MEET THE MASTER
Your guide to God
by J. W. Jepson, D.Min.
Life In Christ Center, 3095 Cherry Heights Road, The Dalles, Oregon 97058
(541) 296-1136
Copyright © 1997 by J. W. Jepson
All rights reserved, including the right to grant the following permission and to prohibit the misuse thereof:
The Author hereby grants permission to reproduce the text of this article, without changes or alterations*, as a ministry, but not for commercial or non-ministry purposes.*Permission is given for publication of excerpts and condensed versions.
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Welcome, friend. We are glad you are here. You came for a reason. Perhaps you are just curious. Maybe you came for a more important reason--you sense that something is missing in your life and you are hoping to find what you are searching for. We hope you are here for the best reason of all: you are sick and tired of the loneliness, emptiness, and meaninglessness of life without God; you are loaded down with the intolerable burden of sin and guilt; you are desperate to get right with God and you are ready to come to Jesus Christ and find forgiveness and a new life in Him. In any case, you are somewhere on this continuum:
Please consider carefully the following facts:
(1) God created us free moral agents and we are accountable to Him.
(2) All of us have mis-used our free moral agency by choosing to please ourselves in disobedience to God, resulting in harm to Him, to others, and to ourselves. This is called sin. "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10). "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
(3) The just penalty for our sin is death--everlasting separation from God in hell. "The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14,15 NIV). Because we have incurred the death penalty, we can do nothing to save ourselves. We cannot pardon our own sins or merit their pardon.
(4) By giving His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross as our substitute, God provided the only morally possible way to forgive our sins and reconcile us to Himself. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Corinthians 5:19).
(5) To be justified from our sins and reconciled to God, we must sincerely turn to God from sin and put our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal and all-sufficient Savior. This is "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
God loves you. He wants to save you from your sins and reconcile you to Himself. Don't spend another minute in death row. Abandon your sins and hurry to Christ now. Call upon Him in faith, asking Him into your heart and life.
Call on the Lord out of your heart. If you need guidance, the following is provided to help you in praying:
"God, I come to You with all my heart. I turn to You from all sin. I thank You that You love me and sent Jesus Christ to be my Savior. Lord Jesus, I believe that you are the Son of God. I believe that You took my sins and died on the cross for me. I believe that You rose from the dead. I open my heart to You. Wash away my sins by your blood. I receive you as my personal Savior and as my living Lord. I trust You. I rest my faith in You. I love You, Jesus, and I will follow You. Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul."
The Bible says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).
Now, confess Jesus Christ as you Savior verbally and by water baptism, and follow Him as your Lord in the fellowship of His Church.
Next, please read " 7 Steps In The Right Direction: Getting Off To A Good Start In Your New Christian Life."
