Green Dots
About those green dots
Thank you for scanning the QR code. You might be sensing that God really does exist, and the
“green dots” in your puzzle seem to indicate that He not only exists but may have already been
active in your life. Perhaps you just hadn’t noticed before. If that sounds like you, then you
probably will be looking for answers to questions about the following.
About whether God exists
Deciding if God really does exist is so important because it changes everything! If God doesn’t exist, then when your life ends, it’s “ashes to ashes and dust to dust” and that’s it—not very rewarding or exciting. If God does exist, then death is simply a doorway to something greater—something eternal. The green dots in your puzzle are pretty convincing that He does exist, but since this is such a significant question, take 90 minutes and watch these two videos. They will help you understand why so many believe that God exists, and they will help you solidify your own decision.
Click here: “Why believe in God” and “Why believe in God (2)”.
About the afterlife
If you are still reading, then I will assume you believe that God really exists. So now the question is “what happens after you die?” Most religions tell you that after you die, you will either end up going to a ‘nice place’ or a ‘not-so-nice place’ based on whether or not the
‘scales’ are tipped in your favor. Where you stand depends on how good you are or how well you stick to rules like how often you pray, how you pray, how you dress, how you wear your hair, your lifestyle, what you eat and so on. However, you won’t actually know where you stand until your life here is over and then it’s too late to make any changes. The fact is, nobody can actually tell you where you stand and God keeps his distance from you. That is a bit unsettling!
The God who you find in the Bible (see below for more about God and the Bible), on the other hand, is quite different. He is definitely not distant. In fact, He wants a personal relationship with you starting right now! He wants you to find Him and chooses to reveal Himself to you in many different ways. Look at the green dots in your puzzle, for example. In the Bible, God tells us “If you look for me with all your heart, you will find me”. The Bible also says “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” God really wants a relationship with you.
In the Bible, the “nice place” mentioned above is called Heaven and the “not-so-nice place” is called hell. In brief, hell is essentially a place where people will spend eternity without God, like they may already be choosing to do in this life. The difference is that God will be totally absent from hell, and therefore they will experience unrestrained evil, which will certainly be “not-so-nice”.
The Bible also tells us that God wants everyone to be with Him in Heaven. He doesn’t want to lose even one of you. In particular, He lets you know exactly where you stand and what you can expect in the afterlife before you take your last breath. However, He won’t force you to go to Heaven because that wouldn’t be an act of love. You must make your own choice about whether you would like to spend eternity with or without Him. If you want to know how to make that choice, keep on reading. If not, then, I guess, you have already made your choice and are going to take your chances when it comes to the afterlife.
About how to get into Heaven and how
Jesus fits in
You might be wondering how to ‘tip the scales’ far enough in your favor to be able to be to walk through that doorway and into Heaven. Since nobody is perfect, the question you are probably asking is ‘how good is good enough?’ The short answer to this question might surprise you. Getting into Heaven has nothing to do with how good you are or how well you follow some rules! This is partly due to the problem of defining what ‘good enough’ means. For example, do you have to be as good as Mother Theresa or just better than your neighbor because you cut his lawn now and then? By definition, Heaven is perfect in every way, so if you are not perfect, then you don’t qualify to get in. That probably sounds a bit exclusive, but don’t go away yet.
Here is an example to help you understand
If a hockey player gives another player a cheap shot, then he will get a penalty and have to sit out for a couple of minutes. After the penalty is over, he has paid for his foul and is free to continue playing. Another example is someone who commits a crime. That person has to go to jail to pay for their bad decisions, but then they get to go free. The point is that there is a penalty for choosing to do the wrong thing, and in these cases, it is possible to pay for those ‘mistakes’ yourself and then your slate is wiped clean. Those mistakes are called ‘sins’ in the Bible.
Following these examples, and since Heaven is perfect, you would have to pay the penalty for everything you have ever done wrong to be perfect and get in, but that, of course, is impossible. Another alternative is to get someone else to pay for your sins. But that person
would have to be a better person than you or else it wouldn’t be a fair exchange, and then we run into the same problem as above—how good is good enough?
God knows that we can’t do this on our own, and that is where Jesus comes in. The nutshell version is that God sent His own son, Jesus, down to the earth (celebrated by Christians at Christmas) to help us out. Because of who Jesus is (for more on who Jesus is, watch this video), He was able to live a perfect life, which made Him a perfect substitute for us. Not only did Jesus say it was okay to punish Him for our sins, but He also said it was okay to punish Him for everybody’s sins. As a result, He was brutally tortured and executed by crucifixion (celebrated by Christians at Good Friday). But that meant your slate was wiped clean because Jesus took the punishment for you and ended up dying for you. But the story doesn’t end with Jesus dying. If Jesus simply died, that wouldn’t prove anything except that He was a very compassionate person. God raised Him back to life three days later (celebrated by Christians at Easter) to prove He was the son of God, that sins can be forgiven, death is not the end of the story and eternal life in Heaven is real and possible. Since the resurrection of Jesus is crucial, watch this video to understand that event even more: Why believe in the Resurrection of Christ.
So, Heaven is not for the “good;” it’s for the “forgiven,” That forgiveness is a free gift from God that is available to everyone. This is why Christians talk about the ‘good news,’ because Jesus paid the price for you and me so that even today, we can be absolutely assured of going to heaven after we die. But like with any gift, you still have to accept it.
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About how to accept the free gift of forgiveness
So, you’re at a crossroads. Forgiveness (and therefore eternal life in Heaven) is a free gift from God that is available to everyone. The question now is “how do I accept that free gift?” To start, you have to check out this story and decide if you really believe it (which is what you are doing right now). Belief is important because the Bible tells us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life. "If you really believe this story, then just tell that to God. Admit to Him that you have done wrong and are less than perfect. Tell him you believe that Jesus is who He said He was – God’s son – and that He died taking your punishment for everything you have done wrong. Tell Him you believe that God raised Him back to life (see the video above). Then, because you do believe this, say you are sorry and ask for His forgiveness. The Bible tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” This means that in God’s eyes, you become perfect and the doorway to Heaven and everlasting life will be wide open for you when you pass from this life to your eternal life.
You can do this by saying a simple prayer to God like the following:
God, I believe that you exist and know that you are listening to me right now. I have made a lot of mistakes in my life and am far from perfect, but I really want to spend eternity with you in heaven. Please forgive me for all my sins, not because I deserve it but because of what Jesus did for me. I believe that He suffered and died in my place and then rose again and that He did this to make it possible for you to forgive me. I sincerely accept that gift. I am also committed to changing my ways and following Jesus from now on, but I need your help to do this. Please have your spirit stay close to me and guide me from now on.
If you said a prayer like this and meant it with all your heart, you will experience the joy and peace of knowing that after you close your eyes here on earth for the last time, you will open them again and experience something so wonderful that it is beyond description.
About why you can believe the Bible
Since we have talked about the Bible a lot, it would probably be a good idea to find out why you can believe what’s in the Bible. Well, we know the Bible stands out among books for several reasons. First of all, the Bible was written over a period of 1600 years by 40 different authors in 3 different languages who lived on three different continents yet amazingly it tells one continuous story! This could only be possible if there is one true author behind it: God Himself. Or can you think of another explanation?
Secondly, the Bible is the only book ever written that is full of predictions (called prophesies) that have come true. These include historical events that have been recorded and confirmed archaeologically but were predicted hundreds of years before they actually happened. In addition, more than 300 predictions accurately described where Jesus would be born, events in His life, how He would die and how He would come back to life after dying. There are also more than 200 prophesies in the Bible that have yet to be fulfilled, but with a 100% hit rate so far, it is probably safe to assume that the remaining prophesies will also come true. These prophesies
deal with the fact that Jesus will return again and describe all the events surrounding his return. God definitely wants to get our attention, and predicting the future is certainly one way to accomplish that! If you want to know more about the Bible and why you can believe what is in it, click this link for four very informative videos: Why-believe-in-the-bible (1 – 4).
About what God is like
This is what we know: God exists, there is an afterlife, going to Heaven is a choice, and the information in the Bible is reliable. So, if you choose to believe in Jesus and everything He did for you, and choose to go to Heaven, you will be spending eternity with God and it would be good to know a bit more about Him. The Bible is the best source of information on God and His character. So the best way to learn about what God is like is to let Him tell you Himself! Watch this short video (Father's love letter) in which God does just that by taking quotes from the Bible. Make sure you have something handy to wipe your eyes!
To find out everything about God, get your own Bible and start reading. You can also download a free app like The Bible in one year by Nicky and Pippa Gumbel which will walk you through the Bible in just one year. It will be the most stirring book that you will ever read.
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You are here for a reason
From the puzzle to the green dots to this website—you are here for a reason. Ask yourself what
God is saying to you and what does He want you to do about it?
It’s decision time.
Additional information
Perhaps, you have one final question: Is Jesus really the only way to Heaven? Explore this
question in more depth with this powerful video: Is Jesus the only way?
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What’s next?
If you have come this far and are sensing that the direction of your life might be changing, then you probably are wondering what’s next. You have learned a lot so far and the goal is to maintain that
learning curve. The best way to do that is to find a church. A church is where you can continue to learn and ask questions, and where you can associate with others who are on a similar journey. It is a place where you feel a sense of community and feel you belong. The following link is sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association* and will help you find your church. Enjoy your journey.
How to find a church near you: https://churches.goingfarther.net/
*The information provided here does not constitute an endorsement or representation of any kind by Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
*The “Why Believe” videos linked here are freely and publicly available as a ministry of Centre Street Church (Calgary, Alberta), and these links do not represent an endorsement of or formal partnership with the Jeremiah Puzzle on the part of the church.
