Dear friend,
As a member of the Episcopal Church since childhood, I grew up with many misconceptions about God. I never realized I could know God personally. I was never sure if I would go to heaven. I didn’t believe the Bible was relevant and I didn’t think Christianity was historically true.
I was later to discover that God was eager to establish a personal, loving relationship with me. God made all of the arrangements, and God was patiently and lovingly waiting for me to respond to His invitation. When I understood this I received the forgiveness of my sins and assurance of eternal life through faith in God’s only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I discovered that there much evidence to commend Jesus Christ as being a real person who claimed to be God, lived a perfect life on earth, died for the sins of all people, and rose again (the only one in human history to rise from the dead, never to die again physically) to prove that he was who he said he was- God in human flesh.
The major barrier that keeps us from knowing God personally is ignorance of who God is and what He has done for us. Read on and discover the joyful reality of knowing God personally.
Pastor – St. Michael’s
The following five principles will help the Episcopalian (or anyone else) to discover how to know God personally and experience the abundant life He promised.
1
God loves you and created you
to know Him personally.
(References contained in this article should be read in context from the Bible
wherever possible.)
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3, NIV).
What prevents us from knowing God personally?
HUMAN
BEINGS ARE SINFUL AND
SEPARATED FROM GOD, SO WE CANNOT KNOW GOD PERSONALLY OR EXPERIENCE GOD’S
LOVE.
2
Humanity is Sinful
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Human beings were created to have fellowship with God; but, because of our stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
Humanity is Separated
“For the wages of sin is death” (spiritual separation from God) (Romans 6:23).
Imagine that you are standing on one side of the Grand Canyon and God is on the other side. It would be impossible for you to physically reach the other side without help. This Canyon represents the chasm that is between us and God because of our sins. Our sins have separated us from the Holy God who cannot look at evil or tolerate anything or anyone unholy or wrong (Psalm 5:4; Habakkuk 1:13; Revelation 21:27).
The third principle explains the only way to bridge this gulf, this Canyon, this chasm….
JESUS
CHRIST IS GOD’S ONLY PROVISION FOR
MAN’S SIN. THROUGH HIM ALONE CAN WE KNOW GOD PERSONALLY AND EXPERIENCE HIS
LOVE.
3
He Died in Our Place
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
“Christ died for our sins…He was buried…He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures…He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred….” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes
to the Father, but through Me’” (John 14:6).
This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.
It is not enough just to know these truths……..
WE
MUST INDIVIDUALLY RECEIVE JESUS
CHRIST AS OUR SAVIOR AND LORD (RULER); THEN WE CAN KNOW GOD PERSONALLY AND
EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE.
4
WE MUST RECEIVE CHRIST
“But as many as received him, to than He gave the right to become children of
God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast (Ephesians 2:8,9).
When We Receive
Christ, We Experience a New Birth. (read John 3:1-8)
(Christ is speaking): “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him” (Revelation 3:20).
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us the kind of people He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.
These two circles represent two kinds of lives:
|
SELF DIRECTED |
CHRIST DIRECTED LIFE |
| Self is on the
throne, Christ is outside the life,
Interests are directed by self, often resulting in discord and frustration |
Christ is in the
life and and
on the throne, Self is yielding to Christ, Interests are directed by Christ, resulting in harmony with God’s plan |
Which circle best represents your life?
Which circle would you like to have represent your life?
We have come to the moment of choice. It is possible for you by prayer to choose
Christ this very day, and in so doing to be made a brand new person. “The old
has passed away, behold, the new has come" (2 Cor. 5:17).
If possible, find a private place where you can kneel down. See yourself kneeling before Jesus Christ. As you drop your eyes to his feet you see the marks of his love. As you lift your eyes to look at his face, you see him looking down at you, loving your as much as the day he died for you on the cross.
The following explains how you can invite Jesus Christ into your life. Say this prayer from your heart:
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for loving me. Thank you for dying for me.
Thank
you for paying the penalty for my sins. Thank you
for offering
me this chance to be forgiven and to be
made
brand new. I
give myself to you.
Forgive
me all that is past. I am deeply sorry for all
the wrong I have done. I want
my life to be filled with your
power so that I can begin again, made clean and new by you.
Come
into my life, Lord Jesus. Come in to stay. Fill me
with your presence. Drive out all the darkness of my old way
of life. Confirm in me now the assurance that I am forgiven,
that I am made new, that I belong to you.
I
ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to
live and work for you. Fill me with your Spirit so that I might
be led in the direction you want me to go. I receive that
infilling now and I praise You for this river of living water.
Thank
you for this new beginning. Thank you that you
will never leave me nor forsake me. Thank you that wherever
I go, and no matter what happens, I am yours and you live
in me. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen.
You
may want to dwell in the presence of the Lord Jesus, reflecting on the
significance of this moment. Look at John 6:47: “Truly, truly, I say to you,
he who believes in me has eternal life.” Similarly, “he who has the
Son has life” (! John 5:12, emphasis added). Continue to thank the Lord
Jesus that he has given you eternal life; that your home is in heaven; that your
life belongs to him; and that he has a purpose for you.
In being “born again” you have been born into a new family, the family of all believers. You have a new family in Christ. In that family there are all kinds of opportunities to grow more like Jesus Christ and to serve him. Continue to thank the Lord for the new life that is before you.
The first thing you will want to do is to tell someone of your decision for Christ. This will help you to begin your journey as a disciple who is “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16).
Seek the counsel of someone who can help “mentor” (teach) you the ways of Christ and to assist you to grow in your life in the Spirit. Find a local church that believes in the truth and authority of the Bible. Go regularly and worship God. Read the Bible daily, beginning with the Gospel of John. Go to the Christian bookstore and ask for a modern translation. Pray at least three times a day. Seek ways to tell others about Jesus.
If you have made this commitment to Christ today (or if you have any questions),
would you e-mail us so that we can send you some follow up literature with no
obligation or charge? Send to: frcwheeler@verizon.net