What is Christianity?
What is the Gospel?
The word "Gospel", is translated to mean "good news" which is exactly what it means to us. The Gospel that we believe tells us that God, the Father, sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to live the perfect, sinless life that no one could live. He then died a death he did not deserve on a cross so that all those who believe in him do not have to. He willingly took the punishment that was rightfully due to us for living our imperfect, sinful lives. Dying on the cross, Jesus forgave us all, including the very ones who were killing him. And when he rose from the dead three days later, Jesus demonstrated that death had no hold on him, and the same applies to anyone who entrusts their lives and souls to him. In this world, there is so much brokenness and there are so many who are lost or hurting, looking for an answer that they cannot find on their own. We could not and cannot save ourselves, so God found us and saved us. This is truly Good News.
Who is Jesus Christ?
We believe in Jesus Christ, the only son of God, as our Lord and Savior. He came down to this earth - fully man and fully God - to live a perfect life, to die a sinner's death, and to rise again on the third day.
Why does any of this matter?
It matters because we believe that Jesus is coming back (Luke 12:40, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, Revelation 22:12) to judge the living and the dead; condemning those who reject Him to perish in Hell, but rewarding those who follow him with eternal life in Heaven.
How can I have a relationship with Jesus?
It starts with repentance. You need to acknowledge that you have been living your life the way you wanted and doing what pleased you rather than obeying God's laws. Repenting of your sins signals a change of heart, not just that you're seeking forgiveness, but that you want to turn from your old life and live a new one centered around Jesus Christ. Here is an example of a prayer of repentance: "Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and that I am more flawed and wicked than I could have ever imagined. But I thank you that I am even more loved and accepted than I ever dared to hope. I thank you that you sent your one and only son, Jesus, to pay the price for my sins so that I can now be accepted into your family. Though I have nothing to justify my standing with you or earn your approval, I can stand confident in what Jesus has already done for me. Help me to live a life for your honor and glory. In Jesus' name I pray, amen." Once you commit your life to Jesus, nothing will be the same. For one, your sins are now erased permanently, and you are able to enjoy being a part of God's family. Secondly, the Holy Spirit enters your heart and begins to change your character to become more like that of Jesus. To further pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus, it is important that once you make this commitment, you find a community of believers (Christian friends and church) to learn the basic Christian disciplines of Bible study, fellowship with other Christians, prayer, and worship.
What if I'm still not convinced?
We totally understand that you may be skeptical, or even flat out in disagreement with what you've read so far. And that's totally okay. All we ask is that you give the Gospel a fair chance by visiting us during one of our worship services.