CHOOSE

What choice will you make?

Hopefully you have had a chance to read through the different sections of Find God.

Now that you know about the Gospel, God’s plan to connect us all to Himself through His son Jesus, as well as some of the statements that Jesus made, where do you go from here?

Well, quite simply you have a choice to make. Just reading about Jesus and God is not going to cause anything to change in your life.

You have to decide what to believe concerning the radical, far-reaching claims the Bible makes about you, Jesus, and how to have a relationship with God.

The famous author and scholar C.S. Lewis wrote that the message of Jesus was so compelling that it demands a response from everyone.

Jesus himself asked those close to him to make a choice about who he was.

One of the books of the Bible in the New Testament is called the Gospel of Mathew. In chapter 16, we read that Jesus was standing before an ancient city called Caesarea Philippi, which corresponds with the Northern area of modern day Israel.

This city was nicknamed the “City of Gods” because of the numerous temples that had been built for all the different gods that were worshiped there. The backdrop of this city of gods was very important to what Jesus was about to ask his followers.

In verse 13, Jesus was talking with them about the different things people were saying about who he was. As it was way back then and still holds true today, the opinions about God and who Jesus is varies greatly.

But then the real moment came. All the different ideas other people had about him really didn’t matter. In verse 16, Jesus looked his followers right square in the eyes and asked them the most important question they would ever be asked:

“Who do YOU say that I am?”

There are many religions that a person can choose to join, with each religion having a different concept about God. You probably have developed your own ideas about God as well.

Nonetheless, Jesus still today is asking you, no matter what others may say about him, to decide for yourself, if who he claimed to be is true.

How you answer this question is perhaps the most important decision you will ever make.

There are several ways to respond to this question. But before we look at those choices, let’s review the important claims of the Bible:

• The Bible states that you, like every other human who has ever lived, are separated from God. The result of this separation is never being able to find lasting, inner peace, along with real purpose and meaning for your life. This separation is caused by our mistakes and failures, also known as sin.

• But that’s not where this story ends. God has never stopped loving you and has come up with a plan to “bridge” the separation between you and Him. God sent His only son Jesus to the earth to become a man and pay the penalty of our mistakes. Because sin leads to death, Jesus died voluntarily in our place and wiped away the barrier between God and us.

• This true story of our lives being rescued or saved by Jesus from pain and hopelessness is called the Good News or the Gospel. Here is the reason why: could there ever be any better news then God loves you and is inviting you to be part of His family?

What is the decision you have to make?

The decision is pretty clear and simple: To accept or reject the claims of Jesus in the Bible. The Bible says that if you choose to accept these claims and believe that Jesus died for your mistakes you are home free!

God chalks up the penalty of our sins as paid in full and you are no longer separated from Him.

This practically means...

• You admit that your mistakes and failures have kept you from God and His purpose for your life.

• You believe that Jesus really is the Son of God sent to the earth to die for your sins.

• You accept His free gift, called salvation, of being rescued from your old life, and begin the exciting new life God has planned for you!

There are three ways to respond to the decision that is before you:

• Obviously you can choose not to believe in Jesus. Jesus was not God’s son; he was maybe at best an inspired teacher and communicator. This option will send you back to square one with your search to find the answers you are looking for. Keep in mind there are lots of people claiming to have the answers to life’s greatest questions, but Jesus said very clearly that He was the only way to God.
  
  
• You can put off making this decision now. Perhaps you need more time to think about what you want to do. Maybe you want to study and read more about Jesus and the Bible. That’s okay, but understand that making no decision about Jesus is the same thing as rejecting him.

• You can choose to believe in Jesus by accepting His offer to pay for your mistakes and ask Him to take away your sins.Jesus promised freedom from the guilt and pain of sin. All that has happened to you up until this point becomes part of an old life. You become adopted by God into His family and begin a brand new one! This new life will be filled with purpose and be in sync with God’s amazing plan. The future will be filled with the hope of good things, and the assurance that God will help you through whatever challenges that life throws at us.

Which will you choose??

Either way, we want to hear what you’ve decided about Jesus. You can contact us at storytellerchurch.com. We would love to chat with you and hear what you think as well as answer any questions you might have. Also please read through the Questions and Answers section for more help.

If after reading through Finding God you have decided to believe in Jesus, we want to be the first to welcome you to your new life! Visit our Church in Irvine and be a part of our thought provoking "Discovery" meetings.

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