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FREE METHODIST COMMUNITY CHURCH
New Middletown, Ohio


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  Secret Keeper Girl

 
Handy Guide to Knowing God*
*(all Scripture references -- New International Version [NIV])

Let us lend you a hand to know God and live with Him forever!

 

pastor.jpg (7653 bytes)By Myself, I Can't Get There ... From Here! (Thumb)
There is a big distance fixed between God and every human being because of fallen human nature.  I don't have a way to overcome the distance between God and me; being a nice guy won't do it, going to church won't cut it, trying different religions won't fix it -- the distance is too great.  But I can hitchhike on the free ride God has given through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which wipes clean my sin and gives me new life.

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:22-24)

 

hand2.gif (5564 bytes)The Whole Thing Has Come Down To An Attitude Problem! (Pointer Finger)
"Sin" is not bad things I do like lying or stealing -- it's a total attitude problem of consistently pointing myself in the wrong direction, away from God, because I want to be "the captain of my own ship."  For me, it's "my way or the highway."  I want my own way, out of my own stubborn pride.  But instead of pointing a finger of blame at me, God points to the solution to my problem -- a relationship with Jesus Christ!

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

 

pastor.jpg (7653 bytes) God Is A Great God! (Large or Great Finger)
You see, God loves me with a great, unmatched love.  He couldn't bear to just do nothing about our lostness.  Yet His great love is also balanced by His great justice.  He couldn't bear allowing an Adolf Hitler into His eternal heaven -- and sin makes me into a cruel dictator of myself and others. Before His greatness, I have to admit my lostness -- to get pointed in the right direction and to get my free ride.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a lair and his word has no place in our lives.   (1 John 1:8-10)

 

hand2.gif (5564 bytes) God Is A Loving God Who Wants To Prepare A New Home For Us (Left Ring Finger)
Just like a bridegroom, God in His love wants to prepare a new home and a new life for me -- if we will accept His love and join my life to His.  Out of His great love He did everything necessary to prepare my marriage license with Him, to make it nice and legal, and give me an eternal home.

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.  Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear."  (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) ... I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.   (Revelation 19:7-8, 21:2-3)

 

hand5.gif (4670 bytes) Just A Tiny Bit Needed! (Little Finger)
You might think that you have to be some mountain of saintly faith to get all this and believe -- yet all it takes is a tiny bit of faith -- and He will even supply that, if I ask!

He replied, "Because you have so little faith.  I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this (faith) not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  (Ephesians 2:8-10)

 

 

hand2.gif (5564 bytes) Hands Together -- Hold Nothing But Prayer!
What do I have to do to take advantage of this handy guide?  Just put my hands together and pray this prayer -- NOW:

Dear God, I need your free ride, because I have this attitude problem called sin that has kept us far apart all my life.  I accept that You, in Your love and Your justice are great, and that my sin attitude has been punished in the body of Jesus Christ on the cross for me -- and freedom has been guaranteed through His resurrection from the dead to give me new life eternally. I thank You that in Your great love You wish to join our lives together, and I want a new home in eternity.  I can't make it happen myself, so I will trust You for the tiny mustard-seed faith I will need to accept You and live for You from now on.  Seal me with Your love.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you."  I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.  (2 Corinthians 6:2)

 

 

hand5.gif (4670 bytes) What's Next Now?
To keep me from just going my way again, God has prepared for me a new group of people called the church to help support me and keep me accountable as I live with and for Jesus Christ.  I really can't just go it alone -- that would be too hard!  God has provided for that -- in my case, at Free Methodist Community Church in New Middletown, Ohio.  But there are other churches who are also concerned about me too in other communities -- I need to ask God to help me find the right church home, to learn more about Him and the Christian life.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider hoe we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  (Hebrews 10:23-25)

If you prayed the prayer to accept God's free ride, please email me and let me know -- I may be able to help you find a good church home!
(hand concept courtesy of Pastor Ken Silva, River Oak Grace Community Church, Oakdale, Ca.)