You may have asked yourself in the past, "Who is Jesus? How do I allow Jesus into my life? Why do Christians act the way they do? Why do they believe this? Why do they say they act a certain way, or get excited about certain things? Click on the links below for information and answers to questions that will hopefully help you in your understanding about your relationship with God.
How do I accept Jesus as my personal saviour?
The Bible tells us that Jesus is God incarnate; He is God the Son, eternally one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He alone can forgive our sins and give salvation. Only one thing separates you from a relationship with God—sin. You and I sin whenever we fail to live by the Lord’s holy standard. In fact, Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Furthermore, Romans 6:23 explains that the penalty for sin is death—separation from God in hell forever. No matter how hard we try, we cannot save ourselves or get rid of our sins. We can’t earn our way to heaven by being good, going to church, or being baptized (Eph. 2:8-9). Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life, and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins (Rom. 5:8). Three days later, He rose from the dead—showing that He had triumphed over sin and death once and for all. Romans 10:9 promises, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” If you have not yet begun your personal relationship with God, You can tell Him in your own words or use this simple prayer: Lord Jesus, I ask You to forgive my sins and save me from eternal separation from God. By faith, I accept Your work and death on the cross as sufficient payment for my sins. Thank You for providing the way for me to know You and to have a relationship with my heavenly Father. Through faith in You, I have eternal life. Thank You also for hearing my prayers and loving me unconditionally. Please give me the strength, wisdom, and determination to walk in the center of Your will. In Jesus’ name, amen. If you have just prayed this prayer—congratulations! You have received Christ as your Savior and have made the best decision you will ever make—one that will change your life forever! Please let us know by emailing us at mainoffice@wohp.org so we can rejoice with you and send you some materials to help you in your walk with Jesus! We also encourage you to start reading the Bible and find a good church where you can grow and be encouraged in your walk with God further.
I accepted Jesus as my saviour...Now what?
As you begin your life with Christ, We wanted to share with you some of the scriptures and passages in the Bible that will be meaningful and helpful to you in your walk with Jesus. The book of John is a great place to start, because it centers on the life and ministry of Jesus. Along with the Book of John we recommend you read Romans 8, Philippians 3-4,James 1-2,1 John 1 and find a local church you can attend on a regular basis that teach the Word of God so that you can grow in your faith and receive encouragement and support from fellow believers.
What about Baptism?
You may have accepted Christ at Word of His Power, somewhere else altogether, maybe even years ago, but you've never been baptized. Regardless, if you've made a decision to follow Christ, but you've never been baptized, we are here for you. The Bible clearly teaches that baptism is the first step of obedience after making a commitment to Christ. Baptism allows a believer to communicate to the world their heart-felt commitment to Christ. In other words, it's the outward expression of an inward decision. If you have accepted Christ, we would love to baptize you and share this special decision with you to go public with your faith! Please email us at mainoffice@wohp.org and congrats on your next step of faith!
What is prayer, and how do I pray?
Simply put, prayer is a personal conversation with God. It does not have to include "thee's" and "thou's," but rather a true and intimate conversation with God. Here are some suggestions: Follow the words of Jesus, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him (Matthew 6:6-8)." In other words, keep it simple. God knows your heart; talk to Him as if He were physically sitting in the room with you. We encourage you to use the same language patterns as you do in your everyday language. Do not feel like you have to use extravagant or repetitive verbiage in your prayers.
Pastor Jay always says that we need to "hear" from God on a situation or matter in our lives. How do I "hear" God talking to me?
Learning to hear God's voice is a lifelong process. God wants you to recognize His voice, and as you grow, you'll learn to distinguish what He is asking you to do. You may sense God's voice while reading the Bible, listening to a sermon or music, or simply while driving down the road.It doesn't have to be something big for it to be God's voice. God can speak to you in the everyday things in your life. It could asking you to stop a certain habit, begin a new habit, give something away (like tithing), or simply to trust Him with your situation. If you think you are hearing from God, look for confirmation through prayer, the Bible, and your community.
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