FamilyLife Australia

Growing Spiritually

Building a healthy marriage and family is difficult in our culture. You may be experiencing a longing for peace in your home, or you may have experienced the hurt of a broken family in the past. Perhaps that's the reason you decided to visit our website, looking for answers on how to fix the problems.

We offer many good resources for your marriage and family, but none of them will help you completely if one essential issue is not resolved in your life—your relationship with God.

The good news is that God is not far away from you and you can get to know Him. Who is the real God? Who is Jesus?

Jesus has been depicted in many ways...do you want know the real deal about Him?

Please click this image to find out: 

"We can trace all of our human problems to our view of God". - Dr. Bill Bright

1. God loves you and created you to know Him personally.

God's Love

"God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

God's Plan

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3, NIV). What prevents us from knowing God personally?

2. Man is sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love.

Man is Sinful

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his own stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

Man is Separated

"The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23). "...(Those) who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus...will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord..." (2 Thessalonians 1:8,9)

This diagram illustrates that God is holy and man is sinful. A great gulf separates the two. The arrows illustrate that man is continually trying to reach God and establish the personal relationship with Him through his own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion - but he inevitably fails. The third principle explains the only way to bridge this gulf...

 

3. Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience God's love.

He Died in Our Place

"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

He Rose From the Dead

"Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).

He is the Only Way to God

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6).

This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf that separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

It is not enough just to know these truths...

4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love.

We Must Receive Christ

"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12)

We Receive Christ Through Faith

"By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth (Read John 3:1-8.)

We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation

[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20).

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will.

 

These two circles represent two kinds of lives:

Which circle best represents your life? Which circle would you like to have represent your life?

The following explains how you can receive Christ: You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through Prayer (Prayer is talking with God)

God knows your heart and is not as concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Saviour and Lord. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."

 

Did you pray this prayer?

We would love to talk with you personally about your step to becoming a Christian. There are several ways to get in touch with us:

• e-mail us: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Write us: FamilyLife, P.O. Box 565, Mulgrave, VIC 3170

 

Exploring Christianity

 

Jesus Fact or Fiction DVD $14.95 Have you ever had questions about faith you couldn’t find answers for? Or has anyone ever asked you a question about your faith that left you speechless? Now this innovative new DVD can help. Explore responses to over 50 of life’s toughest questions from experts such as Darrell Bock, William Dembski, Gary Habermas, Pamela Ewen, Paul Maier, Josh McDowell, Lee Strobel and Ravi Zacharias. Also, watch the classic "JESUS" film with fascinating new audio commentary and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. A unique "Discovery Glass" feature enables you to gain insight from experts while you watch the film

More than a Carpenter Revised $12.95 Josh McDowell thought Christians must be out of their minds. He put them down. He argued against their faith. But eventually he saw that his arguments couldn’t stand up. Jesus Christ really was God in human flesh. Josh became a speaker on university campuses, challenging people who were just as skeptical as he had been. In More Than a Carpenter, Josh focuses on the person who changed his life—Jesus Christ. It is a hard-hitting book for people who are skeptical about Jesus’ deity, his resurrection, and his claims on their lives.

 

Growing as a Christian

5 Steps Christian Growth $8.00 When one begins their new life in Christ, they want the security of knowing they have total forgiveness. This 5 lesson bible study helps new believers discover five cornerstones of faith: · assurance of salvation, steps of growing, understanding Gods love, experiencing God’s forgiveness, and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

Discover God Curriculum $14.95 We can trace all of our human problems to our view of God...! Do you need hope, peace or joy? Are you still imprisoned by that same addiction? Are you unable to forgive? Do you feel insignificant? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you don’t know who God really is. Too often we acknowledge God, but then live our lives as though He does not really exist. We miss out on the adventure God offers because we do not understand who God really is and why it matters. Six attributes of God are explored: Discover that God is: All-Powerful, Holy, Love, Ever-Present, Merciful and Absolute Truth. Based on Dr Bill Brights classic book Discover God these six interactive sessions introduce you to the God of the Bible in a way you have never experienced before. As your view of God changes, your life will be transformed. That’s a promise.