The Gospel
Everything we do as a church, and the reason we exist, is because of God's gift of forgiveness through his Son, Jesus Christ. More than anything else, we want you to know God and enjoy Him forever!
Many spend their lives trying to earn God's approval by following a set of rules, attending religious services, or being a good person; the truth is that the only way to gain God’s approval is through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The only way to have a relationship with Jesus Christ is to believe and respond to the gospel. What is the gospel? Here’s an easy way to remember the gospel.
- God Created Us
- Sin Corrupted Us
- Christ Came for Us
- We can Come to Christ
- The Spirit Changes Us
- We Can help Change others
- Christ is Coming Again
God Created: (Genesis 1-2)
The gospel begins with God creating everything, including mankind, from nothing. God simply spoke and everything came into existence. God created the world perfect, it was without blemish or error; it was without sin. God created mankind with a free will to choose whether to follow God’s commands or to disobey. Because nothing had been effected by sin, man lived constantly in the presence of God. There was no death, no sin, only blissful life.
Sin Corrupted: (Genesis 3) (Romans 5:12-21)
God gave Adam and Eve complete freedom, and gave them the assignment of ruling over all creation. God told them that the world was theirs to rule over, but they were not to eat of one tree in the center of the garden. After being tempted and persuaded by Satan, Eve ate of the fruit and Adam followed. Because of their disobedience, all of God’s creation now suffers from the consequence of this sin. The eternal consequence is that mankind is now separated from God, for man must be perfect (sinless) to be with God. God’s provision for salvation was that something pure had to be sacrificed in man’s place. Scripture says that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22) Sin has corrupted every aspect of God’s perfect creation.
There is still hope!
Christ Came for Us (John 3:16)
Scripture teaches that God had a plan to save mankind from the beginning. Throughout the entire Old Testament, God was pointing toward a Savior. God had made a promise of a man who would “save his people from their sins.” This man is Jesus. Jesus, being fully God and fully man, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect and sinless life, and then fulfilling scripture was crucified on a cross and buried in a borrowed tomb.
Because of this sacrifice, man’s sins have been accounted for. 1 Peter 2:24, in regards to Jesus, says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross.” Jesus paid the penalty for you. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The truth is that God loves you. He loves you enough to sacrifice His own Son on your behalf. God did what man could not do on his own.
We Can Come to Christ (Romans 10:9)
Because Jesus was perfect, fully God and fully man, not only did he die, but after three days he rose from the dead. He defeated death. Because of his victory over death, he now offers this life to everyone who believes. Romans 10:9 says “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Salvation is what is offered to you. That is, forgiveness of every wrong you have ever committed and will ever commit. 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Not only does Jesus offer forgiveness, but he promises security for eternal life.
This is not simply a "get out of hell free" card. Salvation is not something that is earned, but it will cause a significant change in your life. This initial change is called repentance, a turning away from our sin. It is a surrender to God as the new Lord of your life.
The Spirit Changes Us (Ephesians 2:1-5)
If you are obedient to repent, confess, and believe, then God promises that you will receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38) Jesus promised that after he ascended back into heaven that he would send His Spirit to be our counselor, comforter, convictor, teacher, and guide. It is the Spirit’s role to empower us to carry out the commands of God. As a believer pursues obedience to God, it is the Spirit of God that begins to change and transform the heart of the believer.
A Spirit-filled believer will no longer simply live to satisfy himself, but will seek to honor God in all he does. A Spirit-filled believer will show evidence of the Spirit by producing what is known as the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
No one is perfect, even after they are filled with the Spirit, but the Spirit is constantly at work in a Christian's life in order to conform him into the image of Jesus Christ.
We Can Help Change Others
God has commanded all Christians to be connected to a local church. This is vital to the spiritual health of a Christian. It is through the church that God is accomplishing the task of saving souls. It is through the ministry and mission of the church that the message of the Gospel is being share. As a believer, and a church, the world is changed as we are obedient to two commands in the Bible.
1. Great Commandment (Matthew 22:36-40): Jesus commanded us to "love God and love our neighbors as ourselves." As Christians, it is our love for all mankind that sets us apart from the world. As a Christian, one must be committted to loving those around them, even their enemies.
2. Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20): Some of Jesus' last words to his followers was to teach others about Him. It is the responsibility of every Christian to share the news of the Gospel to all. God has given this mission to every Christian. As people hear the Gospel, they are given a chance to surrender their lives to Jesus.
The world is not changed simply by good people doing good deeds. People are changed when Christians live out their faith, loving their neighbors and sharing the gospel. It is this gospel alone that has the power to save.
Christ is Coming Again (Acts 1:11)
Jesus promised his disciples that He would return to earth one day. This promise is the hope for all believers. God has left His world in the care of mankind and one day he will come back and call each of us into account for how we have handled what he has left us. For the Christian, this day will be filled with rejoicing, for we will finally be in the presence of God. For the non-Christian, this day will bring judgement. Because Jesus is returning one day, each person should be motivated to live daily in a way that pleases God. No one knows when this day will be except God the Father. This truth leads to the simple question: "Are you ready for His return?"
For more information or if you have any questions, please contact one of our ministers.
You can view this helpful video
The 3 Circles Presentation from North American Mission Board on Vimeo.
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