A Word of Encouragement

When we embrace Christ as our Savior, every area of our lives should be impacted. First of all, the Bible should begin to make more sense to us than it may have previously. We recommend using one of the following Bible translations for personal Bible reading – The New King James Version [NKJV], New International Version [NIV], New American Standard Bible [NASB] or English Standard Version [ESV]. It’s also helpful to have a copy of the Bible in whatever translation your pastor teaches from for church Bible studies. Reading and studying the Bible is crucial because God has chosen to reveal Himself to us through His Word – the Bible. Therefore, it is important for Christians to establish a habit of spending time with God every day through Bible reading and prayer. The “growth tools” you’ll find on this site have been provided to assist you in developing this vital practice.

We should also experience a desire to worship God with other Christians, to serve Christ with our talents and time and to connect with other believers through meaningful relationships. This means we will need to find a good Bible-teaching church to call our church home. Here’s a helpful hint on finding a good Bible-teaching church. If most people attending the church are carrying Bibles and they actually use them during the pastor’s message… that’s a good sign.

Lastly, we should experience a desire to see others come into a right relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 3:16) Jesus plainly presented Himself as the sole option available for man to be reconciled with God. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 we read, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” Any objective reading of the Bible makes it clear that the only way for man to “be made right with God” is through Jesus Christ. This is commonly called the “gospel” or the “good news” of Jesus Christ. And for some reason, God has chosen people like us to be His messengers in carrying this good news to the world. May we accept this responsibility with a deep sense of humility and may we share this message with the same love and patience that Christ demonstrated (and continues to demonstrate) toward us.