STATEMENT OF FAITH

As this directory is solely for the basis of advertising Christian businesses / services, it is imperative to establish the sincerity and faith commitment of the advertisers / members.

Christian Business Direct has no denominational bias but we do ask that all Christian businesses listed in the directory agree to accept the following Statement of Faith.

We believe in:

• The one true God who lives eternally in three persons—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
• The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world.
• The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God—fully trustworthy for faith and conduct..
• The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—born of the virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin.
• The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God.
• The bodily resurrection of Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; his ascension to the Father, and his reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world.
• The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ.
• The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness..
• The Church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers—given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit's gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, promoting justice and love.
• The personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to fulfil the purposes of God, who will raise all people to judgement, bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and establish a new heaven and new earth.
• I seek to hold the highest Biblical code of ethics in my transactions and I endeavour to treat my clients / customers with the utmost respect and integrity.

Above Statement of Faith is used with the kind permission from the Evangelical Alliance.

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We have been asked the question many times, What is a Christian?   The following explanation serves to clarify any confusions, and address any gaps in peoples knowledge.  

You may not be aware that God is already calling you, but He has given you free will, so the choice of whether to accept or reject him is yours.
How does he call you? perhaps by crossing your path with committed Christians, maybe by calling you into prayer at difficult times, or by creating a curiosity within you to find out if there's more to life. There are many ways that God tries to get your attention.

Becoming a Christian is both the easiest thing in the world, and the hardest. The easiest because there are no costly subscriptions, expensive payments, or application forms to fill in. You can become a Christian right where you are, by just saying a simple prayer. However, it can also be the hardest because it requires complete surrender of your life and will to Jesus Christ.

A committed Christian is not merely a churchgoer, a good person, or even a religious man, for there was a man in the Bible who fitted that category and Jesus told him: "You must be born again." Being a committed Christian does not mean just following your conscience and being sincere, for a man called Saul did that and he was told by Jesus that in reality he was opposing God. You can actually be religious, sincere, good living, morally upright and still not be a Christian.

Once people understand what a being a committed Christian is all about they can get a bit scared because they think that they'll have to completely change who they are. That's not true: God made you utterly unique-why would he suddenly want to turn you into a clone? He loves your personality, your sense of humour, all the little quirks that make you you. However, there may be some aspects of your behaviour that God will work out with you, but you will end up much better off for it. Some people are scared of what others will say about them, and of being thought foolish. Well, Paul said in the book of Corinthians, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Becoming a Christian means much more than giving up certain habits and it can be as simple as ABC

A - ACKNOWLEDGE

Every single man and woman in this world is a lost sinner and the Bible says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." We are lost because God is holy - absolutely good and morally perfect - and He will allow no sinful person into heaven. We are so lost that without God's help nothing can be done to save us. As a result of sin, we have lost our likeness to God, our love for Him and deserve eternal punishment. We must take our place before Him, firmly acknowledge this, and turn from our sin to the Lord.

God offers us forgiveness for all that we have done wrong and instead of demanding punishment for our sin He has given us a way out and will rescue us if we simply invite Jesus to come into our lives, and be our Lord and Saviour.

Jesus Christ was given up as a sacrifice in our place. Being both divine and human, it meant that he could be a unique mediator between man and God. His death was to pay the price for our sins (past, present, and future) and when we follow Jesus we are partakers of this sacrifice and our sins are completely forgiven.

B - BELIEVE
To become a committed Christian we must believe with all our heart, mind, and soul. You can believe in your head that Jesus died to forgive your sin, but if that belief does not pass into your heart, it will do you no more good than believing that food will sustain you, yet doing nothing to eat it. To believe in Jesus means that you believe He died for you personally so He could remove the sin that separates you from God.

The answer is simple; you must turn your life, spirit, mind and body over to Jesus. Surrender your will to His and determine to follow wherever He leads. You may not notice much change at first, although you will undoubtedly view things differently as God begins to work in your life.

When we commit ourselves to becoming Christians we are adopted into the family of God. His tender care and awesome wisdom will never fail us. We can rely on Him as a loving Father who will love us, protect us and guide us in all the tough times which lie ahead.

C - CONFESS
To confess Christ means to let others know that you have become a Christian. Don't be ashamed to do this for it will bring you out on His side and make clean-cut the decision you have made.

If you want to receive Jesus now, and accept His gift of salvation, it's a matter of believing in Jesus Christ, repenting of your sins, and turning the rest of your life over to Him. This is not a ritual based on specific words, but rather, a prayerful guideline for your sincere step of faith.

"Father, I know that I have broken your commandments and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my sinful life. Please forgive me, and help me to avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

If you decided to become a Christian today, welcome to God's family. Now, as a way to grow closer to Him, there are certain things that you need to do.

• Tell someone else about your new faith in Christ.
• Spend time with God each day. It does not have to be a long period of time. Just develop the daily habit of praying to Him and reading His Word (the Bible). Ask God to increase your faith and your understanding of the Bible.
• Find a local church where you can praise and worship God.
• Seek friendship with other Christians. Develop a group of Christian friends to answer your questions and support you.
• Get baptized as God commanded it.
Life won't suddenly become perfect, because we're not in heaven yet! But you will always have joy. You'll never be alone, and you'll always have hope for the future. Most of all, you'll never cease discovering how incredibly special and loved you are.

Everything you need to know about how to become a Christian is in the Bible. Read it. Study it. Share it.

If you want to learn more then visit the following websites http://www.church-on-the-net.com or http://www.allaboutgod.com