WHO IS JESUS?
God became man to save mankind – and this man was called Jesus. He was born as a Jew between the year 6 and 4 B.C. in a Middle-Eastern town called Bethlehem. From when he was about thirty years old, He preached throughout Israel, sharing the good news that the kingdom of God had come. At age 33, He was crucified by the Roman authorities at the request of the Jewish people. Three days later, He was resurrected from the dead and appeared to His followers. After 40 days, He ascended to heaven, leaving them with a commission to spread the good news of what He did for the world and to teach others everything He has taught them.
Why did He come?
In His own words,
• He came to do the will of God, His Father. (John 6:38)
• He came to give us life to the fullest. (John 10:10)
• He came to reveal God to us. (John 14:9-11)
• He came seek and save those who are lost. (Luke 19:10)
• He came to take away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
• He came to give His life as a ransom for us. (Matthew 20:28)
• He came to destroy the works of evil. (1 John 3:8)
• He came to reproduce Himself through us. (John 14:12)
Was He a Liar, a Lunatic or Lord?
Many people would describe Jesus as a “good man” or a “wise teacher”, or even a “prophet”. But why did the people of his day end up killing him, if he was good and wise? Let’s think about it. If someone entered the room in which you were sitting, approached you and said, “I’ve got good news for you. I am God” – what would you do? You would either think they’re crazy, think they’re trying to con you into worshiping them, or believe them. You certainly wouldn’t refer to someone like that as a ‘just a nice guy’.
Jesus claimed to be God (John 8:58). Either He was a lunatic, in which case we should disregard everything He said; or He was a liar, intentionally deceiving people, in which case we shouldn’t call Him a ‘good man’ or a ‘wise teacher’ at all; or He was speaking the truth. There is no other option. Jesus made these extreme claims, and it makes it impossible for us to sit on the fence. We must either accept Him as creator of the Universe, or completely disregard Him.
What are we to do with Him?
Jesus Christ came to our world to set us free. We have a choice – to accept Him and the freedom He desires to give us, or to reject Him and remain in bondage. To accept Him is simple – we must merely admit with our mouths that He is Lord (just as He said He was), while believing in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, and in doing so, that He gave us life (Romans 10:9).
To receive Jesus and become a Christian click here!
HIS MESSAGE
The message of the church is all about Jesus.And it’s a good message – even though your experiences might have been otherwise.
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation…”
Mark 16:15 ESV
Jesus commissioned believers to proclaim (or preach) the gospel. The word ‘gospel’ by definition literally means “good news” or “a good message.” Jesus told His followers that the message that they should take to the world is GOOD NEWS. That immediately determines what the message is and limits its scope. It’s not bad news. When you hear the gospel (good news), you shouldn’t feel condemned. It should cause you to feel good about God and cause you to want to know Him.
By its definition, the true gospel also automatically exposes what some Christians call “gospel” as “anti-gospel”- because their message is far from “good news”. The gospel isn’t about how rotten you are, it’s about how good Jesus is; it’s not about what you need to do to get right with God but rather it’s about what God did to get you right with Him. It’s all about what Jesus did, not what you need to do.
The gospel focuses on the solution not the problem. The solution is Jesus.
The good news is all about God’s unconditional love and His amazing grace. It’s about the finished work of the cross; that we don’t work for salvation or relationship with God, but rather it’s a done deal. Jesus paid for it all, so we could just receive and enjoy it!
The Gospel is the message of grace.
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24 ESV)
Paul refers to “the gospel of the grace of God”. Grace can be defined as “unmerited favour” – favour which is not deserved or earned. In other words, the Gospel is the message that God loved us so much that He sent Jesus (John 3:16) to deal with the sin problem. Not because we deserved it, but because He loves us! Now, we enjoy the favour of God on the basis of what Jesus did. It has nothing to do with our goodness.
Your sins are paid for!
He (Jesus) is the propitiation (payment) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2 ESV, brackets mine
Jesus paid for our sins. Through His sacrifice we are completely forgiven (Hebrews 10:17-18). Sin is no longer a barrier between us and the Lord. Sin has been dealt with. Jesus has even paid for the sin of the unbeliever. Someone’s individual acts of sin (stealing, lust, rebellion etc.) do not send them to hell, because Jesus has already paid for their sin. An individual will only go to hell if they don’t accept the payment (Jesus) for their sin. Rejecting Jesus is the reason someone goes to hell. God knew we couldn’t make our sin problem right, and so He did something. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, our sin is dealt with, and when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour we are automatically made right with God. We are accepted by God and are made perfect and righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21) because of what Jesus did.
The good news always focuses on what Jesus did.
Sin has been dealt with!
John the Baptist said of Jesus;
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
John 1:29 ESV
If something is taken away, it’s gone. Jesus came to deal with our sin nature. When we read through Romans chapter 6 we see that He was successful: when we receive Him as our Lord and Saviour we cease to have a sinful nature (a nature which drives us and causes us to sin), and we receive a new righteous nature (which causes us to desire holiness).
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
John 3:16-17 ESV
Jesus came because of love. Many people think Jesus came to condemn them and tell them how bad they are. Jesus never rebuked sinners. He actually loved them and even hung out with them (Luke 15:1). Jesus did however rebuke the religious; those who thought they were good in God’s sight because of their own goodness. The sinners knew they needed help. And that’s what Jesus offered. He didn’t come to condemn, He came to save and to set free.
This is the message of Jesus; the message of the gospel. God loves you, and He is not holding your sins against you! Receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and you will be made righteous – right with God.
To receive Jesus and become a Christian click here!
HIS MISSION
At GraceLife we are committed to sharing the good news of God’s unconditional love and His amazing grace with the world. We are also committed to teaching and training men and women to change their world for God. We disciple people through teaching, training, LifeGroups, Men and Women’s Ministries, one-on-one mentoring and more.
Why?
The Mission of the church is all about Jesus.
We live for Him because He gave His life for us (2 Cor. 5:15 KJV). Before Jesus went up to heaven, He commissioned us, saying
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.Go ye therefore, and teach(disciple) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, evenunto the end of the world…
Matthew 28:18-20 KJV, brackets mine
The Greek word for “teach” is mathēteuō which means “to become a pupil… to disciple” (Strong’s Dictionary). Jesus was telling us, His followers, to go make disciples (pupils) of all nations; men and women who know Him and live out His teachings.
Nowhere in Scripture do we see Jesus telling us to go convert people (get people saved). Even in reading through the book of Acts, where the early days of the church are recorded, we see more emphasis on discipleship; getting people grounded in the Word.
The mission Jesus gave the church is to preach the good news, and then disciple those who receive Him; get them grounded in the Word so that they go out, preach the gospel and make disciples.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ…
2 Corinthians 5:20 KJV
We are representatives of Christ which means that we should represent Him with His message and His mission.
To receive Jesus and become a Christian click here!