say that you won t let me go this time? Officer: It doesn t matter what you have done in the past. You re guilty now, so you must pay the consequences. Besides, even if you were good in the past, you were only doing what the law required. Admission of guilt and absolution: You: OK, I m guilty, what s my punishment? Officer: Pay the fine. You: Who do I pay? Officer: The authority which has the right to absolve you. 22

23 You can t pay the fine, so you go to be judged. You appear before the judge. You: Judge, I can t pay the fine because I can t afford it. Judge: Either pay the fine, or go to prison. You: Isn t there any other way to be absolved or forgiven for my crime? Judge: Only I can set you free. After telling the story, draw associations as follows: You are the one who has been caught speeding The officer represents our conscience and declares or points out our guilt. We stand guilty before the judge, regardless of our excuses. Our excuses to God are similar: I didn t know I broke one of Your laws. I promise not to break your laws again. You re a forgiving God, right? My good deeds (driving this road 100 times without speeding) outweigh my bad (speeding only once). We can t absolve ourselves for our crime. We must admit our guilt and plead for the Judge s mercy. Only the Judge can forgive us and absolve us for our crime because He is the authority. As the child sees that they have broken God s laws (they have sinned), they realize that no excuse is good enough and they must plead for mercy and pray that the Judge (God) extends His grace. 23

24 Heaven Children relate to their physical world much more than their spiritual world. Give them a picture of the eternal versus the temporal by talking about heaven. Describe heaven to a child and that child will immediately recognize that heaven is the place they want to be. If they don t ask you first, you can ask them if they know how to get to heaven. Begin by describing heaven and its eternal characteristics. Compare earth s temporal things to heaven as follows: Heaven is eternal. Life on earth is too short. Compare a man s 70 years on earth to eternity. Examples of man s short term perspective. Excitement over a toy, music, etc. (It never lasts forever.) A heart full of distractions. (All are temporal and never address man s eternal problem or issues.) Explain that every decision has a lasting effect Eat breakfast. Receive energy later Brush teeth. Avoid tooth decay Only eat junk food. Die at an early age Don t complete homework. Fail test, no promotion to next grade, drop out of school Study in college. Have job choices, good paying job Sin against God. Experience separation and broken fellowship with God Obey God s Word. Experience blessings and peace Finally, discuss God s desire to be with them in heaven, and give them His road map on how to get there. See the Romans Road to salvation. 24

25 The Romans Road to Salvation Everyone has broken God s law; thus, no one is righteous (good enough). As it is written: There is none righteous, no not one; Romans 3:10 Everyone is a sinner. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 From one sinner comes another Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. Romans 5:12 The result of sin and the free gift available to fight the effects of sin. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 The free gift given out of love. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 Receive the free gift. For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. Romans 10:13 That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:10 God s Assurance. 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. John 3:16 Admit and Confess. Repent. Believe. Receive. 25

26 The Wordless Book: Here is a way to share the story of the Wordless Book with the children. It is a great witnessing tool to lead the children into making a commitment to Jesus and then teaching them how to witness to others. Hello, I would like to tell you a wonderful story from this book. It's my favorite story in the whole world! One thing that makes it so special is that it's a true story - right from God's Word, the Bible. Do you see what's different about this book? Instead of using words to tell the story, it uses colors. That's why it's called the "Wordless Book." Let's get started right away by turning to the gold page! The Yellow/Gold Page This yellow/gold page reminds us of Heaven. The Bible tells us Heaven has streets of gold! But the best part about Heaven is that God, who created you and me, lives there. The Bible, God's Word, says: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." --- John 3:16 Jesus, God the Son, is in Heaven preparing a place for all who put their trust in Him. (John 14:2-3) God is holy and perfect. He cannot allow anything in Heaven that is less than perfect, so there's one thing that can never be in Heaven. Can you think of what that might be? The Dark Page It is sin! That is what this dark page reminds us of. Sin is anything you think, say, or do that does not please God, like lying, cheating, being selfish, or hurting others. The Bible says: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." --- Romans 3:23 That means everyone, big or little, young or old! No matter where you live or who you are, you have sinned. Everyone is born with a "want to" to do wrong. God says that sin must be punished (Romans 6:23), and the punishment for sin is to be separated from God forever in a place of suffering... But God has a wonderful plan so that you will not have to be punished for your sin! The Red Page The red page reminds us of Jesus' blood. The Bible says that without the giving of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). So Jesus Christ willingly died to take your sin punishment. "...Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures."--- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Jesus is God's perfect Son, He is God the Son. That means that He is God and He became a man and lived a perfect life. The Lord Jesus was the only person in all of history to ever live His entire life without sinning. You would think that everyone would love someone like that, and yet when He grew up, wicked men took the Lord Jesus and nailed Him to a wooden cross. This red page reminds me that they left Him there to bleed and die. When He died He took the punishment for something He didn't even do. He was willingly taking the punishment for every sin that you and I and everyone in the world has ever done. The punishment was to die. 26

27 And the Lord Jesus knew that the only way that your sin could be forgiven would be if He would die for you. Jesus died for your sins. As He died, the Lord Jesus said, "It is finished." Everything that needed to be done for your sins to be taken away had been done by Him on the cross. They buried His body. But three days later He proved that He could take away your sins and give you everlasting life by coming back to life! And without dying again, He returned to Heaven, where He is today. The White Page The Bible says: "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believed on His name." --- John 1:12 The white page reminds us of a CLEAN heart. How can you have a clean heart? A = Admit to God you are a sinner and want to turn away from those sins. B = Believe in Jesus Christ, that He is God's perfect Son who died for your sin, was buried, and rose again. C = Call on Him to save you from your sin. Would you like to do that right now? He has promised to hear, and once you are His child, He will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5). Take a moment and talk to God right now. It will change your life forever. Dear God, I know that I have sinned and done wrong against you. I believe that Jesus is God's Son and that He took the punishment for all my sins by dying on the cross. I believe He came back to life again. I receive you now as my only Savior from sin. Thank you for making me your child right now as you promised. In Jesus' name, amen. If you really prayed these words and meant it, God has just made you a part of His forever family! It's not because I said so, But because He promised (remember John 1:12?), and God never breaks His promises. When you become God's child, He wants you to grow to know Him better each day. The last page, the green page, tells you how. The Green Page GREEN stands for things that grow. When you ask God to forgive you and save you, you become His child. God wants you to get to know Him better and to grow to become more like Him. These four things will help you grow: 1. PRAY (talk to God every day) 2. READ & OBEY THE BIBLE (to know what He says, then do it) 3. TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS 4. GO TO A BIBLE-BELIEVING CHURCH (where you can learn more about pleasing Him) As a child of God, if you should sin again, stop and tell Him about it. He promises in His Word... "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." John 1:9 Ask God to help you live a life to please Him! Now go out and share the Good News with someone else. 27

28 Steps To Peace with God Step One: God's Purpose: Peace and Life God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life-- abundant and eternal. The Bible says... "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1 "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." John 3:16 "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10 Why don't most people have this peace and abundant life that God planned for us to have? 28

29 Step Two: The Problem: Our Separation God created us in His own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him. God gave us a will and a freedom of choice. We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God. The Bible says... "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 Our Attempts to Reach God People have tried in many ways to bridge this gap between themselves and God... The Bible says... "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12 "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." Isaiah 59:2 No bridge reaches God...except one. 29

30 Step Three: God's Bridge: The Cross Jesus Christ died on the Cross and rose from the grave. He paid the penalty for our sin and bridged the gap between God and people. The Bible says... "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ." 1 Timothy 2:5 "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." 1 Peter 3:18 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 God has provided the only way. Each person must make a choice. 30

31 Step Four: Our Response: Receive Christ We must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal invitation. The Bible says... "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20 "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12 "That 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 Where are you? Will you receive Jesus Christ right now? Here is how you can receive Christ: 1. Admit your need (I am a sinner). 2. Be willing to turn from your sins (repent). 3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave. 4. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit. (Receive Him as Lord and Savior.) 31

32 How to Pray: Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name. Amen. God's Assurance: His Word If you prayed this prayer, The Bible says... "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13 Did you sincerely ask Jesus Christ to come into your life? Where is He right now? What has He given you? "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8,9 "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:

33 Receiving Christ, we are born into God's family through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer. This is called regeneration, or the "new birth." This is just the beginning of a wonderful new life in Christ. To deepen this relationship you should: 1. Read your Bible everyday to know Christ better. 2. Talk to God in prayer every day. 3. Tell others about Christ. 4. Worship, fellowship, and serve with other Christians in a church where Christ is preached. 5. As Christ's representative in a needy world, demonstrate your new life by your love and concern for others. 33