IMPORTANT DECISIONS Thank you for taking time to read this booklet. Life is important and the decisions we make affect how our lives are lived. Every day we have to make decisions. What time to get up what clothes to wear what to eat...shall I walk, catch the bus, or take the car? Oh how many decisions there are in life! Some decisions are more important than others. The jobs we take the partner we choose to spend our life with the way we spend our money have a profound effect upon all of us for all of our life! This booklet is about the most important decision you will ever be asked to make, for there is one decision that affects not only how we live our lives on earth, but affects our destiny for eternity. God is calling you to follow Him. What decision will you make? Written by Gordon Pettie Designed by Rachelle Fisher 2 GORDON PETTIE
CHRISTIANITY IS NOT If you were asked to say in a sentence who or what a Christian is, what would you say? Before you read the next part of this booklet, why don t you write your answer here? A Christian is: Let s rid ourselves of some of the myths about Christianity: A christian is not: A follower of Islam, or Buddhism, or Hinduism. An atheist Dressing up in your best clothes and going to Church. Following a set of rules which you manage to keep the majority of. Being a nice person who tries to help others, and is generous with your time and money. IN FACT THERE IS NOTHING THAT YOU CAN DO TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN FOR GOD HAS ALREADY DONE IT ALL FOR YOU.
IN THE BEGINNING A Christian accepts that God is the Creator of the Universe, and the Maker of every human being, animal, and everything that exists. The Bible tells us that when God made us, it was all good. However He gave human beings a choice as to whether to follow His ways or go their own way. Since the first human beings, men and women have chosen to go their own way. What a mess humans have made of the world! Pollution Starvation Corruption Spoilt environment Wars Border disputes Even worse than the mess we have made of the world is the mess we have made of our own lives. We have stopped following God s plan for our lives and gone our own way. The Bible describes what we have done in this way: All we like sheep have gone astray and followed our own way. The Bible calls our going astray, sin, and says: All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. THAT INCLUDES YOU AND ME
GOD WANTS EVERYONE TO LIVE A CONTENTED LIFE. Most people will tell you, if they are honest, that their lives are anything but content. All around us we see despair, disillusionment, broken relationships, financial pressures, missed opportunities, sickness, disease, loneliness, bullying and so the list goes on. As long as God is not in our lives, life will always be a mess. God intends us to live a different kind of life. Life can be tough but God wants to help and lead us through the difficulties of life. That s why God says in the Bible Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, AND HE SHALL DIRECT YOUR PATHS. DO YOU WANT A WAY OUT OF THE MESS YOUR LIFE IS IN? GOD WANTS TO HELP YOU. Read on...
GOD CARES FOR YOU God really does care about you. The Bible presents God as a loving Father, with Jesus, His only Son, as the expression of that love. Jesus was described by the people who knew Him as being full of compassion. God s love reaches out to us. He longs to be a part of our lives. In fact the Bible says that we are like lost sheep without Him. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. Turning from God means we live without reference to Him. We exclude Him from the important decisions of life. It is not surprising therefore that our lives are not as they should be. BUT THERE IS HOPE..READ ON
EACH ONE OF US HAS GONE ASTRAY Though we have gone our own way and turned from God, God wants to restore that broken relationship. His solution was to send His only Son, Jesus. The Bible puts it this way GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT DIE BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE On one occasion, Jesus told the story of a rebellious son whose Father never gave up on him. The point of the story was that God is like the Father in the story, and He has never given up on us. For our relationship to God to be restored, there is one other matter to be dealt with, and that is our sin. God loves us deeply but He is also a righteous God. He cannot pretend that our rebellion against Him is of no consequence. The consequences are very serious. Sin not only messes up our relationship with God, it produces spiritual death in us. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. That s why, despite our best efforts, we still feel separated from God.
God s solution was for Jesus, who lived a perfect, sinless life on earth, to die in our place. He became a sacrifice for our sin. The Easter Hymn says There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin. He only could unlock the gates of heaven and let us in God sacrificed that relationship that meant everything to Him, His relationship with His son, so that He could reach out to us and restore His broken relationship with us. That s not the end of the story. Jesus rose from the dead showing us that sin and its curse, death, has been defeated. This resurrection power is available to us right now. We do not have to live defeated, chaotic lives anymore. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO RESPOND? JESUS MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
THE TOMB IS EMPTY. JESUS IS ALIVE.
MEETING GOD To enter into a relationship with God, there are three things you need to do Admit there has been, and still is, wrong in your life, when you compare the way you have lived up to now, with how God wants you to live. Repent of the wrong in your life Repent is a strong word. It involves more than saying sorry. It means you intend to change your life, to turn it around, to stop doing the old ways and to start following His ways from now on. If you are ready, there is a prayer for you to pray, to commit your life to God Before you say the prayer, listen to these stories of people who have allowed God to enter their life, and the change He caused in the way they lived when they did so.
RACHELLE FISHER When I was 17 years old I had a spiritual encounter with God that changed me forever. From that moment on no person could ever persuade me that God is not real. I grew up in Church and I never really doubted His existence, but this was my own personal revelation that could never be stolen from me. To me, following Christ is about developing your own personal relationship with God. This experience made me see that God is not just somewhere up there in the clouds. He is here with us and He knows absolutely everything that is going on in our lives. He is our Father and He wants us to know His love in this special way. Despite all of this, it wasn t until four years later at 21 years old, after completely losing interest in To me following Christ is about developing your own personal relationship with God. and my life has become an increasingly exciting adventure. If you are considering becoming a follower of Jesus Christ, then just know that God s plan for your life is so much greater than anything you can imagine. Whether in good times or in bad, nothing that the world has to offer will ever compare to the peace, joy, love and more, that He will give you, when you give your life to Him. Not to mention the gift of eternal life! going to Church or being a good Christian, at university, I finally surrendered my life to Jesus. I knew that God was calling me but I thought that being a committed Christian meant living a boring and limited life, full of do s and don ts, so I resisted. I planned to enjoy my youth, see the world, and then when I became old and grey I would serve God. That was my plan and it made perfect sense to me. I now know that serving God from your youth is an enormous privilege
JOEL CONDER There was no one defining moment that I became a Christian. I had been brought up around Christianity but had never really made a decision for myself. At the age of 19 I had my first child with my on and off girlfriend, Sarah. We had another child 2 years later but our relationship was strained and I knew it was because of me. Sarah wanted to be a family but I was never willing to fully commit, always wanting to be out with my friends. I could see how my actions were hurting her and my children. I knew I needed God! I asked him to do what no one My desire now is to love God and be the best father and husband I can be. else could do, to change the desires of my heart. I woke up the next day and felt no different! But a seed had been planted inside of me. That seed very gradually grew and God changed me from the inside out. My desire now is to love God and be the best father and husband I can be. Me and Sarah are now happily married with 3 beautiful girls. I thank God for what He has done in my life! Being a person who was expecting over night change, one piece of advice has always stuck with me. When you plant a seed in the garden you don t dig it up everyday to see if it s growing, you just have faith that the seed will grow and produce a crop. Just trust that God rewards those that seek him!
BREDA SMYTH Today my life is not like it used to be, Hallelujah. In 1984 I hit rock bottom. drinking had become a problem in my life. In the early days people thought I was great fun and I was delighted to hear that. We were living in Dublin at that time and Ireland was no longer known as the land of saints and scholars. All of our friends enjoyed, what they called a good drink and I was no exception. He did for me what I could not do for myself. In 1984 we moved to Spain and that s when I became a secret drinker. At first it went ok but within six months I found myself in Alcoholics Annoymous. Did I understand the spiritual programme? No. I said novenas to saints. I lit candles. I cried and prayed, with a cigarette in one hand and a glass in the other. I caught sight of myself in the mirror and asked myself, what would your mother say if she could see you now? One day, I was walking across the street with my young son. He was holding my hand and I became aware of how small his hand was in mine. God heard the cry of my heart. I went back to A.A. There, I met a Christian woman, Eileen. She gave me a booklet to read. I also met a born again Christian woman. She gave me a Bible. Jesus spoke to me through His Word. He became the centre of my life. He was my higher power. He did for me what I could not do for myself. He took away my desire for drinking and filled me with the Holy Spirit. His joy was contagious. My whole family gave their lives to Jesus and we experienced miracles. My sons brought their friends to the prayer group that started in our house. Today my sons, their wives and children, are all born again. Glory to God!
MY RESPONSE The Bible says If you believe in your heart, and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. ARE YOU READY TO PRAY? FIND SOMEWHERE QUIET AND PRAY THIS PRAYER OUT ALOUD Dear Heavenly Father Thank you for creating me, and giving me all that I have. I am sorry that I have gone my own way. I repent and truly want to follow your ways. Thank you for sending your son Jesus Christ to take the punishment for my sin, and die on a cross in my place. Thank you that He is alive today and sits at your right hand interceding for me. Now I pray that you will enter my life, live and reign in my heart, and fill me with your Holy Spirit. Through Jesus Christ I pray Amen. If you find it helpful, write your name and today s date in the box below NAME: DATE:
THINGS TO DO Before we finish there are important things for you to do TELL SOMEONE It is important to tell someone, preferably another Christian, of the prayer that you have prayed. If you have no one to tell, then please write to us at Revelation TV and tell us. Contact details at the end of this booklet. READ GOD S WORD God wants to teach you how to live your new life. You can find so much about what He wants to say to you by reading the Bible. A good place to start is one of the gospel stories Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. MEMORISE SCRIPTURE It is so helpful to memorize verses from the Bible. When you find a good verse, write it on a card, carry it around with you, and learn it off by heart. Here are two verses to start with. Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him. - Revelation 3:20 For by grace are we saved, through faith, and not yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9 OTHER CHRISTIANS It is important for you to meet with other Christians, preferably in your locality. Revelation TV is on air 24 hours a day, so you can find good teaching and support at any time of the day or night.
Howard Conder, Revelation TV s Founder writes: Dear friends, When I was in my late teens, I had the world at my feet. I was a member of one of the leading pop groups of the day and appearing on all the top TV programmes such as Top of the Pops, and playing at venues such as the London Palladium. Life was heady as we raced around the country from gig to gig and adoring fans to more adoring fans. But beneath it all, I was dissatisfied with life and knew there had to be more than what I was experiencing. One day I cried out to God. He heard me and changed my life. Now I know my Maker, and have the assurance that one day I will meet Him in heaven. This booklet is written to help you to find your Maker, God, and the transforming power He wants to give you. I want you to know that I am praying for you. Warmest blessings Howard Conder Revelation TV Watch us: Sky 581. Freesat 692. FREEVIEW HD 250. Revelationtv.com Tel: 0208 972 1400 (office hours) Email: info@revelationtv.com Write to: Revelation TV, PO Box, PO Box 16833, Sutton Coldfield, B73 9XD.