THE GOSPEL
THE GOSPEL
There is no greater NEWS that we can HEAR;
there is no greater MESSAGE that we can BELIEVE.
THE STORY
CREATION
It all began with God! God created everything by simply speaking it into being. Everything He created was perfect and good, and yes, that includes us! When God created us, He created us in His Image, meaning He gave us a divine purpose. The purpose is to imitate God on earth and to be in relationship with Him and one another. Everything was as it was meant to be.
CURSE
However, today's world is far from perfect. We face suffering, pain, broken relationships and death on a daily basis. What happened? What was good, we broke. Humanity decided for themselves what was right and wrong and went against God's instructions that were for our benefit! When we rebelled against the Creator of Life, we received exactly what was not from God; death, sickness, and a brokenness in our relationships with God and one another.
But God still committed to love us! Right from the beginning, He made a promise that He would restore what we had broken. God would continue to tell each generation about this promise as He worked through the brokenness of this world to one day reverse the curse that we brought upon ourselves.
God began by setting apart a people of promise and gave them a book of laws, that if followed, they could be close to Him again. However, time and time again, everyone would fail. Even the greatest of the religious leaders could not come close. Through these people, God declared that a person would come who would fulfill every law and promise in this book and that through him, we all would be restored.
CROSS
That person came. He was not some ordinary man. He healed the sick, had power over creation, and even brought people back from the dead. It was by His very hands that the curse of sin would be stopped before their very eyes. This man is called Jesus. He began to teach His followers that in order for this curse of death to be defeated, the price required would be His own death. The only perfect person to live on this earth would need to be traded as a sacrifice to bring healing to everyone else.
This day came exactly as Jesus predicted. He was arrested for claiming not just to be the One that God promised, but also for claiming to be God in the flesh. The world responded to His words by giving Him the death of a criminal, a death on a Roman cross. The Giver of Life gave His own life so that those trapped by death could live forever.
KINGDOM
Not only did Jesus foretell his own death, he promised something far bigger. He declared that three days later, he would rise back to life! On Sunday morning, three days after he was pronounced dead on the cross, the tomb that Jesus was buried in was now empty. Jesus would go on to appear in person to hundreds of people. His followers went from hiding for their lives to risking their lives by sharing this news around the world.
Jesus then sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in all who would believe in his message. The Holy Spirit is the power by which Jesus’ followers can become like him in both character and service to others. God continues to use His followers, called the Church, to bring this good news to the ends of the earth!