Discovering Church Membership Essay Example for Free

Discovering Church Membership Essay Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, Fantastic four, and The Incredibles are the examples of the popular superheroes that saved people in the hands of evil. Sometimes you’re dreaming to be one of them, strong, fast, flying, invisible and untouchable. But the truth is that all superheroes are not true, they are just a creature and outcome of imaginative mind. They only exist in the world of entertainment. No superhero can save us from death, even a great doctor, or a president, neither a five star general. Certainly, we are all going to leave this world, we will depart from our family, one day we’re going to lose our senses, we cannot talk, we can’t see, our heart will stop pumping and beating, our intelligent mind will be perish, our body will go back to dust. It sounds terrible, terrified, and its scary. But the question is, are you ready for that moment. No one knows what will happen in the future, for next minutes or seconds of our life. For instance, your going to die tonight, where do you think is your destination? Where is your soul heading of? Heaven or hell? Many people are not interested to discuss and disregard this topic because for some of them it is corny, but, we should address this matter properly because life after death is eternal, once you’re there you cannot go back or transfer to the other side. Life is uncertain, that’s why we need the assurance of salvation that we are not going to hell! We have to be saved, we need a savior, even Superman and Zorro needs the Lord, just like a superhero who needs a true Knights and Shining Armor! We need God, The Lord Jesus Christ! The Bible says: I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me. (John 14:6) God made us as a reflection of His image, we are His masterpiece! He gave us the whole thing we need and allowed us to administer the earth according to His purpose for the reason that God loves us. (Genesis 1:26-30, Jeremiah 31:3, Ephesians 1: 4-5) He wants us to get pleasure from the splendor and goodness of His creation. Yet, we are not contented. And the sins entered! Since man has the natural behavior of being a master to his own self and to do the things that can completely fulfill his desire, despite the wonderful plan of God for us we intend to pursue what we long for, whether it is right or wrong. We are not pleased in Gods amazing loved, we disobeyed Him, subsequently, our own will took place and not the intention of God in our life, what is the significance of having the entire world by our personal power but loses our very own soul. As for what the Bible says: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12) If someone acclaimed that he is a righteous man he’s cheating his own self, and he is condemning God of being a hypocrite. Nobody can say that he doesn’t commit any sin and portray as clean because according to the Bible: â€Å"If we say that we never sin. We are only fooling ourselves, and refuse to accept the truth. † (1 John 1:8). For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23) If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:10) Sins hinder us to see the goodness of God. It ruins our bonding to Him. It makes us afraid the Lord and lives separately from His plan. â€Å"The trouble is that your sins have cut you off from God. † (Isaiah 59:2) Just a simple lie of not telling the truth that you have sinned is a sin or not following the rules and regulations of your school, even not obeying the standard given by the government or by our parents is a sin. Let us say that you are an ordinary teenager at the age of 15 who render a single sin in a day, it makes 7 sins in a week, 30 sins in a month and huge 365 sins for the whole year. If we count your sins when you reached the age of 7 up to now, it has a result of 3,285 sins. What if you are committing more than one sin in a day and you are more than fifteen years of age now? This is the nature of human being to fall into sin and the consequence of this is eternal death in the Hades. â€Å"For the wages of sin is death. † (Romans 6:23a) Whether we like it or not, we can do nothing to save ourselves from the burning hell. The good deeds we’re doing are not enough for us to be saved. Even if we go to church everyday, do a charity works, help the needy, it’s all useless. The key to salvation is only the grace of God and having faith on Him. He is the answer and not the things we’ve trying to impose. We’re just getting tired and stressed of doing something but in the end all of our efforts are in vain. The worst of it is that it leads us to nowhere. â€Å"There are ways that seem right to man, but they only end in death. † (Proverbs 16:25) â€Å"For it is by grace you are saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works so that no one can boast. † (Ephesians 2:8-9) But because God Almighty is faithful and He truly loves us He gave us His only begotten son for us to be saved. (John 3:16) Jesus decided to follow the commandment of His father in Heaven, Jesus came to finish God’s work of salvation. As the Bible says: â€Å"Then Jesus explained: â€Å"My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me and from finishing his work† (John 4:34) He accepted all the indictments and blasphemies without any regrets. Thousands of years ago Jesus Christ carried all our sins. He picked up the cross to the Calvary. He received hundreds of strips from the whips and shed His precious blood. Nailed on the cross and died for you and me! After three days arose again, resurrected from the grave and fulfilled His promise! (John chapter 19-21) (Matthew chapter 27-28) We needed not to punish ourselves. God didn’t required or told us to also shed our blood for our own salvation because Jesus did it already! It is finished, Jesus said! The words He declared (it is finished) means that our sins are fully paid by Him and paid the full penalty for our sins. With His death, the complex sacrificial system ended because Jesus took all sin upon himself. (John 19:30) Jesus was the absolute and last sacrifice for the transgressions of all the people. Now we can freely approach God because of what Jesus did for us. Those who believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection can live eternally with God and escape the penalty that comes from sin; we only need to do the following: 1. Acknowledge that we are a sinner. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12) If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:10) 2. Repent in our transgressions. Jesus said: I tell you, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:5) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now command all men every where to repent: (Acts 17:30) 3. Accept that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried, and rose from the dead. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) But God commend his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved. (Romans 10:9) 4. Request Jesus as personal savior through prayer For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13) What to pray: Dear God, I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ shed His precious blood and died for my sin. I am willing to turn from sin. I now invite Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal Savior. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: John 1:12) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Now is the time that God is knocking in our heart. He wants to put our name in the book of Heaven. Jesus wants us to follow Him. It doesn’t mean that accepting Jesus in our heart makes us weird, but instead it makes us a son of God! We are no longer a gentile but a truly residence of Heaven. Don’t let this opportunity pass away, experience His presence! Original Gods plan was for us to give glory to Him and to join Him in the throne of the Almighty God. Though we sinned, God is so faithful and just to forgive us! Through prayer we can encounter His presence. He will speak to our heart just listen for what His saying, talk to God, just admit that we are a sinner, ask for forgiveness and let Jesus rule our life! Make Him as our personal God and Savior, and experience His amazing love and abundant blessing! After we accepted Christ, read His word (Bible) everyday, find a Christ and Bible centered church. Testify His goodness and show all the people in the world that we already met a true and loving superhero! Superhero of superman and Batman, and can be a superhero of all, Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior! Works Cited Warren, Rick. â€Å"Discovering Church Membership† Class 101: 3-8 http://www. ccc. org. ph Porter, Robert Ford. â€Å"Gods Simple Plan† (1991) http://www. godssimpleplan. org/gsps-english. html Gods Plan of Salvation (1984-2009) http://www. chick. com/information/general/salvation. asp