How to Believe In Jesus

We've all seen the pamphlets or read the tracts that explain how to become a Christian--how to be saved--but for the majority of people, it wasn't a publication that led someone to their salvation...this blog included.

For most of us, we were led by another person.  Think back in your life--was it a family member, a friend, a preacher or teacher, or even indirectly by hearing another person's testimony?  The first lesson I want you to remember is how hugely important it is for you to communicate with people.  Don't depend on tools and presentations.  You are the light in this world.  With this calling also comes the responsibility of making sure the people you talk to about your faith are properly educated.  This is where the second lesson comes in.

Building on the ideas in the last entry here, I've requested that you forget everything you were ever taught from some other source about your faith other than the Bible.  This is a vital first step for none other than the fact that you've most likely already learned in your life that secondhand and thirdhand information is quite often incorrect.  There are a ton of issues that have divided the followers of Jesus today--and we'll touch on many of these issues in the future--but once you realize these divisions have been born out of interpretations of certain people defending their own beliefs or agendas, you'll also realize why so many people today want nothing to do with anything that wears the label of "Christianity."  I already know this article can also be accused of being just another interpretation, but I promise I will only present the Scripture here, and if we ever come to an issue that has questionable interpretations, I will plainly state that "I'm not sure," and we'll openly discuss these issues together.

However this topic--Becoming a Christian--is the most basic and the firmest foundation of everything we believe, and if we can't agree on how to become a child of God, then we really aren't fit to be His children at all.  He has plainly told us, and if we can't obey Him and do it His way, then we can't be called His followers.  While we're on the topic of obedience, keep that word on the tip of your brain...but as I said before...forget everything else you've ever known.  Drop the labels you've put on yourself, stop associating yourself with something that Jesus would see as a division, and let's dive into the Scripture together:

HOW TO BECOME A FOLLOWER OF JESUS

1. Believe He is the Son of God that was sent to save the people of this world.
2. Follow His command and be baptized to bury your old life and cleanse the new one.
3. Pray without ceasing in order to form a real relationship with Him.
4. Study the Bible in order to understand what YOU are and what your responsibilities are.
5. Do what He asks you to do and don't look back.
6. When you sin, confess the sin to Him and turn away from it.
7. Love and serve others every chance you get.

There are several different beliefs out there on "how to make it into Heaven", but using the outline above I will update the site over the next few weeks to explain each example with Scripture to follow.  We have to first agree that Jesus was telling the truth during His time on earth, and once that's established, it's all about following the commands He gave us on how to follow in His footsteps.  These topics will be open to discussion, but it is vitally important we only focus on the Scripture to support this journey. Until the next update, think about each of the points above and compare them to what you currently believe.

Love you buddies,

Russ

Forget Everything You've Ever Known...

From this moment on, I want you to forget everything you've ever learned about your faith from someone else.  Just remember that moment you felt called...the moment your heart nearly exploded out of your chest...the moment you knew the rocks would cry out if you didn't respond to the Spirit urging you to follow Jesus.  Now, think about what you did next.  You felt God speak to you directly and invite you to follow Him, so you took the first step in knowing Him by doing what?  For the majority of us, we probably went to listen to someone else to see what they had to say about it--and usually we just got a lesson about the walls falling at Jericho, or Adam and Eve eating a piece of fruit, or if you're lucky, maybe you heard a lesson about Jesus and why he was here in the first place...maybe...if you were lucky.


To the point now, you experienced a moment in your lifetime when the Creator of the entire universe took an interest in your life, asked you to be a part of His family to which you said 'yes', then  you felt it was necessary to go find out from other sources what had just happened to you.  Sound familiar?

Right now is the time for you to take the responsibility of focusing your prayer life on God's will and immersing yourself into His Word to see exactly what He wants you to learn from Him.  I know it seems like a huge responsibility at times, but it is your job; and I will add it's a job you are going to be overly pleased with some day...but for now, don't be caught sleeping.  You have responsibilities--it is up to you to work out your own salvation--and lucky enough, you know exactly who provided that salvation for you.

Get busy!

Russ

2Peter 1:3-11:

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,  and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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A lot of time has passed since Jesus spoke these words, and since that time a lot of people have added and taken away from his words in an attempt to make his teachings fit every person.  In my younger days, I saw the church as a building with a preacher, a choir, pretty windows, brass offering plates, and nice people.  Now that I'm older and have the understanding that the church isn't a building at all--rather the collection of Jesus' followers--I've had to examine a lot of the views I learned as a child and compare them to the Word of God, the Bible.  I am ashamed to say a lot of the things I heard as a child or even concluded for myself at various times didn't measure up to the teachings of Jesus.  I'm positive there have even been times in my past when I was in the role of a teacher, and I have taught the meaning of the Scripture incorrectly.  This is partly why this site has been created--to clarify my errors, to right my wrongs, and more importantly, to examine the Word of our God completely.  

I intend to publish my assembly lessons and sermons here as well as my thoughts on world events, but more than anything, I want to use this site to connect with old friends so we can discuss our faith.  I want us all to be able to investigate our questions together, and find the answers God has for us through His Holy Word.  Hopefully we'll make some new friends along the way too.  

At this time, I only plan to publish here a couple times per month, but there may be occasions where a weekly update is warranted...either way, don't worry about me filling your inbox up with constant emails.  This site is just as much for you as it is for me.  Feel free to send me your prayer requests, and I highly encourage you to send me questions on areas where guidance may be needed.  We'll ask God together to lead us.

For now, I'm just asking you to fill in the subscribe box to the right, hit the "Like" button, and feel free to send any study topics you want to research with me.  We'll get to see this site grow together as I add features in the coming days.

Just a pilgrim here,

Russ