Contents
Introduction
Step 1: Lord Jesus, My Savior
Step 2: Forgiveness and A New Life in Lord Jesus
Step 3: Lost in Darkness
Step 4: From Darkness into Shining Light
Step 5: Prayer – Talking to God
Step 6: Prayer – What to Pray
Step 7: Holy Bible – God Speaks to Us
Step 8: God – Our, Creator
Step 9: Adam and Eve and their Sin
Step 10: God’s amazing Love for Us
Step 11: The Christmas Story – God sends His Son
Step 12: The Christmas Story – God comes to be with Us
Step 13: Lord Jesus – Miracle-working God
Step 14: Sitting at the Master’s Feet
Step 15: Lord Jesus on the Cross for our sins
Step 16: Lord Jesus – Our Risen Savior
Step 17: God, The Holy Spirit
Step 18: The Holy Spirit – Our Helper and Guide
Step 19: Heaven – Our Eternal Home
Step 20: Heaven – Going Home to God
Step 21: Satan – God’s Enemy, Our Enemy
Step 22: Lord Jesus gives us Victory over Satan
Step 23: Loving God with all of Myself
Step 24: Loving God, Hating Sin
Step 25: Worshipping God in the Church
Step 26: Church – Our Christian Family on Earth
Step 27: Lord Jesus is Coming Again!
Step 28: Salvation – Followed by Good Deeds
Step 29: Witness – I Want to Tell the World!
Step 30: A Prayer for You, My friend
Introduction to ‘First Steps with Lord Jesus’
Hello, my friend! I am full of joy that you have decided to give your heart
And life to Lord Jesus! You have an exciting journey ahead with Him!
I have followed my Lord and Savior for many years now. I have come to
know Him as my faithful God and my kind and caring Friend.
He has taught me many lessons as I sat at His feet and listened and as I went
through with Him the many life-experiences He had planned for me.
These lessons have come out of my personal relationship with the Lord.
As you take these ‘First Steps with Lord Jesus’, I want to hold your hand and let you experience the joy He has in store for you through these lessons.
So, come on! Let us go!
“Tell all the nations what God has done!
Tell them how greatly His name is honored.” Isaiah 12:4
Step 1 – Lord Jesus, My Savior
One day I said to Lord Jesus, “Lord Jesus, I accept You as my Lord and my Savior.”
I wanted Him to be the Lord of my life.
I stopped going my way. I turned around and started following Lord Jesus.
Why do I want to follow Lord Jesus?
Because I have accepted Him as my Savior. A savior is a person who saves or rescues me from something. If I am drowning and someone saves me, he is my savior.
Lord Jesus is my Savior because He has saved me from all my sins.
I sin every time I break one of the moral laws given by God. Soon I have a mountain
of sins on me – sins against God.
These sins separate me from a holy God. I cannot go to Him and my prayers will
not reach Him. God will punish me for them. What am I to do?
One day I hear the good news –
That Lord Jesus Himself came down to earth from heaven to take my punishment! That He died on the cross in my place!
I hear that He came alive again! Three days after being killed and buried,
Lord Jesus rose up alive again bodily! And He is now in heaven.
I hear that He is the Supreme Ruler of all the heavens and the earth!
Bible says: “Believe in Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” Acts 16: 31
I believe this good news of Lord Jesus with all my heart!
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, You are my Savior and my God. I worship You.”
Step 2 – Forgiveness and A New Life in Lord Jesus
I cannot imagine God Himself coming down to pay my punishment for all my sins!
I remember my sinful life – all the wrong thoughts I have ever had in my heart and
all the wrong things I have ever said and done against God’s moral laws.
They are like a heavy burden on my back! They have left a dark stain on my heart!
My heart breaks. I am so sorry for all my sins for which Lord Jesus had to die!
I repent in tears. I humbly ask Lord Jesus to forgive me all my sins.
He sees my broken heart and gladly forgives me.
Bible tells us:
“If we confess our sins, Lord Jesus is faithful and just and will forgive us our
sins and will make us pure” 1 John 1:9
Joy fills my heart. God has forgiven me! My mountain of sins is gone forever!
I am washed clean!
I am a new person! I do not want to sin any more! I want to live for Lord Jesus.
I gladly give my life to Lord Jesus.
I have a new life! I have left my old sinful life. I have turned away from all the
gods and all the material things I used to worship.
None of them can save me from my sins. Only Lord Jesus can.
Now I want to worship and follow only Lord Jesus.
He promises me that when I die I will go to heaven to live with Him forever – because my sins are gone and I am clean and pure in His sight!
Prayer: “Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me and for giving me a new life!
Step 3: Lost in Darkness without Lord Jesus
Before I came to Lord Jesus and asked Him to be the Lord of my life, I was
trying to live my own life.
I did not know what was ahead of me. I made plans, but I was not sure they
will work.
I felt as if I was in a dark forest, stumbling and trying to find my way.
There was no pathway. I did not know where I was going.
I made great plans for my life and plotted my path, only to find I was going
in the wrong direction.
Sometimes the path was smooth and I was happy my life was going well.
Then suddenly, a big problem would come. I would fall into a deep hole and
cry out, not knowing how to get out.
Or the path would get rough. I would feel weak and tired, just trying to live
day by day. Often I would fall and struggle to get up.
I had no idea where my life was taking me or how long my journey will be.
I had a lot of questions, but no answer.
Often I felt completely lost in the dark forest of my life. I thought my life was meaningless.
I often cried in despair, “Is there anyone to help me?”
Do you feel like this in your life, my Friend? Do not worry or fear.
There is someone waiting to help you. His name is Lord Jesus!
Come to Him!!
Bible tells us:
“Lord Jesus is the true Light who gives light to every person.” John 1:9
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, please take me out of the darkness I am in and bring
me into your light, I pray.”
Step 4: From Darkness into Shining Light
I was lost in the maze of life and stumbling in the darkness without hope.
One day I heard a caring, loving voice calling me. It was Lord Jesus!
He said:
“I am the Light of the world. Follow Me. You will never be in darkness.
And I will be your Guide you all your life.”
I gladly accepted His invitation. I stepped into His light. I am not afraid anymore!
He takes my hand and leads me. I just follow Him.
I do not know what my life on this earth is going to be like. But Lord Jesus knows.
He planned it just for me.
He says “I know the plans I have for you. They are good plans.”
He promises “I will never leave you or abandon you.”
I trust Him. I know I am safe in His care, even through all the problems of life.
I just take all my cares and my problems and leave them with Him.
He shows me the way through them.
You have also stepped into Lord Jesus’ light. He is holding your hand.
He is guiding you in this life. You are safe forever.
Prayer: “Thank You, Lord Jesus, You are my Light and my Guide in my life.”
Step 5: Prayer – Talking to God
You have decided to follow Lord Jesus in your life. You must be wondering
“How do I pray?”
Talking to God is called ‘Prayer’.
At the end of each of our lessons, there is a prayer to Lord Jesus.
If you said them aloud or in your heart, you are already praying to Him!
I pray to Lord Jesus in different ways:
When I want to worship Him, I find a quiet time and a quiet place.
I fall on my knees, fold my hands and bow to Him. I also close my eyes
so that my thoughts are only on Him. I can mostly pray this way only at
home or in church.
At other times, I just bow my head, close my eyes and pray.
I can also pray to Him in my heart wherever I am – at school or college,
at work, at home, while traveling or driving, even while doing work at home
or in the office – any time I remember Lord Jesus and any time I need Him or
any time I just want someone to talk to.
Just as we talk to our mom or dad or a close friend, we can talk to Lord Jesus.
He wants us to come to Him and talk to Him and tell Him all that is in our heart.
I talk to Him when I wake up in the morning. And I talk to him as I fall asleep
at night. He gives me His peace and joy.
What a great gift from God prayer is to us. He is never too far away from
us or too busy to hear us, even though He is God!
This is the assurance we have from God in the Bible:
“God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.” Psalm 66:19
Prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for being near me anytime I need
to talk to you and pray.”
Step 6: Prayer – What to Pray?
Lord Jesus taught His followers how to pray. He will teach you too, if you ask Him.
I pray a prayer of worship like this:
“Lord Jesus, I worship You. I bow before You.
You are Lord, God Almighty. You are my Savior.
I praise You. I thank You for Your amazing love for me.”
I pray and ask Him to help me know Him and His love more.
I ask him to forgive all my sins.
I also ask Him to show me how He wants me to live.
Then I talk to Him about everything in my life. I tell him about my needs and
ask Him for help. I ask Him for His guidance in all my problems.
I pray for His blessings on my family and friends and pray for their needs.
I ask Him to help me tell them about Him, how He has changed my life.
Just keep talking to Him all the time. He is near you and will always hear you.
Make time to be alone with Him for a few minutes (or even hours, as I do sometimes) everyday – just worship Him and tell Him how much you love Him.
Then just sit quietly in His presence – know that He is with you and He is so
happy that you came to spend this time with Him. Just rest in His love. You
will find His love and peace filling your heart.
Bible tells us in 1Thessalonians 5:17:
“Never stop praying. Be thankful in always, for this is God’s will for you”
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, I want to spend time with You. Please come close to
me and teach me to pray.”
Step 7: The Bible – God speaks to us
Have you had the joy of talking to God in prayer and know in your heart that
He is listening to you??
Now you are waiting for God to speak to you and answer your prayers.
God talks to us through the Bible. That is why it is called ‘The Word of God.’
Bible is the Christian’s Scripture or Holy Book because God has written it for us.
He used many people and they wrote down what God told them to write.
The Bible has two sections: The first section is called ‘The Old Testament’.
The second section is called ‘The New Testament’.
In the Old Testament we read about how God created everything in the heavens
and the earth. It also tells how God prepared the Jewish people for Lord Jesus to
be born among them.
In the New Testament the first four books – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John –
Are called the Gospels. Gospel means the Good News of Jesus Christ. They
tell us about the life and teachings of Lord Jesus.
The rest of the books in the New Testament are about His followers and how
they should live. We learn that Lord Christ’s followers are called “Christians”
and “Believers” because we believe He is our Savior.
Before reading the Bible, close your eyes, pray and ask Lord Jesus to help you
understand His words. Begin reading from the Gospels in the New Testament.
Set aside a time everyday to read God’s word and pray. As you read, you will
find His light shining in your heart to make what you are reading clear to you.
Lord Jesus wants to lead you in the way you should go in your life – That is found in the Bible.
He wants to give you promises in answer to your prayers – That is also in
the Bible.
As you read the Bible more and more you will find many treasures Lord Jesus
is waiting to give you – peace, joy, comfort, assurance, guidance, security …
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, please speak to me and teach me through Your word.
I am listening, Lord.”
Step 8: God, Our Creator
“God so loved the world…” – the Bible tells us in John 3:16
What does God tell us in the Bible about Himself and His love for us?
Genesis 1:1 is the very first verse in the Bible. It says:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
He created the sun, moon, stars and the galaxies. He created all the
mountains, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. He created all the plants,
flowers and trees, all the animals and birds and all the living things
on the earth and in the vast oceans.
He created everything and gave them to us to enjoy. When I see
all of nature’s beauty around me, I worship our Creator God
in my heart.
Then the Bible says “God created man and woman in His own image.”
We do not look like God physically. But He made our spirit/soul to be like His!
We are the most special of all God’s creations!
You and I are unique. Among all the billions of people who live in the world
right now or who have ever lived, there in no one else exactly like you or me!
Isn’t that amazing?! Each of us is very special to God!
God knows each of us by our name. In Isaiah 43:1, He says,
“I have called you by name. You are mine!”
Prayer: “Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, thank You
for creating me and for making me unique and special.”
Step 9 – Adam and Eve and their sin
The first man and woman God created were called Adam and Eve.
Their story is told in the first book of the Bible, Genesis. God made
them in His own image. Then He gave them the beautiful Garden of
Eden to live in.
Everyday, God came to walk with them and talk with them!
Can you imagine that?! Almighty God, the Creator of all the heavens
and the earth, wanted to spend time with the humans He had made!
Because they were special to Him!
Then Adam and Eve sinned. They disobeyed God. They knew they had
done wrong in God’s sight. So when God came to visit them, they ran
away and hid from Him!
That sin broke their happy relationship with God. They lost their closeness
with God. God sent them away from His presence because of their sin.
A pure and holy God cannot tolerate anything sinful to be near Him.
That was how sin entered the world. Now, all of us human beings, are
born with a desire to sin because our first parents sinned. We do wrong
things against God and sin against God all the time.
Sin and its results are terrible, as we see in our world today. These dark
sins separate us from our most Holy God. We cannot go near God, who
is holy and pure.
God tells us:
“All have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23
Prayer: “ Dear God, I’m so sorry for my sins. Please forgive me.
I want to be close to You.”
Step 10: God’s Amazing Love for Us
Adam and Eve sinned and lost their closeness to God. They had to go
away from God.
But God loves us. He never stopped loving us, even though He
hates our sins.
He knew we cannot do anything to remove our sins. And our
punishment is to be forever separated from Him.
So to save us and bring us back to Him, He sent His Son, Lord Jesus,
into this sinful world. Lord Jesus came to die for us on the cross and
take our punishment on Himself.
Can you even imagine such love from God for you and me – that He
would give His Son to save us?
God tells us in the Bible in John 1:12:
“To all who received Lord Jesus, to those who believed
in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
That includes you and me when we accepted Lord Jesus as our Savior
and obtained God’s forgiveness! God wiped out our sins. He made us
clean and accepted us as His children!
Now He welcomes us with open arms as we run to Him calling
“Abba! My Father!” He is delighted when we go to Him and talk to
Him and tell Him that we love Him.
What joy to become part of God’s family and to have God Himself as
our Heavenly Father! We have been ‘born again’ into God’s family!
God tells us in the Bible in John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but will have
eternal life.”
Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, I’m so grateful that I am Your child.
Thank You for Your amazing love for me in sending Your
Son to save me.”
Step 11: The Christmas Story – God sends His Son
The account of the birth of Lord Jesus is beautifully told in the Bible.
Hundreds of years before Lord Jesus was born, God told one of His prophets,
Isaiah, to announce to all His people:
“The virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and shall call Him ‘Immanuel’
which means ‘God with us’.” Isaiah 7:14
All through the Bible, God promised a Messiah – a Savior or Redeemer –
someone to rescue us from our sins and bring us back to God.
When the time planned by God arrived, God sent an angel to a devout Jewish
girl called Mary who was a virgin.
The angel told her:
“You will give birth to a son. He will be called the Son of the Most High God.”
So Mary became pregnant by a miracle of God. At that time, Mary was engaged
to be married to Joseph, a carpenter. God told Joseph to take Mary home to be
his wife. Joseph obeyed God.
God told them to name the baby to be born ‘JESUS’ which means ‘God saves’,
because “He will save His people from their sins.”
Then, at the time set by God, God’s own Son, Lord Jesus, who is holy and pure,
left all the glory of heaven, put on human form, came down to this earth full
of the dirt of sin and was born as a tiny baby! Just to save you and me!
Isn’t that amazing? Can we even imagine it? But He did! We will read the beautiful story of Lord Jesus’ birth in our next lesson.
Prayer: “Almighty God, thank you for your wonderful plan of salvation.
Thank You for sending Your own Son to save us.”
Step 12: The Christmas Story – God came to be with Us
When it was time for their baby to be born Mary and Joseph were in
Bethlehem, far away from their home.
There was no place for them at the inn (a place where travelers stayed).
So their baby was born in a stable for animals and was placed in a manger
(a box in which animals eat grass and hay) by His mother.
The Son of God had arrived in this sinful world for you and me! We
could not reach God because of our sins, so God came down to be with us!
All was quiet that night. Suddenly God sent an angelic choir to announce His
Son’s birth! To whom? To humble shepherds in the field!
Bible says, “The glory of the Lord shone around them.”
An angel told the shepherds:
“A Savior, who is Christ the Lord, had been born for you in a stable.”
Then the choir of angels sang:
“Glory to God on high and peace and goodwill to all people on earth.”
The shepherds hurried to see the newborn Savior and told everyone about Him.
God also placed a special star in the sky. The star guided some wise men from
the east to Lord Jesus. They came looking for a King and followed the star many days.
They found the baby with His humble parents in an ordinary house, not in
the palace of a king, as they expected. But they did not doubt!
They were filled with great joy and fell down and worshipped the baby.
Then they gave Him costly gifts fit for a King!
Christians all over the world celebrate the birthday of Lord Jesus as Christmas.
Today I wish to give King Jesus a costly gift too. I give Him my heart and my life. Will you give Him your heart and life too?
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, I thank You for coming down to this sinful world as a
baby for me!”
Step 13: Lord Jesus – Miracle-working God
Lord Jesus is thirty years old. He is leaving His home to fulfill His mission.
The reason He came into this world is to save everyone in this world.
Shall we follow our Lord as His disciples and go where He goes, hear what
He says and see what He does?
I am excited! I am sure you are excited too!
We see Him walking around the countryside, telling the people about God
and His kingdom. He says it is a spiritual kingdom, not an earthly kingdom.
He has great compassion for all the people. His heart goes out to them.
He heals the sick, the lepers, the deaf, the blind and the lame. He casts
out evil spirits. People come running to him all the time!
One day He sees a funeral – a widow woman’s only son has died. She is
weeping with sorrow. With loving care for her, He touches the body and
brings her son to life! The woman now weeps with joy!
Another day, He sees that the people who follow Him are hungry. There
are more than 5000 people! He does not want to send them away hungry.
One little boy gives Jesus his lunch. Jesus blesses it and there is enough
food for all the people and lots left over!
Now He is on a boat on the Sea of Galilee. A big storm comes up and His
disciples are terrified. He gives a command and the wind and the storm
stops immediately! Another time He walks on water on the sea when his
disciples were in the boat and comes to them.
He often forgives people’s sins as He heals them. He tells them
having their sins forgiven is even more important than physical
healing. He changes the life of every one who comes seeking Him.
A tax collector who cheated people, a woman caught in adultery, a religious
leader and many others receive forgiveness and new life from Him.
Lord Jesus proves that He is God by many, many outer and inner miracles.
I believe He is God who came down to earth. Do you believe also, my friend?
Prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus, You are a miracle working God. I humbly
thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me a new life.”
Step 14: Sitting at the Master’s feet
Are you eager to continue on our journey with our Lord and Master?
I am!! Let us go!
We have seen His many miracles. Let us now sit at His feet and listen to
Him as He teaches.
Many, many people always come to hear His messages. He tells them many
powerful truths about God and Himself.
He teaches often using stories called ‘parables’. Ordinary people understand
these truths easily.
He says, “I and my Father (God) are one” – making it clear that He is God’s
Son and He is equal with God.
He says: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father
except by Me.” – telling us clearly He is the only way to God.
He teaches them how to live God’s way – the opposite of human way.
He says:
“I forgive you. You too should forgive everyone who has offended you.”
“Love your enemies. Do good to them. Pray for them.”
“If you want to be greatest in God’s kingdom, be the least person of all.”
“I have come to serve. Be a servant, just like Me.”
“Love one another, as I have loved you.”
Our hearts are lifted as we listen to Him. We don’t want to leave His side!!
He still speaks to us and teaches us through the Bible. Let us eagerly listen to Him!
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, Thank You for teaching me how to live as Your follower.”
Step 15: Lord Jesus – On the Cross for Our Sins
“Jesus Christ” – Savior of the world! The time has come for Lord Jesus to
fulfill His mission – “He came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Timothy 1:15
He told His disciples that He was going to die. His disciples were filled with
sorrow to hear this. But He told them He will come alive again on the third day!
The religious leaders were angry with Him because He forgave peoples’ sins.
They arrested Him and accused Him of saying God was His Father. They decided
to crucify Him – nail him to a cross – a cruel punishment given to murderers.
You see, no one could have arrested Lord Jesus or crucified Him, because He was God.
But He came to earth with one purpose – to die and pay our punishment to
save us from our sins. So He did not oppose or resist anyone. He willingly went
to the cross and suffered for us.
The Son of God who lived a life without any sin, who was kind and loving,
who served everyone, who went about doing only good, was condemned to
die on a cross!
He was beaten, mocked at and humiliated. A crown made of thorns was placed
on His head. With all the torture He was very weak. He was made to carry His
own cross up a hill.
There on the hill, He was nailed to a cross by His hands and feet. He suffered
terrible pain, but He suffered in silence because He suffered for us.
As Lord Jesus hung on the cross, He bore the sins of the whole world, your
sins and my sins. He bore all our guilt, all our failures, and all our shame
on the cross.
Lord Jesus died that day on the cross. His heart-broken disciples watched as
Their Master’s body was wrapped in cloth and laid in a tomb in a garden.
But a glorious surprise awaited them on the third day!!
Prayer: “Lord, who am I that You should suffer and die for me? I fall at Your
feet and thank You for your awesome sacrifice to save a sinner like me.”
Step 16: Lord Jesus –Our Risen Savior!
The disciples of Lord Jesus had watched their Master suffer cruelly and die on
the cross. They felt lost and lonely and scared without Him.
On the third day, on Sunday, a few of them went to His grave and they got
a wonderful surprise!
An angel of God stood there at the open grave! The angel told the disciples triumphantly:
“Lord Jesus is not here! He has risen from the dead just as He said!”
The disciples’ grief turned to joy!! Their Master was alive!!
The Lord came to meet His beloved disciples the same day. He showed them the
wounds in His hands and feet. They knew without a shadow of doubt that their
Master was alive bodily! He was not just a spirit!
Lord Jesus won victory over sin and death for them and for us once for all!
Even though our bodies will die, our spirits will live on forever with the Lord!
He said: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that
whoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life.”
This is the glorious ‘Resurrection’ message from God to all of us who believe.
My friend, do you believe this wonderful promise from Lord Jesus?
On ‘Good Friday’ Christians all over the world remember the sacrifice of
Lord Jesus and His death on the cross for us.
Two days later on ‘Easter Sunday’ we joyfully celebrate the Lord’s resurrection and the promise of eternal life in heaven with Him!
Prayer: “I bow down and worship You, Lord Jesus, my living Savior and
my God. Thank You for giving me eternal life in heaven with You.”
Step 17: God, The Holy Spirit
“Who is the Holy Spirit?” you may wonder.
Just before He died, Lord Jesus told His disciples that He was going back to God,
His Father. The disciples were very sad to hear this. Their hearts were heavy
with sorrow.
He comforted them and said: “Do not be troubled in your hearts… My
Father will give you a Counselor to be with you forever…. This Counselor,
the Holy Spirit, will teach you all things.”
After He died and came alive, Lord Jesus spent forty days with His disciples
teaching them and giving them instructions. He said: “The Holy Spirit will
come to you. He will give you the power to tell the whole world about Me.”
After He said this, He went up to heaven as they watched.
On a Jewish festival day called ‘Pentecost’, many disciples had come together to
pray. Just as Lord Jesus said, all of them received the Holy Spirit that day!
The disciples had been very afraid of the people who had killed Lord Jesus and
they had been hiding. When the Holy Spirit came, He gave all of them the courage
to boldly face everyone and tell them about Lord Jesus and the salvation He gives.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. The moment we receive Lord Jesus as
our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts!
And the wonderful truth is:
Through the Holy Sprit, God, our Father, and Lord Jesus, our Savior, also live
in our hearts!
Can we be any more blessed than this?!
In the next lesson, we will learn about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Prayer: “Thank You, Father, for your gift of the Holy Spirit to be with us
always and to guide us.”
Step 18: The Holy Spirit – Our Helper and Guide
Just before Lord Jesus went to the cross, He told His disciples
“The Holy Spirit, whom my Father will send, will guide you into all truth.” John 16:13
When Lord Jesus left for heaven, the Holy Spirit came down to all the disciples.
They were filled with wisdom, courage and boldness to live for Lord Jesus and
to tell everyone about Him.
How does the Holy Spirit guide us?
When I gave my life to Lord Jesus, there was a quiet, gentle voice speaking to me in
my heart – the voice of the Holy Spirit.
He warns me when I want to do something wrong. He always points me in the right
direction towards God.
He brings my past sins to my mind and helps me repent (feel very sorry for them) and to ask God for forgiveness for every one of them.
He shows me specific Bible verses – just the ones I need for the day or for the situation for which I need guidance. He tells me how to pray and what to pray.
He teaches me God’s truths from the Bible. And they become crystal clear to me!
He opens my heart and gives me understanding.
He comforts me when I feel sick, lonely or sorrowful. And when I am too weak or
heart-broken even to cry out to God, He prays to God in my place for me!
When I want to tell everyone about Lord Jesus and what He has done for me, He gives me the courage and shows me how I can do it.
What a wonderful gift to us from God, our Father! He has not left us alone to struggle through our life on our own. He has sent us God, the Holy Spirit to be
with us always.
Prayer: “Holy Spirit, I thank You, Lord, for living in me and guiding me always.
Please help me to listen for Your soft voice and obey You always.”
Bible Lesson 19: Heaven – Our Eternal Home!
HEAVEN!
At the thought of heaven, I joyously sing a song I remember:
“Heaven is a wonderful place.
Filled with glory and grace.
I want to see my Savior’s face.
Heaven is a beautiful place!”
Heaven is a place filled with the glory of God. It is a place of splendor and
beauty! Heaven is a glorious place because God lives there. Lord Jesus called
it “My Father’s house”.
To all of us, God’s children, being in our Heavenly Father’s house with Him and
Lord Jesus will be joy beyond our imagination!
Heaven also has multitudes of angels, all worshipping God, singing His praises
and serving Him day and night. That will be a wonderfully amazing sight to see!
God says there will be no sorrow or pain in heaven! God Himself will wipe away
all our tears! After all our trials on earth, God will comfort us there.
We will also see all our loved ones who put their trust in Lord Jesus and who
have died and gone before us. What a wonderful hope we Christians have of
meeting our saved loved ones again in heaven!
Bible tells us:
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
I often imagine the scene when I go to heaven one day. Lord Jesus takes my
hand and leads me to God. As He presents me to God, He says with a glad smile:
“Father, here is Your child.” I smile joyously at my Savior as I run into my
Heavenly Father’s out-stretched arms!
I have already experienced this love and joy in my heart. One day this will be a reality! Lord Jesus is the only one who can take me to God, the Father, in heaven!
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, thank You for preparing a place for me in heaven
with You.”
Step 20: Going Home to God in Heaven
People all over the world, whatever their religion is, want to go to heaven.
They know heaven is a wonderful place!
They try many ways to get to heaven by doing good deeds – giving to charity, volunteering, helping the needy etc. They want to earn their way to heaven.
They hope that their good deeds will cancel out their sins and so God will
somehow allow them into heaven.
Others try to do all kinds of self-denials – fasting and praying, giving up many
things and even hurting themselves. They think that God will be pleased with
their devotion and will not consider their sins.
Many of these things maybe good in themselves, but they will never remove
our mountain of sins and make us fit for heaven.
God is pure and holy. He cannot allow anything unclean or impure to enter
heaven. King David, a great king in the Bible, prayed to God,
“Wash me and I shall be whiter snow.”
Praise God, the blood Lord Jesus shed on the cross for my sins has washed
away the dark stain of sin from my heart!
Now I am clean and white and pure because of Lord Jesus’ sacrifice!
God will welcome me in heaven!
No one can work at going to heaven. God gives eternal life in heaven with
Him as a FREE GIFT!
I am singing because I know for sure that my sins are forgiven and I am
on my way to my heavenly home!
Bible tells us: “Our citizenship is in heaven.” Philippians 3:20
Is your heart singing also, my friend?! Even if we don’t ever meet here on earth
I look forward to the day when we will meet in our Father’s house!
Prayer: “Thank You, Father God, for Your priceless gift of eternal life in
heaven.”
Step 21: Satan – God’s Enemy, Our Enemy
Do you ever wonder about all the evil in the world? Where it comes from
and who is behind it?
Do you hear a loud voice within you telling you to go ahead and enjoy things
you know to be wrong?
According to the Bible, Satan is behind all evil. He is God’s enemy. His main purpose is to turn all people away from God and make them disobey His laws
and sin against Him!
We hear about Satan right in the first book of the Bible, Genesis. God has given Adam and Eve a beautiful garden – The Garden of Eden – to live in and enjoy.
But God tells them not to eat the fruit of a certain tree in the middle of the garden.
“If you eat it, you will die”, He warns them.
At the first opportunity, Satan comes to tempt them – “Did God tell you not to eat this fruit? You won’t die. Go ahead and eat it.” Satan is called a ‘liar’ in the Bible.
The fruit looks delicious, as all the wrong things do. But Adam and Eve have a choice before them. To obey God or to obey Satan. God has given them a
free-will.
Sadly they choose to reject God’s command! They obey Satan instead of God.
At once, they know they are separated from God by their one sin.
And they lose everything! First they lose their fellowship with God and His closeness and friendship with them. They also lose all His care and protection
of them in the Garden of Eden.
Satan is triumphant! He now has them under his control. He binds their souls
with his chains and makes them his slaves – slaves of sin. They and all their descendants will be born sinful, obey Satan and will die without hope!
How terrible if Satan’s plan had worked completely! All of us would be sinners
following him all the way to hell. Hell is a place God has prepared for Satan and
his helpers, who are called ‘demons’ or ‘evil spirits’.
But we know how much God loves us! He did not leave us in Satan’s clutches.
Praise God! Our Redeemer came to free us from Satan’s bondage.
Prayer: “Lord God, please help us to choose to obey You and not Satan in our
lives.”
Step 22: Lord Jesus gives us victory over Satan
Yes! Praise God! Our Redeemer came to free us from Satan’s bondage!
We, who are saved, are no longer slaves to Satan.
We now belong to Lord Jesus! We are God’s children under His care!
Satan is a defeated enemy!
The Bible also calls Satan the ‘Devil’ or the ‘Ruler of this world’. He rules over the whole world and over all the people of the world.
God has allowed Satan to be free in this world for a short time. A time is coming soon when God will throw him and his demons into hell which He has prepared
for them.
Just as Adam and Eve had a choice, God gives each of us freedom to choose:
Do I want to love, obey and follow God or do I want to obey and follow Satan?
When I accepted Lord Jesus as my Savior, I stepped onto God’s side.
Satan lost me! He has now become my enemy. His one purpose in my life is to make me believe God does not love me and to turn me away from following God.
Satan is powerful. He wants to win me back at all costs! He tempts me with all
the glitter and glamour of this world. He hits me with all kinds of trials and sufferings.
But the Bible tells us:
“God, who is in you, is greater than Satan who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
So don’t be afraid of Satan. Come to Lord Jesus and be free and safe.
I want to keep close to Lord Jesus and follow Him in my life. When I do,
the Holy Spirit gives me the power to resist Satan and live for Lord Jesus everyday.
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, please keep me strong against Satan’s attacks of trials
and temptations and help me to live for You always.”
Step 23: Loving God, with all of myself
One day a man came to Lord Jesus and asked Him:
“Which is the most important command God has given us?”
Lord Jesus replied:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30
“How do I love God this way?” I wondered. Then Holy Spirit shone His light in
my heart and showed me.
God wants me to love Him with all of me! He wants my total and complete devotion! He wants me to give Him first place in my life!
I look back on all that God has done for me:
He created me in my mother’s womb and gave me life. He has given me all the blessings I enjoy in this life.
He gave His own Son to save me from my sinful ways and has given me a new life.
He has given me His Holy spirit to be with me and guide me till the end of my life.
He has promised to be with me always in all the trials and cares of this life, guide
me and take care of me.
He has prepared a home for me in heaven, to live with Him forever.
How can I not love my God who has blessed me with so much?
Then I wondered: How do I show my love for God?
Again Holy Spirit shone His light in my heart and showed me.
First and foremost, I show my love for God by hating what He hates: SIN
In the next lesson we will see what sin is according to God.
Prayer: “ Heavenly Father, please help me to love You with all of me.”
Step 24: Loving God, Hating Sin
What exactly is SIN?
Before I came to Lord Jesus, I used to think like this:
I steal a little pin – it is not a big sin like robbing a bank.
I hate somebody and I am happy when something bad happens to him.
I have not done anything to harm him.
I am not in jail like all the criminals, so I am a good person. I am not a sinner.
I do not need to ask God for forgiveness.
How wrong I was! God has given His basic laws in the Bible in Exodus 20: 3 – 17.
They are called ‘The Ten Commandments’. When I break even one of them, I sin.
Lord Jesus explained all the laws of God very simply:
“Love God with your whole heart. Love others as yourself.”
Most of my sins are against God and against other people. God knows everything that is in my heart. He not only sees what I do, He knows all my reasons also.
I cannot hide anything from Him. I cannot pretend to be a good person outside and be a different person on the inside.
I realize what a big sinner I am in God’s sight. I love my Lord. I do not want to do what He hates. I humbly ask for His forgiveness for all my sins.
I now want to live a life which will honor Him. I do not ever want to go back to my old sinful ways and bring dishonor to my Savior who gave His life for me.
Bible tells us : “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new person; the old sinful person
has gone, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Prayer: “Lord God, I give You my heart’s full devotion. Please help me not to
sin.”
Step 25: Worshipping God in the Church?
It is Sunday. I am on my way to church to worship God with other Christians.
I am so glad you decided to come with me!
Why do Christians go to church on Sundays? Lord Jesus came alive from the
grave on the first day of the week which is Sunday.
So Christians around the world gather on Sundays to worship God, praise Him
and thank Him. Sunday is set aside as ‘The Lord’s Day’ to honor and worship God.
Do you see the cross on top of the church? You may see one on most churches
and another one inside the room where we meet for worship.
Cross is a symbol of value for Christians. It reminds us that our Savior gave
His life on a cross to save us.
Let us go inside and sit quietly on a seat. We see many other Christians who have
come to church also. Let us pray quietly and prepare our hearts to worship God.
The organ music is playing beautifully. As we focus our minds on God, our hearts
are lifted up. We can feel God’s presence with us in the church.
Here is the Pastor. He is the spiritual leader of all the people of this church. He is
leading us in worship. We joyfully sing songs and hymns of praise to God and
Lord Jesus.
Pastor prays. We hear passages read from the Bible. Pastor gives us a message
and teaches us from the Bible. Then, with a blessing, the worship service is over.
We meet the other Christians after the service. We are so happy to visit with them!
They belong to God’s family just like you and me and so they are our family. They
are our Christian bothers and sisters. God is our Heavenly Father – to all of us who
have accepted His Son as our Savior.
In the Bible a great king, King David, wrote:
“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.'” Psalm 122:1
Prayer: “Almighty God, thank You for giving us a church to worship You with
other believers.”
Step 26: The Church – Our Christian Family on Earth
Shall we attend another church today? Come, let us go. We are stopping at a
house! This is not a church building! Let us go inside and see.
A few families are gathered in the living room. They welcome us warmly. The
worship begins. There is no organ here to lead us in our singing. But the praise
songs are just as sweet and come from the heart.
As in the other church, a leader leads us in prayer and Bible reading and gives
the message. After the service, we have a happy time visiting with our brothers
and sisters in this church.
You may wonder ‘what is a church?’ The church of Lord Jesus is not a building.
Each church is the people who meet together in the Lord’s name. As a family of
believers, we love and care for each other, pray and support each other and serve
each other.
Then, the Bible says, there is one church in the whole world! What does that
mean?
The Christians all over the world, who have put their faith in Lord Jesus and have
decided to follow only Him, form this church.
Lord Jesus is the ‘Head’ of this church. This church is called the ‘Body of Christ’.
He breathes His life into His church and cares for us. We are His very own.
“Christ is the Head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior.”
Ephesians 5:23
As you are reading this, wherever you maybe in the world, whatever your culture
and language maybe, you belong to the world-wide church of our Lord.
And you are my brother or sister in Christ. Isn’t this wonderful?! I love you and I
pray for you.
Are you glad you came to church with me to worship God with His family today
through this page?
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, thank You for making me a part of Your world-wide
church family.”
Step 27: Lord Jesus is Coming Again!
Lord Jesus is alive! His disciples were overjoyed! The Lord appeared to them in
person over a period of forty days and spoke to them about the kingdom of God.
Soon it was time for Him to leave them. Then as they were looking, He went up
to heaven before their eyes. A cloud hid Him from their sight.
As the disciples were looking intently up into the sky as He was going. Suddenly
two angels dressed in white stood beside them.
“Why do you stand here looking into the sky?” they said. “This same Jesus,
who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way
you have seen Him go into heaven.”
This is the wonderful promise for all of us, believers, today. Our Lord is coming again!
What does God tell us in the Bible about Lord Jesus’ second-coming?
* Only God knows the time of His coming.
* He will come in the clouds with His angels, with a shout and a trumpet sound and great
glory! And every eye will see Him!
* He will come as the King of kings and Lord of lords! He will rule the earth with justice and
goodness for all.
* He will gather all God’s children to Himself!
* He will come as a fearsome Judge of all who have not accepted Him as their Savior.
Bible calls this “the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and
Savior Jesus Christ”.
As we wait for the Lord’s coming, Lord Jesus says, “Watch and pray.”
The last book of the Bible called Revelations ends with this glorious promise from our
Lord and Savior: “Surely I am coming quickly.”
And we reply joyously: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, we eagerly wait for Your second-coming. Please help us to be ready.”
Step 28: Salvation followed by Good deeds
Let us sit quietly and think about this most precious gift of salvation and the
promise of eternal life God has so amazingly given to us freely.
Salvation – being saved – is a free gift from God! It is not a reward for our
good deeds or self-denial. There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn or give
God in exchange for His salvation.
It is an undeserved GIFT which God, in His love, has chosen to give us, sinners.
It is called GRACE in the Bible. God tells us in the Bible:
“It is by GRACE you are saved, through FAITH… not as a result of works.”
We are helpless to save ourselves. Lord Jesus saves us through our faith in him.
and gives us new life. This is the simple but wonderful truth of the Gospel!
You may start to wonder, “I have the gift of salvation. God has forgiven all my sins.
He is taking me to heaven. Why should I do any good deeds? I can do what I want!”
Can we? Let’s think about it:
When we ask Lord Jesus to forgive us, He makes us clean and new. We are born-again
into God’s family. We begin a new life like a newborn baby.
Like a baby, who is completely dependent on his mother, we depend on God to show
us how to live this new life. God has planned a whole new life for us. It is not an
empty life. It is a fulfilling life, full of good deeds we can do for Him.
All the old “pleasures” of sin have lost their appeal. In fact, we now hate them.
Even if we are tempted by Satan to go back to our old way of life, we cling to God
and He gives us the strength to say “no”.
Bible tells us: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do
good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
So, as we rejoice in our salvation and wait either for Lord Jesus to come back or to
go home to Him in heaven, let us eagerly find out all the good deeds He is calling
us to do. And do them with joy!
Prayer: “Heavenly Father, please help me not to live a meaningless,
self-centered life, but to live a life full of good deeds for You.”
Step 29: Witness – I Want to Tell the Whole World!
God is love! His love came down to us in the form of His Son, Lord Jesus!
I want to tell the whole world this joyful news!
As I look back on our lessons, I am amazed at the life God gives us when we surrender
our life to Lord Jesus and choose to follow Him:
Without Lord Jesus, I am a lost sinner. With Him, I am found, I am saved and secure!
Without Lord Jesus, my heart is stained and dark with sin. With Him, my heart is pure and clean and He lives in it.
Without Lord Jesus, I am stumbling in the dark. With Him, I am walking in the Light!
Without Lord Jesus, I do not know my way. With Him, I have a Guide who knows my Way!
Without Lord Jesus, I am dead in my sins. With Him, I am alive and have eternal life!
Without Lord Jesus, God is my stern Judge. With Him, God is my Heavenly Father!
Without Lord Jesus, I have passing friends. With Him, I have a constant Companion!
Without Lord Jesus, I am terrified in a storm. With Him, I have a safe Refuge!
Without Lord Jesus, I have no peace. With Him, I have peace in all circumstances!
Without Lord Jesus, I have momentary pleasures. With Him, I have joy everlasting.
Without Lord Jesus, I am in Satan’s hold. With Him, I am free from Satan’s bondage!
With Lord Jesus, I have a loving God, His priceless love, and all His blessings.
And I am on my way to heaven!
Then God has given me a purpose for my life. He says, “Go tell everyone what
I have done for you. I want them to know my tender love for them also.”
God’s amazing love is for everyone! “Come, Come to Lord Jesus! God will give you
a blessed life you never imagined possible!”
Prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus, please help me to tell everyone about the good news
of Your Gospel and the salvation You give us.”
Step 30: A Prayer for you, my Friend
We have walked together through these 29 basic lessons, taking our
‘First Steps with Lord Jesus’.
I hope the journey was as exciting for you as it was for me, as I took your
hand and together we followed our Lord.
I pray that He has become your dearest Lord and Savior, as
He is mine. He is also our dearest Friend.
Here is a beautiful song which describes our walk with our Lord so well:
O what a wonderful, wonderful day
O what a wonderful, wonderful day,
Day I will never forget;
After I’d wandered in darkness away,
Jesus, my Savior, I met;
O what a tender, compassionate Friend,
He met the need of my heart;
Shadows dispelling, with joy I am telling,
He made all the darkness depart.
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!
When at the cross my Savior made me whole;
My sins were washed away,
And my night was turned to day!
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!
I hope and pray this song tells of your wonderful walk with Lord Jesus also, my dear friend.
I am praying for you. May your love for our Lord and your faith in Him grow stronger day
by day. May you daily become more and more like the Savior!
“Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11
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