We know that the gospel is a free gift. We have to receive the gift just like any other. As Paul shows us in Acts 16:31 we must believe. As the study tells us, "Believe means more that just acknowledging facts. Believe means 'to rest you whole weight upon.'" We must believe that Jesus finished the work of salvation on the cross and all our hopes of heaven rest only in Him. That is what it means to 'believe on the Lord Jesus.'
Repentance is the act of changing your mind. The change in your mind is about who is in charge of your life. It is not a change in our mind that we will do better, or we will do less of the things we use to do. This change is a surrendering of control in every area of your life. Before your accepted Jesus as your savior, who believed your were in control of your life. Now through repentance, we surrender that control to God.
As a Christian, we recognize that we could never earn the title. We are accepted by God only because of what Jesus did not for anything we have done or could do. We are humbled when we understand how little we deserve God's grace and his mercy.
The study explains that the gospel isn't just a diving board--but it's the pool. Once we invite Jesus into our heart, He wants us to abide in Him. The study further explains that abiding in Christ means knowing that there is nothing that we can do to make God love us more and nothing we've done that makes Him love us less.
When we accept the gospel and invite Jesus into our hearts, we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit marks us as God's own. We need the Holy Spirit to help accomplish the task of sharing the gospel with the world. As the study tells us, 'Sharing the gospel is the natural expression of our relationship with God.'
More Session 1 Reflections
1. In what areas of your life do you want to experience more of the Holy Spirit's power?
2. How is the Holy Spirit changing how you think, what you value and the way you live?
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