Receive the Good News

I’m sure you’ve heard of Jesus of Nazareth. He’s known all around the world as a prophet, a teacher and an amazing human being.

As we read the letters written by his followers, we see Jesus claimed to be even more than all these things. He spoke of himself as God in human flesh. He predicted he would die for the sins of the world. And he predicted that he would conquer death three days later. And then, on Easter Sunday, he raised Himself from the dead.

His followers started spreading this message that they called the “The Gospel” (Good News).

John tells us, “Life is in the son!” (1 John 5:12). In Jesus we have a new richness in this life as well as a gift of everlasting life as we experience resurrection someday as well.

Paul tells us, “We have peace with God” (Romans 5:1) As we place our faith in the death of Jesus on our behalf, we have forgiveness of sins and a relationship with God.

Matthew tells us, “The kingdom of heaven is here!” (Matthew 4:17). The resurrected Jesus is powerfully in command of all things, and is bringing a new and beautiful way of life into the world as he works in, around and even through us.

As we follow Jesus in faith, this Good News begins to take root and grow into every aspect of our lives. We experience newness of life, find a beautiful peace with God and begin to participate in his amazing kingdom work. This is the “Good News,” which Jesus’ followers proclaimed was “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Jesus' simple invitation to the people he met was, "Follow me."

Would you be willing to follow Jesus into a life of faith?

Come and pursue Jesus with us at 3Crosses—we’d love to meet you!

Have you ever wondered, "Can God forgive me of ____ ?" or thought, "I've done too many wrong things for God to be able to forgive. I'm afraid that I'm stuck with my past."

He has completely forgiven you, in fact the bible says: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9

This scripture passage tells us that no matter what we've done, God is both willing and able to forgive us of everything and set us free from all of our sin - past, present and future.

For many, salvation by grace through faith in Jesus seems too good to be true. Many people struggle with the thought that God must require more from us in order to be accepted as His sons and daughters, and to have a place in Heaven. Despite the saying, "The best things in life aren't free,'' the Bible clearly teaches that, in fact, the greatest gift the world has ever received was freely given. Jesus paid it all.

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it." - Ephesians 2:8-9

We could never do anything that would merit God's gracious gift of forgiveness. He chose to forgive us based on His abundant mercy. All He requires is that we believe and follow Him.

Take a moment to answer these questions:

• Do I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God in human flesh? (John 1:1-14)

• Do I believe that Jesus Christ paid for my sins by His death on the cross? (1Corinthians 15:3)

• Do I believe that Jesus Christ arose from the dead to give me power to live a new life? (1 Corinthians 15:4; Romans 6:4)

• Do I want to follow Jesus Christ in every area of my life - no matter how difficult it may seem? (1 John 2:6)

"All who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God." - John 1:12

If you answered "yes" to these questions, we trust the Holy Spirit will provide you with assurance of belonging to Him.

Because we have all experienced disappointments in life, we might at some point wonder if God will abandon us because we fall into sin, or let Him down by making bad decisions or poor choices.

"I will never leave you or forsake you." - Hebrews 13:5

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand. The Father and I are one." - John 10:27-30

This scripture passage assures us that Jesus will never allow us to slip through His fingers. We have never done anything to earn salvation, so it makes sense that we can never do anything to lose it. It has always been an unmerited gift. The blood of Jesus covers all of our sins, even the ones still to come in our lives. When we receive Jesus into our hearts, we become a permanent part of the family of God.