What Is Your Choice?

By Eric Blake

“This volume by Eric Blake is one of the most practical and helpful resources I’ve seen for people who are new in their faith or for those who struggle with doubts about their faith. Not just loaded with facts or arguments, What Is Your Choice? reads more like a conversation you’re having in a coffee shop with the various contributors who share about their own spiritual journeys. God is going to use this book in a powerful way!”

—Anthony George, senior pastor of First Baptist Atlanta

“If you are questioning God’s character, His authority, or honestly just have a lot of questions, this book is a safe place to ask those questions and receive some answers. We remember each going through a season of doubt and feeling so lonely. But this book would have been such an incredible resource for us at the time. We are confident this book will aid you in your journey with God!”

—Nick and Chelsea Hurst, authors of Marriage Minded

“I have had the pleasure of talking to Dr. Blake several times, and I can truly see God’s light shining through him. This book clearly and thoroughly answers some of the most-asked questions about the Christian faith and God’s Word, and I can attest that Dr. Blake lives his life in accordance to what he writes. Being easily comprehensible for the nonbeliever who is curious about the foundation of God’s Word but thoroughly written for the lifelong Christian who is questioning his or her faith, this book is a straight shot to a closer walk with God.”

—Carson Peters, musician from NBC’s The Voice

“I first met Eric when he got plugged into The Journey Church in NYC. His reason for doing so—‘I love the way this church is outwardly focused and determined to share the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ with New York City.’ Eric is determined to use his life and giftedness—not just to share the Gospel but to equip, empower, and encourage others to do the same because there is nothing more important to give our lives to (Acts 20:24). Let this book equip, empower, and encourage you to share your faith with your family, friends, and community.”

—Kerrick Thomas, pastor of The Journey Church NYC

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 8, 2024
• ISBN: 9798886858631

Book preview

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What Is Your Choice?

Eric Blake

Copyright © 2023 by Eric Blake

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

"This volume by Eric Blake is one of the most practical and helpful resources I’ve seen for people who are new in their faith or for those who struggle with doubts about their faith. Not just loaded with facts or arguments, What Is Your Choice? reads more like a conversation you’re having in a coffee shop with the various contributors who share about their own spiritual journeys. God is going to use this book in a powerful way!"

—Anthony George, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Atlanta

If you are questioning God’s character, His authority, or honestly just have a lot of questions… This book is a safe place to ask those questions and receive some answers. We remember each going through a season of doubt, and feeling so lonely. But this book would have been such an incredible resource for us at the time. We are confident this book will aid you in your journey with God!

—Nick and Chelsea Hurst, Authors of Marriage Minded

I have had the pleasure of talking to Dr. Blake several times, and I can truly see God’s light shining through him. This book clearly and thoroughly answers some of the most-asked questions about the Christian faith and God’s Word, and I can attest that Dr. Blake lives his life in accordance to what he writes. Being easily comprehensible for the non-believer who is curious about the foundation of God’s Word, but thoroughly written for the life-long Christian who is questioning his or her faith, this book is a straight shot to a closer walk with God.

—Carson Peters, Musician from NBC’s The Voice

I first met Eric when he got plugged into The Journey Church in NYC. His reason for doing so—‘I love the way this church is outwardly focused and determined to share the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ with New York City.’ Eric is determined to use his life and giftedness—not just to share the Gospel—but to equip, empower and encourage others to do the same. Because there is nothing more important to give our lives to (Acts 20:24). Let this book equip, empower and encourage you to share your faith with your family, friends and community.

—Kerrick Thomas, Pastor of The Journey Church NYC

Eric’s book, What Is Your Choice, is a truly unique resource that will help the reader learn more about Jesus Christ, begin a personal relationship with Him, grow their faith, and have many of their questions about the Christian faith answered. I highly recommend it!

—Mark Batterson, New York Times best-selling author and lead pastor of National Community Church

As a young man I gave my life to Jesus Christ, and I’ve been a part of His team ever since. When you’re part of God’s team you always win. Jesus will come into your heart. The Christian life is an assignment to follow Jesus. You want to read this book!

—Dr. Tim Tooten, Pastor and Founder of Harvest Christian Ministries

Foreword

When Dr. Eric Blake called my office asking for an interview, I naturally assumed it was regarding my recent book, Saturdays with Billy : My Friendship with Billy Graham. I was mistaken . To my delightful surprise, it was about this young man’s desire to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ as far and wide as he could. He planned to interview influential Christian leaders from a variety of professions to build a tool that would answer questions for those who need to make the choice to follow Jesus.

Over the last few months, I have learned some important things about Eric. He is a humble man not seeking to boast of his accomplishments. I have only learned of those successes by asking questions. It was a while before I learned that he works for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. On another occasion, I asked what qualifies him to write such a book. He explained that he gave his heart and life to the Lord Jesus as a teenager. In college, he began to study the Bible and had a deep hunger to learn all he could, which led him to be a well-educated biblical scholar. Eric has lived his life sharing the truth of the Gospel with others. Before I had the privilege of meeting Eric on a Zoom call, it was brought to my attention that he had purchased several of my books through The Encouraging Word television broadcast ministry. I believe Eric wanted to know exactly what I believed before he interviewed me to contribute to his book. I firmly believe you can trust his book to speak truth into your life as a prospective believer or a new believer.

Eric is right. We must all choose one way or the other. What is your Choice? I pray that you will read Eric’s book and make the right choice to receive this free gift of eternal life in Heaven with God.

Dr. Don Wilton

Introduction

In this book, I interviewed many Christian leaders from a variety of professions who all share my sincere desire to help you find answers to your questions about the Christian faith. Every day, we make choices. Some of our choices seem insignificant; other choices seem huge. Choices are even made whether we make them or not. To paraphrase Billy Graham, Indecision is a choice. Not to decide is to decide not to. If you have booked a flight and you cannot decide whether you want to get on the plane or not, the plane will take off without you and your decision will have been made. Time will decide if you will not.

The most important choice you will ever make:

You and I are both sinners. Sin separates you from God and Heaven. Jesus Christ did for you what you couldn’t do for yourself. He lived a sinless perfect life and took the penalty for your sins by dying on a cross so that you could be forgiven, have eternal life, and Heaven will one day be your home. This free gift is available to you, but it is up to you to receive it. You have a choice to make. What is your Choice?

Meet the Team

Katherine Leary Alsdorf is the interim director, Global Faith and Work Initiative at Redeemer City to City in New York City.

Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church. He is a New York Times bestselling author.

Nick Blevins is the children and student team leader at Community Christian Church in Maryland.

Lance Burch is the lead pastor of Reality Church in Nebraska.

Rim Hinckley is head of school at Geneva School of Manhattan, New York’s only Classical Christian School.

Nick Hurst is the Founder and President of Nick Hurst Evangelistic Ministries.

John McCants is the teaching pastor at Five Stones Church in Waxhaw, North Carolina.

Branan Murphy is a singer/songwriter based in North Carolina.

Carson Peters is a musician who appeared on the TV show The Voice.

Patrick Pierre is an associate pastor at Times Square Church and is director of the Counseling Ministry. He also oversees the Youth and Young Adults.

Jonathan Pokluda is lead pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Texas.

Brooke Robertson is a singer/songwriter based in Louisiana.

Faith Schueler is a country singer/songwriter based in South Carolina.

Aaron Shust is a singer/songwriter based in Tennessee.

Kyle Snyder is an Olympic Champion and World Champion Wrestler.

Matt Stover is a two-time Super Bowl Champion. He was a kicker in the NFL for nineteen seasons, most notably with the Baltimore Ravens.

Shea Strickland is lead pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Timonium, Maryland.

Joshua Symonette is a former NFL player and a pastor, currently leading a church called Hopeville in Baltimore Maryland.

Kerrick Thomas is the lead pastor of the Journey Church, New York City.

Tim Tooten is an Emmy Award-winning veteran TV journalist on WBAL-TV 11 in Baltimore, Maryland. He is also the founder and pastor of Harvest Christian Ministries in Baltimore, Maryland.

Gary Wilkerson is president of World Challenge in Colorado, which seeks to transform lives through the message and mission of Jesus Christ.

Don Wilton is the senior pastor of First Baptist Spartanburg in South Carolina. He is the founder and president of The Encouraging Word television and broadcast ministry. He is also a successful author.

Detailed biographies for each team member can be found at the end of the book in the More about the Team section.

Why Write a Book?

Ifelt the Lord leading me to provide a simple and unique resource where many questions about the Christian faith could begin to be answered. Every person must make a choice to follow Jesus or not. What is your Choice ? Your Choice will determine where you spend eternity.

I hope that this book will be a valuable tool that you can use to learn more about Jesus, begin a personal relationship with Him, grow your faith, and have many of your questions about the Christian faith answered. My desire is that you will daily read the Bible, study it, apply it to your life and attend a Bible-believing church where you can grow in faith and fellowship.

I am so excited to have you explore these biblical topics. I feel that each of the people I interviewed for this book have a lot of insight to share. I hope that you are helped and blessed by this book.

Thank you to each of the people I’ve interviewed for giving of your time and wisdom! I refer to them as my team. This book was a true team effort.

Thank you to my family for your love and support.

Chapter 1

Who Is Jesus Christ and What Is the Gospel?

Once you’ve had an encounter with Jesus Christ, your life will never be the same. I know this from personal experience. But how would you answer the question Who is Jesus? In Matthew 16 : 15, Jesus asks, But what about you, who do you say I am? Correctly answering this question will change your life. He is either who He claims to be or He is not. I would tell you that He is who He claims to be. But don’t just take my word for it; let’s unpack this together.

Let’s first look at who Jesus says He is. Jesus says, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). You need Jesus in order to have life and salvation. You can be existing without truly living. Do you have peace, joy, purpose? Do you have life? All of these things can be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Way. Do you ever feel lost? If you were lost and someone suggested that they could help you find the way, it would be worth hearing them out. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Way to have life that never ends, eternal life. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

Jesus is the Truth. We can trust Him completely. His Word is true, and He has been so incredibly merciful to us. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17). Sanctify means to make holy, set apart, to purify or free from sin. Jesus, the Truth, has made us holy. He took our sins on Himself, died the death that we deserve, and rose again defeating sin and death. Our sin debt has been paid in full by Jesus Christ. We have been set free from sin.

Jesus is the Life. Life is found in Christ alone. You will not find peace, joy, fulfillment, and life anywhere else.

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:12)

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. (John 3:36)

Jesus is who He claims to be. He is God in the flesh. He is trustworthy and His Word is true.

You are not yet fifty years old, they said to him, and you have seen Abraham! Very truly I tell you, Jesus answered, before Abraham was born, I am! (John 8:57–58).

We see that Jesus is God and has always existed even before He came to Earth in the flesh.

I and the Father are one (John 10:30).

He is the creator of all things.

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in Heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created