IT'S OK TO HAVE QUESTIONS.

We all start somewhere.  The most important thing is that you start!  No matter where you are in life, how old you are, what you've been through or what you're going through, the Gospel is relevant to every single person on the planet.  We hope to make this easy to understand!


In a nutshell, the word 'gospel' means 'good news'.  The good news of the gospel is that though we were separated from God by sin, He made a way, through His son, Jesus, to bridge the gap and bring us into relationship with Him again. 


Let's break this down even more!

who are the main characters in the gospel?

1. god, the father

God is holy, meaning separate.  He is "other". He is not a created being; He has always existed.  He dwells outside of time and space.  The Bible is full of awesome descriptions of God, such as:


God is spirit (John 4:24)

God is light (1 John 1:5)

God is love (1 John 4:16)

God is present everywhere, all the time (omnipresent) (Psalm 139:4-10)

God is all-knowing (omniscient) (Psalm 139:2-4)

God is all-powerful (omnipotent) (Jeremiah 32:17)

God is the Creator of all things (Genesis 1)

God is unchanging (Psalm 102:25-27

God is gracious, righteous and merciful (Psalm 116:5)


This is just the tip of the iceberg!

2. Jesus, the Son - the lamb

God is holy. In Him, there is no darkness, according to 1 John 1:5. God's absolute righteousness means that He and sin cannot exist together. Sin is so abominable to Him, that a blood sacrifice is required in order to forgive the sin.  In biblical times, the Israelites (God's chosen people) would have to make sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem to cleanse themselves of their sin, and to make themselves right with God again. God sent Jesus to make a way for the rest of us.  Jesus, fully God and fully man, came to earth, born as a baby in Bethlehem.  When He grew up, He started teaching God's plan of salvation for ALL people, not just the Israelites.  Everyone, no matter their race, gender, nationality or status, would have access to God.  This upset quite a lot of important Jewish leaders, and they ultimately crucified Jesus on a cross.  Little did they  know, this was God's plan. With nails in His hands and feet, and a crown of thorns on His head, Jesus became sin on the cross, enduring the curse of the sin, and died.  He was the perfect sacrificial lamb of God, defeating sin.  

3. jesus, the son - the victor

If that was the end of the story, it would be very sad and depressing, wouldn't it?  I mean, defeating sin?  Yay!  But dying...would it be worth it?  

 

Jesus was laid in the tomb and God was silent.  On the third day, the stone was rolled away and He rose from the grave!  He arose, just as He said He would!  He appeared to several people over the next 40 days, before He ascended into the clouds to be with His Father, once again.


He died to defeat sin.  But He arose to defeat death and the grave!  What does this mean for us?  Jesus's sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection means that we can be reconciled with God.  We no longer must present blood sacrifices to atone for our sins (Jesus took care of that for us) nor do we have to convert to Judaism to be considered one of God's own!  We are adopted into God's family through Jesus!


Is this good news?  You may still be wondering what it has to do with you.  Right?  Why is this so good?

4. you - the lost and the found

Did you know you are a character in the Gospel of Jesus Christ?  You are!  So am I!  


Because of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, we are all fallen.  We all have sins in our hearts that separate us from God.  And God still requires a blood sacrifice to atone for our sins.  Shall we hitch up the wagon and load up the lambs to head to the church?  No!  There is STILL power in the blood of Jesus Christ!  His sacrifice is still atoning!


The Bible says that even when I was a sinner, Christ died for me.  Christ died knowing that I may never accept Him as my savior...and He died anyway!


To have Jesus' blood wash our sins away, we must:

roundedstar Understand that we are guilty of sin and separated from God

roundedstarBelieve that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He died in our place.

roundedstar Confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, and ask forgiveness of our sins.


That's it....but it's just the beginning! 


And even now that you have accepted Jesus as your savior, you are still a part of the Gospel story!  You are commissioned to not only grow in your faith and learn more about God, but you are to spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ!  And this secures your place in Heaven, where we will live for eternity with God the Father, and Jesus, the Christ!  Good news?  Great news!!!

i've decided to live for jesus.....what now??

That is a GREAT question!  The best thing to do now is to get to know Jesus!  Reading His Word is the best way!  He also instructs us to pray; it doesn't have to be fancy, and you don't have to use big words or "church-y" words!  He is your new friend, so you can talk to Him, just like you would talk to a friend sitting right beside you.  


We also encourage you to find a church family that will support you, disciple you, and continue to grow with you!  You are welcome to check out our services, but even if you choose to go somewhere else, meeting with fellow believers is SO important...for new and experienced believers alike!


Take it one day at a time.  Changing our mindsets, our habits, our words, our thoughts.....we've developed those over time.  God will help you get everything straightened out.  You will make mistakes.  But lucky for us, God's grace is sufficient.  Just keep going.  Keep trying.  Keep seeking.


You now have access to endless wells of peace, wisdom, love, comfort, guidance, grace....and so much more.  Congratulations!  And welcome to the family!

i haven't decided yet...

One of our favorite things about God is His desire for us to know Him.  I mean, He knows everything there is to know about us, and He still chose to send His Son as our salvation plan.  Even on our best days, we don't deserve His mercy and grace!  


God's Word says that He wants to be found.  God says that if you seek with your whole heart, you will find Him.  He is not a God of confusion and He's not a God that is far away from us.  He delights in revealing Himself to His children.  It's what draws us closer to Him. 


It's really hard to explain, logistically, to someone who has not experienced the love and joy of Jesus Christ before.  But we encourage you to keep seeking...keep asking....keep looking.  Because God is faithful and His promises are true.  He will reveal Himself to you.


You're still welcome here while you figure this out.  We have all been in this place before, and even though we have accepted Jesus, we still need Him, every day.  We are imperfect people, serving a perfect God, and loving each other the best that we can along the way.  


You don't have an infinite amount of time, though.  Remember, Jesus is coming back for His people, we believe the time to be very soon.  Biblical prophecies are taking place all around us, and we do not want anyone to not experience the joys of heaven with us!