It’s no accident you’re here. Whether you identify as a Christian or not, God loves you. LUNA exists to teach and model the prayers of the collective worldwide that follows the Living God, through Jesus, unified and empowered by the Holy Spirit – you might call them Christians, but it’s the Church within the churches. Many of us have been hurt by institutional churches, but have persevered in finding God anyway, insisting that He must be good, and worth seeking.
And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands and territories. This was so that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grasp for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. (Acts 17:26-27 Amplified Version)
You are welcome here. Bring your questions. We are people of prayer. Jesus is our leader, and He prayed daily – withdrawing early in the morning to be alone with the Father. One of His most memorable prayers is found in John 17, where He is praying to the Father for all of us:
Just as You sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by Your truth. I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one—as You are in me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in us so that the world will believe You sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and You are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent me and that You love them as much as You love me. (John 17:18-23 New Living Translation)
LUNA exists to empower unity through prayer among all believers. There is always room for one more!
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” You can believe in Jesus’ sacrifice and start a new life with Him at any point. God has always drawn people to Himself, because He created them and loves them.
Why is there evil and suffering in the world, if God loves people? Because when God created people, He gave them free will: the ability to choose Him and His ways, or their own pride. Pride comes before a fall, as it says in Proverbs, and many people have committed horrible sins against others because they chose their own way. This includes people in churches. Being a part of a church does not mean you are a Christian any more than wearing a fur coat makes you a polar bear. The only standard for being a Christian is following Jesus and replacing your life and choices with His dynamic and living will for you. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey My commands.” He also said:
Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. (Matthew 7:15-20 New Living Translation)
A letter from one of Jesus’ early disciples says:
Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (James 3:11-12 New International Version)
Therefore, it is not about simply changing your behavior to “be Christian”. You must be born again, and you must go directly to Jesus for this, because He is the only one who could make this possible for us. In fact, the famous John 3:16 verse comes to us as part of a conversation Jesus had with a prominent Jewish leader, Nicodemus. Jesus told him that people need to be reborn – spiritually transformed – to have a new life on earth, one in which He promises they will never die, but enter eternity with God when their life on earth ends.
Nicodemus still doesn’t understand. Jesus explains that He would have to be lifted up as the sacrifice for all to see, so that He could make a way for us to know God. There is so much to the Gospel story, but to keep it simple, here is what Jesus said:
For God so loved and dearly prized the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him is not judged; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already, because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment [that is, the test by which people are judged]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his activities will be exposed and condemned. But whoever practices truth comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—accomplished in God. (John 3:16-21 Amplified Version)
You have a choice before you today. Will you follow Jesus and walk in the light? The gift of salvation is free: “whoever believes… shall have eternal life.” But it will cost you everything: your popularity, your reputation, your right to be your own god, your finances, your relationships… when you follow Jesus, everything goes on the altar. You receive the Holy Spirit in exchange for your broken heart, and He loves you and makes you whole. But He is in charge, not you, and every day you are called to “pick up your cross and follow Him.” Jesus also says to “count the cost”: following Him is not something to be taken lightly. He asks everything of His friends, because the more the world loses its grip on us, the more we are filled with His spirit and are able to sacrificially love those around us.
If you want to start this journey today, get alone with God. Tell Him the truth. If you don’t know what to say, consider something like this:
Jesus, I need you. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I can’t go any further in this life without You. I let go of my own way and submit to Your will. I hand over the keys of control in my life. I believe you died on the Cross for my sins, went to Hell in my place, and took back the power of sin and death. I believe you rose from the dead and are still alive today, praying for me in the Throne Room of God the Father. I receive your life, your resurrection power, through the Holy Spirit, and ask You to fill me now in Your name. Thank you for restoring my relationship to the Father. In Your name, Jesus, I break all previous attachments, vows, agreements, oaths, and demonic alliances. I bind to my soul Your free gift of grace, peace, and salvation. In Your name, Jesus, I pray and accept your finished work on the Cross for me. Lead and guide me every moment. Holy Spirit, I receive you as Guide and Teacher. Tune my heart to your leading and your wisdom. Holy Spirit, let peace fill me now, and may your still, small voice be the anchor of my spirit from this day forward. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
There are no magic words for receiving salvation. When Jesus died on the Cross, two men were crucified next to Him. One mocked Him, saying, “If you are truly the Messiah, save yourself and us!” But the other recognized Jesus for who He was and rebuked the first, saying “This man has done nothing wrong.” Then he turned to Jesus and said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus replied – “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
So it isn’t about the words, but about the heart. The prayer above covers a few bases – acknowledging that previous agreements can impact our spiritual walk – and there is much more to learn on that topic. But it is a good starting point.
If you are starting a relationship with God, please reach out! Follow along with the prayer points we share and seek out a family of believers who love you, worship God and love His word and Spirit. Seek out resources (authors such as C.S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, John Eldredge, Joyce Meyers, John & Lisa Bevere, and Dutch & Tim Sheets are a few options) but remember that the point is knowing God. Get alone with Him. Let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart and lead you in where to go. Consider inner healing and deliverance ministry through a trusted ministry. We are working on expanding our database of good ministries – but again – the Lord loves you and will lead you in the right places to go. Take the time in prayer to be led by Him.
We love you!