Partners In Mission

Point One: God loves you and created you to have a personal relationship with Him.

God loves you. Not only that, he made you as an expression of that love. He wants to enjoy that relationship with you now and for eternity.

Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Jesus came so that each of us could know and understand God in a personal way. Jesus is the key to knowing God. God is the source of meaning and purpose in our lives.

Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." (John 10:10b) and "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3)

Continue to the next tab to find out what keeps us from knowing God?...

Point Two: All of us are sinful and guilty before God, who is perfect and just. Sin has separated us from God and broken the relationship we were made for. Therefore we cannot know and experience God personally.

The Bible says, "...all fall short of God's glorious standard" (Romans 3:23). Though God intended for us to have a relationship with him, we fail to live in a way that is consistent with that relationship. We naturally want to do things our own way.

Deep down, our attitude may be one of active rebellion toward God or passive indifference, but it's all evidence of what the Bible calls sin. The Bible tells us that "All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6).

The result of sin in our lives, the result of this breakdown of relationship, is spiritual separation from God, the source of our life, meaning and purpose. Cut off from God, we experience death. (Romans 6:23). Although we may try to recover our life's meaning and purpose through our own effort we inevitably fail. First, the relationship with God has to be put right.

This diagram shows the great gap that exists between us and God. The arrows illustrate that we might try to reach God through our own efforts. We may try to do good things, or earn God's acceptance through a good life or a moral philosophy. But our good efforts are insufficient to deal with our sin.

Imagine you stole your parent's car and crashed it. You might try to buy them an ice cream to make them feel better, but it wouldn't work. Someone has to pay for the car.

Continue to the next tab to find out how can we bridge this gap...

Point Three: Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin. Through him we can know and experience a personal relationship with God.

Jesus Christ is God's solution to the problem of our imperfection and rebellion. Because of Jesus' death on the cross, our sin doesn't have to separate us from God any longer. In his suffering and death on the cross, Jesus paid the price for our sin and in so doing, bridged the gap between us and God. He was our substitute.

"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God" (1Peter 3:18).

In this way, Jesus was unique. Not only was he a great teacher and an incredible leader, he was also the ultimate lover.

"But God demonstrates his love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

No one else was qualified to act as our substitute, to take our place. As the ultimate act of love, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. Amazingly, God responded to that act and raised Jesus to life - the first person raised as a promise of eternal life to all who follow him.

"I am the way, the truth and the life," Jesus said. "No one can come to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

He also said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish" (John 11:25-26).

So not only did Jesus die for our sin, he rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). When he did, he proved beyond doubt that he can rightfully promise eternal life--that he is the Son of God and the only means by which we can know God. He said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Yet just knowing about God and his purposes isn't enough. We must choose to respond to what we know.

Continue to the next tab to find out why it is not enough just to know these three truths...

Point Four: We must each respond to Jesus Christ by placing our trust in him as our Saviour and Lord; then we can know and experience God personally.

The response involves two parts.

Firstly, agreeing with God that we have sinned (offended him) and deciding to turn from our sin. (Repentance) Acts 2:36-38

Secondly, trusting Jesus Christ to forgive us completely because he died for our sins. (Faith) Romans 10:9,10

The relationship is a gift of God and begins when we put our trust in Christ.

The Bible says, "God saved you by his special favour when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it" (Ephesians 2:8, 9).

And the relationship is personal.

The Bible says, "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).

How will you respond to God's invitation? What will you do with Jesus?

Consider these two circles.

Which circle best represents your life?
Which circle would you like to have represent your life?

Continue to the next tab to find out how you can begin a relationship with Jesus...

You can respond to Jesus right now. How do you express repentance and faith?

Let's return to the example of the crashed car. How can your relationship with your parent be restored? You would need to tell them you are sorry for what you have done, promise not to do it again, and trust that they will forgive you.

In the same way, you can place your trust in Jesus Christ by expressing your faith through prayer. (Prayer is simply talking to God)

God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as he is with the attitude of your heart. If you are unsure of what to pray, this might help you put it into words:

Lord Jesus, I realise that I have been running my own life and have sinned against you. Thank you for dying for my sins. I want to be the kind of person you want me to be. I receive you as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for giving me this personal relationship.

If you sincerely prayed this just now, then you have become a child of God as he promised. You have begun a personal relationship with God.

What follows is a lifelong journey of change and growth as you get to know God better through Bible reading, prayer and interaction with other Christians.

Continue to the next tab to find out what Jesus promises those who follow Him...

Did you place your trust in Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord?

According to His promise in John 1:12, you can know that you have become a child of God!

As His Child:

• Jesus Christ is in your life by His Spirit and He will never leave you. (1 Corinthians 12:13 and Hebrews 13:5)
• Your sins are fully forgiven. (Colossians 2:13,14)
• You have been born into God’s family. He is your Father and other believers are your brothers and sisters. (Galatians 3:26)
• You have begun that eternal relationship for which God created you. (John 17:2,3 and John 10:10)

How do you know that all this has really happened?

Because God gave us His promise and He can be trusted.

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 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 5:11-13)

Thank God often that Jesus Christ is in your life and that He will never leave you. (Romans 8:38,39 and Hebrews 13:5)

On the basis of His promise, you can know that Jesus Christ lives in you and that you have eternal life, from the very moment you received Him. He will not deceive you.

What if I don’t feel any different?

Do not depend on feelings.

We rely on the promise of God’s Word, not our feelings. The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the reliability of God Himself and His Word.

This train diagram illustrates the connection between fact (God and His Word), faith (our trust in God and His Word), and feeling (a result of our faith and obedeience).

A train is pulled by the engine (fact), not the carriage (feeling). In the same way, put your trust in the facts of God’s trustworthiness and His promises. The more fuel of faith (trust) that is put into the facts of God’s promises the more His power will be released in your life. Do not allow your faith to depend on your feelings.

"We live by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Continue to the next tab to find out how you can grow in your relationship with God...

Suggestions for Christian growth.

Our relationship with Jesus Christ grows as we trust God more and more with every detail of our lives. This trust is developed through:

Take the initiative to be with other people who have also found Jesus Christ as their Saviour and are experiencing His love. Attend a church this week where Jesus Christ is honoured and His Word is preached.