Begin Your Faith Journey with Jesus Christ
| On behalf of the family of The First Cathedral, I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for visiting our Website.
If you have never declared Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we invite you to do so and become a member of the "body of Christ." If you once belonged to a church and for whatever reasons left the church, we invite you to come back to your Christian roots.
As a Christian, it is essential to your spiritual growth that you fellowship with other believers (Heb. 10:25).
The only prerequisite for being a Christian is confessing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. "If you confess with your mouth, the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom. 10:9-10).
We invite you to come and share a wonderful worship experience with us in the near future. Or, if you would like to begin your faith journey, please continue reading the exciting information below. It will change your life!
Yours in Christ,
Bishop LeRoy Bailey, Jr. | |
All people have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
If you would like to begin your faith journey with Jesus Christ, we invite you to pray this prayer with us now.
Dear God , I acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe that He was born of the Virgin Mary. I believe that He died on the cross, that His blood was shed for my sins and that He arose from the dead. I confess that I have disobeyed your commandments. I ask you to forgive me for these sins. I now ask Jesus to come into my heart. Be my Savior. Be my Lord. Be my soon coming King. I will do my best to obey your teachings as recorded in the Bible. Thank you, in Jesus name. Amen.
After you have prayed this prayer find someone with whom you can share your new salvation. It is important to spend time reading the Bible. You might want to begin with the Book of John; the fourth book in the New Testament of the Bible. You'll be amazed as The Bible feeds your new spirit inside of you.
Or you can continue reading here.
Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but to save the world. From what? Jesus wants to save you from your sinful nature, from death, from yourself. You can be saved if you confess and repent of your sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
When you accept Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Savior, get "saved" or are born again" you take the first step on The Way of Salvation. Hell is the reward for people who do not believe in Jesus; Heaven is the reward for those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Repentance
Jesus came to call us to repentance for our sins. When you repent, you turn from going away from God, to going toward God where you seek to do His will and not your own.
When you repent you make a 180 degree turn. Some people say that you turn over a new leaf.
Born Again
We must be born of the Spirit and take on the Spirit or nature of God.
When we came into this world we were born of the flesh, like our parents. All people are descendants of Adam and Eve who sinned in the garden of Eden. Because of their sin we are born with the same sinful, lustful nature which desires the things of this world more than the things of God.
We are all sinners because we disobey God's laws as written in the Holy Bible. We may try to obey but within ourselves we cannot successfully obey. The spirit of Satan influences us to disobey God. When we give in to Satan and he causes us to sin, we have guilt, anger, greed, hatred, pride, jealousy and bitterness. This is often a source of unhappiness as we disappoint ourselves and hurt other people. Many times this is the root cause of depression and an unfulfilled life which escalates as we perpetuate the cycle, seeking happiness and finding none. Sin destroys us and leads to destruction in an eternal Hell.
While talking with Nicodemus, Jesus declared, ''I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" John 3:3.
Scriptures
Jesus said, " I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep." John 10:10-11. Jesus wants you to have a life of peace. Peace comes from allowing Jesus to live within our hearts. Disobedience to the Word of God destroys this peaceful, full life that Jesus provided for us. Sin separates us from the presence of God.
John 3:15-18 says, "That everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of Gods one and only Son."
The Way of Salvation
Salvation is not merely a one-time experience. It is an experience which places you on the Christian faith journey-the Way of Salvation. Accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is your first step on the trip. As you read your Bible you will grow spiritually. Find some good Christian people to associate with. Begin to attend a Bible believing church. Learn how to witness to others telling them about your new relationship with Jesus. The goal of the Christian life is not getting into Heaven; that is the reward. The goal is to continually become more like Jesus Christ and for your personal relationship with Him to grow deeper.
Heaven
This is what the Lord says,
"Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me?"
Heaven is the house of God, the angels, and those who have become children of God by accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
God, His only Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit live in Heaven, but they are present everywhere. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father.
Jesus says that, "In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of Heaven." Matthew 26:64
After Jesus was resurrected from the dead and had spent some time on earth with his disciples he went back into Heaven. "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into Heaven and he sat at the right hand of God." Mark 16:19
Jesus instructs us to pray:
"Our Father in Heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one,
for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen."
Heaven is a beautiful place!
When you got saved (or soon will!) Jesus says that, "There will be more rejoicing in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."
In fact, Heaven will be similar in many respects to earth, but so far more glorious that the earth will look dingy in comparison. Imagine a beautiful sunny day while you are taking a walk through the forest. You sigh, "It can't get any more beautiful than this," you say. Well, it can. Heaven is beautiful beyond comparison. It is much more than gold streets and gates of pearl, though those are some of the descriptive words used to describe it.
A river as clear as crystal flows from the throne of God. Heaven will be a beautiful reward for those who have responded with open arms to the love of God.
God is a good God who desires to give good gifts to his children. He wants to bless and reward. He says that, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:2-3)
When Jesus returns we look forward to Heaven and a new earth. (2 Peter 3:13)
The book of Revelations records what will happen, "Then I saw a new Heaven and a new earth, for the first Heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea." (Revelation 21:1)
Angelic Beings
The angels are glorious beings who live in Heaven. They are God's messengers, but are not God. You cannot pray to an angel. Jesus sends guardian angels to watch out for people. Many people have had the special blessing of seeing angels. Their purpose is to live and glorify God by doing whatever He desires them to do.
Because God is a God of love He has created all beings with free will. He does not want robots for servants. God created Lucifer as the most beautiful and highest ranking angel in Heaven. Lucifer means "light bearer". Lucifer coveted the praises of God and decided that he wanted to be God.
"How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, 'I will ascent to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."
Isaiah 14:12-14
By trying to elevate himself above God, Lucifer made himself a devil. His pride was a terrible sin against God. One third of the angels in Heaven joined with Lucifer; by turning from God their very characters became hellish.
Hell
Hell is the eternal tragedy. It was created for Satan, and his demons, but not for people. After sin entered the world people who are not the children of God join these evil ones in Hell when they die on earth.
"The rich man also died and was buried. In Hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side." - Luke 16:23
Hell is described as a place of never ending torment. It is for the hellish, people who do not love God. It is a place of burning fire. God loved the world so much that he gave His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world. If people are so prideful that they think that they do not need God and think that they can live by their own power, then they deceive themselves and suffer from the same sin of Pride that was the downfall of Lucifer. Jesus does not force anyone to believe in Him; we all have free choice.
Hell is isolation. People who say that they want to party in Hell with their friends do not know what they are talking about. Hell will be the loneliest place ever. In Revelation it is described as the second death, a terrible death. Hell is referred to as the place of outer darkness where the light of God does not shine. Does this sound like a fun place to party? Each person in Hell will be someone who rejected the love of God and chose darkness.
Descriptive words of Hell include torture or torment (Revelation 20:10), outer darkness (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30), weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12; 13:42; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30) and eternal fire (Matthew 18:8; 25:41; Jude 7).
Satan
Contrary to popular opinion Satan does not roam about in a red suit carrying a pitchfork. He is a very real person and active. Beelzebub, Belial , Adversary, Dragon, Serpent, Prince of this World, Prince of the Power of the Air, Accuser of the Brethren, Tempter, Fowler, Destroyer, Wolf, Thief, Father of Lies, Murderer, Sower of discord, Satan and Devil are some of the names for Lucifer, the fallen angel. These words describe his character. Satan is not to be mocked, but he is not to be worshipped. He has all of the power of an angel but none of the love or goodness.
Satan is a masterful deceiver. He is called the Father of Lies and the Old Dragon. He has been around since before the foundation of the earth. Unlike God, he cannot see all things at the same time and he cannot be everywhere at the same time. Though he is very powerful, God is more powerful. Satan has thousands of servants around the world doing his work. He prowls throughout the earth seeking someone he can destroy.
The apostle Peter warned us, "Be of Sober Spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." I Peter 5:8
John 8:44 says that "the Thief comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy. . . ." Satan hates everyone, but most of all he hates Christians. His very nature is to hate.
By dying on the cross Jesus Christ conquered Hell and Death; He defeated Satan once and for all. This means that when we die, we have the hope of eternal life in heaven. Because of the penalty of sin everyone was doomed to Hell. Jesus' death enables those who believe in Him to have eternal life. His blood redeems us from all sin. Satan thought that he had won when Jesus was crucified, but Jesus was victorious over death. Jesus was to die as the perfect sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16). It is just a matter of time before Satan will be thrown into the lake of eternal fire. Someday Satan and all unbelievers will have to bow before God and worship Him.
In Revelation 1:18, Jesus said "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."
There is only one way to escape hell! Believe upon Jesus. Confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and to cover your sins with His blood. You will not perish but will have everlasting life with Jesus in Heaven.
Demons
Demons are fallen angels who are guilty of the great sin of Pride. They are the hordes of Hell. They do all of the work for Satan. They never die; when Jesus comes back again they will be thrown into the lake of fire where they will be tormented forever. Demons can easily attach themselves to people. Generational demons like to stay in family lines. Sometimes you will see a family who suffers from some of the same problems in each generation. This is usually caused by generational spirits. Typical spirits people "inherit" are: fear of the dark, alcoholism, self pity, drug addiction, epilepsy, diabetes, rebellion, pride, fear, inadequacy, nerve conditions, stubbornness, mental illness, and many others.
Demons can possess people, cause diseases, dumbness, blindness, and deafness [Matthew 4:23,24; 9:32,33; 12:22; Mark 9:25]. They can cause lunacy, mania, and suicide [Matthew 4:23,24; 17:14-21; Mark 5:1-8; 9:20]; distribute uncleanness [Luke 4:36], spread or create lust [John 8:44; Ephesians 2:1-3; I John 2:15-17], and manifest supernatural strength [Mark 5:2-16]. They will try to get you to worship them instead of Jesus Christ [Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17; II Chronicles 1:15; Psalm 106:37; I Corinthians 10:20; Revelation 9:20]. They deceive, lie, practice witchcraft and disseminate false teachings [I Timothy 4:12; I John 4:1-6; I Kings 22:21-24; II Chronicles 33:6; I Samuel 18:8-10]. Demons oppress, are jealous, tell fortunes, steal, fight, possess men at will, travel, and imitate the departed dead [Acts 10:38; I Samuel 16:14; I Timothy 4:1; Matthew 12:43-45; 13:10; Luke 8:12; Ephesians 4:27; 5:10-13; Isaiah 8:19; Deuteronomy 18:11]. They fight against Christians, bring sickness on those who they possess, influence people, and have unbelievers on their side [Ephesians 2:1-3; 6:10-18; I Timothy 4:1-5; II Peter 2:10-12; Matthew 12:22; 17:15-18]. Thousands of them can possess a person at one time. [Mark 4:1-18; Matthew 12:43-45].
Spiritual Warfare
Every spirit regardless of its rank, including the devil, is subject to the name of Jesus Christ. You can pray firmly, "Satan, I bind you by the blood of Jesus Christ. I command you to shut your mouth, to leave, and never come back in Jesus name!"
The good news is that by the power and authority of the Blood of Jesus Christ we have the power to resist the devil. James 4:7 tells us "Submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Do you want to be free from the power of Hell in your life? Click here to pray with us.
