Who is Jesus?
The Good News
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
We live in a fallen, broken world. We are all broken. We’re born with a sinful nature and no matter how good we try to be, we still fall short. And our sin comes between us and God, our Creator. The reason sin comes between us is because God is good and He’s perfect. He doesn’t sin and he hates sin; but He loves us so much and He wants to be close to us.
God has always provided a way for us to get around our sin problem and move closer to Him. Long ago He required animal sacrifice—the spilling of blood—as atonement for people’s sins. But, eventually, he provided a better way. He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to become the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus was born of a woman and walked among us. He lived a guiltless, sinless life; and even though innocent, He allowed Himself to be crucified by those who hated Him without a cause. He needed to die, to have His own innocent blood shed, so that He could become the final, ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.
That’s how much God loves us. He allowed His only Son to pay for the guilt of all humanity. Jesus willingly died a cruel, painful death so that we could all be set free from the sin and brokenness that have kept us apart from God.
So now, because Jesus cleared the way for us, God the Father is anxiously waiting for each of us to become His friend. It’s up to us. All we have to do is to acknowledge that we are born with a sin problem, recognize that Jesus was the sacrifice for our sin problem, and ask God to forgive us. And He promises He will do it.
It really is that simple. And it doesn’t matter what you’ve done. Little sins. Big sins. God will forgive you if you will only ask. He loves you more than you could possibly understand and He wants to give you a new life. He is just waiting for you to come to Him and ask.
A New Life with Jesus
In the Bible Jesus says, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 28)
Being with Jesus starts with confession that he is the one you will follow—that he is the leader of your life. The Bible says "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10)
Prayer
If, in your heart, you intend to follow Jesus, then say a prayer, using your own words:
Admit to yourself and to God that you are a sinner. (You may not do really bad things, but even a very small sin comes between you and God.) Recognize that you are helpless to do anything about your own sin problem. You need His help.
Ask Him to forgive all your sins—sins you have committed, sins you’ve thought about committing, sins you are not even conscious of, sins you haven’t even done yet.
Acknowledge your need for Jesus and the sacrifice He made. Determine in your heart that you will learn His ways and follow Him from now on.
After you have prayed this prayer, we believe you have become what the Bible calls “born again.” You have just become a new person!
Baptism
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. – Galatians 3:26-27 (NIV)
Water baptism is a powerful, symbolic act of obedience. It is a picture of a death and resurrection. Baptism is actually an English version of an ancient Greek word that means “immersion.” When you are immersed in the water and then rise out of it, you are symbolizing the fact that you have buried your old life of sin, and have now risen into a new life with Jesus Christ – a rebirth!
We have baptism services frequently at Living Streams. If you would like to be water baptized, CLICK HERE to fill out a form so we can get you on the schedule.
Read God’s Word
If you want to follow Jesus, you will need to learn his teachings. Read the Bible every day. Read it, meditate on it, memorize passages. The Bible is called the “word of God” and the "mind of Christ” for a reason. We believe it is divinely inspired by God and it is how you can learn to know Him. The more you read and understand, the deeper your relationship with God.
These days the Bible is always at your fingertips. If you don’t own a Bible, you can download the YouVersion Bible app, you can read it online at biblegateway.com, and you can order a copy from Amazon. You may want a more modern translation that is easier to understand, such as New International Version.
Here are some good places to start reading:
The Gospel of John - to learn who Jesus is and to learn about his ministry
The four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - to read about Jesus’ life and teachings
Proverbs - to gain wisdom
Psalms - for encouragement and worshiping God
Read the whole New Testament
Read the Old Testament after you are familiar with the New Testament for greater understanding
Find a Church
We’d love for you to join us at Living Streams. But wherever you are, seek a church that trusts the Bible and teaches the way of Jesus. Make time for worship, community, and growth through the gathering of the saints and community within a local church.
Learn more about visiting Living Streams →
Continue to Grow
As Christians, our goal is to become more like Jesus Christ. We have a Spiritual Growth Track here at Living Streams where you can continue to learn more about following Jesus and experience deep community as believers.