Jesus is the reason we are standing on the streets. Therefore, it is crucial that you understand who Jesus is, and what that means for you. Below are three essential points, and at the bottom of the page there are three videos that also explain the message of Jesus in different ways.
1. Understand your spiritual standing
The world is not made up only of what we can see and touch — maybe you have already experienced this. Maybe you have had spiritual experiences in your life, such as unexplainable healing or something else that convinced you that there is a reality beyond what you can physically see. This is what the Bible calls the spiritual world. There is always a battle in the spiritual world — and it’s a battle for you! In the spiritual world things are more clear-cut, it’s about good versus evil. Satan versus God.
God is holy and perfect. Satan is the opposite.
The bad news is that you cannot be together with God — both now and for eternity, because you are afflicted with what the Bible calls sin. Just as dirty oil and water cannot mix, you cannot not be together with God, because you have sinned in your life. Everyone has sinned, and no matter how hard we try to, we can never live up to God’s standard (is it God’s standard or just that we can never be perfect and holy while we are still in sin?). We are not perfect, but you probably know this already. But what is the consequence of sin? The consequence is eternity separated from God. Now and forever. This is what Jesus calls hell.
The good news is that God loves you and passionately desires to change your situation.
2. Accept salvation
Because God is righteous and wishes to change our situation so that we can be with him, it is necessary that someone takes the blame for our sin and ourselves. God sent Jesus to Earth for (at least) two reasons:
-To die for your sins
-To rise again from the dead and show you how you can live as he lived
Jesus took the penalty, that you deserved, when he died on the cross. Through this he gave you access to God. Now you have a choice: you can choose to say to God: “God, please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe that Jesus took my sin and punishment on the cross. I accept my salvation from eternal death and separation from you. Now I want to live my life for you” or you can just continue life as normal. It is totally up to you. You are a free human being, who can make your own choice. But the choice and it’s consequences are clear.
3. Live your new life
When you have accepted that which Jesus has done for you (this process is called salvation), many people think that the journey stops here! But this is only the beginning. If you do not continue further, not only will you miss out on much excitement and adventure, but you will also miss out on God’s plan for your life.
Regardless of who you are, God has good and exciting plans for your life. You can read about how Jesus lived in the New Testament in the Bible. His life is an example for how we should live ours. However, it is important that you are not alone on this journey with God. We all need encouraging fellowship, where we can talk about how we journey and live together with God. Therefore, it is important that you start attending a church as soon as possible. There are lots of different types of churches. Find the one that fits you best.
