The Sheep's Manual

Ola! My name is Kristian,and just so you know, I have created this blog because it's what God wanted me to as He told me in Colossians 1:25 "I have been given the responsibility to serve God's church." I'm a full on being a Christian not only by name and by religion,but by heart. I am a believer.

In any case in this blog, I don't really want to talk about religion because I believe that no religion can save you. This is proven by the numerous claims of many religions around the globe that not joining their religion would signify that you wouldn't have a chance to go to heaven and stuff. This is contrary to what God wants us to know because it is only through our faith in Him that we are saved. Right? We can only achieve eternal life if we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and savior. Take note of the word personal.

It doesn't mean that if your family and friends are believers,or belong to a particular church or group, you would also be saved(as this would then indicate that you are only religion-based). You have to individually receive Jesus as your personal Lord and savior, believe that He died on the cross for us as a payment for our sins as all of us humans are sinners(we were born bearing the original sin of disobedience,not to mention the other sins that we commit). If you think that you're a good person,have you ever considered thinking if you are righteous in the eyes of God?

As Romans 3:23 said, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Because of our sins, we are separated from God. To fill the gap of this separation, we try to reach Him through personal efforts such as philosophy, good works and religion. But we are unable to do so because God is holy and His standards are very high, beyond what we humans can ever reach. A

ccording to Romans 6:23,"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God in eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." Since we are sinners, we therefore,die(physically and spiritually) as a payment for our sins. However,since God's love for us is so great, He is still offering us the free gift of salvation,eternal life through Jesus Christ His son.

That is why when we receive Jesus Christ and we believe in Him,we are saved from death(hell) and we achieve eternal life(being with God). Jesus Christ,is the only way, as he is the only one who can fill the gap of separation of man from God because of sin as it is written in John 14:6, "(Jesus speaking) I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me." and John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son to redeem us, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have eternal life."(proof of eternal life is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,which was witnessed by more than a hundred people)

How do we receive Jesus Christ?

We receive Christ through faith.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and not of yourselves,it is the gift of God;not as a result of works,that no one should boast"(Ephesians 2:8,9)

We receive Christ if we let him enter our lives as Jesus Christ said, "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)

It is not enough that we agree intellectually to the fact that Jesus Christ is the son of God and he died on the cross for our sins nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Christ by faith, as an act of will. Receiving Jesus Christ would mean that you would return to God and turn away from self;convert our lives from being self-centered to God-centered. We have to trust Christ to come into our lives, to forgive our sins and to make us the kind of people He wants us to be.

If you haven't received Christ yet, you can receive Him right now through prayer. The following is a suggested prayer of faith:

"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."

If this prayer expresses your heart's desire, pray this prayer right now and He will come into your life, as He promised.

Note: Do not depend on feelings. The promise of God's word, the bible is our authority,not our feelings. If you have questions,turn to God,read the bible and surely,you will find an answer(or sometimes, God uses other people as His instrument to answer your questions and requests.)

*this format is based on the Four Spiritual Laws handbook by the Philippine Campus Crusade for Christ.