I Don’t Know the Lord

If you have not yet entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ, you may be a little confused by different words and information you've seen on our site. If you're interested in learning more of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, we'd love to give you a little bit more in the way of explanation by sharing four spiritual laws.*

Law #1:  God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.

God's Love:

  • "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

God's Plan:

  • [Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] - John 10:10

Law #2:  Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life.

Man is Sinful:

  • "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23

Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his own stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference is an evidence of what the Bible calls "sin."

Man is Separated:

  • "The wages of sin is death." [spiritual separation from God] - Romans 6:23

God is holy and man is sinful. A great gulf or gap separates the two. Man is continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through his own efforts, good life, or religion--but he always fall short. The third law explains the ONLY way to bridge this gap:

Law #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.

He Died in our Place:

  • "God demontrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8

He Rose from the Dead:

  • "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..." - I Corinthians 15:3-6

He is the Only Way to God:

  • 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

God has bridged that gap or gulf that 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's not enough to know these three laws...

Law #4: We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.

We Must Receive Christ:

"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." - John 1:12

We Receive Christ Through Faith:

"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

We Receive Christ Through Personal Invitation:

[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to 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 what 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 through faith, as an act of the will.

The following explains how you can receive Christ:

You can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through Prayer: (Prayer is talking with God.)

God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, we invite you to pray this prayer right now, and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.

How Can You Know That Christ is in Your Life Now?

Did you pray and receive Christ into your life? According to His promise in Revelation 3:20, Christ says that he came into your life, and the fact is--Christ can't lie! He would never mislead you. You can believe that he is now in your life based on the trustworthiness of His Word (the Bible).

The Bible Promises Eternal Life to All Who Receive Christ:

"God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life." - I John 5:11-13

Thank God often that Christ is in your life and that He will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5). You can KNOW on the basis of His promise that Christ lives in you and that you have eternal life from the very moment you invite Him in. You will live with Him forever in a place called Heaven.

An Important Reminder

Don't Depend on Feelings:

The promise of God's Word, the Bible--not our feelings--is our authority. The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the promises and trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word. As Christ Followers, we do not depend on feelings or emotions, because they can change from day to day. God's Word never changes, so we have to base our spiritual growth and standing as Christ's child on those truths that never change--not on whether we "feel" like we are His child.

Now What?

The moment you received Christ by faith, many things happened including the following:

  • Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20; Colossians 1:27)
  • ALL of your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14)
  • You became a child of God (John 1:12)
  • You received eternal life (John 5:24)
  • You began the great adventure for which God created you (John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; I Thessalonians 5:18)

Can you think of anything more awesome that could happen to you than receiving Christ? Thank God for all He has done for you.  To enjoy your life to the fullest, there are some simple first steps you can take:

  • Call our church office at (317) 535-9673, Ext. 200, or click here to email us and let us know you have received Christ. We have a Bible we would like to get in your hands and some material to will help you on your spiritual journey.
  • If you do not belong to a church, do not wait to be invited. Take the initiative. Get into a church where Christ is honored and His Word is preached. Start this week, and make plans to attend regularly. (Hebrews 10:25) God places high importance on surrounding ourselves with other Christians so we can encourage each other in our spiritual walk.

We are so excited that you have chosen to receive Christ. As you begin to grow in this new relationship, here are a few very simple things that will help you have life to the fullest: (They spell GROWTH.)

G - Go to God in prayer daily (John 15:7)

R - Read God's Word daily (Acts 17:11)

O - Obey God moment by moment (John 14:21)

W - Witness for Christ by your life and words (Matthew 4:19; John 15:8)

T - Trust God for every detail of your life (I Peter 5:7)

H - Holy Spirit - Allow Him to control and empower your daily life (Galatians 5:16-17; Acts 1:8)

*Thank you to Campus Crusade for producing the booklet Four Spiritual Laws that clearly outlines these important truths.