Hi friend and welcome. My name is Rod Kemp. This is my website RealHopeHere.com and I am an Evangelist (one who shares the Good News of Salvation in Jesus Christ) with Christ For All Nations - Evangelism Alliance (cfan.org). You are likely seeing this site because we met in public- likely at a park or on the streets, and that meeting was NO ACCIDENT- it was a DEVINE APPOINTMENT! Then I (or a friend) discussed with you the GOOD NEWS about Jesus. This site is NOT ENTERTAINMENT- it is literally a matter of eternal LIFE AND DEATH! The Bible says, "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses ... that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live". (Bible, Deuteronomy ch.30 verse 19)
Please review all the information in this site as it is all very important and it will be well worth the few minutes it takes. NOTHING IN ALL OF LIFE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GOD'S MESSAGE BELOW BECAUSE THE ETERNAL FUTURE OF YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES DEPEND UPON IT! This is not just my personal opinion- it is what the Bible clearly teaches and millions of Christians believe. I am not asking you to just believe me, but to believe God's Word- the Bible- and to believe what Jesus himself and his 12 Apostles said. (Bible references included below)
Here is the GOOD NEWS!
1. YOU can have Eternal Life in heaven later- and so much more on earth now too! ...
GOD LOVES YOU- and He wants to bless and HELP YOU in all areas of life, such as:
Family and relationships
Finances
Health
Much more!
And the best part is- you can KNOW YOU ARE SAVED FROM JUDGEMENT AND GOING TO HEAVEN WHEN YOU DIE-
you can have ETERNAL LIFE!
Here is how it can happen for YOU TODAY! Next ....
2. We are ALL sinners ...
Do you think you are "a good person" so you don't need God's forgiveness? Think again! The Bible- God's Word- says that EVERY person is a SINNER- we ALL fall short:
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans ch. 3 verse 23)
“There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10-12)
Are you perfect? Without any types of faults? You may be "good" by some standards of man, but God's standard of holiness is PERFECTION. It is not good enough to just be better than other people. The Ten Commandments given by God in the Bible (Exodus 20:3-17) includes things like, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain", "You shall not murder", "You shall not commit adultery", "You shall not steal", "You shall not covet" and more. Think you are "a good person" because you never murdered anyone? Jesus said that if you are ever angry at anyone He counts that as murder in your heart. Think you never committed adultery? Jesus said that if you ever lusted after someone sexually that He counts that as committing adultery in your heart. Get the idea? There is no such thing as "a good person" by God's standards of holiness. The Bible clearly teaches us that Jesus was the only person on earth who ever lived a perfect life. This is why Jesus is the only one in history that was qualified to die as a sacrifice to pay the price for our sins. He was the sinless lamb of God, offered on the cross to pay for your sins.
Likewise, we can never become good enough to earn our way to Heaven. This is the great error of most religions in the world- they amount to trying to be good enough themselves. But, as we saw, we can never be good enough- because God's standard if perfection. This is why we can only be saved by GRACE through FAITH in what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross for our sins. This is the only true gospel, clearly taught in the Bible.
Are you thinking, "but I thought that being a Christian means being a good person- and if we are saved by faith does that mean I can continue to willingly sin?" The Bible clearly teaches that, yes, we are to be "good", but that it is not to earn our way to heaven- rather it is our response to God's love for us- and our love for Him in return. Jesus said, "If you love me you will keep my commands". So, obedience is our way of showing God we love Him- not our way of earning our way to Heaven.
3. God's just penalty for our sin is DEATH ...
God is perfect and so His penalty is JUST. He is a loving God, but if He did not judge sin then He would not be Just.
"For the wages of sin is death ... (Romans ch. 6 verse 23)
This "death" is not just physical death, but eternal separation from God in a real Hell. Jesus spoke many times of a real Hell where people will suffer eternal torment. God does not want to send anyone to Hell and so that is why He provided the ONE AND ONLY WAY we MUST BE SAVED.
4. God sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay the price for our sins ...
Because God loves each of us, He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ from Heaven to be born as a man on the earth. Jesus lived a perfect life- the only one who has been perfect. And He chose to willingly die on the cross to take the penalty for our sins. No one else could do that because no one else is perfect. This is the heart of the gospel. "Gospel" means "good news". Because God is just and holy, He must deal with sin justly- and that demands death. The only question is- WHO WILL PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR SINS? WILL YOU, and therefore go to an eternity in Hell? Or will you accept the free gift of God and personally trust that Jesus has paid for your sins on the cross?
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." (John ch. 3 verses 16-18)
5. What shall I do then? ...
Jesus said, “no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John ch. 3 verse 3) So how can we be Born Again?
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John ch. 14 verse 6)
Speaking of Jesus, Peter said, " Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts ch. 4 verse 12)
Peter said, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts ch. 2 verse 38)
Paul said, "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved" and "the Lord richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans ch. 10 verses 9-13)
6. In summary, you must do this to be SAVED ...
Admit you are a sinner (and that God's judgement of sinners is Just)
Be willing to REPENT from your sins (This means being willing and serious about changing. But God will help you do this, no matter how hard it seems, if you ask Him to.)
Simply BELIEVE that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and ACCEPT HIM as Lord of your life. (Salvation is 100% "by FAITH through GRACE". There is nothing we can do to be good enough ourselves or to earn it. You must personally ask Him to forgive you and and to come into your life. Jesus says, "behold, I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock". Will you let Him in? It is a clear choice- you must decide "yes" or "no".)
Don't put it off! The Bible says, "TODAY is the day of salvation" and "TODAY, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (You could die any time without Jesus- you may never have this chance again. Why wait?)
To close the deal now- there are no magic words. Just say a simple prayer to God like this if you mean it: "Dear God, I want to be Born Again. I admit that I am a sinner. I am sorry and repent (turn) from my sins, with your help. Please help me do that. I believe Jesus lived a perfect life and died on the cross for my sins and then He rose from the dead as the Bible says. I personally accept Him, I call upon Him right now as my Lord and Savior."
Congratulations! Welcome to the family of God! The Bible says that if you did that then you can KNOW that you are saved as of now! "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John ch. 5 verses 11-13)
This is just the beginning of a whole new life! So it is VITAL that you continue to the next steps to be sure your new life with Jesus will be as He intends it for you. Continue to next steps ...
Now that I am Born Again, what should I do next? (important)
Be assured of your Salvation ... you can know 100% that you ARE SAVED ...
We do NOT go by our FEELINGS (sometimes you may feel saved and other times you may not), but we go by the BIBLE (God's Word to us), which has many PROMISES that we can (and should) be SURE of our Salvation. Here are some of those promises:
John 5:24: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”
John 10:28-29: “And I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
1 John 5:13: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 10:9: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Read the Bible daily- and obey what it says ...
The Bible is God's written Word to us- it is our spiritual food- so it is vital that we read it daily.
You can start with an online Bible, such as blueletterbible.com or biblegateway.com, or a Bible app for your phone also. But you should buy a printed Bible asap. There are many types of Bibles and translations, but for new Christians (or those considering it) I recommend starting with NIV (New International Version) or NLT (New Living Translation). Ideally, I highly recommend getting "The New Believer's Bible- New Testament" (you don't need the whole Bible to start, just the New Testament for now) offered very inexpensively (about $8) here: https://store.harvest.org/product/new-believers-bible-new-testament
I recommend you do NOT start at the beginning (Genesis in the Old Testament) but start with the gospel of John in the New Testament.
Read through the book of John slowly and ask God to help you understand it. He will highlight the important points for you in the beginning. Don't try to understand everything in the beginning- you will have your whole life to study it. John is one of the four gospels that tell us about the life and death of Jesus.
After John, I suggest going on into the next book- Acts. Acts is the continuation from where the gospels leave off. It is the early church history- what happened after Jesus died and rose again. It is very exciting!
Continue reading the rest of the New Testament (its not too long), and then circle back to read the other three gospels- Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Next you are ready to start reading some of the Old Testament. But it is very long and as a new believer it is best to spend most of your time in the New Testament. So you can maybe read all of Genesis in the Old Testament, then go back and start through the New Testament again. Then go back and read some of OT but be mostly in NT in the beginning.
It is very important to hear God speak to you through His Word, and to DO what it says, not just gather information. We are not saved by being good, but obedience is very important. We obey Him because we love Him.
Pray daily ...
Prayer is how we "talk" with God. I say "with" and not "to", because it should be a two-way conversation.
It can be with your voice, but usually we pray internally- but God hears it. Just speak with God internally. Speak with Him like a simple child- you are His child now.
Develop a close, personal relationship with Him. Ask Him to make Himself real to you- and He will.
Ask Him to help guide your Bible reading so you will understand it better, and to help you grow as a new Christian.
Find a good church and attend regularly ...
"Church" is not really a building, but it is all of the Believers in the whole world. But we meet together in local churches.
Usually it will be in a building but it does not need to be. The early church met in homes, and some still do. Or it can be outside.
The important thing is to meet with other Christians regularly. We call this "fellowship". Most churches meet weekly on Sundays.
It is very important to find a "good" church.
What is a "good" church?:
Bases its beliefs and practices on the Bible and only the Bible
Is conservative, not liberal (liberal so-called intellectualism rejects the most important parts of the Bible)
Is protestant, not Catholic (Catholicism teaches man's traditions, which clearly contradict the Bible.)
Is Evangelical (the gospel of salvation by grace through faith, as was presented to you here- not by works)
Believes and practices the present and full work of the Holy Spirit today. (Some do not believe the Holy Spirit is active now in the ways He was in the Bible. These are known as "Cessationists". We know that the Holy Spirit is still active today as He was in the Bible- and this is vital! This includes important things such as: miracles, healing and spiritual gifts. Do not be tempted to limit God as some do. Do not be afraid of the Holy Spirit. Use the Bible as your Guide.)
*Ask God to help you find the right church for you.
Recommended good church- if you live in the Grand Junction CO area:
Fellowship Church, www.fellowshipgj.com, 765 24 Road, Grand Junction, CO 81505, (970) 245-7729, Sun services at 9:00 and 11:00AM.
*Be sure to let your new church know that you are a very new Christian and that you are asking for help ot get started in your new faith.
You may also contact me directly for help. See below.
What about all those other benefits I mentioned? ...
The most important benefit of becoming a Born Again Christian is that you are Saved from God's judgement (Hell) and have eternal life- will spend eternity with God and other believers when you die.
But that is just the beginning. God wants to bless and help you in many ways- health, finances, school, career, relationships and much more.
The Bible has hundreds of promises that God makes to us- that He wants us to take advantage of by Faith.
The Bible teaches clearly on these and many other subjects (i.e. marriage) so that we know how He intends us to live- and so we are blessed when we follow His plans.
We can, and should, ask God to help us with any needs we have. He wants us to do that.
You are now a child of God- the Creator of the universe, the King of all Kings, and He wants to bless you. Hint: obedience is key, but even when we fail, we ask for forgiveness and He does forgive:
" This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us." (1 John ch.1 verses 5-10)
Please do CONTACT me ...
My name is Rod Kemp (pics below). This is my website RealHopeHere.com and I am an Evangelist with Christ For All Nations - Evangelism Alliance (cfan.org). I would be very happy to assist you with being Born Again/Saved, to pray with you, to help you get started in your walk with God and to assist in finding a good church for you. When you are ready I would be happy to bring you with me to church.
Even if you don't feel that you need more help, I would be thrilled if you would just send an email letting me know of your decision to surrender to Jesus as your Savior and Lord and that you are doing well in your new Christian life. That would be a great encouragement to me so I know this effort is bearing fruit.
Here is my email address and I look forward to hearing from you!
