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Community Covenant Church Becoming a Child of God |
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Community Covenant Church Home Luke Project Becoming a Child of God About Us Services Pastor's Poetry Trip to Bulgaria Phones Directions How to Find Bible Verses Links |
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He was in the world and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:10-12, NIV). God loves us and wants us to be his children but it does not happen automatically. Just as we are born into our original family, we need to be born spiritually, into God’s spiritual family. We need to receive into our hearts the One whom so many have rejected — Jesus Christ. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (John 3:18-19, NIV). God wants us to be a part of his family but we have been self-centered and our sinfulness has separated us from God. We want to come into the light and yet we dread to be exposed for rejecting him in the past: all those failures to love God and people (which were really rejections of Jesus). We want the light and yet we are afraid of it. The deed that pleases God is when we put our trust in Jesus. To believe in him is to come into the light. When we come to Jesus and confess our sins and faults to him, he does not reject us or expose us; he receives us for finally being honest with him! For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17, NIV). Jesus, the Son of God, took our sins and our separation from God upon himself when he died on the cross. When he was rejected, he took that rejection and turned it inside out so that we can be accepted—if we will accept him. After Jesus rose from the dead, he revealed himself to his disciples. Here is part of the account: Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:24-31, NIV). You may be feeling like Thomas. He was not there when Jesus showed himself to his disciples the first time, after he rose from the dead. You may think: “Well, I wasn’t there; how can I believe?” You may know some sincere believers in Jesus and you wonder, “What did it take to nudge them into faith?” Did Jesus appear to them? It’s not likely—and yet they had some sort of personal encounter with the Lord. Would Jesus appear to you? Again, it’s not likely—he himself said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” But in a sense, the Lord has drawn near to you through this webpage containing scriptures from John’s Gospel. Read it. Consider it. Then choose Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Trust him to take the darkness out of your life. Come into the light. Receive Jesus. Discover that he loves you and forgives you. Ask him to come into your life and be your Lord and God. Where should I receive Jesus? Some pray by themselves; some pray with a friend or loved one; some pray at church. It’s up to you. What should I pray to receive Jesus? If you know what you want to say to the Lord, then say it—pray it. If you don’t know what to pray, the next paragraph contains a suggested prayer. However you do it, ask God to forgive you and make you his child; invite Jesus to come into your heart and life to be your Lord and God. Dear God, I don’t want to be separated from you. I don’t want to be a stranger. I want to be your child. I admit that I am a sinner and that I need your mercy and help. Please forgive me and cleanse me of all my sins and give me a new start. Dear Jesus, please come into my heart and make me new inside. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Thank you that when I receive you, you receive me. I surrender my life to you. You are my Lord and my God. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for making me a part of your family! Amen. When we choose Jesus, we also choose his people. Come worship with us, (Sundays, at 10:00 a.m.) at: Community Covenant Church 107 Pleasant Street Manlius, NY 13104 You may write to Pastor Tom Worth at: tworth@juno.com and put “John’s Gospel” in the subject line. You may leave a message anytime at our church office (315) 682-7435, and we will get back to you. If you want to speak to a real human being right away, call during business hours, (315) 682-2895, and our SonShine Child Care receptionist will help you. |
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