Read Below for an overview about who Jesus is, why He did it, and how it relates to you... 

Got questions? The Bible has all the answers you need... but since that will take several hours to read through... or weeks... the following should handle the basics.

As stated on the card, we recommend reading the Book of John for starters. We like the New King James Version for easy English translation. The original Bible passages were written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. For an online Bible, please visit www.Biblegateway.com ( <-- link takes you right to the book of John!) 
Ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you as you start to read or even just say, "Jesus, I want to know You, please help me know You." and you'll be pleasantly surprised how quick He responds!

Bible Overview:

The main focus of the entire Bible is that God made humans simply because He wanted to. He put them in a manicured garden. He gave them some care instructions for Earth and gardening... and only ONE rule to follow: DON'T eat from "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." As long as they only obeyed, they only knew the knowledge of GOOD. Once they disobeyed, they also knew the knowledge of EVIL by that act of disobedience. They brought upon themselves the curse of sin and eternal separation from the God who made them. That sin would result in spiritual death at that moment of disobedience as they were suddenly disconnected from the very source of life: God. Adam and Eve produced children in their fallen state who inherited the curse of sin and death, thereby passing that curse all the way down to those alive in 2024 (and beyond if I don't edit this next year). 
But God had a plan already worked out. He already knew that humans would fail at the obedience challenge... God didn't install a mandated "obedience" gene our DNA because True Love is a result of CHOICE, not  forced programming. God wanted True Love. He gives True Love constantly. Very often us humans choose our own meager ways and trinkets rather than acknowledging the amazing and fulfilling love of God (because it isn't tangible...) But for those who willingly choose to Love God back, it is a life changing Love that we can feel to the core of our being.

Genesis 3:15 is where God promises to send a Savior right after the "fruit incident," which we call "The Fall" or "The Curse."
The rest of the "Old Testament' was recorded by men of God called prophets whom God gave special abilities to not only hear Him talking with them, but even supernatural powers to do miracles to back up the fact God was the one telling them what to say. There's a lot of stuff written about the devil and giants and some really messed up stuff y'all just really would prefer not to read about... but you should at some point later. But the whole Old Testament is what helps us understand just how far off of being godly that we humans really are.

Well, the OT also lays out how God made some workarounds since people just couldn't help but to sin here and there. There were some 10 commandments and then about 632 other rules for being acceptable to God... while waiting for the Promised One (aka Messiah or Christ = Anointed One of God). These rules were a huge chore and the family of a man named Abraham was chosen by God to represent God to the world by following these rules. These became the Jewish or Hebrew peoples. Since those 10 commandments were given to mankind by God, Jesus Christ is the only One to ever successfully keep them all 100%. The good news is that because of Jesus' obedience, those who trust in Him are not condemned to Hell because we failed to obey 100%. Once we believe in and give our lives to Jesus, the Bible says that God "imputes" (basically it means "assigns" but in a legal way) Jesus' righteousness to us.

Let's talk about Jesus:
Jesus was God's word in human form [John 1]. I think of it like, when God the Father said, "Let there be Light..." [Genesis 1] the breath and everything that came forth from God's mouth in essence and power was the aspect of God which became the person of Jesus. Like how when we hear a beautiful singer and know them by their voice and how hearing and feeling their voice can actually change us in some mysterious way... the voice has a power and a personality even if the singer isn't in the room with us. (I may delete this later if I think about a better analogy) That voice of God actually put on human flesh and walked among us on Earth. The Bible says that Jesus who was already God also became a mortal man so He could take on the very image and likeness of the "the curse" (in God's imaginary encyclopedia, right next to the word CURSE was a photo of Adam and Eve) and then NAIL IT TO A TREE, thereby killing the representation of the curse in a spiritual way. Hey, God can make any rule He wants to and this is one He made so I'm not arguing with it! So, Jesus became the curse that was on all mankind and killed it and let its' shame be on display. That body Jesus was in fully died and was drained of 100% of the blood (this comes in to play later when you read the rest of the New Testament...). So, when Jesus came out of the grave, He took back the body that had been cursed and killed but didn't refill all that tainted blood into it. 
So, what you need to know now as you begin to read John (then just keep reading till you read through Revelation) is that God offers ANYONE who will come to Jesus in sincere faith (belief in Jesus followed by a lifestyle that they really believe He is God and Savior) not only eternal life, but relationship NOW! Not some relationship that is distant and aloof, but personal and real. The Bible says that believers are now sons and daughters of God. The same way that Jesus is The Son of God is how God now relates to all who come to God through Jesus: as sons of God. Why? because we are IN JESUS... Look for the passages referring to Jesus as The Way. It is literal. Picture yourself at the edge of a 100 mile long 100 mile deep sinkhole filled with poisonous snakes and lava... with a stampede of wild buffalo charging toward you... no way to escape... Then you see the 300 foot tall man named Jesus and He puts His super large Hand down about a foot below the edge of the rock you're standing on, in the pit. He says, "just take that step, I am The Way. My Hand will be there." It's pretty much like that. Jesus is the actual way. He doesn't tell you a way or give you the secret or empower you with some special hidden thing that gets you to the destination and safety. He IS the actual WAY. Jesus said "no one comes to the father except through Me." 

So do you get it? Jesus doesn't GRAB you with His big super powerful Hand. He will NOT make you come. You come to Him by your choice. You have to make that step. He will not force you. Now, seeing the alternative, it's an easy choice, in my opinion. But, many people do not want to recognize the truth of the state they are in spiritually. They choose to see only by their eyes or in some cases, choose to be angry with God for the fact that sinkholes or angry charging wild buffalo, or poisonous snakes exist. We all seriously question why certain evils or pain exist... for another time.

          Today, a choice stands before you. Will you choose Jesus? If you will, then just choose to believe Him. Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and that no one can meet God outside of Him. Jesus said in the famous John 3:16-17 passage that God sent Jesus to save the world because God deeply loved every human regardless of their behaviors. We were doomed to go to hell which the Bible says was created specifically for the angels that rebelled with lucifer (aka satan and the devil). But hell is only the destination for those who reject the one and only Savior who is Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus also said that being "born again" is the only way to heaven. Being born again is when a person chooses to figurately Die to their old ways of following their own agenda when they understand that Jesus is indeed truly God's Son who came to our little world to die in our place due to the fallen and corrupted state of the human race as an entirety. Jesus lived 33 years on earth without ever committing a sin. He won back the title deed of Earth from the devil who tricked Adam and Eve into surrendering Earth's authority into his hands essentially. So, for me to be born again, I first listened to or read who Jesus is and what He did and as I understood that sacrifice and in my heart, I believed that Jesus is truly God's actual Son and chose to give Him my life. I surrendered my heart and my plans to Jesus. I made the choice to turn away from the ways I was living before and start to do the things Jesus said were important in the Bible. Being born again is a split-second event and those who are truly born again have a deep knowing that "something" just changed inside... somewhere inside. It can be as simple as "I surrender" or "Jesus, I believe and give you my life" or it could be a long and tearful heart-wrenching prayer of disappointment in all one's former actions ending in a cry out for Jesus to save you. The main components are that you believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died in your place to save your soul, and that you are now choosing to live for Jesus and do your best to listen to what He instructed and apply it for the next hundred years or so of your experience on earth. Now, that being said, most of us who make that pledge after learning how to sin really well sometimes keep returning to certain sins for a while... try not to. Join a church and get some help with that! As long as you are working (not just pretending to work at it) at following what Jesus taught, God sees your heart and knows your weakness; He is not getting mad at you for trying to be "good" but failing at it. If anyone could have been actually close to "good" then God would not have had to send part of Himself down here to become the GOOD that we all could not attain to. When a person is truly remorseful over their sins which made it necessary for Jesus to have to be tortured and die for them, they prove that remorsefulness by turning away from actions that they know are against God's desire or commandments.
          If you want to read more about all of this, The Bible is all you really need and just keep asking Jesus if He is real and tell Him you want to know Him if He is. He ALWAYS answers that prayer with a YES. The Bible says that you will find Him when you search for Him with ALL your heart! He will not turn away anyone who is seeking Him. For the most extreme example of a "bad" person... Even if Adolf Hitler or any other serial killer was to turn to Jesus at any time before they breathed their last breath on Earth, and recognize Jesus as the Savior and God that He is... Jesus would accept them. A lot of people absolutely hate that fact. Especially those who have been hurt by someone committing an act of evil against them or a loved one. But, that is the simple truth of the Gospel. And read this passage for more reassurance that God will literally take anyone who wants to come to Him; Luke 14.

         For you reading this today, we are going to assume that your heart is sincere. Come to Jesus as you are. Just trust Him. If you come to Jesus, you need to know what He did and why He did it. He is not walking around in a human body all day and hasn't for around 2000 years or so now. He left witnessed behind who wrote detailed accounts and testimonies of things Jesus did and taught while on Earth. There are actually many more accounts that aren't put in the Bible for various reasons. But the ones we have in the Bible are what God determined would be essential for us who came after Jesus left would need to know Him. So, that is where we direct you and you will also learn that God sent His Spirit to live inside every person who becomes a follower of Jesus. It is God's Spirit who helps you to understand all the things written in the Bible that are spiritual matters and hard to understand.

This is just a primer for what you will read in the Bible. I highly suggest reading from John to Revelation, then Read Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Then continue through till Revelation again but the 2nd time you read through the New Testament, pay attention to the footnotes and study notes and references to Old Testament passages that relate to the verses you are reading. You can also begin reading one chapter in the Book of Proverbs each day after you've gotten into the flow of the Bible since there are 31 (covers a whole month) and repeat till you think you've gotten sufficient wisdom from the wise sayings therein. Curiosity will tell you when to start reading the Old Testament books. There's a lot of good lessons in there but please remember that the rules written in the OT were specific to the Hebrew people for that season of time. Jesus set us free from having to follow those rules even though many are still good practice (like not eating bats as food). Please do not go throw stones at people who break commandments... that is bad and no longer applicable even in Israel.

If I wrote all of the above well, you will be on your way to starting a beautiful relationship with God through Jesus, with hopefully very little religious baggage. Religion is good only till the point where a person can make their own decisions wisely. It is a good guide for avoiding issues. But, it never saved anyone. Now, we super highly recommend finding a church in your area that simply teaches the Bible. If you feel any pressure to "earn" God's approval (guilt trips to give $, evangelize daily, sell your stuff, obey a church leader in personal matters...) when you sit to learn at a church, it might be a good idea to find a different church immediately. Pastors will quite often highlight giving 10% of your income to the church which is biblical but NOT mandated by God for approval. Anything you give to God has to come from your heart, including your commitment to follow Jesus...   

            Lastly, I do want to give a caution as you begin to, as we say, "walk with Jesus." Jesus did not go through what you'll read in the Bible's crucifixion accounts just so you could do sinful things and still go to heaven. If a person suddenly gets very serious as they are in the process of dying and in that moment acknowledges the truth of Jesus and quite likely apologizes to Him on the spot... we can have pretty good assurance that the person was sincere and Jesus accepted them. But, if in that same context, the person is rescued and revived to live many more days; we have equal assurances found as we read the Bible that God will expect them to now behave in ways that look more like what they know about Jesus than they previously did. We have assurances that if they have access to the Bible, that God will move in their hearts to begin to read it, just like we've suggested on our biz card and on this website. We have assurances also that upon a person's actual and sincere moment of salvation, that God sends His spirit into the person's own spirit to make them fully ALIVE in Christ Jesus. This most often brings about several changes in the person's behavior, demeanor, and even physical body. There is usually a great relief and feeling of peace... not always depending on personalities and mental health, but usually. Now, this is where getting involved in a local church is a very good idea. By being around other former sinners who have spent time being reformed according to God's principals instead of the world's, you will find that you are in great company of people who simply try to do better at being like Jesus each day or month or year. You'll find that there are people to talk to about your questions, struggles, and even issues that are overwhelming for you. As you read the Bible for yourself and learn to understand and apply it to your life, you will find many opportunities to show God you meant your initial statement to Him that you, "believe." If you actually believe that Jesus is the Son of God, died for your sin problem, and is the righteous ruler of all things... it should come with a deep gratitude and a sense of responsibility to respond to God by reading what Jesus taught and following things He said to do or not do. It should. Again, it doesn't always so I'm here to tell you it absolutely should. Now, it is up to you to read the Bible on your own and do what Jesus said in it. Jesus said, "he who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned."- Mark 16:16. So your next steps if you have chosen to believe in Jesus and make Him the Lord (ruler) of your life... your entire life, then the next step is to go get baptized. Whoever is doing the dunking of you will basically give you the opportunity to tell the public that you've chosen to commit your life to Jesus. After that, we truly hope you get planted in a Bible teaching church where you will find new friends and a great community of people who will love you as family. 

Feel free to reach out to us by email if you have questions. 

If you need immediate help or answers to how to begin a relationship with God or if you are stuck in something and need some help to get unstuck, the following are churches we trust in the area who may be able to connect you with a live human being.... (these are just churches we already interact with regularly and are known to have accessible staff and solid teaching, there are hundreds more for sure.)

The Cross Loganville - Loganville

Antioch Outpost - Winder

Gatecity Church (24/7 prayer room open with staff) - Buford

12 Stone Church - Snellville and multiple locations

Greystone Church - Monroe & Loganville

Christ Fellowship - Dawsonville

LifePoint Community Church - Loganville/ Youth

First Baptist - Loganville

Anchor Church - Grayson

Restoration Church - Winder/Bethlehem

Newsong Church - Monroe

Hope Fellowship - Loganville

Spirit & Truth Church - Between

The Harvest Chapel - Monroe

Living Word Baptist Church - Loganville/Grayson

If you are struggling with any addictions and need help, many churches offer a "Celebrate Recovery" program which is a program with an extremely high rate of long term success compared to the typical AA program.

Furthermore... if you are in need of a miracle, The North Georgia Revival meets every Sunday in Dawsonville and can also be seen on Youtube and the ISN Network. Many people come each week from all around the world and all parts of the USA and receive healing and miracles from Jesus. The event is run and supported by a network of churches in Georgia from many denominations.