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In most athletic contests, a coach prepares a game plan ahead
of time. God designed a plan for our lives before the world began.
God is holy and perfect. He created us to love Him, glorify Him,
and enjoy Him forever. |
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What is God's
Standard? The Bible, God's playbook, says that the
standard for being on his team is to:
- Be holy. "Be holy, because I am holy." - 1 Peter 1:16b
- Be perfect. "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is
perfect." - Matthew 5:48
What is
God's Plan? God created us to:
- Love Him.
- "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind' "
- Matthew
22:37
- Glorify (honor) Him.
- "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and
honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will
they were created and have their being." - Revelation 4:11
- Enjoy Him forever.
- Jesus said, "...I have come that they may have life, and
have it to the full." - John 10:10b
Why is it that we cannot live up to God's standard of holiness
and perfection?
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Man is sinful and is separated from God.
What is sin? Sin means
missing the mark, falling short of God's standard. It is not only
doing wrong and failing to do what God wants (lying, gossip,
losing our temper, lustful thoughts, etc.), it is also an attitude
of ignoring or rejecting God, which is a result of our sinful
nature.
The Bible says, "Surely I have been a sinner from birth, sinful
from the time my mother conceived me." - Psalm 51:5
Who has sinned? "For all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - Romans
3:23 What are the results of
sin? |
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| Separation from God. |
"But your iniquities sins have separated you
from your God..." - Isaiah 59:2a |
| Death. |
"For the wages of sin is death..." - Romans 6:23 |
| Judgment. |
"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to
face judgment..." - Hebrews 9:27 |
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God is holy and we are sinful and separated from Him. Man
continually tries to reach God through his own efforts (being good,
religious activities, philosophy, etc.) but, while these can be good
things, they all fall short of God's standard.
"...all our righteous acts good works are like
filthy rags." - Isaiah 64:6b
There is only one way to bridge this gap between God and man. We
need...
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God provided the only way to be on His team by sending His Son,
Jesus Christ as the holy and perfect substitute to die in our
place. Who is Jesus Christ?
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| He is God. |
Jesus said, "I and the Father are one." - John 10:30 |
| He is Man. |
"...the Word (Jesus) was God...The Word became flesh and
lived for a while among us." - John
1:1,14a |
What
Has Jesus Done?
| He died as our substitute. |
"...God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we
were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 |
| He rose from the dead. |
"...Christ died for our sins...he was buried...he was
raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and ...he
appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he
appeared to more than five hundred...." - 1 Corinthians
15:3-6 |
| He is the only way to God. |
"...I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me." - John
14:6 |
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God has bridged the gap between Himself and man by sending Jesus
Christ to die in our place as our substitute. Jesus defeated sin and
death and rose from the grave. Yet, it isn't enough just to know
these facts. To become a part of God's team, there must be...
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Knowing a lot about a sport and "talking the game" doesn't make
you a member of a team. The same is true in becoming a Christian.
It takes more than just knowing about Jesus Christ; it requires a
total commitment by faith in Him. Faith
Is Not: |
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| Just knowing the facts. |
"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons
believe that - and shudder." - James 2:19 |
| Just an emotional experience. |
Raising your hand or repeating a prayer is not
enough. |
Faith Is:
| Repenting. |
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| Turning to God from sin. |
"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation
and leaves no regret..." - 2 Corinthians 7:10a |
| Receiving Jesus Christ. |
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| Trusting in Christ alone for
salvation. |
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his
name, he gave the right to become children of God...." - John
1:12 |
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| Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my
word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be
condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." - John 5:24. To
make sure we are making the right call, let's look at the...
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- Realize God is holy and perfect; we are sinners and cannot
save ourselves.
- Recognize who Jesus is and what he's done as our substitute.
- Repent by turning to God from sin.
- Receive Jesus Christ by faith as Savior and Lord.
- Respond to Jesus Christ in a life of obedience.
Jesus said, "...If anyone would come after me, he must deny
himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." - Luke
9:23
Does God's plan make sense to you? Are you willing to repent
and receive Jesus Christ? If so, express to God your need for
Him. If you're not sure what to say, consider the "Suggested
Prayer of Commitment" below. Remember that God is more concerned
with your attitude than with the words you say.
"Lord Jesus, I need you. I realize I'm a sinner and
I can't save myself. I need your mercy. I believe that you died
on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. I repent of my
sins and put my faith in you as Savior and Lord. Take control of
my life and help me to follow you in obedience. In Jesus' name,
Amen."
"...If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will
be saved. ... for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.' " - Romans 10:9,13 If you would like to talk to
someone right now about beginning a relationship with Jesus Christ
for the first time, you may call 1-888-NEED-HIM. You may make this
toll free phone call to discuss a new life in Christ through the
generousity of the leadership, volunteers and supporters of
NEED HIM.
Once you have committed your life to Jesus Christ, it is
important for you to... |
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Too many people make the mistake of measuring the certainty of
their salvation by their feelings instead of the facts of God's
Word. In Jesus Christ you have a New Life. See what God's Word
says about your new position on his team..
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I am a New Creation in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17;
Galatians 2:20 |
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I have Everything I need for life and godliness. 2 Peter
1:3; Ephesians 1:3 |
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I am His Witness and His Workmanship, created for good
works. Acts 1:8, Ephesians 2:10 |
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I am Loved and accepted completely in Christ. Ephesians
1:6; Romans 8:39 |
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I am Indwelt by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20;
1 John 4:4 |
F |
I am Forgiven and Free from condemnation. 1 John 1:9;
Rom. 8:1-2 |
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I have Eternal Life in Christ. John 5:24; 1 John
5:11-13 |
Trust God! Put your faith in His Word, not in your feelings.
"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son
of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." - 1 John
5:13
But knowing your position is not enough. You must begin to
workout... |
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Just as physical growth demands physical exercise,
spiritual growth as a Christian demands spiritual exercise. Here
are seven daily exercises to build spiritual muscle :
- Daily Die to Self.
- "I die every day...in Christ Jesus our Lord." - 1
Corinthians 15:31
- Yield complete control of your life to Jesus Christ every
day.
- Daily Obedience to Christ.
- "Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me,
he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
Luke 9:23
- Every day, commit yourself to obeying God and His Word.
- Daily Bible Reading.
- "...they...examined the Scriptures every day...." - Acts
17:11
- Spend time every day reading God's Word. (First read through
the Gospel of Mark.)
- Daily Prayer.
- "...give us today our daily bread." - Matthew 6:11
- Devote time every day talking to God in prayer.
- Daily Fellowship.
- "...encourage one another daily...." - Hebrews 3:13
- Get involved with your local church, and seek regular
fellowship with other Christians.
- Daily Witnessing.
- "Day after day...they never stopped teaching and proclaiming
the good news that Jesus is the Christ." - Acts 5:42
- Witness for Jesus Christ every day through your words and
actions.
- Daily Praise.
- "Seven times a day I praise you." - Psalm 119:164
- Praise God every day for who He is and what He has done.
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Each morning set aside a few minutes for "Quiet Time." During
this time you can talk to God and let Him talk to you through the
Bible.
There are a lot of good methods that can be used for your Quiet
Time. At camp, we use the PRESS method.
Pray...Begin by thanking God
for the new day, and then ask Him to help you learn from what you
read.
Read...Read the following
verses on the designated days: Tuesday - John 10:1-11; Wednesday -
Matthew 4:1-11; Thursday - Mark 8:34-38; Friday - John 14:1-6.
Examine...Ask yourself the
following questions: What is the main point of this passage? What
does it tell me about God? About myself?
Summarize...Do one of the
following: 1) Rewrite the verses in your own words. 2) Outline
what each verse is saying. 3) Give each verse a one-word title
which summarizes what it is saying.
Share...Talk with God about
what you've learned. Also, take time each day to share with
someone from your Huddle what you learned in Quiet Time.
Having a daily Quiet Time is extremely important. It is the key
to developing spiritually. You might want to begin your Quiet Time
by reading in the book of Mark. Do this by choosing a few verses
to read each day, and then use the PRESS
method. | |
