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What is a Christian?
A Christian is a
person who believes that Jesus Christ is the son of God, born of a
virgin, who lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins and
arose on the third day. And now sits at God's right hand in heaven.
This person has asked for Jesus to forgive them of their sins and to
help them live a life that is focused on Christ.
What this doesn't mean
is that a Christian is perfect. Once you become a Christian you
will still make mistakes and you will still sin. But the difference
is that Jesus Christ will forgive you for your sins past, present
and future. Through trying to make your life more like Christ, you will
sin less. In order to be a Christian in everything you do and say you
must be willing to give up the things that cause you to sin. It will
not be easy to be a Christian, but then anything that is important is
not easy.
What is Prayer?
Prayer is a personal
conversation between you, God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Because everything in your life is given by God you should thank him
for it. This is also the time you should ask for the forgiveness of
your sins, you should voice the sins that you know you have done, and
ask for forgiveness for the ones you do not know.
Prayer is also for you to ask for help from God. God already knows what
you are going to ask, but by you recognizing the things you need help
with, God can get you started down the right track. A good example of a
prayer is what Jesus taught his disciples.
"After this
manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed
be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as
we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen." Mat 6:9-13
Do I have to go to church to be a Christian?
No, you do not have to
go to church in order to be a Christian. Jesus does tell us to gather
together and worship and by attending church you refuel your soul and
fellowship with other believers. Another point to be made here is that
Jesus himself attended the Temple/Synagogue on the Sabbath day, as
quoted in Luke 3:16 "He went to
Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went
into the synagogue, as was his custom."
But remember one
thing, going to church does NOT make you a Christian. And attending
church does not give you salvation, only Jesus Christ can give you
salvation. Also, "church" is not the building, it is the people in the
building that make up the true church. This verse from the New
Testament should help you understand. "not neglecting
to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another
even more as you see the day coming nearer." Hebrew 10:25
What is baptism?
It is the immersion of
a person in water. Baptism is the symbol of Christ death, burial and
resurrection. A believer does this to show an outward sign of
their belief in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Even Jesus
was baptized before he started his ministry
Here are a few verses
from the New Testament to help you understand: "Or do you not know that all of us who have
been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in
order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the
Father, so we too might walk in newness of life". (Romans 6:3-4)
What is communion?
Communion is a symbol
of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for all sinners. We partake of
the "fruit of the vine" and "bread". This symbolizes the body
(bread) and the blood (fruit of the vine) of Jesus.
A better way to
explain it is found in 1 Corinthians
11:23b-29: " ...that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was
betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and
said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance
of Me." In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you
drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and
drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Therefore
whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy
manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But
let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of
the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to
himself, if he does not judge the body rightly."
Isn't there more then one way to God?
People are constantly
asking, "What's so special about Jesus? Why is He the only way that
someone can know God?
Along with the problem
of the heathen who never hear about Jesus, there is no question asked
more often than this one. We are accused of being narrow-minded because
we assert there is no other way to get to God.
The first point to
make is that we did not invent the idea of Jesus being the only way.
This is not our claim; it is His. We are merely relating His claim, and
the claim of the writers of the New Testament.
Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6 NASB).
The apostle Peter
echoed theses words, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for
there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must
be saved" (Acts 4:12, KJV)
Paul concurred:
"There is one God, and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5, KJV).
It is therefore
the united testimony of the New Testament that no one can know God the
father except through the person of Jesus Christ.
If mankind could have
reached God any other way, Jesus would not have had to die. His death
verifies the fact that there is no other way. Therefore, no other
religion or religious leader can bring someone to the knowledge of the
one true God. (From "A Ready Defense" by Josh McDowell)
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