How do I experience the LIFE I was born to live?
So many things in this world compete for your ATTENTION and your AFFECTION. Whether it's your job, your hobbies, or your possessions, it's easy to let "things" become your LIFE. No doubt you have found yourself thinking, "There MUST be more to life than...THIS!"
You are absolutely right! Jesus himself declared that there is MORE to life than meets the eye (2 Cor 4:18). In fact, Jesus (God in a human body) came to this planet to GIVE us life!
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"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have LIFE, and that they might have it more ABUNDANT- LY." (John 10:10)
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*There is an ENEMY, God's enemy and our enemy, who is after you. He wants to do three things to you:
1) STEAL your joy - - - He wants to ROB you of the joy of knowing God and His eternal purposes and plans for your life.
2) KILL your heart - - - Because your heart is the mainspring of your life, he wants to CHOKE it, cut it off from ever opening itself up to God and His will for you.
3) DESTROY your life - - - If the enemy can get a hold of your heart, and kill it before you can give it wholly to God, then he has succeeded in DESTROYING your life...the real life God has intended for you.
*But Jesus came for an entirely DIFFERENT purpose. He came to give you LIFE...
---ETERNAL LIFE---
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Because of our SINFUL nature and actions, we are spiritually DEAD, helpless and hopeless before God. We are totally INCAPABLE of being good enough or doing enough good deeds to be accepted by God. Our sin SEPARATES us from Him and from eternal life in heaven with Him (Rom 6:23)! We are BOUND for eternal separation from God in a place of torment...
However, God stepped onto the scene ON OUR BEHALF, in the Person of Jesus Christ, and gave HIS life as a sacrifice for ours (Rom. 5:8). He took our sin upon Himself, died our death, and rose again victorious over sin, death, and the grave. It is a FREE GIFT to anyone who would RECEIVE it (Eph 2:8-9). Have YOU received His incredible gift of grace? If not, you can do it very simply by:
(1) BELIEVING He is God and that He rose from the dead,
(2) CONFESSING your sinfulness to Him, and
(3) CALLING OUT to Him for His forgiveness and mercy. (Rom 10:9-10)
In calling out to God and receiving His mercy and forgiveness of sins, you become a BRAND NEW creature (2 Cor 5:17). You now have LIFE, eternal life, and a relationship with the God who loves you (John 3:16).
---ABUNDANT LIFE---
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Jesus not only came to give you eternal life, but ABUNDANT life. In other words, not only does He want you to KNOW Him, but He wants you to grow up IN HIM, into all He wants you to be. He has five eternal PURPOSES for your life, and having a life that is FULL and OVERFLOWING is found only in living out HIS purposes. In a nutshell, those purposes are:
WORSHIP --- loving God and surrendering yourself to Him daily
FELLOWSHIP --- connecting with other believers
DISCIPLESHIP --- growing and maturing in your faith
MINISTRY --- serving God by meeting the needs of others
EVANGELISM --- sharing your faith with others so they can receive His eternal LIFE as well
*If you have any questions about receiving ETERNAL LIFE or having this ABUNDANT LIFE, please contact us at the church office. We would love to help you experience the LIFE you were BORN to live!