The Gospel is . . . Grace and faith

What is the gospel really?  I know it's good news; but why?  I believe the gospel of Christ Jesus is good news because it releases us from the bondage of "self".   For most people today, "religion" is nothing more than a personally decided upon set of beliefs or philosophies -- that's what you call pluralism.  It's where you take a little bit of this and a little bit of that and "shazam", you've got religion.  It seems good at first, but the problem in the long run is that your religion is no bigger or better than you are??!?!  You become your own means to salvation, enlightenment, or whatever you call it.

The Christian message is different.  There's God and then there's you and me.  We can never measure up--that's the bad news.  The good news is that we don't have to measure up!  God took care of everything when he sent Jesus to take our place and pay our price--that's grace.  God offers you grace and we respond with faith in God's plan.  It's really that simple.  The gospel is good news because it is a relationship of grace and faith.  See you Sunday and bring all your friends.  Pastor Tom

The Gospel is . . .

Good news - that's the meaning of the word "gospel".   In the original language it is euangelion which literally means "eu" = good and "angelion" = message.  The early church went everywhere spreading the good news of Christ Jesus.  So what is the good news?  John 3:16 sums it up well, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."  the gospel is centered in the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  It is love, grace, forgiveness, freedom, transformation, and the hope of heaven.

The New Testament uses words such as redemption, sanctification, salvation, sin, and justification to describe the good news of the gospel.  Paul's opening words in his letter to the Galatians makes plain that their is only one gospel.  Any other gospel is a perversion of the truth.  So what is the core message of Christianity and the church?  Join us in May on Sundays @ the ARC as we take a deeper look at the gospel and Paul's letter to the Galatians - It's good news!

The Gospel is . . .

Can't wait for the upcoming series called "The Gospel is . . ."  So what is the central message of Christianity?  Is it love, hope, freedom, transformation, or . . .?   If you know it or have some thoughts, shoot me an e-mail or comment on this blog.  The Series kicks off in May.  Don't miss it and bring a friend.

The Beauty of Jesus in an Ugly world

Sunday, we had a great gathering focusing on the beauty of Jesus in an ugly world. If you weren't there you really missed out. You don't have to look far to uncover the ugliness of our world. Child abuse, sexual slavery, and other injustices remind us that evil is real and present in all of our lives.

Just this last week two stories caught my attention in the daily news. The first was the story of Jaycee Duggard, a young girl abducted, raped, and kept prisoner for 18 years by a husband and wife. How could a couple do this do a young girl and another family? And worse, the guy who perpetrated the heinous crime was defending himself. Also in the news was the story of a couple who basically beat their two-year-old to death. Unbelievable?! What kind of home allows such behavior? We all like to ignore it or avoid it, but the truth is -- we live in an ugly world full or hate, evil, and moral ugliness.

That's why we need the beauty of Jesus in our lives. We all like beauty. We are attracted to beauty and like to surround ourselves with beautiful people or visit beautiful places. The real beauty we seek is the moral and spiritual beauty that can only be found in a relationship with God through Christ.

The apostle John had seen this beauty in Christ Jesus. In his gospel he used the word "glory" to describe the beauty of Jesus. He wrote in John 1:14, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. The glory of Jesus is what each of us needs to make our lives more beautiful.

For many, Jesus is beautiful because he was a great teacher. For others, he is beautiful because of influence on human history. Why is Jesus beautiful to you? I hope you will decide this week to invite the beauty of Jesus into your life. John's gospel reminds us that Jesus is beautiful because he is the savior of the world and the very image of God.

See you next week for more of the beauty of Jesus! Pastor Tom