{"product_id":"how-going-to-church-could-save-your-life-10-pack-9781682164594","title":"How Going to Church Could Save Your Life (10-Pack)","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eTrust Me, I'm the Doctor\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt some point in our lives, we'll all need a doctor. We might go to the doctor because we know we're sick. Or we might go for an annual checkup and find out we're sick. In the Bible, Jesus says he is the Doctor sent by God, and we all need him desperately. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne time, Jesus called a man named Matthew to follow him. Everybody knew Matthew was a sinner, not a good person. But Matthew agreed to follow Jesus, and he invited Jesus over to his house. So, Jesus had dinner with Matthew and his sinful friends. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe religious leaders of that day were shocked. They asked Jesus's followers, \"Why is your teacher eating with sinners?\" If Jesus had been sent by God, surely he'd want to spend his time with good (or \"righteous\") people, not with sinners!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut Jesus replied, \"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners\" (Mark 2:17 NIV).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eAre You Healthy or Sick?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI wonder where you see yourself in this story. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerhaps you see yourself as a good person--not perfect, but good enough to be on the right side of God, if God exists. That's how a lot of people think. But Jesus diagnoses all of us with spiritual sickness. This is the bad news of Christianity. We're all sinners who deserve God's judgment. The Bible says that \"all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God\" (Romans 3:23 NIV). \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut the good news of Christianity is that Jesus didn't come for good people. He is the Doctor sent by God for sinners just like us! When Jesus died on a cross two thousand years ago, he took the judgment we deserve, so that \u003cem\u003eanyone\u003c\/em\u003e who trusts in him can be forgiven and made right with God. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat's more, when Jesus rose again, he beat death for us. So, anyone who now trusts in Jesus can live with him forever! \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eAre You Ready to Die?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerhaps you don't believe in God. You think you'll simply stop existing when you die. But if that's true, your life is meaningless. You and everyone you love are just atoms and molecules. Deep down, we all know that's not true. The Bible says you're not just atoms. You were handmade by God to live in love with him forever.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerhaps you do believe in God, and you think God will welcome you to heaven when you die. But according to the Bible, none of us deserves to live with God. All of us have sinned and we deserve God's judgment. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeing better than a lot of other people isn't\u003cbr\u003egood enough. Identifying as a Christian isn't good enough. Going to church each week isn't\u003cbr\u003egood enough. Only Jesus--God's own Son--\u003cbr\u003eis good enough for God, and we will only be\u003cbr\u003eforgiven by God if we admit that we're not good enough for him and turn to Jesus. Like a doctor giving us a heart transplant, Jesus can save us.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you are ready to admit you're spiritually sick, then Jesus came into this world \u003cem\u003efor you\u003c\/em\u003e. He gave up his life on the cross \u003cem\u003efor you\u003c\/em\u003e. He rose again to welcome you to live with him forever. And if you turn to him, he will send you his Holy Spirit so that your new life can start now!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eAre You Ready to Live?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you have lots of questions and don't feel ready to accept Jesus's offer, why not find a local church where you can ask your questions and explore more?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you want to trust in Jesus now, here's a prayer you could pray: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eDear God, \u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eI know I'm spiritually sick. I'm not a good person, and I don't deserve your love. But I know that Jesus came to die for people just like me and that he promised full forgiveness, eternal life, and love to anyone who trusts in him. \u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eThank you that you sent your Son to die for me. Thank you that you raised him from the dead and that he's beaten death for me so that I can live with him forever.\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eI'm sorry for living my life against you. I want to put my life in Jesus's hands and live with Jesus as my Lord. I know that will mean a lot of changes in my life. But if Jesus loves so much that he died for me, I'm going to trust that he knows what is best for me. \u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003ePlease help me find a church where I can meet other people who have put their trust in Jesus, so we can live together with you as our Lord and help one another.\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eAmen.\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you have prayed that prayer, the next step is to join a local church. The people whom you will meet at church are not perfect people. They're sick people who have put their lives in the great Doctor's hands. And according to the Bible they're your new family.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo find a church near you where people will be\u003cbr\u003eglad to welcome you and help you on your journey, go to www.thekellercenter.org\/findachurch. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you've never been to church and don't know what to expect, that website will answer questions about what to wear, whether people expect you to know prayers or songs, how long the service will last, whether it is OK to bring noisy kids, and whether it is OK to come if you don't know what you believe or if you feel like your life is a mess right now.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ePhysical Health Benefits of Church\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eGoing to church every week makes you 20 to 30 percent less likely to die in the next fifteen years.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003ePeople who go to church every week when they are age twenty live on average seven years longer than people who never attend religious services.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eWeekly church is as good for you as eating more fruits and vegetables.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eWeekly church is \u003cem\u003ealmost\u003c\/em\u003e as good for you as quitting smoking or starting to exercise!\u003csup\u003e \u003c\/sup\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003csup\u003e1 \u003c\/sup\u003eFor more information on this, see the data discussed in my book, \u003cem\u003eHow Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life\u003c\/em\u003e (Crossway, 2025). \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eMental Health Benefits of Church\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003ePeople who go to church each week are 33 percent less l\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Rebecca McLaughlin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Good News Publishers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/21\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.20lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 5.50h x 3.50w x 0.50d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781682164594\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRebecca McLaughlin \u003c\/strong\u003e(PhD, Cambridge University) is the author of \u003cem\u003eConfronting Christianity\u003c\/em\u003e, named \u003cem\u003eChristianity Today\u003c\/em\u003e's 2020 Beautiful Orthodoxy Book of the Year. Her subsequent works include \u003cem\u003e10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cem\u003eThe Secular Creed\u003c\/em\u003e; and \u003cem\u003eJesus through the Eyes of Women\u003c\/em\u003e. Rebecca is the host of the \u003cem\u003eConfronting Christianity\u003c\/em\u003e podcast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis title is not returnable\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Rebecca McLaughlin \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":47474266177693,"sku":"9781682164594","price":12.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_1b316162-fe6d-479f-8123-52340ffb36be.jpg?v=1765396031","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/how-going-to-church-could-save-your-life-10-pack-9781682164594","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}