Are you ready to live in story that brings meaning, purpose, and identity?
If Jesus is who he claimed to be…
Then there’s a God, and he loves you. In fact, he loves you so much he was ready to surrender his position in Heaven and suffer death for you. He has a plan for the entire human race, and it’s one that includes you. Forgiveness for everything you regret is available. There’s a purpose to this world, to being human, and time is headed somewhere. If Jesus is who he claimed to be, then he’s worth living for. He’s worth turning our lives around to follow.
If Jesus really rose from the dead…
If Jesus really rose from the dead, there’s life beyond the grave. That means there’s hope, and that when pain and suffering come at us they’re not the whole picture. Not only that, but if Jesus rose from the dead new life is available right now. We can put our past behind us and step into something brand new. If Jesus rose from the dead he is unique in all of history and deserves our attention. If Jesus rose from the dead, then you were created for eternity, not just for this world as it is right now. If Jesus rose from the dead, the promises about him and the future he has in store are true. If Jesus rose from the dead, we can live free from fear, free from internal oppression, free from the power of evil.
If the New Testament is true…
If the New Testament (the second half the Bible, after Jesus) is true then it’s a trustworthy guide for our lives. We can live a life of love fuelled by the Spirit of God. We can look ahead to a future where God will set things right. We can look back at the stories of the Old Testament to make sense of the world and why Jesus matters. We can confidently share the news about Jesus with others who need to know hope and freedom.
If you want to explore these 3 ‘if’ statements, we’d love to journey with you…
Start reading the Bible for yourself
Reading the Bible is an exploration, and it won’t always make sense on the first go. That’s because it’s ancient (so we need to get to know a bit of the context of when it was written), it’s made of 66 different books (so we need to realise what genre we’re reading), and it’s deep (so we need to give time to thinking about it and discussing it with others).
Suggested starting point: Mark’s Gospel
Click above to access the Bible online along with reading guides.
“FOLLOW ME”
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey all that I have taught you. And surely I will be with you always, even to the end of the age…” - Jesus
Jesus didn’t simply call people to BELIEVE, he called them to FOLLOW - to live according to what he taught. Not to earn our place with him, but to experience the fullness of life with him.
Being a ‘disciple’ meant being identified with your teacher (in this case Jesus), and learning to live like your teacher.
Through baptism, we identify ourselves with Jesus, and we decide that in the rest of our lives, we’re going to follow his way of life. Of course, that’s a journey with ups and downs, and we’ll often fail, but Jesus can be trusted for the long haul.
Talk to someone about Baptism or becoming a follower of Jesus or joining an Alpha Course…