Bearfruit

I Want to Go To Heaven, What Do I Do?

Heaven is a special place, where mankind can have peace and comfort in the presence of God. You might have been lead to believe that you have to be very good to go to heaven, or that heaven is available for only a select few. You might also believe that there is no heaven…

The truth is, Heaven and Hell both exist. However, contrary to popular belief, nothing you do will get you in. It’s available to anyone and the entrance requirements are the same for all; regardless of your IQ or your physical abilities.

Finally, some good news:

Here are a few simple points to keep in mind:

1. Heaven is offered to everyone for free. No payment is necessary and attempts to “work” your way in will result in nothing. This means you do not have to go door to door or help old ladies across the street. Nothing you do will improve your chances of getting in.
2. Everyone, even the best of people, have sinned. Sin is anything we do, say or think that displeases God. Robbing a bank, lying, hatred and lust are examples of sins. There is no sin in heaven, not even one, so everyone who has sinned is ineligible for entrance unless God provides some way for you to wash yourself of what He considers filth.
3. God loves us, but He hates sin. He cannot allow those guilty of violating the law to go unpunished. The law was originally designed to show us that we cannot be perfect, no matter how simple the law may be (remember, in the beginning, the only law was, “don’t eat that fruit” and even that was too hard!). Punishment means eternity in Hell, also known as the lake of fire, a place of torment and conscious, permanent separation from God.
4. God provided a way for our sins to be pardoned. He sent himself to earth in human form as the person of Jesus Christ to die on the cross and purchase a place in heaven for us. He was perfect and blameless (remember, He invented the law) yet he allowed himself to be put to death on a cross, which is a horrible way to die, and then rose from the dead three days later. He died to atone for our sins so that we could be clean before God.
5. We can accept this sacrifice by believing in Jesus. Some people use the word “faith” to describe this. When you sit in a chair, you believe it will hold you and, provided the chair truly is able to support you, you can relax. In the same way, we believe that when Jesus said that faith in Him was the only requirement to get into heaven, we can relax and know that our place in heaven is assured.

Bringing it all together

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Have you sinned? (who can honestly say no?)
2. Are you willing to accept Christ’s death as payment for your sin?
3. Are you willing to turn away from your sin and try to avoid doing what is wrong in the future? (in church jargon, this means repent)

The Bible uses a beautiful illustration explaining how we can join Christ in heaven, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him and I will dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3: 20

It is time for you to ask Jesus to come into your life. Acknowledge that you have done wrong and that He alone can pardon your sins. You can do this by praying, or talking directly to God. Prayer is not a ritual, it is merely conversation with God. Here is an example of what you might want to say:

Dear God,
I’m sorry that I’ve done things that are wrong,
please, help me to do what is right from now on.
I believe that Jesus died on the cross
in order to pay the penalty for my sins.
I am now trusting in His death so that I can
spend eternity in heaven with you.