How to follow Jesus
Everything we do at FBCS is so that people will know and follow Jesus. We believe that Jesus plus nothing equals everything. Without Jesus, we have no hope at all.
Maybe you’re wondering how you can be a disciple of Jesus, in other words, how you can follow Him. Well, it’s not through following a set of rules, attending church services, or being a good person. The only way to have life free from sin and guilt is through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
1. God loves you.
God wants a relationship with you because He loves you and created you to have fellowship with Him. Jesus told us how much God loves us when He said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
2. Your sins separate you from God.
Though God loves you, you’ve been separated from a relationship with Him because of your sin. Sin is anything we do that’s in disobedience to God. The Bible reminds us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We all have a sin barrier that keeps us from having a relationship with God.
3. Your sins must be punished.
Your sins have consequences. Because we’ve sinned against God, we owe a debt that can only be paid through death. The Bible reminds us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). We deserve to spend eternity in a place called hell, forever separated from God because of our sin.
4. God sent Jesus to pay our sin debt.
Though you should receive death because of your sins, Jesus died in your place to pay the debt you owed. Though “the wages of sin is death,” we don’t have to pay the debt. Instead, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The Bible reminds us that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). There’s nothing we can do to earn salvation or entrance into heaven. It’s only by God’s grace in sending Jesus to die for us that we can be saved.
5. Salvation can be yours through faith in Jesus.
Faith is trusting in what Jesus has done for you through His death on the cross for your sins. The Bible reminds us “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). We’re told in Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
The choice is yours today. You can become a disciple of Jesus by deciding to follow Him through faith. Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins? Do you believe that God raised Him from the dead to offer you new life in Him? Do you want to repent of your sins and follow Jesus?
If the answer to those questions is yes, then simply pray and ask Jesus to save you. Confess your sins, ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, and surrender your life to follow after Him.