What is your part?
Make a choice
Many people prefer to ignore God and prefer to live their lives without Him[1]. And many people choose not to believe in Jesus Christ[2], sometimes even using His Name as a curse[3]. In future they will be held responsible for their sins and choices, as already explained on a previous page (You only live once). However this is not God’s wish for you: God wants all people, you too, to repent and turn to Him[4].
How important it is to make a turn![5] To repent from your sins and get spiritually alive[6] by choosing to belief in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord[7]! Keep in mind: Jesus is the only Way[8] to find God as your loving Heavenly Father[9], there is no other possibility to get yourself clean of the stains of your sins[10]. Doing nothing or refusing to believe in Jesus Christ will result in an eternal future as a lost person, without God in a terrible place (make sure to read the Bibleverses below the page “You only live once”). Choose right to avoid such a fate!
God does not ask us to do something big. In fact it is Him Who did the work by sacrificing the Lord Jesus Christ’s life for us: a huge price was paid there to set us free[11]. All God asks from us in return….
… is to believe in His Son Jesus Christ.
What exactly to believe?
That God your Creator exists and is there[12]
That Jesus Christ is God’s Son[13]
That Jesus Christ is Lord, died for your sins and rose from death[14]
That you need salvation from your sins[15]
That you need Jesus Christ to save you from your sins[16]
That you need to repent from your sins and make a turn: starting to live a different new life as a follower of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ[17].
If you have a problem believing these things, pray that God’s Holy Spirit will convince you and help you to believe!
What does it cost you…
Now accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord does not cost you any money, and speaking out your destiny-changing prayer (see next page Ready for action) also does cost not much time…
However, it is important to know that starting a new life as a follower of Jesus Christ, is indeed life-changing. Accepting Jesus as your Savior and Lord, is like handing over the steering wheel to Him. It’s the start of a new life, searching and trusting His will instead of your own.
Other people may not like your choice, may even hate you or make you suffer for it[18]. On earth about 100 million Christians experience being hated because of believing in Jesus Christ. They suffer from spiritual or physical persecution. Right now worldwide even about 11 Christians die per hour, only because of being a follower of Jesus Christ.
Even when not experiencing this obvious kind of persecution, following Jesus Christ does not leave you unaffected. You would start to experience in your life that there are area’s God will work on in order to make you more and more beautiful as a person. Just like a raw diamond needs to be cut and polished to give the sparkle. You will need to give up serving other gods or stop bad habits. Anyway: it may cost you a lot…
… to gain everything!
The Lord Jesus asks us to consider on forehand what it would cost to follow Him[19]: it will cost you yourself as He will become more important than all other things in life. At the same time when making this choice… you will also gain everything! This may all sound like a paradox. We can assure you that knowing the Lord Jesus is the very best thing possible to happen to a human, it’s like finding a hidden treasure worth more than anything in life[20]! It sure is a risk to take the step to start believing in the Lord Jesus, but it is a greater risk not to do so: in that case you would miss out on the most essential and most precious in life now and after this life as well!
Let’s see what God will give in return when making a choice to believe…
[1]
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7: 13-14)
[2]
Jesus said: “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. (John 5:40)”
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s Name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.” (John 10:25-26)
[3]
Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. (Jude 1:14-15)
[4]
For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32)
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before… (Acts 3:19-20a)
[5]
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him Who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days… (Deuteronomy 30:19)
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before… (Acts 3:19-20a)
[6]
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)… (Ephesians 2:4)
[7]
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, (Ephesians 2:1)
[8]
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
[9]
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” (Galatians 4:4-6)
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26)
[10]
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
… the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7b)
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
… how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)
[11]
… knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1 Peter 1:18-19)
[12]
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
[13]
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:29)
She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (John 11:27)
Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.” (John 12:44)
…but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:31)
Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (Acts 8:37)
[14]
… that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10)
… that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, … (1 Corinthians 15:-6)
Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 8:26b-29)
[15]
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. (Luke 5:32)
But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. (Isaiah 59:2)
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins… (Ephesians 2:1)
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out… (Acts 3:19)
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood… (Revelation 1:5)
[16]
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)
[17]
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before… (Acts 3:19-20a)
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. (Luke 5:32)
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (Matthew 16:24)
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2)
[18]
Jesus said:
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” (John 15:18)
The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. (John 7:7)
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (John 15:19)
I have given them Your word; and the worldhas hated them because they are not of theworld, just as I am not of the world. (John 17:14Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. (1 John 3:13)
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:15-17)
For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:5)
Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12)
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. (1 Peter 4:16)
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. (1 Peter 5:10)
[19]
For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? […] So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:28-30 and 33)
[20]
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Matthew 13:44)“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45-46)
