God's Purpose: A Perfect Relationship with Him
The only reason you are alive today is because God loves you and He created you to have a personal relationship with Him

The Bible Says...

Genesis 1:26-27
26 Then God said, "Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life--the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals."
27 So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them.

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Our Problem: Separation from God
God created you with the ability to make choices. When Adam and Eve had a choice to obey God or eat the forbidden fruit, they willfully chose to disobey God. At that point, sin entered the human existence. You sin whenever you miss the mark. Sin changed your relationship with God and made you his enemy. Every human being is born with an inclination to sin - a sin nature. We never have to teach our kids how to sin - they do it naturally.

The Bible Says...

Romans 3:23
23 For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard.

Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

From the beginning of time, humans have tried to build a bridge to God. You try to do good things, you try to be good citizens, and you try to be religious.

The Bible Says...

Proverbs 14:12
12 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

Isaiah 59:2 2
But there is a problem--your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.

God's Gift: The Cross
Because God loves you and desires to have a personal relationship with you, He made available a perfect atoning sacrifice to bridge such a gap between us and an all holy God. God sent His only son Jesus Christ to live a perfect life on this earth. Even though Jesus never sinned, he was killed by the religious leaders of His day and hung on a cross. Why? When Jesus died, He became a sacrifice for your sin. He died on the cross and rose from the grave three days later, paying your sin debt and bridging the gap between God and humanity.

The Bible Says...

Timothy 2:5
5 For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus.

Peter 3:18a
18 Christ also suffered when he died for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners that he might bring us safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.*

Romans 5:8
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Your Response: Receive God's Gift
A gift always demands a response. When you are presented with a gift, you have a choice - turn it down or accept it. Jesus' sacrifice is God's gift to you. All you must do is make a choice - Are you going to receive God's gift and experience a God-directed life on earth and eternal life in heaven? Or will you turn His gift away? The choice is yours because God will not force you.

The Bible Says...

John 1:12
12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

How Do I Receive God's Gift of Jesus Christ?
It is not our good works that saves us (Titus 3:5) nor baptism (1 Peter 3:21) but salvation from God's just punishment comes only from believing in your heart and confessing Christ as Savior (Romans 10:9).

If you have never made this appeal before God, now is the time. God is a just God, but He is also a forgiving and merciful God that desires that all come to Him for salvation.

Welcome

If you invited Jesus into your life, congratulations! You are now a follower of Christ and will live with Him for eternity.

By faith you have accepted Him into your heart and will want to express that faith and love through fellowship and worship. Please contact me, Brad Mellette, at bmellette@gracechurchoflasalle.com for questions and follow up.