YOU WERE MADE TO KNOW GOD
A personal message from Mark
First, I just want to say thank you so much for visiting my website and for supporting my work. My website and YouTube channel would be nothing without the people engaging with it. Your love and support keeps me committed to the path of continuing to build my music career.
The first link on my website is called "GOD" because I wanted to give glory to the One who created me before anything else. He is the one who has blessed me with everything that I have including my giftings and musical talent. I wouldn't be the person or musician I am if it wasn't for God. He is the source of my hope and the inspiration behind all my music. It is my honor and privilege to be able to share my heart with you about who God is and how much he loves you. I wrote the letter below from my heart and I thank you in advance for taking the time to read it and for allowing me to hand you a tiny seed of faith of which I hope in time would grow into a mighty oak tree in God's Kingdom.
THERE IS A GOD WHO LOVES YOU.
HE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR LIFE.
AND HE CARES ABOUT YOU AND WHERE YOU'RE GOING.
HIS NAME IS JESUS CHRIST AND HE'S REACHING OUT FOR YOU TODAY.
It's by his grace that I’m able to be here to share this truth with you.
Jesus Christ is the one true living God who created all things and everything.
He created you, the world, the universe, and everything in it.
God loves you with such a passion that he was willing to send his precious son Jesus, to die on the cross for your sins, to free you from eternal punishment and condemnation.
"Jesus died for your sins and took your place of eternal punishment when God crucified him on the cross."
Jesus died not only to free you from eternal condemnation, he died so that he could have eternal relationship and fellowship with you.
The shedding of His blood was the only way he could free you from eternal condemnation and reconcile you to himself.
"Because of this, there is no other way to God except through Jesus Christ."
When you die, Jesus will either be your eternal judge or your eternal redeemer.
If you receive Jesus as your Savior, he will be your eternal redeemer, and heaven will be your inheritance.
If you deny him, he will be your eternal judge and this would mean an eternity separated from God.
Eternal separation from God happens in a place called hell and many have been there and back through near death experiences.
Please hear my heart on this.
I don't like talking about hell because Christianity is not about God's wrath or judgement.
Christianity is about God's love, sacrifice, mercy, and grace, and his desire to have relationship with you and to spend eternity with you in heaven.
"Jesus was the ransom for your sins.
God put him to death, that you may have life."
Only Jesus Christ can save and rescue you from eternal death and condemnation.
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me."
- John 14:6
GOD HAS A PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE.
HE CREATED YOU.
HE LOVES YOU AND WANTS A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU.
YOUR CREATOR JESUS CHRIST LOVES YOU AND WANTS A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU.
FOR ETERNITY.
WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?
He is the one true living God. The creator of all things and everything. He is the first and the last. The beginning and the end. The God who created the universe and the God who created you. The one who watches over you night and day. The God who sees your troubles and your struggles. The God who knows your past and everything that you’ve been through. He is the one who knows the way to a bright future. He is the way, the truth, and the life. And apart from him, you can do nothing. He loves you with a passion and he placed himself on the cross to pay the price for your sins that he may have eternal fellowship with you. He is perfect justice, and if he had not taken your place in punishment, you would have perished in the lake of fire for eternity. Heaven is real, and hell is real. He cares about you, and he cares about your life, where you are, and where you are going.
His desire is that you will not perish but have everlasting life.
"God has a divine plan and destiny for your life."
He is calling you today into a personal relationship with him.
WILL YOU RESPOND TO HIM?
GOD IS CALLING YOU
Would you pray with me?
Say “Jesus, thank you for revealing yourself to me. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I ask that you come into my life and be my Lord and Saviour. I acknowledge you as the one true living God. Rescue me and bring healing into my life. Only you can save. I surrender it all to you. I give you my life, my heart, and my soul. All that is within me is yours. From here on, I will live for you. Teach me and guide me according to your ways. Lead me to the destiny that’s in your will.
I will follow you all the days of my life.”
Amen.
IF YOU SAID THE PRAYER ABOVE,
JESUS HAS HEARD YOUR PRAYER AND YOUR NAME IS NOW WRITTEN IN THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE
"And this is all it takes, that we put our faith in Jesus Christ and believe in him to inherit eternal life."
If you said this prayer, you’ve just been born again. This means that you've been made new in Christ.
It doesn't matter what you've been through, done in the past, or have experienced. You have now been renewed, purified, washed white as snow, and set free by the blood of Jesus Christ.
“Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body.
As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”
-Colossians 1:22
The bible also says that when you repent and surrender your life to Jesus Christ and acknowledge him as your Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit will come and dwell inside you.
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "
- Acts 2:38
Yes, the living God now lives on the inside of you. He will guide you and teach you everything you need to know as you begin this new journey of walking with Jesus Christ.
WHAT DO I DO NOW THAT I'VE SURRENDERED MY LIFE TO JESUS?
1) BUY A BIBLE – God speaks mainly through his written word. Study and meditate on it day and night so that you will be sure to obey everything it tells you. I recommend the NLT version of the bible. It is what I use and it’s easy to read and understand and the clarity of the words will help you grow in your faith. These are modern day translations in plain English and it will help you understand what God is trying to say to you.
2) JOIN A LOCAL CHURCH – Find and seek out a church in your area that puts their faith in Jesus Christ and believes in the 66 books of the bible. You should not be involved with a church that takes away or adds to these 66 books of the bible. Find a spirit filled church that puts their faith solely in Jesus Christ and believes in his death and resurrection. Stay away from any church that denies the deity of Jesus Christ. In this community you will find new friends, people who are going to be there for you in your time of need and teachers who will help you grow spiritually. The church will encourage you in worship, prayer, discipline, servant-hood, giving, etc. and will help you find your destiny in Christ.
3) GET WATER BAPTIZED – If you said the prayer above, you have been born again of spirit. God has renewed your inner man and you are a new person in Christ. Now you need to get water baptized. The awesome significance of water baptism is that it symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and our new life in God when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We have died of our old self as we are submerged in the water, and rise out of it as a new person in Christ. This is why people that put their faith in Jesus Christ are also called ‘born again’.
“Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin." -Romans 6:3-6
4) LOVE OTHERS AND TELL THEM ABOUT JESUS CHRIST – Thousands of people on earth die and go to hell every day for not knowing their creator Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. These people include your neighbors, your friends, and even your close relatives and family members living in your own home. Your responsibility as a Christian is to share the love of God with others and tell them that there is forgiveness for their sins through the shed blood of Jesus Christ at Calvary. Even if you don’t feel like you’re good enough to tell anyone about the gospel, I need you to understand that in your weakness, God's power is made perfect. When we realise that we can't do it alone, God gladly steps in to help us because this was his intent from the beginning, that we would need him to complete us. When we follow God and step out as faithful servants of his gospel, the Holy Spirit will help bring conviction to the person you are sharing Jesus Christ with.
5) STAY FAITHFUL IN PRAYER – Spend at least an hour a day in prayer, reading the bible, listening to a sermon, watching GOD TV. Remember that faith comes through hearing and hearing the word of God. Pursue a lifetime of growth in the word, the word will transform, shape and mold you into the person God needs you to be to fulfill your destiny in Him. Your responsibility is simple, stay faithful to God. He will show you the rest and reveal His plan for your life over time. Trust him on his leadership and his faithfulness. He will deliver you. Remember this, prayer is essential to keep the conversation and relationship going with God. The bible is how God speaks to you and refreshes you when you’re weary and weak. Pray and seek God in all you do and acknowledge him in every area of your life.
6) FASTING – Fasting as we pray places us in a place of vulnerability before God and it allows Him to amplify and magnify himself our lives. When our body and spirit is congested, dulled, and drowned with the things of the world, food, entertainment, and the distractions of life, we begin to drift away from God and his will for our lives. Most times, it isn't God that's missing, it is us that's lost. When we fast and pray, we are abandoning the things of the world that clutter our spirit and we dial down on all the noise that is inside and outside us. This helps us to realign ourselves to God's heart and His will for every area of our lives. Because of how busy most of us are in our day to day lives, prayer and fasting is going to be absolutely key to helping us discover and fulfill our destiny in Christ.
Thank you for reading this.
I need you to know that there is no other truth to God and your existence apart from Jesus Christ.
The Bible says that all things exist by His power and is intended for His glory.
He is the only one who can save, redeem, and transform your life.
I pray that through this truth, God would make you new and then use you to make a difference in the lives of others.
Be strong and courageous. I know God will do mighty things with and through you.
For Eternity,
Mark Shian
“I am the light of the world.
If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness,
because you will have the light that leads to life.”
- John 8:12
"That is why I said that you will die in your sins,
For unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be,
you will die in your sins.”
- John 8:24