Building a Firm Foundation for the Victorious Christian Life By Beth Jones
CHAPTER ONE
HOW TO BECOME A
CHRISTIAN
A: The Big Question How do you know if you are a Christian? What must you do to be saved? Does going to church or being a good person make you a Christian or guarantee you eternal life? Does it really matter what you beleive? These are all questions of eternal importance.
When it comes to eternal considerations, nothing matters more than making sure you qualify for eternal life in heaven. WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS?
B. THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR ETERNAL LIFE: Read 1 John 5: 11-13
Who grants eternal life? Where is it found? Who Has eternal life? A person who believes in Jesus Christ, the son of God, can ( choose the correct answer from the words below) that he or she has eternal life.
Hope Feel Guess Know Wish Pray
ETERNAL LIFE: Eternal life is not only a quantity of life, or a span of timelessness in which to live, but also it is a quality of life that includes abundance. It is the God-Kind of life that Jesus lived.
C. HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?: Do you KNOW for sure that you have eternal life? If you answered YES, How do you know? If you are not sureyou have eternal life, or if you have questionsyou would like to have answered, then the study in Scripture that follows will clarify that knowing for you.
D. WHO IS JESUS?: Christianity revolves around one central person: Jesus Christ. Jesus is the most unique person in history. He claimed to be GOD. This claim puts Jesus in a different league than any other religious leader in history. Why? Because Jesus IS God.
1. Jesus claimed to be God. Was Jesus Christ truly God? Was His birth, life,minisrty,death and ressurrection proof of His claim that He was God manifested in the flesh?
a. What did Jesus say about Himself? Read these Scriptures to find out
John 4: 25,26 John 10:30 & John 14:8,9
b. What did others say about Jesus
John 1:1,14 ( John) John 20: 25 - 28 ( Thomas) John 5:18 and 10:33 ( Jews) Colossians 1:15-18 (Paul)
c. What do YOU say about Jesus?
I believe He is God___ I am not sure what I beleive at this time___ Check One
2. Jesus came for a purpose. Read John 10:10 Why did Jesus come to this earth?
In your own words, describe abundant life as you understand it.
Who is the thief? Why did he come?
Are you experiencing abundant life, or are you experiencing a lifestyle lacking in meaning, joy and purpose?
Discribe your life. Write it down so you can look back at what you wrote.
3. Jesus rose from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:3-6
What did Jesus do that no other person has done? How many people saw Jesus after His resurrection?
Because Jesus truly rose from the dead, as the scriptures say, then He is ALIVE! ( right)?.
How does His resurrection affect our faith in Jesus today?
E. Who Are We: We have looked at Who Jesis Is. Now let's look at who we are. Do we really need Jesus? Why do we need a Savior? What is our condition apart from God?
1. Is everyone a sinner? SIN: To sin means " to miss the mark". We could understand sin in terms of archery- that is, to sin means to miss the bull's eye. When an arrow hits any of the rings outside the bull's eye, it has missed the mark. In this same way, our fallen human nature ( which we inherited from Adam, the father of the human race) has caused us to miss the bull's eye of God's perfection, We have missed the mark of God's glory. The fallen human nature is a sin nature ( a nature that misses the mark).
a.) Read now Romans 3:32 Who has sinned? There is a difference between our sin nature and our sinful acts. Sinful acts are a result of our sin nature. It is the sin nature that God is primarily concerned with. This inherited sin nature seperates us from God. If God can change that sin nature in us, then our desire to commit sinful acts will also change.
b.) Read now Romans 5:12 To whom has death come?
DEATH: Three types of death are described in the Bible: spiritual death , physical death and the second death ( also called eternal death). If a person is NOT born again, his spirit ( or heart), the part of him that contacts God , is seperated from God - he is spiritually dead. Spiritual death is not cessation of being, rather, it is a seperation from God. Physical death occurs when life departs from the physical body. The second death will occur after the great white throne of judgement when everyone who has not received the Lord Jesus Christ ( whose names are not found written in the Lamb's Book of life) will be cast away into the lake of fire ( HELL) , eternally seperated from God. Read Now Revelation 20: 11-15
2. Where did sin come from? a.) Read 1John: 3:8 Who has sinned from the beginning? What does this say about those who sin? b.) Read now John 8:44 Who does Jesus say is the father of these religious leaders (unbeleivers) ? In what way did they imitate their father?
We can see from the Scriptures that Satin in the father of all sin and the father of all those who reject Jesus as Lord.
3. What are the results of sin? a.) Read Now Isaiah 59:2 What is the result of sin? b.) Read Now Romans 6: 23 What are the wages of sin?
4. What is our condition apart from God? a.) Read Now Ephesians 2: 1-3 What is our condition before me meet Christ? When we walk according to the course of this world, whose influence are we under? How many of us live under this condition? b.) Read Mark 7:21-23 What is the condition of our heart without Christ? c.) Read Matthew 23:27 How does this verse describe those who act religious but who still have an ungodly, unbeleiving heart? d.) Read Ezekiel 36: 26 & 27 What did God promise He would do to solve the problem of man's heart?
Mankind is in a dilemma. First, we see that Jeus came to give us an abundant life; but, because of the fall of man, we have a sin nature and have become seperated from God. Wehave lost our access to the abundant life. Sin has seperated us from God and from the abundant life Jesus promised. What did Jesus do to solve this problem?
F: JESUS DIED FOR PEOPLE LIKE US. Jesus died for people just like you and me. We might look clean & polished on the outside, but apart from Christ we are void of true life. Sin has been the problem of man's heart since the Garden of Eden, but Jesus came to solve the sin problem once and for all. Jesus came to give us a new heart ( or spirit); but in order to do so, He had to give His life. Jesus hung upon a cross and gave His life so that we could have eternal life.
Read now 1: Peter 3:18 Why did Christ suffer and die? For what purpose?
Read Hebrews 9:22 Under the Old Covenant, the Israellites were required to sacrifice a spotless lamb and shed it's blood to atone for ( to cover) their sin. If they neglected to do this, their sin was held against them. In the New Covenant, Jesus came as the spotless Lamb of God to shed His blood once and for all to forgive the sin of all mankind. If Jesus hadn't died and shed His blood, what would have happened to our sin?
Read Romans 5:8 For whom did Jesus die?
G: JESUS WILL GIVE US A NEW LIFE Read now 2Corrinthians 5:17
What happens to a person who is in Christ? What happens to a person's old life?
Read John 3: 1-6 Jesus told Nicodemus that a person cannot enter the kingdom of God unless he is what?
BORN AGAIN: Being born again is also called the " new birth". When you are born again spiritually, you receive a recreated heart ( spirit) from God; that is, your heart or spirit is born again and is now in contact or in a relationship with GOD. Another way to explain this is that when your spirit or heart is born again. God gives you a new nature.
This new heart ( or spirit) gives you a new nature and brings you into a father / child relationship with God. You are actually transferred, or adopted, into the family of God. You become a child of God and a member of His family through the new birth. A preacher once said that it isn't important what church you belong to ( if any), it's important which family you belong to.
Read John 1:12 How does a person become born again and become a child of God?
Read Colossians 1:12 & 13 What family ( kingdom) have we been delivered from through the new birth?
What family ( Kingdom) are we translated into?
H: Is Jesus The Only Way To God? We have looked at the condition of our heart before God, and we have seen God's Provision for cleansing us from our sin through the blood of Jesus and giving us a new nature or heart ( or spirit) because of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe you find yourself thinking " This seems so straight and narrow, Isn't there any other way to get to God? Isn't there any other way to get eternal life?"
What if a person belives in God but not in Jesus Christ? There are many different beliefs about God, Jesus and eternal life - as you can tell by the multitude of religions. The strongest and most sincere beliefs, however, will not change the facts. What are the facts? Again, we must turn to our source, THE WORD OF GOD, for the facts. Let's look at the Scriptures and see if there is another route by which we can get to God.
READ NOW Matthew 7: 13,14 Discribe the way that leads to life ( eternal). John 14:6 Did Jesus say He was " a way" or " The way? Who goes to the Father apart from Jesus? Acts 4:12 Is there any other name given whereby we can find salvation? 1 Timothy 2:5 How many mediators are there between God and man? Who is the Mediator? 1 John 2:22& 23 A person who denies Jesus is the Christ is called what? Does a person who rejects the Son have the Father? Is there any way a person can believe in the Father and not believe in the Son? ( see verse 23). 1 John 4:15 In order for God to live in you and for you to live in God, Whom must you confess? Ephesians 2: 8&9 What about religion and good deeds? Man's ego wants to do something to be saved. What does this verse call salvation? Is salvation something we earn by being religious or by doing good works? Can we take any credit for our obtaining salvation?
SALVATION: This is the all -inclusive word of the gospel! The use of this word in the Bible includes forgiveness of sins; deliverance from danger; captivity, and judgement; health and healing of the body; help , welfare, safety, victory, freedom from prison, preservation of life and physical health; final and complete deliverance from all the curse, including death. SALVATION is a free gift. Gifts are not earned, they are simply received.
Jesus won't force Himself on you, but you can receive Him, if you will. God has provided the one and only answer for the problem of man's heart condition ( or fallen nature) , and that answer is Jesus. Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin. It's up to us to beleive in and receive Him.
I. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BELIVE AND RECEIVE ?
Read Now John 3:16 Who can belive in Jesus? What are the results of believing? Becoming a Christian involves believing on the name of Jesus and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord. Read now Romans 10:9 What are we to confess with our mouth? What are we to believe in our heart? What are the results?
CONFESS: We receive salvation by a conbination of what we say with our mouth and what we believe in our heart. " To Confess" means to acknowledge, to agree with and to say the same thing as. To confess in Jesus as Lord means to acknowledge, and to agree and say that Jesus is Lord.
To say that Jesus is Lord is to say that He is YOUR Lord. Think about what that means. It is not something to be taken lightly or just spoken casually. When you take Jesus as your Lord, you are giving Him control of your life. You are turning the steering wheel of your life over to Him. You are putting yourself in aosition of submission to His leadership.
Certainly Jesus is capable of directing your life much better than you are. Since HE knows your future, in detail, He can direct your paths into what is best for you. Although Jesus is the Lord of all creation, He gives you the opportunity to exercise your FREE WILL and to make Him your PERSONAL Lord.
Read now John 12: 42, 43 What does God say about those who do not confess Jesus as Lord?
Read now Matthew 10: 32,33 What does Jesus promise if you confess Him before others?
PERSONAL APPLICATION: How Do I Become A Christian?
After looking at the qualifications for eternal life, you may be asking the question " How do I become a Christian"? Becoming a Christian is the most important deccision you will ever make. Your eternal destiny depends upon your decision to accept or reject Jesus Christ. Receiving Jesus Christ into your life will guarantee your eternal destiny - a home in heaven.
When you confess Jesus with your mouth and beleive in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, He will instantly enter your life and cause your spirit to be BORN AGAIN.
Do You Beleive That Jesus Is Lord? Do You Beleive That God Raised Him From The Dead?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO INVITE JESUS CHRIST INTO YOUR LIFE TO BE YOUR LORD & SAVIOR?
If You answered YES! to the questions above, Pray a simple prayer like this one, and mean what you pray from your heart.
Dear God, I come to You in the name of Jesus. I need You. I know that I am a sinner in need of a Saviour. I now turn to You, Jesus. I belive that You died for me and were raised from the dead by God. I believe that You are the Lord, and I now confess You as "my" Lord. Thank -You that I am now BORN AGAIN. I beleive that I am SAVED and a part of Your family. Thank-You, Lord. A-Men.
If you have just accepted Christ because of this lesson, we want to hear from you. Please e-mail the Ministry
by clicking onto our e-mail address. wcmprisonoutreach@Yahoo.com
This now ends Lesson One, but there is so much more to follow. Please visit this site again often.
How to be sure you are a Christian
A: We base our faith on facts: You may be asking yourself " What if I have doughts whether or not I am Born again?"
The enemy's first tactict is to cast dought on the work God had done in your heart. ( Who is the enemy / Satin or the Devil) He will try to plant thoughts into your mind to convince you that you are not really born again. One day you may really think you are saved and the very next day you may not; therefore, you can see that your intellect is not a good judge to go by. The enemy may also try to make you feel as if you are not saved. One day you may feel very born again and the next day you may not. Therefore, your feelings or any emotional experiences you may have are not a good standard to go by.
HOW do you know that you are truly a born again Christian? How do you know you have eternal life? How do you counterattack the enemy when he works against your mind and feelings? The FIRST thing you need to know is that your assurance of salvation is based on the authority of God's Word, not on your intellect or emotional feelings.
YOU MUST GO BY THE FACTS. Facts do not change. What are the facts? God's Word contains the unchanging facts. God's word is the only source of stability concerning your Christian life. God knows every fact; His word contains the facts. Faith is our trust in God and His word. Feelings are the results of our faith. We do not depend on feeling or emotions to be saved; we are saved by placing our trust in God.
B: TAKE THE ASSURANCE TEST:
Do Bible Facts Ever Change? Do Our Feelings Ever Change? What Happens If Our Faith Is In Our Feeling? What Happens If Our Faith Is In The FACT Of God's Word?
C: WHAT ARE THE FACTS?
What are the facts? God's word is fact. According to the Bible, what can you be assured of now that you have believed on and received Jesus Christ as your Saviour? READ 1 John 5:11-13 How do you know you have eternal life? Revelation 3:20 How do you know Christ came into your life? John 1:12 How do you know you became a child of God? Colossians 1:14 What do you know you've received for your sins? John 6:37 How do you know Jesus Christ has received you? 2 Corinthians 5:17 What have you become in Christ? What has happened to the old you? Romans 8:16 How do you know that you are a child of God? 1 John 4:7 How do you know you are born of God and know God? Hebrews 13: 5 What do you that Jesus Christ will NEVER do?
Facts, Faith & Feeling: A preacher onced expressed this idea of believing the facts of God's Word when he said, " God said it. And that settles it".
D: PERSONAL APPLICATION
Are you sure you are a Christian? On what authority do you base your assurance?
On the inside cover of your Bible write down the date and the time you received Jesus. You may have to estimate. Whenever the enemy ( the Devil) tries to confuse you with doubts about your salvation, just tell him the date and time you recevied Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior . Also, in the future, you will appreciate having a record of this very important date.
If You do not have a Bible to record this into, this Ministry will be happy to send you one for just a five dollar donation.
Begin to grow in your new life with Christ: Take time each day to get to know Christ better. A good way is to visit this web site and read the Daily Bible Verse on our Home Page.
Continue to study God's Word both here on this web site, and on your own. You will see your relationship with Jesus Christ grow and develop.
This Lesson is now over, but there is a lot more to come. Please check this site again often for additions to this , and other Bible Studies.
If you have come to know Jesus Christ by something you have learned on this web site, we want to hear from you. Please e-mail the Ministry at wcmprisonoutreach@Yahoo.com Just by clicking on the e-mail address . And until we meet again... May God hold you in the palm of His hand and Bless you . Reverend Pastor David J. Dostiglio
LESSON THREE: HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD & CHRIST
A: What is God Like?
Becoming a Christian is the begining of developing a personal relationship with God. God is a person - not a force, or a vapor, or an invisible eye. He wants to talk to you, and He wants you to talk to Him. When you meet new friends, it takes many hours of communicating to really get to know them. God has become YOUR FRIEND, and He is the most interesting and loving person you will ever know. Jesus said, This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent ( John17:3). Remember this... When you pray, you talk to God. When you read His Word ( the Bible), God talks to you. READ & PRAY!!
1. Who Is God? Read Matthew 28:19 God is one God, revealed in Three Persons. What three persons make up the Godhead?
a.------------------------- b--------------------------- c------------------------
2. What do the Scriptures tell us about God the Father?
a) Matthew 7:11 b) John 4: 23,24 c) Hebrews 12:9 d) James 1:17
Inyour own words, describe the qualities of a good father.
3. What do the Scriptures tell us about Jesus, the Son?
a.) John 8:12 b.) John 10:14 c.) Hebrews 13:8 d.) Galatians 3:13
JESUS, OUR REDEEMER: Jesus Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law. The term "the law" usually refers to the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. According to these five books, we can see that the curse of the law , or the result of breaking God's law is threefold: poverty, sickness and eternal death. Jesus, through His death, burial and resurrection , redeemed us from this curse. In other words, He freed us from the bondage of poverty, the destruction of sickness and disease and the eternal seperation from God. All we have to do is believe and have faith in Him as our Redeemer.
WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES TELL US ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT?
1Corinthians 3:16 John 16:13,14 Romans 8:14 Romans 8:16 Read these verses now!
How Do I GET TO KNOW GOD?
1. Do what Enoch did. Enoch was a man who knew God. He is only mentioned a few times in the Bible, but his example is one each of us can follow. His name means dedicated! Enoch was dedicated to God. Let's look at the Scritures to see what Enoch did to get to know God.
Genesis 5:24 What did Enoch do? Discribe what it means to walk or fellowship closely with someone who is a friend.
Hebrews 11: 5 What did God think of Enoch?
Put God First: We can live a life pleasing to God, just like Enoch did, by doing what Enoch did. Enoch put God first. Every day we have decisions to make and responsibilities to take care of. Each day, whether we realize it or not, we take care of those duties that are a priority to us.
Where Should God Fit In Our Daily Priorities?
Matthew 6:33 What does God say we should seek first? What is the result of putting God first?
Colossians 3:1,2 What things are we to seek, now that we are Christians?
What do you think Paul means by seeking " those things that are above" ?
Luke 10: 38-42 What was it about Mary that Jesus commended?
THIS STUDY IS FAR FROM OVER. PLASE CHECK BACK AGAIN FOR ADDITIONS TO THIS, AND OTHER FREE BIBLES STUDIES.
Be sure to visit the Ministry's main web site also www.tinyurl.com/3xkg9c
There you will find " The Bible Promise Book". A daily Bible Scripture by topic for each day, and " Christian Maturity" an other very good FREE Bible Study.
Until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand to give you Peace & Comfort . May He Bless you more and more each day. And may His light in you shine out to others. Have a Blessed day! Pastor Dave
Friends: I am sorry that the posting of additions to this Bible lesson have not been more often.
Because I have been named the Executive Director of God's Leadership Prison Ministry I am now very busy building, editing & managing their web site as well as my own sites.
Please be sure to visit this Ministry's main web site www.tinyurl.com/3xkg9c because there are other very good Bible studies an materials posted there.
also visit God's Leadership Prison Ministry www.Freewebs.com/godsleadershipprisonministry
Read Luke 6:43-45 Ask God to give you insight as you read and think.
Consider the following: A tree is identified by the _______ it produces.
What kind of fruit are you producing in your life?
See Galatians 5:22-23 for the kind of fruit God wants for your life.
If the tree represents your spiritual life, is your tree healthy?
How are you feeding it ? Watering it? Giving it sunlight?
Ask God to show you if there is something you should be doing to help good fruit grow in your life.
To help you in your daily walk with Christ, we offer a Daily Devotional on our main web site www.tinyurl.com/3xkg9c.
FRIENDS: I know this lesson has not been up-dated and there is still more that needs to be posted.
The Ministry is undergoing many changes and we will be adding the rest of this Bible Study soon.
In the mean time, please visit the ministry's main web site www.tinyurl.com/3xkg9c where you will find other lessons and materials to help you in your Christian walk.
When I see how other Ministers of the Word have so much money that they can afford to buy themselves 7 million dollar jets and drive around in a Rolls Royce I just get sick.
How can they sleep out night knowing they have enough money to change the world but use that money to buy toys for themselves.
Therere so many other ministries ( such as this one) who struggle every day just to make ends meet.
This makes me want to ask God WHY. Why would you allow this, and not put an end to them and their ministries?
I'm sure I do not have to come right out and name the ministers and ministries, you yourself must have seen the reports on 20/20.
How sad to think that they can help families right here in America get back on their feet, but they have not reached out to help anyone but themselves.
So many people are about to lose their homes or have already lost their home. These ministers have the money to help these people, but don't WHY?
I would not send them one cent because I know they don't need my money, and I would advise you not to send them any money either.
If you are looking for a ministry to donate to I would ask you to look over this web site and my main web site www.tinyurl.com/3xkg9c. Pray on it, and ask God if this is the right ministry to send your hard earned money to. If HE says yes, then by all means send us something. But if He says no, listen .
I will NEVER use your donations to buy myself toys and will provide you with a detailed records of how I used your donation.
Please note that on the average, it takes about 5 U.S. dollars to send just one person a Bible and /or Bible materials.
That means for a donation of 100 dollars, this ministry can reach 20 persons. Just think. Your donation of 100 dollars means 20 people will receive a Bible and /or materials that will lead them to Jesus Christ.
You don't have to send 100 dollars, any amount will help us reach people. Please send what you can.
Make your money orders payable to: Bishop David J. Dostiglio and mail them to the ministry address
238 Stagg Street Stratford, Connecticut 06615 U.S.A.
I know I said the ministry was undergoing changes. One of them is that on February 1st 2008 we will change our name to
GOD'S LEADERSHIP PRISON MINISTRY U.S.A. and will join with God's Leadership Prison Ministry of Spruce Grove Alberta CANADA
to become ONE Ministry with two locations. This is being done to better serve inmates and others world-wide.
The mailing address will remain the same 238 Stagg Street Stratford, CT 06615