There is no greater passion in God’s life than to have a personal relationship with you. The following article is used with permission. It is entitled “PLAN A” and suggests that God’s single focus has been on you since the beginning of creation. In this article you will also find the fundamental elements to becoming a Christian. We hope the article helps in your search!
Paul talks about God’s plan when he writes,
“He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.”
Ephesians 1:4
Isn’t it great to know that God plans ahead? And since it’s GOD’S plan we’re talking about, let’s call His plan: PLAN A. Now understand: There is no Plan B. It’s not needed. Plan A is more than sufficient to meet our need. May I tell you about it?
Before I do…may I ask you: “What kind of planner are you.”
I know that’s a pretty tough question, so let me ask it another way. And believe me, the first time someone asked me these two questions, it made me stop and think, too. Here’s the first one:
Let’s suppose that you were to die tonight. If you did, do you think you’d go to heaven?
___ Yes ___ No ___ I don’t know
If you think that one was tough, hang on for question #2
Let’s say you did die tonight. And let’s say you’re ushered into the throne room of heaven and God asks you, “Why should I let YOU into My heaven?” What would you say?
If you’re like me, those questions have stimulated some serious reflection on your part. If so, may I share with you how I came to a place in my life when I could answer those questions positively – and how you can do the same in your life? Believe me, I consider it a great privilege tell you about PLAN A. It’s the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, and I love to share it with others.
There are four truths that are essential to understand in order to get a handle on Plan A. The first is this:
GOD HAS A PLAN!
God wants you to come to know Him personally. He wants to develop a relationship with you. He wants you to have a fulfilling, happy life here, and he also wants to give you eternal life in heaven.
Jesus once said:
“I have come that they might have life and have it to the full!”
John 10:10
God wants to bless you and bring meaning to your life. He wants you to know His love and discover His divine purpose for your life. God once told His people:
“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
That’s God’s Plan! And this plan is all-inclusive. It’s for everybody, not just the religious elite. But the sad news is – most people aren’t experiencing that fulfilled, abundant life!
Why is that? Why don’t more people experience God’s purpose for their lives?
Well that brings us to Truth #2. Many aren’t experiencing the joy of God’s Plan simply because –
MAN CAUSED A PROBLEM!
So what else is new, right?
There’s a great bumper sticker making the rounds these days. It says:
“If you don’t feel close to God – GUESS WHO MOVED?”
Well that’s the problem. We’ve moved. And not just a few. All of us.
The Bible says:
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
That “All” includes you. And me. All of us have chosen to go our own way, to pursue our own objectives rather than obey God’s laws.
So what’s the result of that sin?
“Your sins have cut you off from God.”
Isaiah 59:2
God wants us to enjoy a personal relationship with Him. But sin has created a big gap between us. And sooner or later, no matter how we try to fill that gap, we realize that life without God lacks meaning and purpose and hope.
We try our best to bridge the gap – to figure out some way to pull together the broken seam – but even our best efforts come up short. Try as we may, there’s no way we can bridge that gap.
What does this gap cause? Among other things, a lack of happiness, fulfillment, contentment, and peace. All the things we long for and try to get by ourselves, but cannot.
So How do we bridge this gap?
We can’t . . . but God already did. That’s Truth #3.
GOD MADE A PROVISION!
After all, He knew we were going to blow it. He knew man would rebel – So He said,
“I will send my Son to be payment for man’s sin. He will be a Deliverer. He will build a bridge so that man and I can once again enjoy the intimate fellowship I planned for us in the Beginning.”
God’s decision to send Jesus to accomplish His plan is based on one word: GRACE. And grace is the reason why people who try to earn their way into heaven by being good enough or by doing enough good things will never make it. Because you can’t earn grace – grace is a gift. A free gift of love. The Bible says:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8
It was God’s amazing grace that caused Jesus to take our sins upon Himself when He died on the cross. The Bible also says: All we like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way, and the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 And because He shouldered your sins at Calvary, He actually paid in full your sin-guilt. His death is your deliverance. Through His death, Jesus conquered sin and death. Which is why He now offers His sin-payment as a gift. He says, “You can come into a relationship with me through my death. You can have eternal life and you can know with assurance that you are God’s child.” But it’s not enough to just know this information . . .
YOU MUST RECEIVE GOD’S PAYMENT!
That’s the final truth. Just knowing about Plan A isn’t enough. You must do something about it. You must cross the bridge God has built. You must receive Jesus, God’s Son – our righteous bridge-builder – as your personal payment for sin. The Bible says:
“To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12
AND JUST HOW DO YOU RECEIVE JESUS?
That’s where FAITH comes in. And saving faith is more than just mental acceptance. It includes trusting in Jesus only for your salvation. It also includes obedience to His righteous plan. Jesus once said:
“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life . . .” John 3:36
God’s plan is already full and complete. The bridge is built. And nothing we can do could ever add even the slightest little bit to the structure. However, to receive Jesus means that I am willing to do something about what I say I believe. Now understand, this thing I do is not a “work” that, if performed, earns my way into heaven – it is simply my obedient response to His plan.
The first step we must take is REPENTANCE .
To repent means that I have change of heart. My entire perspective on life is being altered. I see myself as a sinner,
and willingly confess that sin to God and determine to change. And when I do, the Bible says:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9
Another step is CONFESSION.
The Bible says:
“If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9
Both of these steps can be accomplished through a very simple prayer. You might say something like:
Dear Jesus,
I confess that You are the Lord. I confess my sins and ask You to forgive me. I need Your payment, Jesus. I want to receive You as my personal Savior. Thank You God, for building a bridge. Thank you for saving me and making me Your child.
What a wonderful moment it is when you receive Jesus! In fact, if that is the desire of your heart – why not pray that prayer right now? Why not – right now – ask Jesus Christ to come into your life?
Now do you know what people in the Bible did whenever they made a confession of Christ? They were baptized! Immediately! There was no waiting period; they didn’t put it off till Sunday – whenever someone received Jesus – that very day they were baptized!
Why is baptism important? Because it shows the beauty of what God is accomplishing within us. Because it outwardly validates that our inward faith is genuine. Understand, water alone doesn’t save anybody. But because baptism is a command of Christ, obedience to His command shows that we really mean business about this new life!
On the day of Pentecost, the very first day of the church, the people responded to the Gospel in faith. As soon as they heard PLAN A, they said, “What should we do about this? We believe what you’re telling us! What should we do about it?” The Apostle Peter said,
“Repent, and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:38
If you have repented of your sins, if you have confessed Jesus – receiving Him personally into your life – the very next step to take is to be baptized.
Well that’s PLAN A {and there is no plan B} . God has a plan for your life. He wants you to be His child and live with Him in a personal, dynamic way. But because you sinned, God had a big PROBLEM: “How do I make this one I love my child without just ignoring the sin?” But this problem wasn’t too big for God. Being the Great Problem-Solver, God made a PROVISION through Jesus Christ. Through the cross, Jesus paid the full penalty for your sins, and He offers to you God’s free gift of salvation. But in order for the plan to become a reality in your –
YOU MUST RECEIVE THE PAYMENT!
Have you ever done that? How about right now? If you are willing, God is more than able to bridge the gap of your sins and bring to you fullness, happiness and hope for the future. He’s ready and able to bring you into His eternal family. Once you accept God’s PLAN A , this promise can be yours:
“God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
I John 5:11-12
Article used by permission: Author Steve Wyatt
There is more -much more- to a personal relationship with Christ. We would love to help you with any questions you may have or facilitate a believers baptism for you.
Understanding Christian Baptism
Typically most churches are similar in many aspects of religious thought and practices. The practice of Baptism however tends to be one area where there is some divergence of thought. At Westbrook we practice a believers baptism (taking the literal translation of the Greek word which means to submerge in water). Here are some reasons from scripture why we practice baptism.
What Christian Baptism Is:
Christian baptism is immersion in water in submission to the authority of Jesus Christ. It is an act of obedience which commits one to a life of obedience.
- Christian baptism is a command to be obeyed. Matthew 28:18-20
- Christian baptism symbolizes the cleansing from sin, a symbolic washing away of an old way of life. Acts 22:16
- Christian baptism symbolizes the new birth by which one becomes a new creature in Christ. It symbolizes the beginning of new life in Christ. John 3:1-4; 1 Peter 3:21; 2 Corinthians 5:17
- Christian baptism is the act which initiates the Christian into fellowship. Acts 2:36-41; Corinthians 12:13
- Christian baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and also of the Christian, the new convert. Romans 6:3; Colossians 2:12
What Christian Baptism Is Not:
- It is not a guarantee of heaven. If there is not faith and repentance, water baptism is invalid. Ephesians 2:8, 9
- It is not proof to a congregation of the genuineness of a convert’s faith. It is only proof to God who knows the heart
and motives of the person.