How Did Jesus Life Change
Anonymous
Rlgn 1302
Mr. Thomas
August 6, 2013
How my life was changed through Jesus Christ Jesus is the central figure in Christianity. His life and ministry are chronicled in the four gospels in the New Testament. Jesus performed many miracles of healing and deliverance. He called 12 men to follow him and worked closely with them to train and prepare them to carry on the ministry. Jesus Christ was crucified but three days later he resurrected, appeared to his disciples in a span of 40 days. During those 40 days, he appeared to various groups of disciples, proving beyond doubt that he had been raised from the dead by the power of God. The apostle Paul later wrote that Jesus “appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of who are still living” (1 …show more content…
Corinthians 15:6).
(NIV) After the 40 days Jesus Christ ascended to heaven. Man was separated from God because of sin, but we were reconciled back to God through Jesus Christ sacrifice. The ministry of Jesus began with his baptism. The gospel of Luke 3:23 states that Jesus was about 30 years of age at the start of his ministry (NIV). As I learned of this in the book of Luke, it took me back to the day I was baptized. I was 16 years old and I knew that it was a very important step in my life. I would openly show that I believed in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. As I went underwater I was burying my old life, my old self without God, and as I rose from the water, it was a sign of my new life with God. I believe Jesus set the example for us to get baptized because he himself got baptized. Mark 16:16 states “Anyone who believes me is baptized and will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned”. (NIV) I knew that I would no longer live my life the same way. As I learned of Jesus last days in the New Testament and when I think of what he did for me at the cross it makes me sad because he suffered so much. Jesus being able to call upon angels
to save him, he didn’t, instead he gave his life for us because he loved us. His sacrifice made salvation possible for us. How can I not give my life to him after all he went through? So at 14 years of age at a youth rally at the Old Greyhound Stadium in San Benito, Texas I gave my heart to Jesus. I still remember the day very clearly, I remember hearing the pastor saying out loud that if anyone out in the stadium wanted to experience the love of God and have their name written in the book of life to step down on the field. I remember crying, although at the time, I didn’t know why, now along the years as a believer in Christ I know it was the Holy Spirit preparing me for what was going to happen. As I stood in the bleacher I struggled to go down to the field. Mentally and in my heart I wanted to rush down, but something would stop me. I kept thinking I shouldn’t go down because why would God want me? I was embarrassed and I just had so many feelings running through me. The pastor made one last call and I could no longer contain myself. I ran down the bleachers and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I experienced a moment of peace and I felt a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt very happy. In Luke 9:23-24, Jesus States “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily” and follow me”. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will receive it”. (NIV)
After receiving Jesus as my Lord and Savior my life changed. My way of living, talking and even my friendships started to change. My life at home was a very different one as well because my parents had also come to know Jesus. I loved the change in my parents; it’s as if God had given me a new set. Living my life according to the word of God was difficult in the beginning. I was a new believer and I had many questions, but along with questions I also had setbacks. Being that I was a teenager and serving the Lord in a world that is full of temptation was not easy. In the beginning when I was first saved I wanted to tell everyone and anyone about the love of Jesus, about the personal relationship we could have with him. I remember my friends laughing and saying “Wow now you’re a church freak”, church is for old people. I was hurt that my own friends would judge me like that. Although not all my friends turned out that way. Some actually came to church with me and received Christ, but I had to get away from friends who didn’t accept or believe the same things I did. I eventually made new friends at church and I began to see the difference in those friendships than the ones I had. In the church I found kind of like a support system, where I could tell my brothers and sisters to pray for me if I was going through something. Whereas my worldly friends would just say to get over it and would just want to go out and party. I got out of extracurricular activities from high school just so that I could have fellowship with my friends from church. Whether it was passing out pamphlets about the bible at a park, attending a Christian concert or simply inviting people to church, I surrounded myself with people who would help me along the way. I changed my life because I know one day I will receive my rewards. A verse that reminds me of the struggle or change I had to go through in the beginning is Romans 7:14-25 talks about the ongoing battle between our flesh and the spirit. Verse 14 states, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. Verse 15, for what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do”. (NIV) Like the Apostle Paul, I struggled in my new life in Christ. I felt that when I sinned or disobeyed that God would no longer even listen to me. I almost felt unworthy in his presence. Till this day I struggle with my flesh because I of course am human. Sometimes it does overpower me because I am not perfect but I try to be like Jesus. I try to have patience and live day by day. As I have grown in my relationship with him I now know that God may not love my sin, but he loves me. When I first received Christ I had the perception that life would be simpler for me. There were times when I questioned if God was even with me when I had problems, but I learned about the narrow road. Mark 7:13-14 states “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go by in it. “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it”.(NIV) In that text lays the word difficult and at times the struggles we go through feel just like that. Not only did God choose me, but I had an open heart and was willing to follow God. I chose to take the narrow road and it’s not easy, but God has made us a promise. Hebrew 13:5-6 states “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me? (NIV) These verses make me think how can it be that even though I fail time after time, God still remains by my side. I am glad God is not like man who remembers all my faults. He is with me even in the times I think he is not. They say God does his best work in silence and I believe it. I am overjoyed that although our world is heading towards destruction I am happy and confident that if I were to die I would go to Heaven with Jesus. I am at peace knowing that no matter what I am going through God will always be by my side. I can’t say that sometimes I don’t get anxious because I do. Sometimes things have happened in my life where I question God as to why he didn’t answer my prayer or why he didn’t give me what I asked. Following Jesus is not easy, but I know one day I will get my rewards in Heaven. God has a time for everything and only he knows why he does what he does and why sometimes he may not give us what we think we need. I face struggles everyday but compared to who I was before Jesus, I now have the knowledge and comfort that God will always pull me through. He will never give me a trial that I can’t surpass. He knows me very well; he even knows what I’ll say even before I pray. He knows all my thoughts so there’s nothing I can hide form him. Through my years as a believer I’ve learned many things. Jesus teachings and commandments have shaped how I live my life; I try to live a life that will be pleasant to God. His teachings even helped when it came to choosing my partner for life. I was able to share with my husband about God and he received Jesus as his personal savior. Now he and I serve the Lord together and he thanks me for sharing the good news with him. I tell him to thank God that crossed our paths. But Out of all the wonderful promises and stories in his word one thing that sticks to me is God’s unconditional love. Romans 8:37-39 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor present nor to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is Christ Jesus our Lord”. It is amazing and great to know that there is nothing in this world who will separate me from his love. I am thankful for being able to take a course where I could get a better understanding of his word. This class reaffirmed and reminded me of all the promises that God has for my life. I learned new things I didn’t know about the New Testament and I can now share that knowledge with other people. Before picking which school to continue my studies at the University Center, I asked for God’s will and guidance. I researched a criminology program for the University of Kingsville and it ultimately did not work out for me. I wanted to come back to school desperately, first my job hours were preventing me, but I had found a new job that would allow me to come to school in the evenings. I looked at Wayland and saw they offered a program of my interest. I met with an advisor and was told I would take two religion courses over the bible. The advisor asked if that would be a problem for me to which I replied a no. I was happy that I not only found a school on time but it was a school that promoted and encouraged the Christian faith. I am glad to have been able to take this course with a wonderful instructor who is full of knowledge of the word of God and always ready to answer our questions. This course has been a great blessing for my life because there were days, in which the material that was discussed in class helped me through the tough times I was going through. I am eager to learn more about the bible so that I may apply it to my life and share it with people.
Work Cited
New International Version Bible
Rlgn 1302
Mr. Thomas
August 6, 2013
How my life was changed through Jesus Christ Jesus is the central figure in Christianity. His life and ministry are chronicled in the four gospels in the New Testament. Jesus performed many miracles of healing and deliverance. He called 12 men to follow him and worked closely with them to train and prepare them to carry on the ministry. Jesus Christ was crucified but three days later he resurrected, appeared to his disciples in a span of 40 days. During those 40 days, he appeared to various groups of disciples, proving beyond doubt that he had been raised from the dead by the power of God. The apostle Paul later wrote that Jesus “appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of who are still living” (1 …show more content…
Corinthians 15:6).
(NIV) After the 40 days Jesus Christ ascended to heaven. Man was separated from God because of sin, but we were reconciled back to God through Jesus Christ sacrifice. The ministry of Jesus began with his baptism. The gospel of Luke 3:23 states that Jesus was about 30 years of age at the start of his ministry (NIV). As I learned of this in the book of Luke, it took me back to the day I was baptized. I was 16 years old and I knew that it was a very important step in my life. I would openly show that I believed in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. As I went underwater I was burying my old life, my old self without God, and as I rose from the water, it was a sign of my new life with God. I believe Jesus set the example for us to get baptized because he himself got baptized. Mark 16:16 states “Anyone who believes me is baptized and will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned”. (NIV) I knew that I would no longer live my life the same way. As I learned of Jesus last days in the New Testament and when I think of what he did for me at the cross it makes me sad because he suffered so much. Jesus being able to call upon angels
to save him, he didn’t, instead he gave his life for us because he loved us. His sacrifice made salvation possible for us. How can I not give my life to him after all he went through? So at 14 years of age at a youth rally at the Old Greyhound Stadium in San Benito, Texas I gave my heart to Jesus. I still remember the day very clearly, I remember hearing the pastor saying out loud that if anyone out in the stadium wanted to experience the love of God and have their name written in the book of life to step down on the field. I remember crying, although at the time, I didn’t know why, now along the years as a believer in Christ I know it was the Holy Spirit preparing me for what was going to happen. As I stood in the bleacher I struggled to go down to the field. Mentally and in my heart I wanted to rush down, but something would stop me. I kept thinking I shouldn’t go down because why would God want me? I was embarrassed and I just had so many feelings running through me. The pastor made one last call and I could no longer contain myself. I ran down the bleachers and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I experienced a moment of peace and I felt a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt very happy. In Luke 9:23-24, Jesus States “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily” and follow me”. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will receive it”. (NIV)
After receiving Jesus as my Lord and Savior my life changed. My way of living, talking and even my friendships started to change. My life at home was a very different one as well because my parents had also come to know Jesus. I loved the change in my parents; it’s as if God had given me a new set. Living my life according to the word of God was difficult in the beginning. I was a new believer and I had many questions, but along with questions I also had setbacks. Being that I was a teenager and serving the Lord in a world that is full of temptation was not easy. In the beginning when I was first saved I wanted to tell everyone and anyone about the love of Jesus, about the personal relationship we could have with him. I remember my friends laughing and saying “Wow now you’re a church freak”, church is for old people. I was hurt that my own friends would judge me like that. Although not all my friends turned out that way. Some actually came to church with me and received Christ, but I had to get away from friends who didn’t accept or believe the same things I did. I eventually made new friends at church and I began to see the difference in those friendships than the ones I had. In the church I found kind of like a support system, where I could tell my brothers and sisters to pray for me if I was going through something. Whereas my worldly friends would just say to get over it and would just want to go out and party. I got out of extracurricular activities from high school just so that I could have fellowship with my friends from church. Whether it was passing out pamphlets about the bible at a park, attending a Christian concert or simply inviting people to church, I surrounded myself with people who would help me along the way. I changed my life because I know one day I will receive my rewards. A verse that reminds me of the struggle or change I had to go through in the beginning is Romans 7:14-25 talks about the ongoing battle between our flesh and the spirit. Verse 14 states, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. Verse 15, for what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do”. (NIV) Like the Apostle Paul, I struggled in my new life in Christ. I felt that when I sinned or disobeyed that God would no longer even listen to me. I almost felt unworthy in his presence. Till this day I struggle with my flesh because I of course am human. Sometimes it does overpower me because I am not perfect but I try to be like Jesus. I try to have patience and live day by day. As I have grown in my relationship with him I now know that God may not love my sin, but he loves me. When I first received Christ I had the perception that life would be simpler for me. There were times when I questioned if God was even with me when I had problems, but I learned about the narrow road. Mark 7:13-14 states “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go by in it. “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it”.(NIV) In that text lays the word difficult and at times the struggles we go through feel just like that. Not only did God choose me, but I had an open heart and was willing to follow God. I chose to take the narrow road and it’s not easy, but God has made us a promise. Hebrew 13:5-6 states “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me? (NIV) These verses make me think how can it be that even though I fail time after time, God still remains by my side. I am glad God is not like man who remembers all my faults. He is with me even in the times I think he is not. They say God does his best work in silence and I believe it. I am overjoyed that although our world is heading towards destruction I am happy and confident that if I were to die I would go to Heaven with Jesus. I am at peace knowing that no matter what I am going through God will always be by my side. I can’t say that sometimes I don’t get anxious because I do. Sometimes things have happened in my life where I question God as to why he didn’t answer my prayer or why he didn’t give me what I asked. Following Jesus is not easy, but I know one day I will get my rewards in Heaven. God has a time for everything and only he knows why he does what he does and why sometimes he may not give us what we think we need. I face struggles everyday but compared to who I was before Jesus, I now have the knowledge and comfort that God will always pull me through. He will never give me a trial that I can’t surpass. He knows me very well; he even knows what I’ll say even before I pray. He knows all my thoughts so there’s nothing I can hide form him. Through my years as a believer I’ve learned many things. Jesus teachings and commandments have shaped how I live my life; I try to live a life that will be pleasant to God. His teachings even helped when it came to choosing my partner for life. I was able to share with my husband about God and he received Jesus as his personal savior. Now he and I serve the Lord together and he thanks me for sharing the good news with him. I tell him to thank God that crossed our paths. But Out of all the wonderful promises and stories in his word one thing that sticks to me is God’s unconditional love. Romans 8:37-39 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor present nor to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is Christ Jesus our Lord”. It is amazing and great to know that there is nothing in this world who will separate me from his love. I am thankful for being able to take a course where I could get a better understanding of his word. This class reaffirmed and reminded me of all the promises that God has for my life. I learned new things I didn’t know about the New Testament and I can now share that knowledge with other people. Before picking which school to continue my studies at the University Center, I asked for God’s will and guidance. I researched a criminology program for the University of Kingsville and it ultimately did not work out for me. I wanted to come back to school desperately, first my job hours were preventing me, but I had found a new job that would allow me to come to school in the evenings. I looked at Wayland and saw they offered a program of my interest. I met with an advisor and was told I would take two religion courses over the bible. The advisor asked if that would be a problem for me to which I replied a no. I was happy that I not only found a school on time but it was a school that promoted and encouraged the Christian faith. I am glad to have been able to take this course with a wonderful instructor who is full of knowledge of the word of God and always ready to answer our questions. This course has been a great blessing for my life because there were days, in which the material that was discussed in class helped me through the tough times I was going through. I am eager to learn more about the bible so that I may apply it to my life and share it with people.
Work Cited
New International Version Bible