The problem is, that we as human beings have rebelled against God and rejected Him. We have all disobeyed Him both passively and actively. Our disobedience is called sin and it keeps us forever separated from God. This is illustrated to the right. The Bible tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

Every one of us is aware, to one degree or another, that we are alienated from God. We don't feel that he is close to us. He seems foreign to us. He just seems to be out there somewhere. As a result, we try to do all kinds of things to get back to him. Maybe we don't even realize that is what we are doing. We try to find self fulfillment through work, hobbies, different lifestyles, or even religion, but ultimately we are left not feeling as fulfilled as we would like. Maybe we try to do good things, give money to charity, be nice to people, or any one of a variety of things. But the fact of the matter is, that no matter how hard we try, we can't bridge the chasm that separates us from God. We will never reach God through our own efforts.

Right about now, our situation looks pretty bleak. But remember, God loves us!. YOU MATTER TO HIM! He has provided a way for us to get across the chasm that separates us. God has done for us what we could never do for ourselves. He has paid the price for our sin. God provided a "bridge" across the chasm. That "bridge" is the person Jesus Christ. God did this by coming to earth as a man who was Jesus, living a perfect, sinless life, and then willingly allowed himself to be nailed to a Roman cross and killed to pay the penalty of death that we owed. The picture of how God reaches us is shown here. The Bible tells us "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit"
Now that we know what God has done for us, we need to do something about it. We can't just say, "Yeah, I know about that now" and then do nothing. We have to get across the bridge. How do we do that? First of all, we have to admit that we are sinners and that we have rebelled against God. We need to repent of our rebellion. Secondly, we must recognize that because we have rebelled against him, we need to ask Him for His forgiveness. Finally, in asking God to forgive us we need to give our allegiance to Him and follow him.

At this point, I suggest that you seek out somebody that you know is a committed Christian, and seek that person's guidance and advice. Start to read the Bible; I suggest beginning with the New Testament (look in the Table of Contents of your Bible) and read through the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (these are called the Gospels). Finally seek out a church that loves God and teaches from the Bible. Ask other Christians where they attend church.

I attend the Grove City Alliance Church in Grove City, Pa. If you happen to live in this area I heartily recommend this church as a good place to start. If you don't live here, seek out a Christian & Missionary Alliance Church (sometimes just called Alliance Church) in your area.

A note of caution: There are organizations that claim to be Christian Churches but are not. These "churches" try to look like Christian churches, but do not believe in many of the foundational beliefs of the Christian Church. Be wary of groups that claim that they are the only true Christian church, or claim to have scriptures in addition to the Bible. Some of the more common (and respected) of these groups are Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), Jehovah's Witnesses (Watchtower Society); Unification Church; L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology