NEW
identity Saying YES to a relationship with Jesus.
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Congratulations Deciding to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior—your closest friend—is the most important decision you will ever make. All of heaven celebrates because you are now God’s kid!
YAY!
YAY!
Luke 15:10 “…there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” 1 John 5:1 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.” 1
YAY!
1 Peter 1:23 “For you have been BORN AGAIN. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living work of God.” YAY!
2 Corinthians 5:17 “…those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!”
YAY!
When you put Jesus in charge of your life, it’s like you’re born all over again. You become a new person. You’ve got a NEW IDENTITY!
YAY! 2
You might not look different on the outside, but inside you’ll change. You’ll start seeing the change by the way you act and the choices you make. You’ll want to please God because you’re thankful for what he has done for you.
Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Acts 20:21 “I have one message for (everyone)—the necessity of turning from sin and turning to God, and of faith in our Lord Jesus.” If we didn’t say “yes” to Jesus and believe in him, we wouldn’t be able to be close to God. Sin separates us from God. Sin means doing or thinking things we’re not supposed to do or think. Sin prevents us from obeying what God says. The punishment for sin is death-but don’t worry! GOD HAS A PLAN. US
GOD SIN
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GOD HAS A PLAN. Romans 6:23 (New Living Translation) “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” John 14:6 (New Living Translation) “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’” God loves people, people like you, so much that he sent his very own Son Jesus to earth. Even though Jesus was perfect and never sinned, he was sent to die and take the punishment for the sin of everyone in the whole world. Because Jesus is our friend, he willingly died so we could be forgiven and have a close relationship with God. This is a gift to us. Anyone who accepts this gift will one day live with God and Jesus forever. US
GOD
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not die, but have eternal life.”
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It’s amazing! Jesus died on a cross for our sins, but he didn’t stay dead! Three days later, He came back to life. People even saw Hhim up and walking around. They talked to Him and met with Him. And then Jesus went up to heaven to be with God, and He will come back to earth again someday! Jesus doesn’t just live in heaven, though. He also lives inside us, and watches over those who follow Him and love Him. Jesus lives in heaven AND inside your heart!
Romans 1:4 “Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit.” Galatians 2:20 “I myself no longer live, but CHRIST LIVES IN ME. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Following Jesus is a life-long adventure! You’re very special to God. He created only ONE you and He has great plans for you. He wants you to grow up knowing and loving him—and loving others! 5
YOU CAN GET TO KNOW GOD BETTER BY: ONE
Coming to church, and hanging around other people who follow Jesus.
TWO
Reading your Bible. (It’s God’s letter to you!)
THREE
Talking to God by praying, and telling or showing him in many ways how much you love him by worshipping.
2 Timothy 3:15-16 “You have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.” Ephesians 6:18 “Pray at all times and on every occasion.” John 9:31 “God is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will.”
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Being a Christ follower doesn’t mean life is going to be easy, but you will know that you can trust Jesus to always be there for you. You’ll still mess up and you’ll still sin sometimes, but when you’re sorry and ask God to forgive you, he will. Then ask him to help you not do it again. When you put Jesus in charge of your life, he’ll make it count! You’ll love him and other people like never before. You’ll even want to tell your friends about Jesus.
Ephesians 2:10 “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” 1 John 1:9 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” 2 Peter 1:7 “Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone.”
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ONE MORE THING… One last thing—Celebrate your NEW IDENTITY in Christ by getting baptized. Baptism is publicly showing that you belong to God now. The Bible teaches that after you make the decision to follow Christ, you should get dunked underwater to symbolize that you’re leaving your old life behind. Then you come up out of the water to show you have new life in Christ! Baptism also symbolizes Christ’s death and that he was raised from the dead. In the same way, we are now dead to our sin and alive in Christ. We want to celebrate with you through baptism! Talk to your parents and/or your pastor if you would like to tell people you’re God’s kid by getting baptized.
Romans 6:4 “For WE died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised by the glorious power of the Father, now we may live new lives.” 8
This book belongs to I said YES to Jesus on
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Congratulations!
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