But there is at least one place that undoubtedly surpasses Newbury Park, and that is heaven!  Heaven is a real place. Jesus tells us that in the Bible. He said heaven is where His Father lives.  He said He came from heaven and was going to return to heaven He told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them in heaven, and that there would be great happiness and reward for them there. He made the prospects of going to heaven so very attractive that His disciples wanted to be sure they knew how to get there.  "How can we know the way?" they asked.  He told them plainly:  "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6).

    What does it mean to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? Jesus' conversation with an extremely religious man named Nicodemus may help us understand.  He said, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom df God" (John 3:3).  "The kingdom of God" would include the certainty of heaven, and Jesus said you must be born again to enter.  When you were born the first time, you received physical life from your parents, but you lacked spiritual life.  The Scripture says you were "...dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1), and that includes all of us.  "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Unfortunately, your sin makes it impossible for you to enter heaven, for God says "...there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles" (Rev. 21:27). We all need a second birth that gives us spiritual life and cleanses us from our sin. How are you going to get this second birth? 

    That is where Jesus Christ, God's eternal Son, enters the picture, First, when Jesus Christ gave His life on Calvary's cross, He paid the penalty that your sin deserves (1 Cor. 15:3-4; 2Cor.5:21; 1 Pet.2:24).  And now, with the penalty paid, He can freely forgive you, cleanse you and offer you the gift of eternal life.  "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). "And this is the testimony, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He who has the Son has life', and he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:11-12), When you put your trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins, and receive Christ as your Savior from the guilt and condemnation of sin, you receive new life, spiritual life, eternal life.  In other words, you are born again and you have the assurance that some day you will enter heaven! 

    How do you get to heaven from Newbury Park?  The very same way you get there from any place on earth--by receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior from sin. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12). God's children will spend eternity with Him, in heaven. And you can be born Into His family right now. 

    With sincerity of heart, pray this prayer:  "Lord Jesus I know that I am a sinner I believe that You died for my sins for my sins.  I here and now place my trust in You for eternal salvation Come into my life, forgive my sins and make me a child of God." 

    If you would like to talk to someone further about these issues, call or write to: