Ch. 1 Introduction A Deeper Relationship with Jesus Christ

Ch. 1 Introduction

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

If you are seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ then God will reward you. Who will teach you? Only God the Holy Spirit can unlock the true meaning of His Word. When you seek to deepen your relationship with Him, He will unlock the true meaning of His Word to you. Jesus Christ, who is God in human flesh, said the following Himself:

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Do you want a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ? If you answer that question with yes, then this book is for you, and I believe the Holy Spirit has made this content available to you because of your faithfulness to seek a deeper relationship with Him. As Christians we will deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ for all eternity, but we do not have to wait for eternity to get started. You can start to deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ now by reading this book.

An effective way to deepen your relationship with someone is to learn as much as you can about them and their values, what they hold as the most important priorities in their life. The subtitle of this book is Discipleship for the Lord Jesus Christ. You will quickly deepen your relationship with Jesus by being discipled for Him. The Holy Spirit will reward you for reading this book and applying it to your life.

Once you have completed the book, my hope is that the Holy Spirit will inspire you to disciple other people for the Lord Jesus Christ using this content. You can help others deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ.

The purpose of this content is to inform a variety of readers:

1. A person who sincerely desires to know the one true God: This document will share the good news of Jesus Christ including how to get into heaven.

2. A new Christian: This document will disciple you for the Lord Jesus Christ.

3. A Christian who desires to have a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ: This document will help you walk in the Spirit also known as being led by the Spirit; both of which mean: how to let Jesus Christ live through you to accomplish the will of God the Father.

4. A Christian Bible study teacher: This document will help you disciple a group of people for the Lord Jesus Christ.

5. A terminally ill person who is in the process of accepting their death and desires to come to terms with their Creator: This document will address the big questions of evil, human suffering, death and life after death.

6. An atheist or agnostic who sincerely wants to learn about true Christianity.

7. A Christian who desires to contribute to the fulfillment of the great commission: This document will help you let Jesus Christ live through you to accomplish the will of God the Father and contribute to the fulfillment of the great commission.

It is my sincere hope and prayer that this book will deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ, who is God in human flesh. If you learn more about the love Jesus has for you then you will walk in the Spirit and when you do that you will be obedient; you will fulfill God’s purpose for your life. You will be able to let Jesus Christ live through you to accomplish His good works through you; you will be able to let Him disciple other people through you.

Christianity is not a religion it is a relationship. This book explains what a religion is and why Christianity is NOT a religion.

This book explains how to get into heaven as well as how not to get into heaven. Many people hold beliefs about how to get into heaven, but those beliefs are not taught in the Bible.

A simple Bible overview provides you with a useful roadmap to the major parts of the Bible. The Bible contains 66 separate books, and they can be organized into just a few major sections which will immediately help you grasp the overall structure of the Bible.

Adam and Eve were created in God’s image, they were spiritually alive but then they were disobedient to God and God’s Holy Spirit departed from within them. As a result, all descendants of Adam and Eve are born spiritually dead and separated from God. To be reconciled to God, people must be born-again. This book addresses the question: What does born-again mean? Many people have heard the term but do not know what it means.

The term “Exchanged Life” encapsulates exactly what it means to be a Christian. The Non-Christian and the Christian are contrasted. Some people mistakenly think they are a Christian when they are not actually a Christian.

Many people are not aware of the many times Jesus Christ claimed to be God in human flesh. Those same people do not realize they are responsible for their response to Jesus Christ’s claim to be God. This book explains the only possible responses to Jesus Christ’s claims.

Many people say they like to get into the “meat” of the word. But when I ask people what exactly they mean when they say that they often say they simply mean they like to get into the deeper meaning of the word. But the Bible has a more specific meaning for the “meat” of the word or the “solid food”. People have told me when I explain to them what the “meat” of the word means they say to me: “It is like being born-again, again. To determine if they truly understand what the meat of the word is I ask them the question: Are you as righteous as Jesus Christ? Learning the correct answer to that question will truly deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact, you may be surprised by the correct answer.

Law and Grace also known as the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is central to Christianity. Some people misunderstand the message of God’s grace. Those who truly understand God’s grace understand that grace is not a license to sin. Many of those who DO NOT understand the message of God’s grace mistakenly think grace is a license to sin.

God wants you to rest from your works because He has done the work for you. You merely need to trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Christians are no longer under the Law.

This book addresses what it means to walk in the Spirit and how to obey God His way not our way.

This book provides Bible verses which show we are indwelt by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We inhabit a fallen creation inhabited with human beings and angels both fallen and unfallen. This book provides many Bible verses which mention angels both fallen and unfallen.

A proper understanding of the First Advent, when Jesus Christ was born, is critical to understanding God’s plan for your life.

Christianity is an exclusive faith. Salvation is only through Jesus Christ; there is no other way to be reconciled to God the Father.

Once a person becomes a true born-again Christian they must be sanctified. Sanctification, means being set apart unto God.

Water baptism and the Lord's Supper are the only ordinances of the Christian church to be performed purely as a testimony of Jesus Christ.

Christians will be given rewards after they die physically. This book looks at those rewards.

What happens after we die physically? This book gets into that topic.

All Christians need to be involved in evangelism it is a key part of the great commission. This book looks at a very effective approach to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Godhead also known as the Trinity is a difficult concept for many people. Many analogies have been offered to help us understand the Trinity; this book offers one which shows how one can be perceived as three but, is one.

This book explains an easy and fun way to memorize the 66 names of the books of the Bible, in order. In fact, you will learn the names so well you could even name the books in reverse order, or I could give you the name of a book and you could instantly tell me the name of the book which appears before it and after it.

A great way to deepen your relationship with God is to learn more about the One True God. This book teaches you how to easily memorize the attributes of God. You can then meditate on His attributes anytime throughout the day.

One of the most common topics is evil and human suffering. It is reasonable to ask if God is good then why is there evil and human suffering. This book addresses that question. You will learn that God is indeed good and that He is doing something about evil.

One of the most common topics is evil and human suffering. It is reasonable to ask if God is good then why is there evil and human suffering. This book addresses that question. You will learn that God is indeed good and that He is doing something about evil. It is only through this evil, fallen, world that we have the opportunity to exercise free will and accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, who is God in human flesh. It is only because God is infinite eternal love and justice that the opportunity to experience an eternal loving relationship with Him is made possible.

The greatest act of love in all of human history is precisely something which humankind would never have guessed beforehand. Once you understand the greatest act of love, I am confident you will have a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

What does the Bible say about heaven and hell? This book takes a look at what the Word of God says about both.

What happens when you die? There are only two answers to the question; the one you will face depends entirely on what you believe before your death. What you need to know on your deathbed is really very simple. If you find yourself on your deathbed, then this book will tell you the truth you need to know so that before your death you can make an informed decision. This book will help you determine if you will go to heaven or hell when you die. One simple question will tell you where you will go when you die.

Should a Christian ask for forgiveness? Many people have been taught to “keep short accounts with God” -- but is that actually true? This book will answer both of those questions. There is something I call the choke-test. Once you have received God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ why would you keep asking for forgiveness?

Many people think if you don’t say “in the name of Jesus” at the end of a prayer then the pray is not valid. Ending a prayer with the phrase "In the name of Jesus. Amen," is never done in the New Testament. This book explains what is really meant by the phrase “in the name of Jesus”.

This book looks at a few points regarding what true faith in God really means.

This book provides a list of essential Christian doctrines. Every Christian needs to know what they believe and why they believe it.

Cults often want to portray themselves as Christian but when you evaluate their doctrines, they are obviously non-Christian. This book will help you learn how to evaluate an organization’s teaching in relation to Jesus Christ and determine if its followers are Christians or non-Christians. As well, you will learn if an organization is truly Christian or if it is instead a religion.

When people understand the true exclusive claim of Christianity the often respond with the question: If Jesus is the only way to salvation, then what happens to those who have never heard of Jesus? This book addresses that question.

The shortest chapter of this book is titled: Can A Christian Lose Their Salvation? If a person believes they can lose their salvation, then they do not understand what true salvation is and how it is taught in the Bible.

What system did Jesus Christ put in place to spread the gospel to the world? He did not start a political party; He did not invent a magical product; He did not develop a series of programs to get people involved in a bunch of busy work that keeps them from a deeper relationship with Him. This chapter explains what Jesus Christ did do to spread the gospel to the entire world.

God spoke to me; He told me two words which changed my life for eternity. I’d like to share those words in the form of my testimony; it will explain how I became a born-again Christian in a nano second.

After you have completed this book, you may be interested in additional Bible study materials. So, I share a short list of some teachers and materials that the Holy Spirit will use to bless you and continue to deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ.

There is a great free online resource available to give you access to the Bible in your own language.

Did you know that Jesus Christ gave people a somber warning? He said in:

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven".

If you have never heard of that warning, then you should consider it and evaluate your own beliefs. Elsewhere, the Bible clearly warns:

2 Timothy 3:5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

This book provides guidance on applying those warnings to you and your beliefs.

After you have completed this book, I have a specific prayer for your life. It is the same prayer the apostle Paul prayed for his disciples.

This book contains biblical truth which will deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ. The best part is, the more you let God’s word bless you the more it will bless you. If you incorporate the biblical truth contained within this book into your life, then the Lord God will teach you even more truth to set you free.

Nothing would make me happier than to hear that you took this content and used it to lead people to salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ and to disciple them for the Lord Jesus Christ. If that is the case, then please contact me at 42Thru.com