Would You Like to Know God Personally?

Yes, you can know God personally, as presumptuous as that may sound. God is so eager to establish a personal, loving relationship with you that He has already made all the arrangements. He is patiently and lovingly waiting for you to respond to His invitation. You can receive forgiveness of your sins and assurance of eternal life through faith in His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The major barrier that prevents us from knowing God personally is not understanding who God is and what He has done for us. The following four principles will help you discover for yourself the joyful reality of knowing God personally and experiencing the abundant life He promised.

1. God loves you and created you to know Him personally.
   
   
   • God’s love John 3:16 “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
     
     
   • God’s plan John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
     
     
   
   What prevents us from knowing God personally?
   
   
2. All people are sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love.
   
   
   • We are sinful Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We were created to have fellowship with God; but because of our own stubborn self-will, we choose to go our own independent way and fellowship with God is broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
     
     
   • We are separated Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death” [spiritual separation from God]. There is a gulf which exists between a holy God and sinful humanity. We can try to reach God through our own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion—but they all fall short.
     
     
3. Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience God’s love.
   
   
   • He died in our place Romans 5:8 “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
     
     
   • He rose from the dead I Corinthians 15:3-6 “Christ died for our sins…He was buried…He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred…”
     
     
   • He is the only way to God John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.’” God bridged the gulf which separated us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. It is not enough just to know these truths.
     
     
4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love.
   
   
   • We must receive Christ John 1:12 “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”
     
     
   • We receive Christ through faith Ephesians 2:8-9 “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works so that no one should boast.”
     
     
   • When we receive Christ, we experience a New Birth (Read John 3:1-8)
     
     
   • We receive Christ by personal invitation Revelation 3:20 [Christ speaking] “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.”
     

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will.

You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith through Prayer

Prayer is talking with God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer.

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, why not pray this prayer right now, and Christ will come into your life as He promised?

If you prayed to receive Jesus as your Savior, would you contact us? You can e-mail the Pastor at BrooklawnUMC@juno.com or you can call the church at (856) 456-0370. We would love to help you continue in this wonderful journey of knowing God personally through faith in Jesus Christ.

Suggestions for Christian Growth

Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:11 says “The righteous man shall live by faith.” A life of faith will enable you to trust God increasingly with every detail of your life, and to practice the following: