Pastor Ray Bollas shares his perspective on life before accepting Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. He also shares how he found the answer to life's biggest question - "What is the Meaning of Life"?
THE QUESTIONS
What is the meaning of life?
Why am I here?
How did I get here?
What happens when life is over?
If you think about it, these are very thought provoking questions. The big question in my life was “what is the meaning of life?”.
I always said there has to be more in life than this because I could never reach a level of satisfaction, I was always looking ahead toward the day when my goal would finally be realized. At first I thought the party-life would bring satisfaction, you know, laughing and playing and no worries; but after several years of that I realized that wasn’t it. I thought after I graduated from college and got a good job then I would be fulfilled; I achieved that goal, but emptiness persisted. Then I thought a different job in a different state, making more money; I ended up at the Space Center in Florida making great money, but I was still empty. I thought maybe a relationship would change things; but relationship after relationship I still came up empty. At this point I knew that marriage, kids, and a house would not fill this void either. I asked what could possibly fill the void in my life and bring satisfaction.
These questions are asked by everyone, including the rich and famous. Harrison Ford, the most successful actor in Hollywood’s history once told an interviewer, “you only want what you ain’t got.” When the reporter asked Ford what he “ain’t got,” he replied, “Peace.” Imagine in spite of all the fame and money, Harrison Ford said he lacked peace.
Why am I here?
How did I get here?
What happens when life is over?
If you think about it, these are very thought provoking questions. The big question in my life was “what is the meaning of life?”.
I always said there has to be more in life than this because I could never reach a level of satisfaction, I was always looking ahead toward the day when my goal would finally be realized. At first I thought the party-life would bring satisfaction, you know, laughing and playing and no worries; but after several years of that I realized that wasn’t it. I thought after I graduated from college and got a good job then I would be fulfilled; I achieved that goal, but emptiness persisted. Then I thought a different job in a different state, making more money; I ended up at the Space Center in Florida making great money, but I was still empty. I thought maybe a relationship would change things; but relationship after relationship I still came up empty. At this point I knew that marriage, kids, and a house would not fill this void either. I asked what could possibly fill the void in my life and bring satisfaction.
These questions are asked by everyone, including the rich and famous. Harrison Ford, the most successful actor in Hollywood’s history once told an interviewer, “you only want what you ain’t got.” When the reporter asked Ford what he “ain’t got,” he replied, “Peace.” Imagine in spite of all the fame and money, Harrison Ford said he lacked peace.
THE ANSWER
I found the answers to all my questions when I read the Bible from cover to cover. I found out things I never knew before. I found out how special I (we) are to God. The Bible tells us that we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), that’s pretty special. I found out that God is not a distant far away God who doesn’t think of us individually and personally, it’s the complete opposite; the Bible tells us that God knew and formed us while we were still in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-18), and that He knows the number of hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7), and that God stores our tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8), these are just to name a few. I also found out that God has a plan and a purpose for our life. God says in the Bible, “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). But the biggest message God is sending us is that He loves us (John 3:16).
However there is a problem, and I found out this is why I had a void in my life, and that is that we are separated from God because of our sins. The Bible says, “Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear (Isaiah 59:1-2). To sin is to break God’s law which is the standard of conduct that He has given for our common good. We are all guilty of this, the Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Think back to the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), the 10 commandments were designed to reveal to us our sin and show us our need of forgiveness (Romans 3:19-20), the Bible tells us that if we break just one law once, we are guilty of them all (James 2:10).
So we are all guilty, we have all offended God. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death“ (Romans 6:23). This is the penalty for our sin, for God has to be just and fair. When we break man’s laws, we must pay a penalty for our actions. In much the same way, God in His justice must pass judgment. For law without consequences would truly not be law, but mere advice. What I never knew, until I read the Bible, is the death God is talking about, is spiritual death and eternal separation from Him, for God is too Holy to look upon sin. The Bible says of God, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look upon wickedness“ (Habakkuk 1:13). You see to be separated from God causes a void in our life, God created us this way, so that only a personal relationship with Him will fill that void, not the things of this world.
However there is a problem, and I found out this is why I had a void in my life, and that is that we are separated from God because of our sins. The Bible says, “Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear (Isaiah 59:1-2). To sin is to break God’s law which is the standard of conduct that He has given for our common good. We are all guilty of this, the Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Think back to the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), the 10 commandments were designed to reveal to us our sin and show us our need of forgiveness (Romans 3:19-20), the Bible tells us that if we break just one law once, we are guilty of them all (James 2:10).
So we are all guilty, we have all offended God. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death“ (Romans 6:23). This is the penalty for our sin, for God has to be just and fair. When we break man’s laws, we must pay a penalty for our actions. In much the same way, God in His justice must pass judgment. For law without consequences would truly not be law, but mere advice. What I never knew, until I read the Bible, is the death God is talking about, is spiritual death and eternal separation from Him, for God is too Holy to look upon sin. The Bible says of God, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look upon wickedness“ (Habakkuk 1:13). You see to be separated from God causes a void in our life, God created us this way, so that only a personal relationship with Him will fill that void, not the things of this world.
THE GOOD NEWS
Now comes the good news. God has not left us alone in this predicament. He has reached out to us. He came to this earth 2,000 years ago as a man named Jesus. And Jesus the man who was God, voluntarily died on a brutal Roman cross to bridge the gap between mankind and God to eliminate the separation from Him. When Jesus hung on the cross, He essentially took hold of a Holy God with one hand, and with the other He took hold of us, sinful man.
What held Jesus to the cross? After all, He possesses the powers of the universe. It wasn’t the nails. It was His love for me and you. The Bible tells us, “God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). As we saw earlier, the penalty for our sin, is death. Yet God devised a plan that would allow Him to merciful to us while at the same time, maintaining His justice by upholding the righteous standard of His Law. Jesus took our death penalty for sin upon Himself and gave His life as our substitute; for that should have been us on the cross. This was the only way; many people today don’t feel that their sin is that bad, but as we saw, if you are guilty of one sin, then you are guilty of them all. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6). What Jesus did on the cross is the only way for us to have peace with God. In the Bible Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). We know that God accepted this substitute because Jesus broke the power of death and rose again on the third day. God has shown us just how much He loves us by dying for us, and providing a way for us to be right before Him.
God loves you, He desires to have a personal relationship with you, but only if you want one with Him. God will not force Himself on you, He will respect your free choice. If you want to have peace with God, there is a responsibility on your side. First you have to recognize that you are a sinner and you have offended the Holy God. You can’t make excuses blaming everyone and everything else for your actions. Secondly you must recognize that Jesus Christ died on that cross for you. That he paid the price for your sin and nothing else could. Thirdly you must repent of your sin. The word “repent” means to change your direction. You have to be sorry for your sins, for they put Christ on the cross. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation. The Bible tells us, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). God commands people everywhere to repent. You must be willing to turn away from those things that displease God, and to want to stop doing them. And Forth you must receive Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “As many as receive Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). And the Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). The “belief” spoken of here is not an intellectual belief, but a belief from the heart. If we do all these things then we will have peace with God.
I’d like to note here, all we do is receive, because Christ has done all the work on the cross. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
What held Jesus to the cross? After all, He possesses the powers of the universe. It wasn’t the nails. It was His love for me and you. The Bible tells us, “God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). As we saw earlier, the penalty for our sin, is death. Yet God devised a plan that would allow Him to merciful to us while at the same time, maintaining His justice by upholding the righteous standard of His Law. Jesus took our death penalty for sin upon Himself and gave His life as our substitute; for that should have been us on the cross. This was the only way; many people today don’t feel that their sin is that bad, but as we saw, if you are guilty of one sin, then you are guilty of them all. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6). What Jesus did on the cross is the only way for us to have peace with God. In the Bible Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). We know that God accepted this substitute because Jesus broke the power of death and rose again on the third day. God has shown us just how much He loves us by dying for us, and providing a way for us to be right before Him.
God loves you, He desires to have a personal relationship with you, but only if you want one with Him. God will not force Himself on you, He will respect your free choice. If you want to have peace with God, there is a responsibility on your side. First you have to recognize that you are a sinner and you have offended the Holy God. You can’t make excuses blaming everyone and everything else for your actions. Secondly you must recognize that Jesus Christ died on that cross for you. That he paid the price for your sin and nothing else could. Thirdly you must repent of your sin. The word “repent” means to change your direction. You have to be sorry for your sins, for they put Christ on the cross. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation. The Bible tells us, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). God commands people everywhere to repent. You must be willing to turn away from those things that displease God, and to want to stop doing them. And Forth you must receive Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “As many as receive Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). And the Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). The “belief” spoken of here is not an intellectual belief, but a belief from the heart. If we do all these things then we will have peace with God.
I’d like to note here, all we do is receive, because Christ has done all the work on the cross. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH?
Although peace and joy seem so important to us now, they are really only “fringe benefits” of life. The more important gift we receive as a result of committing our lives to Jesus Christ is the forgiveness of sins and the promise of heaven. The Bible tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, and whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting Life” (John 3:16). Have you thought about eternity? Do you think that we all go to heaven? The Bible says there is only two options — heaven or hell. Many people think they will go to heaven if they live a relatively good life. They also believe if they live a bad life they will go to hell. But that is not what the Bible teaches.
According to the Scriptures, the only way any person will get to heaven is by taking hold of God’s offer of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. No matter how many sins a person has committed, if they turn from their sin and turn to Jesus, they will go to heaven. Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free… Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:32,36). God is offering to set you free right now, will you take His hand?
If you have just asked Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and be the Lord of your life, we would like to know so that we may pray for you and send you some materials to help you get started in your wonderful new walk with Him. Feel free to email us at the address below.
May the Lord richly bless you as you walk with Him. God bless you.
According to the Scriptures, the only way any person will get to heaven is by taking hold of God’s offer of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. No matter how many sins a person has committed, if they turn from their sin and turn to Jesus, they will go to heaven. Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free… Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:32,36). God is offering to set you free right now, will you take His hand?
If you have just asked Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and be the Lord of your life, we would like to know so that we may pray for you and send you some materials to help you get started in your wonderful new walk with Him. Feel free to email us at the address below.
May the Lord richly bless you as you walk with Him. God bless you.
STEPS TO GROWTH
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42)
1. Study of the Word (Apostles Doctrine): The Bible is like spiritual food. Just as you clothe and feed your physical body, you must clothe and feed your spiritual body. (2 Timothy 2:15)(Psalm 1:2)(Psalm 119:11)
2. Fellowship: The Bible tells us we need to have fellowship one with another. The word fellowship simply means “sharing life”, Our new life in Christ. You might compare fellowship to a heap of burning coals. If you separate one piece of coal from the others, it will get cold and die. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
3. Breaking of Bread (Communion): This is simply remembering what Jesus Christ did on the cross for you. When faced with things you do not understand (trials/tribulation), go back to what you do understand; God loves me so much that He endured the cross to purchase my life. Seeing Gods love in its true Light, will keep everything else in perspective. (1 Corinthians 11:23-34)
4. Prayer: Prayer is talking and listening to God. The Lord loves to hear from us! You can pray anytime you want to – driving your car, on your knees, wherever and whenever. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18) (1 John 1:9) (Luke 11:1-14)
5. Witnessing: As a result of praying, reading your Bible, and having fellowship, which are all taking in, you’ll want to start giving out. The way to do this is to witness. (Matthew 28:18-20) (Romans 10:13-15)
1. Study of the Word (Apostles Doctrine): The Bible is like spiritual food. Just as you clothe and feed your physical body, you must clothe and feed your spiritual body. (2 Timothy 2:15)(Psalm 1:2)(Psalm 119:11)
2. Fellowship: The Bible tells us we need to have fellowship one with another. The word fellowship simply means “sharing life”, Our new life in Christ. You might compare fellowship to a heap of burning coals. If you separate one piece of coal from the others, it will get cold and die. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
3. Breaking of Bread (Communion): This is simply remembering what Jesus Christ did on the cross for you. When faced with things you do not understand (trials/tribulation), go back to what you do understand; God loves me so much that He endured the cross to purchase my life. Seeing Gods love in its true Light, will keep everything else in perspective. (1 Corinthians 11:23-34)
4. Prayer: Prayer is talking and listening to God. The Lord loves to hear from us! You can pray anytime you want to – driving your car, on your knees, wherever and whenever. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18) (1 John 1:9) (Luke 11:1-14)
5. Witnessing: As a result of praying, reading your Bible, and having fellowship, which are all taking in, you’ll want to start giving out. The way to do this is to witness. (Matthew 28:18-20) (Romans 10:13-15)
Contact Us
If you would like to discuss this with someone please feel free to call us or email and someone will be available to answer your questions and speak with you.