Focus on the Family

Bible.org
(This is a great site to learn more about the bible)

Air 1 (Christian Rock)
Christianbook.com

Prayer Request

Relationship With Christ

Share Your Story

Questions & Comments
Below↓

Becoming part of the spiritual family called the church is first of all dependent on what we believe about Jesus Christ. Jesus saw that issue as the cornerstone upon which all other issues are built.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he began asking His disciples, saying, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." He said to them, "but who do you say I am?" And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, The Son of the living God." and Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build MY Church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it." (Matthew 16:13-18)
The church is built upon the common confession that Jesus is the Christ. He is the Son of the Living God, our personal Savior and the rightful ruler of our lives. Apart from that confession we have no spiritual ties which can draw and keep us together as a family. We are a family because we all have the same Heavenly Father and we enter God's family through a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus. Therefore, all family membership begins as a relationship with
Jesus Christ. Only Christians can be true members of the church family!

Am I a Member of Jesus Christ's Family?
There are many people who believe in God and may even have a correct idea of who Jesus is; yet they are uncertain whether or not they are Christians. They have no "real sense" of a personal relationship with Jesus even though they have received much confusing information over the years concerning what a Christian really is. Let's consider what it means to have a relationship with Jesus and how we can be certain about the commitment we make.
A. Do you recognize the basic facts of life? Just as there are facts of life or laws in the physical world (gravity, mathematic theorems, cause and effect realities) there are spiritual facts of life as well. No one ever kept a satellite in orbit by ignoring the reality of gravity and no one ever found spiritual satisfaction by ignoring these basic spiritual laws.

Fact 1: God loves us! His plan is for our good. Sometimes people get the idea that serving God is the same as giving up all the good things life offers. It is as if God is only happy if we are miserable. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Bible says that God desires our lives to be full of joy and abundance. The thief attempts to take from us; Jesus came to give (John 10:10) and every gift that He gives is perfect and good (James 1:16-18).

Fact 2: It is natural for us to reject God's good gifts because we would rather do things on our own and have things our own way. Isaiah 53:6 describes us as sheep that have forsaken the shepherd and have turned to our own way. Sheep need a shepherd and without one they will eventually wind up lost and will fall prey to any number of destructive enemies and influences. Every person is guilty of making choices independent of what God wants for his or her life (Romans 3:23). The Bible calls such self-centeredness and proud independence sin.