For those who are interested:

What is this Christianity all about?

How can my life become something special for now and eternity?

Now, being a believer is not fundamentally about the family that we grew up in or going to church or being a good person or following certain rules (though believers should go to church and live good lives and follow God's principles).

Being a believer is about following Jesus by repenting (turning from your wrong ways) and believing in Him (trusting that He has forgiven us). Christianity is not about what you do. It's about what God has done for you.

The first point of the Christian message is that God is in charge of the world. He is the ruler, the supreme president, the king. Unlike human rulers, however, God always does what is best for his subjects. He is the kind of king you'd like to be ruled by.

God rules the world because he made the world. Like a potter with his clay, God fashioned the world into just the shape he wished, with all its amazing details. He made it, and he owns it. He made us rulers of the world under him.

He also made us. God created people who were something like himself, and put them in charge of the world--to rule it, to care for it, to be responsible for it, and to enjoy all its beauty and goodness. He appointed humanity to supervise and look after the world, but always under his own authority, honouring him and obeying his directions.

God is the ruler (the crown) and humanity is created to live in and rule God's world under God's loving authority. We tend to blame God for all the injustice and pain, forgetting that we messed it up. The sad truth is, that from the very beginning men and women, all of humanity, rebelled by rejecting the ruler--God--by trying to run life without him, by doing things their own way. We all do this. We don't like someone telling us what to do or how to live--least of all God--and so we rebel against him in lots of different ways. We ignore him and just get on with our own lives; or we disobey his instructions for living in his world; or we shake our puny fists in his face and tell him to get lost.

However we do it, we are all rebels, because we don't live God's way. We prefer to follow our own desires, and to run things our own way, without God. This rebellious, self-sufficient attitude is what the Bible calls ‘sin’.

The trouble is, in rejecting God we make a mess not only of our own lives, but of our society and the world. The whole world is full of people bent on doing what suits them, and not following God's ways. We all act like little gods, with our own crowns, competing with one another. The result is misery. The suffering and injustice that we see around us all go back to our basic rebellion against God.

This is how the Bible puts it:

Mark, chapter 7, verses 20-22: Jesus went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him "unclean". For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly."

Romans, chapter 3, verses 10-12 : "There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. All have turned away."

God gives rebels what they want. God won't let us rebel forever. God cares enough about humanity to take our rebellion seriously. He calls us to account for our actions, because it matters to him that we treat him, and other people, so poorly. In other words, he won't let the rebellion go on forever.

God's punishment for rebellion is death and judgement.

The sentence God passes against us is entirely just, because he gives us exactly what we ask for. In rebelling against God, we are saying to him. "Go away. I don't want you telling me what to do. Leave me alone." And this is precisely what God does. His judgement on rebels is to withdraw from them, to cut them off from himself--permanently. But since God is the source of life and all good things, being cut off from him means death and hell. God's judgement against rebels is an everlasting, God-less death.

This is a terrible thing, to fall under the sentence of God's judgement. It is a prospect we all face, since we are all guilty of rebelling against God.

The Bible puts it this way in II Thessalonians, chapter 1, verses 8-9:

"He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power."

Hebrews 9: 27: "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment."

Because of his great love and generosity, God did not leave us to suffer the consequences of our foolish rebellion. He did something to save us. He sent his own divine son, who became the visible representation of God – God becoming man - into our world - Jesus of Nazareth. Fully God, but here on earth fully man. Here on earth He always lived under God's rule. He came from God with a mission, to save us by paying the penalty for the whole world. Although he had the power of God to heal the sick, walk on water and even raise the dead, Jesus allowed himself to be executed on a cross. Why? By dying in our place he took our punishment and brought forgiveness

The Bible states the incredible news that Jesus died as a substitute for rebels like us. The debt that we owed God, Jesus paid by dying in our place. He took the full force of God's justice on himself, so that forgiveness and pardon might be available to us.

All this is quite undeserved by us. It is a generous gift, from start to finish.

How the Bible puts it in 1 Peter, chapter 3, verse 18:

"Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God."

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter chapter 2, verse 24)

God accepted Jesus' death as payment in full for our sins, and raised him from the dead. The risen Jesus is now what humanity was always meant to be: God's ruler of the world.

As God's ruler, Jesus has also been appointed God's judge of the world. The Bible promises that one day, he will return to call all of us to account for our actions.

Jesus has conquered death, now gives new life and will return to judge.

In the meantime, Jesus offers us new life, both now and eternally. Now, our sins can be forgiven through Jesus' death, and we can make a fresh start with God, no longer as rebels but as friends. In this new life, God himself comes to live within us by his Spirit. We can experience the joy of a new relationship with God.

What's more, when we are pardoned through Jesus' blood shed for us, we can be quite sure that when Jesus does return to judge, we will be acceptable to him. The risen Jesus will give us eternal life, not because we have earned it, but because he has died in our place.

How the Bible puts it:

"For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

(Acts chapter 17, verse 31)

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

(1 Peter chapter 1, verse 3)

Two ways to live

Our way:

Reject God's rule. Try to run life our own way.

We can continue in our rebellion against God, and try to run our lives our own way without him. Sadly, this is the option that many people persist in.

Results: Condemned by God. Facing death and judgement

The end result is that God gives us what we ask for and deserve. He condemns us for our rejection of his rightful rule over our lives. We not only have to put up with the messy consequences of rejecting God here and now, but we face the dreadful prospect of an eternity of separation from him, without life or love or relationship.

God's new way:

Submit to Jesus as our ruler. Rely on Jesus' resurrection.

For those of us who have realised that our situation is hopeless, there is a lifeline. If we turn back to God and appeal for mercy, trusting in Jesus' death and resurrection, then everything changes.

Results: Forgiven by God. Given eternal life.

For a start, God wipes our slate clean. He accepts Jesus' death as payment for our sins, and freely and completely forgives us. He pours his own Spirit into our hearts and grants us a new life that stretches past death and into forever. We are no longer rebels, but part of God's own family as his adopted sons and daughters. We now live with Jesus as our ruler.

How the Bible puts it:

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John chapter 3, verse 36)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because s/he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him. (John 3:16,17, 36)

What to do next

If you are seriously thinking about living God's way and know that you are not, read through the following three points and the suggestions that follow.

By turning back to God and appealing for mercy (trusting in Jesus' death and resurrection), you become a member of God's family. Being a member of God's family is a great privilege, is enormously fulfilling, but can often be very difficult. It is not an easy way, but it is by far a better way.

1. Talk to God

To become a member of God's family you need to talk to God and admit before him that you have rebelled against him, that you deserve punishment and that you are asking for mercy on the basis of Jesus' death in your place. You'll also need to ask God to help you change from being a rebel to being someone who lives with Jesus as their ruler.

You might like to pray the sort of prayer set out at the end of this section. But you need to be aware that it is not a question of merely saying a few words. You need to mean what you are saying. By wanting to become a member of God's family, you are saying that you want to live as a member of God's family. This is the beginning of something that will go on for the rest of your life.

2. Submitting to Jesus

Once you have prayed the sort of prayer set out at the end of this section, you will want to start putting it into practice--that is, actually submitting to Jesus and living as a member of God's family. There will no doubt be all kinds of areas in your life in need of change. You'll need to get rid of old rebellious habits (like greed, anger, selfishness, and so on) and start some new ones that please God (like generosity, kindness, love and patience).

This process will go on for the rest of your life, but God will be with you all the way. He'll keep speaking to you (through your reading of the Bible); he'll keep listening to you and helping you (as you pray to him); he'll empower you to change and to live his way (by his Spirit that lives within you); and he'll provide brothers and sisters to encourage you along the way (as you meet with other Christians).

3. Trusting in Jesus

You will also need to keep putting your trust in Jesus. This is also ongoing. It's only because of Jesus (and his death and resurrection) that you can be forgiven and put right with God. You'll need to keep coming back to this again and again, because as you start to live God's new way, you will still fail and do the wrong thing. We all do. We all need to keep looking back to the death of Jesus on the cross as the only grounds for our forgiveness. We must never stop relying on him--and him alone-- as the means by which we are forgiven and granted eternal life.

So ... if you are not a member of God's family (ie. you are not living with Jesus as your ruler) you are at a fork in the road. You are facing the most important choice that we ever face. The Bible says that there are only two ways to live.

When it comes to Jesus you're either for him or against him. There's no middle ground.

If you accept God's offer of life through Jesus then you are a Christian.

If you have understood the above and want to turn back to God and appeal for mercy, trusting in Jesus death and resurrection and start living as a member of God's family, you might like to pray. Here's an example of the sort of prayer you might pray to ask for God's forgiveness:

God, I know that I've done things that are wrong.

I've ignored you and rebelled against you. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me.

Thank you, Jesus, for taking my punishment on the cross. Thank you that you love me and will forgive me. I know you're alive and I want to obey you from now on as my Lord and Saviour. Thanks again. Amen.

By praying to become a Christian, you have also prayed that you want to start living as a Christian. You prayed: "I want to obey you from now on. You're the boss".

Living as a Christian is something that will continue for the rest of your life. Being a Christian is about being in a relationship and God wants to know and love you forever. He also wants to bless you and lead you and bring your life into His plan for your life. This will happen if you are willing to submit to Him . . .

Hang on... what's this submitting business? Being a Christian involves your whole life. Everything. It means obeying Jesus and living with him as your boss. Like every other person, there will be lots of things in your life you need to change. Things like old rebellious habits (greed, anger, selfishness, and so on) and start some new ones that please God (like generosity, kindness, love and patience).

It's important to remember that all this stuff doesn't save us. NOTHING we do can make God love us any more than he does. But if we love him - which is what being a Christian is all about - then we should want to.

May God bless you and enlighten your heart.