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If you have questions about Jesus or Christianity,
we'd be glad to discuss them with you! Just email
us at joministries@f2s.com.
No question is out-of-bounds!
Maybe you visited this website and you’re a
Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, an atheist, or an agnostic.
Or, you may be unsure about what you believe about religion and the
afterlife.
Here are some questions we will address on this page:
1) Why do we need a Savior?
2) What makes Christianity unique? Why
become a Christian?
3) Can Jesus be considered a good moral
teacher or even a prophet, but not the Son of
God?
4) How do I become a Christian?
We at Johnson Outreach Ministries are devoted to
sharing the GOOD NEWS about Jesus Christ.
But what is the GOOD NEWS?
The Christian life is a life of love and sacrifice.
Christianity embraces all people, believing that every person is
created in the image of God, and is loved by God.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
He came to the earth 2000 years ago with a mission: to restore
man to a right relationship with God.
Why
do we need a Savior?
God is a loving and tender God. He created us to be in relationship with Him.
He created us with the intention that we would spend eternity in
heaven with Him. Why?
Because He loves us!
God is also holy.
There is no evil in His nature or “dark side” to His
personality. God is so good,
so loving, and so opposed to evil that He cannot just “accept” sin and
look the other way. Unfortunately,
every single human being on the face of the earth, from Adam until this
very moment, has sinned. We
all do it. No matter how hard we try, we have all lied, cheated, spoken
unkind words, or been less than loving.
Sin is a weight that feels like a bag of rocks on our backs.
It is something we can’t get rid of by ourselves.
Because of this sin, we have been separated from God.
And that’s why Jesus came to earth.
He came to live among us and show us the nature and character of
our Heavenly Father. But,
primarily, He came to die. Jesus
lived a life of love and sacrifice on earth, a life free from sin.
He was both fully God and fully man. Because of this, He alone is
qualified to pay the price for our sins, the price that we ourselves
deserve to pay, but cannot. Jesus gave His life for us on the cross, and He took all our
sins with Him.
The GOOD NEWS is this: Through faith in Jesus, our
sins are washed away, and we are restored to a right relationship with
God! Our loving Father has
declared that our debts of sin have been paid in full!
God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day after
His crucifixion. Today, as
Christians, we have a very real relationship with God, through our Savior,
Jesus Christ. We love God,
and we know and feel God’s love for us in a very real way.
Because of that, we have chosen to live for God.
We try to set aside our selfish desires, and instead live the way
Jesus lived – full of love for our fellow man.
And, relying on God’s power, we try not to sin.
But, sometimes we still do. However,
when we do, we humbly repent, and ask God to forgive us.
And God sees the blood that Jesus Christ shed for our sake, and He
declares us to be totally forgiven, and restored to a close relationship
with Him.
What makes Christianity unique?
There are many religions in this world, many with
good suggestions on how to live. So
why would anyone become a Christian?
What makes Christianity unique?
The claims of Christians:
1)
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
2)
He was crucified and rose again, living today in heaven.
3)
Through Jesus, all people can be close to God and receive the
blessings of God when they accept Him as their Savior.
4)
He is the only way to God.
If you examine all religions, you find a common
thread: religion is an attempt by mankind to feel close to God, to be “righteous”,
(that is, to be a “good person”, to be in right standing with God, or
to be accepted by God) and to spend the afterlife (if you believe in one)
in peace instead of torment.
In many other religions, your “goodness” is based
on how many good works you do and how many bad things you avoid.
But how do you know when you’ve done enough good deeds?
How can you be sure you’ll go to heaven when you die?
The uniqueness of Christianity is this: Christians
believe that through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, all people can come
to God, live a life and peace and joy, and live with Him forever in
heaven. Man can be made
completely “righteous” by accepting the fact that Jesus paid our debt
for us. This is the Christian’s Good News --not a message of
condemnation, but one of love and hope.
The claims that Jesus made about himself were very
unique. He not only claimed to be a messenger from God, He claimed that He
is the Son God, and that He and God are One.
Those are very strong claims! Now, some religions
teach that Jesus was a great teacher, maybe even a prophet, but not the
Son of God, and not the Savior.
Let’s examine that argument.
Jesus Himself said that He was the Son of God, and He said that the
only way that man can find the Heavenly Father is through Him.
That leaves us with the following possibilities:
He was either completely insane, a liar and a con artist out for
personal gain, OR, He truly is the Son of God.
The idea that Jesus was only a great moral teacher just doesn’t
hold water. You can’t be a
great moral teacher AND a fraud at the same time.
And if you think about the idea that Jesus was a
fraud, a con artist, that doesn’t make sense either.
Jesus clearly derived no personal earthly gain from His ministry.
By His own choice, He wandered from place to place with no
permanent home and few of the comforts of life.
Why? Because He sought out the poor, the sick, and the lost.
He loved them, taught them, healed them, and helped them.
Because of His message of grace and works of love, He was despised
and rejected by the leaders of His day, and ultimately was beaten,
taunted, and cruelly executed like a criminal.
His “crime”? Claiming
to be the Son of God. Jesus
never sought personal gain in the form of wealth or political power.
These are not the actions of a con artist.
When Jesus was executed, his followers knew that they
too were in danger. They went
into hiding, discouraged and afraid for their lives.
But then they saw the risen Lord.
They walked, spoke, and ate with Jesus, who had risen from the
dead. Their lives were
forever changed. Suddenly,
instead of hiding in fear, they began to travel all over the known world,
telling everyone that Jesus Christ is the Savior.
The first Christians who believed in and told others about their
Lord and Savior faced all kinds of persecution and hardship.
They often lost everything they had – their jobs, their families,
their homes, and sometimes even their lives.
Why would they voluntarily suffer all that for the sake of a
religion? Because it is REAL!
Because they had come to know, in a very real way, the risen
Savior, Jesus Christ.
A
Brand New Life!
We can know Jesus today, in just the same way!
When we come to believe in Him and trust in Him as our Savior, God
gives us a brand new life! The sin and pain of the past are washed away, and we are new
creations in Jesus Christ. God
fills us with His love. He
brings healing and restoration to our lives.
He sets us free from from whatever shackles us - such as drugs,
alcohol addiction, or depression.
God wants to do the same things for you!
He loves you so much! He
will show you that YOUR LIFE HAS PROFOUND MEANING AND PURPOSE!!!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come! (2
Corinthians 5:17)
Then, you will be able to live a new life.
The key is that you must believe in Jesus -- believe that He paid
for your sins and then ask for forgiveness for your sins, and commit
yourself to living for Him.
If you would like to accept Christ as your Savior,
pray this prayer:
Jesus, I thank you that you love me so tenderly.
I believe that you are the Son of God and that you died on the
cross as payment for my sins and rose again on the third day.
I repent for my sins, and I ask You to forgive me.
I trust only in Your shed blood for my forgiveness.
I want to be born again and to be changed into a new person. Jesus, come into my life, fill me with the Holy Spirit, and
give me the assurance of eternal life.
Today I make You the Lord of my life. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart,
you are now a new person in Christ. Your
life will never be the same! Please write to us to let us know of your new
birth in Jesus!
If you would like to learn more about Christianity,
we would like to help.
Please email or write to us for more information
(addresses below). Some books from your local Christian store that might help
include:
The Holy Bible
For Christian Apologetics,
i.e. evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, the authenticity of the
Bible, and more: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
and The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh
McDowell.
For more in-depth
discussion about making Jesus your Savior, and the new-birth experience: The
Most Important Decision You’ll Ever Make by
Joyce Meyer (www.jmministries.org)
To find your peace, joy, and security in Jesus rather
than in other people's opinions or your own performance: The Search for
Significance by Robert McGee
For emotional healing and growth, Changes That
Heal by Dr.
Henry Cloud. Also Boundaries by Cloud and Townsend.
Mere Christianity
by C.S. Lewis (for more on what Christians
believe and why)
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