Billy Graham's the Reason for My HopeSample

We Believe

True Christianity is not religion. True Christianity is faith in Christ alone.

Just because people claim to be Christian does not necessarily mean that they are Christian. Christianity is not something you add to your life. Becoming a Christian means that Jesus Christ comes into your life and takes over. It is a new outlook that is not satisfied with anything less than penetration into the furthest corners of the soul and understanding.

Christianity is not a spectator sport—buying a ticket and sitting on the sidelines. Becoming a Christian means no longer living for yourself but for God in obedience to Him. You must leave the old life behind and step into a new way of living, where Christ makes possible what you think impossible. To say you believe in Him and then continue living as though nothing has changed is to deny the power of God in your new life.

. . . The Bible says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

How does this happen? Christ indwells His followers by giving the gift of His Holy Spirit. He will not muscle His way in; you must invite Him in, and accept His gift, knowing that He will never leave. The Holy Spirit then becomes your constant companion, a lifetime resident, One who will “never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). He gives you the power to begin thinking new thoughts and behaving in ways that please Him—not yourself.