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THE
BIBLE
Can we trust a book written 2000 years ago?
EYEWITNESS
Did the writers of the New Testament get their picture of Jesus right?
GOD
- MAN
Is Jesus really God?
RESURRECTION
Did Jesus really rise from the dead?
RELIGIONS
With so many religions, why Christianity?
SUFFERING
If there is a God, why is there so much suffering?
TRINITY
Understanding the Trinity.
SCIENCE
The complementary nature of Science & Christianity.
FORGIVENESS
What it is and why it matters?
GUIDANCE
How does God guide?
REPENTANCE
What it is and why you can't get to heaven without it.
BORN
AGAIN
What does it mean to be converted and born again?
SAVING
FAITH
The kind of faith that will get you to heaven
ASSURANCE
Can I know for sure that I am going to heaven?
TRUTH
What is truth and does it matter?
MORALITY
Does it matter how we live? A Christian view of morality.
THE
CHURCH
God's vision for his family, the Church. A call to the churches of the
new millennium.
PURPOSE
How
can I find a great purpose for living?
IDENTITY
Who am I; Finding my true identity as a human being and as a child of
God.
SELF-ESTEEM
How
can I feel good about my self? The Christian basis for proper sel-esteem.
LIFE AFTER DEATHChristianity's Hope & Challenge.
THE CROSS
Why did Jesus Die? What the Bible says about the Cross.
Grace
The importance of grace in the New Testament.
Final considerations
A young woman in Latin America came up to missionary and author Stanley Jones at the close of a meeting, and said, "You are happy with Christ; now show me how to be happy without Christ." His reply was, "I'm sorry, but I don't know how you can be happy without Christ. Can a railway train be happy without rails, the eye without light, the lungs without air, the heart without love?" Jones said, "Man is made for conversion as the duck is made for water, the bird made for air, the heart is made for love, the aesthetic nature is made for beauty. When you are converted you find Christ, you find yourself, your Homeland."
Could this be what you are looking for? If so, I have indicated the steps to finding it at the end of this section. Being reborn is not an end, but a beginning. In November 1942, just after the successful conclusion of the Battle of El Alamein, when Rommel and the Africa Korps had been routed, 30,000 prisoners taken and the first great victory of the war won, Winston Churchill spoke at the new Lord Mayor's luncheon banquet at Mansion House. "Gentlemen," he said. "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning." Loud cheers greeted his memorable statement. Being born again is the "end of the beginning". There may be many battles to fight ahead. Jesus never said it would be easy. But he assured us that when even one person makes that vital commitment, the angels are cheering (Luke 15:7,10).
Dr. D. James Kennedy, who has been responsible for training thousands of people around the world to share their faith in a meaningful way with others, underlines the importance of this step:
This is the only thing that you must do during your stay on this planet - the only thing you must do. You don't even have to grow up. You don't have to succeed. You don't have to get married. You don't have to have children. You don't have to have a home, a car, and all of the things people think they must have. The only thing that you must have is a rebirth, because your entire future depends upon it.
I offer the final word to C. S. Lewis. When writing of the impossibility of making ourselves acceptable to God by our own efforts, and the need to face the consequences of either accepting the transforming work of Christ in our lives, or of drifting further from God, he said:
It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird; it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We're like eggs at present. And you just can't go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must either be hatched or go bad.
Steps to becoming a son or daughter of God
If the experiences of many described in this booklet point towards the kind of vital relationship with God that you are looking for, you may find the following steps a helpful guide:
Tell God you are sorry for your failures in living up to his requirements and giving him his rightful place in your life. Where you feel it necessary, be specific.
Thank Jesus for paying the price of those failures - for dying for you.
Invite Jesus to come into your life as your personal Saviour and Lord.
Ask him to give you the strength to live for him, in gratitude for all he plans to give you in this life and the next.
Trust him to do in your life all he has promised. He said, "Whoever comes to me I will never drive away" (John 6:37).
If you take this step of faith, get a modern translation of the New Testament. Start reading it through, asking God to teach you. Learn to talk to him as you would a friend. Find a church where you feel at home and receive encouragement. Ask God to give you opportunities to serve him and to share your faith with others.
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What does it mean to be converted and born again
The necessity of being born again
Popular substitutes for spiritual rebirth
The results of being born again
Final considerations
