Jesus

Who is Jesus

We all have questions about who God is, what God is like, if God exists, and if so, how does God interact with humanity?

We believe the answers to all these questions can be found in the person of Jesus.

Jesus is God. Jesus is what God is like. Jesus lived a sinless life, died, and rose again.

C.S Lewis, a widely read and well-respected Christian author, wrote of Jesus, “Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Jesus said he came to earth so that we may have life to the full. He lived life to show us how to live. He came and gave his life for anyone and everyone who would call on his name. Through giving his life on the cross he took our place, claimed victory over death, and rose again to empower us for life.

Jesus, both fully God and fully man, wants to have a personal relationship with you.

Jesus, miracle worker and Lord of all creation, wants to be your personal friend. He is “Immanuel,” God with us.

Ephesians 2:1, 4-5

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Our Problem

When we live in full connection with God, we receive all that God has for us. However, we and all of humanity have voluntarily separated ourselves from God and God’s ways through sin. This is the reason Jesus had to die – to fight a battle and bring victory over death. It is because of sin.

We all face the problem of sin. Sin is anything that goes against the ways of God. God is rich in mercy, full of steadfast love & kindness, and has a heart for justice.

When we sin, which everyone does, we separate ourselves from God and his plan for our lives and for all creation.

We all feel a sense of being incomplete. A lack of wholeness.

We’ve all experienced brokenness. We all see injustice taking place throughout the world.

Sin leads to these things – brokenness, separation, death, chaos.

We need something to make us whole. We need something to save us from sin – to save us from ways that lead to brokenness, separation, death, and chaos. We need something that will lead us & fill us with love and power to heal ourselves and the world.

We need Jesus.

John 1:12

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

Follow Jesus

Even though Jesus created the universe and everything in it, he does not force anyone to follow him. We are given the freedom to accept or reject Jesus.

To experience wholeness and new life, to be saved from sin, we must accept Jesus.

John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

God wants to live in personal relationship with you forever. He wants to give you a full life. He wants to partner with you to bring healing to the world and those around you.

God has a unique purpose for your life. He wants you to be a part of his family through the free gift of salvation. It is up to you to accept Jesus, to receive salvation, and follow him.

You don’t need to be a member of our church. You don’t need to be a part of a certain group. You don’t need to be a part of a certain political party.

Anyone can follow Jesus at any time. There is nothing that can disqualify you from choosing to follow Jesus. Your failures, your past shortcomings, your brokenness and hurt, anything you’ve done or experienced cannot disqualify you from making a decision to follow Jesus.

If you’re not sure if you’re right with God or if you know that you need Jesus in your life, you can choose to follow him right now through praying this prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I want to become a follower of Jesus. I receive Jesus into my life. I believe he was God and that he came to pay the price for my sin when he died on the cross. Please forgive me for living life my own way. I turn away from that life and I turn toward you. As best I know how and with your help, I want to live for you from this day forward. Amen.

Congratulations! By praying this prayer, receiving Jesus and believing what he came to do, you can now be certain that you are a part of God’s family. Right now, all of heaven is throwing a huge party to celebrate your decision!

We also want to celebrate your decision and help you on your next steps as you follow Jesus. Please let us know if you’ve just made a commitment to Jesus and prayed this prayer by filling out the form above.

Some Resources to Help You

We’ve put together a few links to resources that can help you follow Jesus, check them out!

Starting Point

Curious about God, Jesus, or the Bible? This video series is designed to help explore your questions about faith.

RightNow Media

Access biblically-based videos on topics like marriage, parenting, youth, recovery, leadership, finances and much more.

Online Bible

Read the Bible and learn through Bible reading plans on YouVersion.

Watch GT

Check out our YouTube channel for motivational, encouraging videos from GT Church! Subscribe to get weekly content updates.

GT Podcast

Listen to content from GT on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get weekly updates.

GT Facebook

Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date on everything going on at GT and invite your friends and family to join us!

GT Instagram

Follow us on Instagram for daily motivation and encouragement with our church community.

Coffee With The Pastor

If you’re looking for a home church or just checking us out and you’re interested in learning more about GT, Coffee with the Pastor is the place to start.

One of the best ways to be connected to God and others is by coming to church.

As a church, we are passionate about being the family of God. We believe we are a place where anyone can feel welcome to follow Jesus with others. We would love to connect with you!

We have two physical locations in Berks County: West Lawn & Fleetwood. If you can’t make it to a physical location, we would love for you to be a part of our online church family!

Salvation Form Entry

If you just made the decision to follow Jesus and you want to know what your next steps are, please take a moment to fill out this form so that we can follow up with you and provide some resources to help you begin your journey.

Congratulations on your decision to follow Jesus!

You might be wondering, “I’ve decided to follow Jesus, but NOW WHAT?”. Being a Christian is more than just going to heaven. It’s about building a relationship with and living for Jesus, becoming more like Him every day. To start this journey, the Bible says there are a few things you can do:

  1. Attend church on a regular basis and get involved in a life group where you can learn and grow together. Here's a great place to start:
    1. GT Church Facebook Page
      1. You aren't meant to do faith alone. You can join our online church community through our GT Church Facebook page. This page provides inspiring content, the opportunity to pray for one another, and the ability to connect together in a safe and meaningful environment. Click the link to follow along today!
  2. Read your Bible. Start in the book of John to learn more about the life, teachings, and miracles of Jesus. Here are some additional resources to help make this part of your daily routine:
    1. Youversion Bible App
      1. An online Bible with hundreds of reading plans to get help get you into the Word consistently.
    2. First Steps ebook - Free coupon code: GT
      1. A resource written by our Lead Pastor, Bryan Koch, which will help you learn some foundational attributes of followers of Jesus. To download this resource free of charge, use coupon code: GT
  3. Pray. It’s not complicated. Talk to God like you talk to a friend.
  4. Get water baptized. Go public with your faith! Baptism lets people know about the decision you’ve made to follow Jesus.

Our team will be sure to keep you in the loop about how to further your walk with God by engaging in our mission: reaching people & growing together in Christ.

We're thankful to be a part of your story and can't wait to see how God works in and through you!

Reaching People & Growing Together,
Bryan Koch, Lead Pastor