Invitation
Introduction
Welcome to “Invitation”, the fourth part of the story of how to become a Christian using shapes. The shape of the heart in the pictures, represents God. The shape of the circle represents humanity. The cross represents Jesus Christ and what he did upon the cross. And the dove represents the Holy Spirit.
Review
In the first chapter In the Beginning we saw that God created humanity to walk with him. In the second chapter Separation we learned about how the separation between God and humanity came about. We also learned that people can’t reach God by their own efforts. In the third chapter we heard about God’s plan to breach the separation through the birth, death and resurrection of his son Jesus.
In this chapter we will learn that what Jesus did on the cross is a gift. Even though it is for all people, it is only those who receive it who will benefit from it. We will also talk about steps in receiving this gift of repenting and believing. Finally in this lesson we will show how to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour and the gifts that this brings into a person’s life.
Gifts need to be received
Imagine that I made you a beautiful quilt cover. I spent almost a whole year crocheting, filling and backing it. You were often cold at night because you only had thin sheets. I wrapped up the gift and tried to give it to you. But you wouldn’t receive it. Or imagine you did receive it. You thanked me and then put it up on the top shelf of the wardrobe. The next winter you continued to shiver either way.
A gift can only make a difference in our life when it is received, opened and put to use. The gift that Christ gave on the cross that we learned about in God’s plan needs to not only to be received but also unwrapped and become part of our life.
Unwrapping the gift
- The Steps of Repenting and Believing
Repenting
Believing
The separation between God and people cannot be overcome unless an individual receives, unwraps and utilizes the gifts that Christ gave on the cross. The unity as shown in our picture here between God (heart) and people (circle) is brought together when someone believes in and receives this gift of all Christ did on the cross. Otherwise separation is still there. How do we receive this gift?
In the very early part of Jesus' ministry he went into a region called Galilee (Mark 1:14-15). He then began to say to the people "The time has come. The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" Repenting and believing are two important steps that Jesus taught in receiving what he called the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is that place where we are in harmony with God, one another, ourselves and the world.
The cross makes the way for the circle and the heart to be close again
Jesus didn’t come for people who had it all together and never did anything wrong. Jesus came for people who make the wrong decisions, who go on the wrong paths, who are ashamed of the things they have done (Luke 5:31-32).
As we said in the lesson in “separation”, we learnt that we have all done wrong things in our lives. But we also learnt that since Adam, our very nature is warped (Romans 5:12-14). We all need someone to help us out of this. The first step is to acknowledge that which is “sin” in our life and to repent of it (Acts 3:19). Repent is not just saying sorry. It means changing our mind and turning around. It means leaving our bad habits and turning to Christ (Luke 14:27). Maybe in the past we’ve made excuses for all our wrong way of living and being. When we repent, our standards are now God’s standards, not something we've made up to suit ourselves. We lay down our old life and we take up the new life in Christ (Ephesians 4:15-16). The Lord washes us clean. He removes all our guilt and shame and gives us a new clean pure heart (1 John 1:9).
We are made right with God not by our good works but by our faith or trust in Jesus and all that he has done on the cross (Romans 5:1, Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). We can only come to God by believing in Christ. If we trust in our own effort it will get us nowhere. This is difficult in our day and age, when we’re meant to be independent and do everything ourselves. Believing in Christ alone, for the way to find God means letting go everything else we’ve trusted in. This includes our own efforts and even other people etc. We’re to turn 100% to Jesus. You can’t truly believe until you have first repented. As we become aware of who we truly are, we cling to Christ for our purity our righteousness, because we know we don’t have it in ourselves (Philippians 3:8-11).
Accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour
You may or may not have heard the expression of accepting Jesus Christ as both Lord and Saviour. Both are important.
Jesus as Saviour
Jesus saves us from the wrong in our hearts and our separation with God (John 10:9). He saves us from death (Romans 5:9-11). Accepting Jesus as our Saviour means we’ve repented and accepted in faith that Jesus is the only one who can deliver us, forgive us and make us whole with God. It says in the bible, that there is no one else that can save us but Jesus (Acts 4:12). Even his name "Jesus", means the one who saves (Matthew 1:21). Jesus says that anyone who calls on him will be saved (John 10:9).
Some people say that all you have to do is say a little prayer and that makes you a Christian. However it is much more than this because it is important to accept Jesus as not only as the one who saves us (Saviour) but also as our Lord or boss (Romans 10:9). The gift Jesus gives is free but it costs our whole life (Matthew 16:24).
In many societies the word “lord” is not used frequently. In feudal times there were many lords and ladies and all their serfs had to obey them. This was good when they had a good lord, but when their master was abusive their lives were very difficult. Bill Bright describes there being something like a throne of our life. We sit on the throne of our own life and do whatever we want to do whenever we want to do it.
Jesus as Lord
When we become a Christian we surrender our life to Jesus. We invite him to sit on the throne of our life It says in the bible, that there is no one else that can save us but Jesus (Acts 4:12). We learn to listen and obey what he wants us to do rather than what we feel like doing (John 15:10-11). There is a great joy in this because we know that our Lord is completely loving and kind (Matthew 11:28-30). While the devil wants to steal, kill and destroy everything in our life, Jesus wants to give us abundant life (John 10:10). That doesn’t mean there might not be some pruning along the way (John 15:2).
Gifts that Flow from the Cross for Christians
The dove is placed upon the heart and the circle
You can see in the picture what happens when you become a Christian. Through the cross, people (circle) are reconciled with God (heart) , and are now at peace with him. Not only that but the Holy Spirit (dove) is poured out on all those who believe in Christ. That means God is now living inside them.
Here is a summary of some of the gifts we receive from God when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. They are all gifts of God’s grace. You can’t earn any of them.
The gifts that flow from the Cross of Christ are ....
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We are made God’s children. God is now our Father and other Christians are our brothers and sisters (John 1:12-13).
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We have peace with God and in ourselves (Romans 5:1)
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We are washed clean and are made pure (1 Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:22)
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We are given an abundant life (John 10:10)
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We are given a new heart to love God and love others (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26)
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We are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, so God now lives in us (Romans 5:5).
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We are given healing through Christ (1 Peter 2:24; Matthew 8:17).
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We are promised that we will live forever (John 3:16; Romans 6:23).
As you have read this course you may or may not feel ready to become a Christian. If you do, you might like to pray a prayer something like the prayer below to begin your journey. If you do become a Christian I encourage you to find Christians where you live and share with them what you have done. They are now your Christian family and will help you grow.
Father, please forgive me. I’ve done so much that’s not right. It’s not only what I’ve done or not done, this sin thing is in the very nature of my being. I repent and turn away from the wrong way of life, from the evil that is in me. Instead I turn to Christ. I trust in all that he did upon the cross and his blood shed, to forgive me and make me clean. I accept him as my Saviour and trust that his gift can make me right with you.
I believe he’s the only one who can save me from my sin and this separation I have with you. I also accept him as my Lord. I invite him to be on the throne of my life, calling the shots. I surrender my whole life to Christ and will seek to follow him with everything that I am. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that you may live in me from this day forward changing me to become more and more like your son. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
An example of a prayer to come to faith in Christ
Jesus told his disciples that when people are made his disciples that they are to be baptized (Matthew 28:19). This is to be done in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a powerful physical symbol of what has happened spiritually in a person’s life.
Baptism means immersed. Going under the water is a symbol of dying to our old life and being washed clean (Romans 6:3). It is also a symbol of being immersed in God’s grace and forgiveness and being filled with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). When we rise up it is a symbol of rising up to a new life in Christ (Romans 6:4).
Baptism
Next Steps
Being made right with God through our faith in Jesus Christ is a first step. But its not the last step. Now amazingly God starts changing us to become more and more like Jesus Christ. This is a daily process of dying to the old way we used to live and rising up to live Jesus’ way. This is the way of putting the gifts we receive into practice in our life. Our last chapter in our story talks about GROWTH as a Christian.
