Have you thought about where you will live in the afterlife?  According to the Word of God, there are two possible places where each person will live for eternity: Heaven or Hell.  Heaven is where the righteous saints will live forever with God in perfect, glorified bodies (Matthew 25:34-40), and hell is the place of torment where the wicked who reject God will exist forever (Matthew 25:41-46).  Everyone that has ever been born will end up in one of these places.

This question is probably lingering in your mind: 

• How do I get to heaven? 

There is a really simple answer to this.  How would you answer this question:  

• What do you understand that it takes for someone to go to heaven?

Does it take doing enough good works?  Not according to God's Word.  God says that we cannot earn our way to heaven because we are sinful. Sin is defined as doing evil, being self-serving, or doing anything that is against God's standard.  We are all sinners and do not deserve to go to heaven (Romans 3:10-12, 3:23, 6:23).  God is holy and cannot allow sin to enter into heaven.  Our good works will never be good enough to prove to God that we deserve heaven (Galatians 2:15-16) because God is righteous and just.  Our sinful deeds also separate us from a right relationship with God.  We deserve to burn forever in hell (Romans 6:23, 13:4).  But the Bible also tells us that God loves us (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). So how then can we enter into heaven?

According to God's Word, we can only have eternal life by receiving God's forgiveness (Matthew 25:46; Luke 1:76-77; Acts 5:31, 10:43; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:13-14; Jude 7).  How do we do that?  You can receive God's full forgiveness for all your sins by believing that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, was born from a virgin, lived on earth as a man, died on a wooden cross, shed His blood as a perfect sacrifice for your sins, and that God the Father raised Him back to life after three days (Acts 10:34-43, 16:31; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). You must also confess openly that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10).

God offers eternal life as a free gift--it cannot be earned (Romans 3:21-22, 5:15-17, 6:23, 11:5-6; Galatians 2:15-16, 2:21, 3:2-3, 3:11-12; Ephesians 2:8-9). But you must first admit that you are a sinner, and realize that you are unable to attain God's perfect standard of living by your own efforts.  God loved us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to become the necessary sacrifice that would remove the guilt of sin for all who believe on and accept Him (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).  It takes more than just believing that Jesus exists; you must believe in His sacrifice and trust that your sins are forgiven because of His work alone.

When you put your faith (true belief and trust) in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you will be given eternal life (Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 John 5:10-13).  It is a life-changing experience!  The Holy Spirit of God will guide you in your daily devotion and relationship with Jesus Christ.  God wants us to stop living to please ourselves and to begin living to please and honor Him.  He will help you to put away your old worldly, selfish ways of living and live a life that is holy and pleasing to Him.  It doesn't matter if you don't know how to pray, all you need to do is believe.  God knows your every thought and desire.

Simply put, eternal life is as easy as A-B-C:

• A - Admit that you are a sinner and will never be good enough to enter heaven on your own.
• B - Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He can give you eternal life.
• C - Confess openly that Jesus is your Lord and Savior and that you believe He died for your sin and was resurrected back to life.

If you truly and deeply have received Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you are now ready for heaven.  You have become a child of God and have been born into the family and kingdom of God.  God has commanded that all believers be baptized in water which is an outward proclamation that the old life has died and is being buried, and that now there is new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  If you need help or have further questions, please contact us and we will gladly explain how you can know that you have eternal life in heaven with God.  You then should begin to seek Him daily by reading the Word of God (Bible) and praying. Also we invite you to join us at One Accord as we serve one another and also serve those in need in our community.

Please join us to hear the Word of God taught in a clear and simple manner.  If you want to know more about Jesus, God, sin, and eternal life, please read our Statement of Faith.