GOOD NEWS FOR YOU! 1. God loves you and desires to have a relationship with you. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved. A Full And Meaningful Life You were created to enjoy an exciting relationship with God. It is this relationship that offers meaning and fulfillment in life. Jesus said, "my purpose is to give life in all its fullness" (John 10:10) Does your life lack meaning and fullness? Here's Good News… 2. God understands your deepest problem. Every person is born with the same root problem. We are separated from God by our sin and unable to experience the relationship with Him that we were created to enjoy. The Bible explains that sin separates us from God. "For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard." (Romans 3:23) Separation From God  "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23)

Because of sin, we are separated from God and unable to reach Him on our own. Is there a solution to this problem? Here's Good News… 3. God has provided a way to know him personally and experience His love. "God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us... Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us" (Romans 3:25, 26) Jesus Christ is the only means God has provided to deal with the problem of sin. (John 14:6) God's Solution God has seen our predicament and, through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, He has bridged the gulf that separates us from Him.

How can you receive God's provision? Here's Good News…  4. You simply need to trust in Jesus "We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we can all be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done." (Romans 3:22) Our own efforts cannot bridge the gulf that separates us from God. We do not come to know God by trying harder. We begin a relationship with God by trusting Christ. We Must Choose To Trust Christ Trusting Christ means choosing to stop trusting in ourselves. Trusting Christ is a decision of the will to trust in God's work through Christ instead of our own efforts. Trusting Christ includes agreeing that what he says is true and best. Genuine trust will result in obeying God's word, the Bible. Trusting Christ as Savior is the most important decision anyone can ever make. Do you know for sure that you have trusted in Christ? You can choose to trust Christ as your savior right now. The following prayer is a suggested expression of your trust. "Lord Jesus, I want to begin the relationship with you that I was created to enjoy. Thank you for taking the punishment for my sins on the cross. Today, I choose to place my trust in you. Thank you for taking away my sins and giving me eternal life." If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, pray it right now as an expression of your trust.  Did you decide to trust in Christ?  According to His promise in Romans 3:22 (see point 4 above), how does God now view you? God has promised to make you right and to take away your sin. Do you believe His promise? If you have trusted Christ Because Jesus Christ is completely trustworthy, you can be certain that you now have forgiveness and eternal life, just as he promised. Now that you have begun a new relationship with God, there are some things you should know... Five things you need to know: If you have made a decision to trust in Jesus Christ as your savior, the following five things are now true of you: Jesus loves you dearly (Romans 1:6)  He has forgiven your sin (Romans 8:1)  He will never leave you (Romans 8:38)  You have eternal life (Romans 8:30)  You have now begun the exciting relationship you were created to enjoy (Romans 5:11) Five things you need to do: The Christian life is a life of growth. Practicing these five things will help you grow in your relationship with God: Communicate with God by praying and reading the Bible Learn to obey God as a way of life. Tell others about Jesus Christ. Trust God with every detail of your life. Find a group of Christians who can help you grow in your relationship with God Romans 3:21- 26 "But now God has shown us a different way of being made right in his sight- not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus."  If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Christ, please stop by or call us at: Christ Community Church, an Evangelical Free Church (804) 515-5990 Copyright 1997, Friend L. Wells. All rights reserved. If this information has been helpful to you, please share it with someone else. Additional copies may be obtained from Christ Community Church, Richmond, VA.