Following Jesus

The short answer is sin and death. God created man and woman at the beginning of time. God richly provided for Adam and Eve in the garden. He gave them every good gift, and they could approach God and speak with Him, and they were not afraid. They did not at first rebel (sin) against God. This sinless existence didn’t last long, though.

In the Garden of Eden, though they were perfectly provided for, Adam and Eve desired to be their own masters and defied God. From that point on, in all generations, a nature of sinfulness has been passed down from parents to children, affecting all mankind, without exception. Pride infects most decisions we make, selfishness causes us to hurt the ones we love the most, and a slew of other ugly scars from the effects of sin parade themselves through our lives. We either battle with these dark desires or succumb to their seemingly endless power in our lives.

When sin entered the world, its consequence was death, both physical and spiritual. Mankind’s relationship with God was broken. And because we’re now inherently flawed, nothing we do is enough to mend our relationship with God.

The answer is Jesus Christ. God knew that His creation would betray Him, and He had a plan from the beginning to fix (redeem) His relationship with us.

God the Father sent Jesus the Son into the world to live a perfect life, which we could not do. Jesus lived sinlessly and died a criminal’s death, the death we deserve, taking the sin of the world upon Himself. He took death to the grave on Good Friday many years ago. The following Sunday (Easter), Jesus left death in its grave and rose from the dead because death was not more powerful than God.

Because Jesus lived perfectly, died terribly, and defeated death in our place, if we choose to put our faith in Him, we can be restored to God through Jesus. Jesus is the Savior of the world, and all who come to Him will not perish. He has paid the debt of rebellion towards God, and He alone.

To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. You may have wondered, “Why am I here?” “What’s the purpose of life?” “Who am I?” Those questions find their answer in God because He created us with a purpose. God created man so that man might bring glory to God and enjoy being in a relationship with God, as Father, and with God’s people, brothers and sisters in Christ, who have also been saved. But because of our sinful state, this is not easy.

We naturally seek to glorify and enjoy ourselves, but our efforts are always temporary and unsatisfying. The only way to true and lasting joy is by seeking and glorifying God. As saved people spread His glory, more people are saved from the power of death and the frustration of life apart from God.

How do humans bring God glory? The answers are found in the book written by God, the Bible. The Bible lays out how God transforms our hearts and enables us to live righteous and holy lives on earth.

God says that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

What does it mean to confess Jesus as Lord? It means that you are saying to God (praying) that you don’t want to be the lord of your life anymore, you want Jesus to be your Lord. It means obeying His words (Bible). It means a lifelong lifestyle commitment to bringing God glory and enjoying Him forever. The efforts we make in bringing God glory are not done out of our own strength or goodness but are done in light of His mercies and through the power of His Spirit. The efforts that we make to actively turn away (repent) of our sin are still vital, but God is our helper when we commit to Him.

It also means knowing and believing that Jesus is God, He became a man to live and die in the place of sinful people. He didn’t stay dead but rose again. Anyone who confesses Him as Lord and believes that He was raised from the dead is saved.

The Bible is important because God doesn’t just want you to obey Him; He desires a relationship with you. You can’t have a close relationship with someone you never talk to. Reading the Bible is how He speaks to those who seek Him. Praying is how we converse with Him.

Reading the Bible is a vital part of having a relationship with God. The Bible is the very best way to discover how to follow Jesus daily.

If you’ve never read the Bible before, or have only heard it read in church, we recommend starting with the Gospel of John. The book of John was written so that its readers might believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God, and that by believing in Him, the reader may have life in His name. It’s the perfect book to start with.

We’ve provided more resources below to help you read the Bible effectively. In addition to those resources, we also encourage you to attend a weekly worship service to hear God’s Word taught by our pastors. Finally, we encourage all believers, new and old, to join a community group where deeper discussions of God’s Word can take place at a personal level.

When we pray, we talk to God in three different ways. We give thanks for what He has done, is doing, and promises to do. We praise Him for who He is. We confess our sin to Him and seek forgiveness. We also make requests, telling Him about what weighs on our hearts.

There’s no simple, one-size-fits-all answer to that question, but there are answers. For a basic outline, we will look at Colossians 4:2, which says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” In this verse, there are three parts: Continue steadfastly, be watchful, and give thanks. These are some of the basic principles of prayer

• Continue Steadfastly – Meaning, don’t quit, be faithful! If you think about other relationships that you have had, every conversation doesn’t turn out picture-perfect. Some end abruptly, in conflict, or leave you feeling distant or wondering if that was worth your time. Some conversations are encouraging, strengthening, life-giving, and upbuilding, too. The key to prayer is that God is always with us; then prayer can, if we don’t give up, become a conversation that happens daily as we keep inviting God into our lives.
• Be Watchful – Look around. Who is celebrating? Who is suffering? What’s been eating at you? What’s been good?
• Give Thanks – Giving thanks can be a go-to move in prayer, especially when praying feels hard. By cultivating a thankful spirit in our prayer, we recognize our need for God and that He provides for us. Lift those things up in prayer. Rejoice with those who are rejoicing, and mourn with those who are mourning. Let your requests be made known to God as well.

Don’t forget to reflect on what you’ve been praying for and celebrate the prayers that have been answered.