What does it mean to be a Christian?

The world is broken. We all see it. A beautiful creation has been twisted and spoiled by people who have chosen to ignore God and pursue selfishness. It's our nature to believe that life should be all about us. That belief is what God calls sin. Yet, when we see the result of our collective selfishness, we come to the same conclusion as God-this is not at all the way things should be.

So how can this world-especially the people of every nation and race-be put back together? How can we regain the life God intended for us individually and for the world as a whole?

God's plan is pretty simple--one heart, one person at a time.

That's what Jesus meant when he said he came to preach "good news." God wants to put this world back together, and He wants you to be a part of it. He wants you to personally experience His love and forgiveness and to live a life of freedom. Once you've stepped into this life God offers, you'll be able to pass it on to others.

The only way to counter the cumulative results of humanity's selfishness is for each of us to live unselfishly. Through Jesus, that's now a real possibility.

God's offer of salvation is the offer to join a movement to make the world better: bringing healing to the sick and confused, hope to those in despair, and peace and acceptance to a world divided by hate. The only way we can be part of making this happen is if we have the Spirit of God living in and working through each one of us.

You can join God's restoration movement today. It just means re-thinking what your life has been about. Are you willing to believe that a different life is possible? Are you willing to try Jesus' way of life?

It starts by admitting that you've been part of the problem. Ask God to forgive you for working against Him. Then commit to follow His ways-not your own-from now on. When each of us steps into this new personal connection with God, we begin to understand the purpose for which we were made-to know our Creator and to work in His world.

As you learn more and more how to follow Him, you will see opportunities to bring hope and life to the world around you. It usually starts small, but that's OK. If we all work with God in this project, we can change this world; not through our power, but through His.

And in the end, God will finish the job and re-create the whole world.

That's what it means to be saved. We're saved from a self-serving life to a life where we serve each other. We're saved from a hateful, controlling life to a life of love and submission. We're saved from a rule-keeping life to a life of freedom. We're saved from a life of chasing momentary happiness to a life of connection with the Source of eternal joy and hope.

For hundreds of years, people have been joining God in His restoration project. Jesus told His first followers that they should publicly announce their decision to follow Him through something called baptism. This ritual of going under the water (and coming back up again) symbolized a new beginning in Jesus, a new direction their life was taking, and a new declaration of allegiance.

So what about you? Will you receive God's forgiveness and join Him in making the world better?

If you'd like to discover more about what it means to follow Jesus Christ, we would love to help you. to contact someone that can help you on your journey.