Describe one positive change you have made in your life.
By far the most positive change I have made in my life was to accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. Back in July of 1989 I realised something was missing in my life. I came to realise that was Jesus. Like the image above, I gave Jesus my heart and life. Since this time I have tried my best to follow Him daily.
If you are interested in finding out more accepting Jesus in to your life, please visit this page on my blog.
What makes a church a church? What sort of things should they do or believe to make them a genuine church that Jesus is building? What should we look for?
Do they believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God? If so, is it held up above all other books as God’s Word to us? Some groups have other books they add to the Bible or hold them up as equally important, this makes them cults. (2 Timothy 3:16-18, Revelation 22:18-19).
Do they hold true to the ancient creeds like the Apostles creed, the Nicene creed and the Athanasian creed? Holding firm to these means they have an orthodox christian faith that the church has held on to for centuries. You can find them on our about page.
Do they trust Jesus as the only way to salvation? Do they believe Jesus is the eternal Son of God? Do they believe Jesus died on the cross for our sin and was physically raised to life? Have they accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour? (John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Romans 10:9-10).
Do they regularly practice the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion, the Eucharist) where we take Jesus’ body in the form of bread or a wafer, and His blood in the form of juice or wine. Jesus told us to do this in remembrance of Him and His sacrifice for us (Luke 22:18-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25).
Do they practice baptism for new believers? Some churches may baptise with full immersion or by pouring water on the head. The main thing is to baptise in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as Jesus taught us (Mathew 28:18-20, Acts 2:38).
Do they meet together and focus on what the early church did? Acts 2:42 says, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching [the Bible] and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.”
Do they rely on the Holy Spirit to make them more like Jesus, to empower them to be His witnesses, to give them gifts to serve, and to display the fruit of the Spirit? (Galatians 5:22-23, Acts 1:8, Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11).
These are some of the things that I think are important when deciding on which church you attend if you are a new believer or new to an area.
Most churches have websites with a statement of faith on there. I would always check it out before attending.
I purchased a new cross to wear around the neck recently. Most of the crosses I have only had an empty cross as most protestant people do.
When I was a new Christian in the late 80s and early 90s, many people said that Jesus is not on the cross now, so why do you have a crucifix? At the time it made sense so I purchased a plain cross.
Lately I have been reminded afresh of Jesus’ sacrifice for me. I have been meditating of His death on the cross for my sin and the lengths He was willing to go to for me.
While looking for a new cross to purchase I found the cross above. It has the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Something about it appealed to me straight away.
As I have dwelt on this I was reminded afresh that our salvation is a triune effort of God. The Father sent the Son, the Son died on the cross for our sins, and the Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus and gives us the new birth.
The following verses paint a picture for us…
John 3:16-17 NLT – For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. [17] God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
Romans 5:8-11 NLT – But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. [9] And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. [10] For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. [11] So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
Titus 3:4-7 NLT – When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, [5] he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. [6] He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. [7] Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.
As we can see from the above verses each member of the trinity played their part in the salvation process. It was a triune effort – the Father sent the Son, Jesus died for us, and the Holy Spirit gives us a new birth and new life in Him.
So this is why I wear my new cross. It is a reminder of what God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – has done in saving me.
If you are interested you can find one here for only $1.50!
Mark 8:27-29 NLT – Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” [28] “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.” [29] Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.”
In today’s Gospel reading Jesus asked the disciples two questions. Who do the people say I am? And who do you say I am?
Over the years I have spoken to a lot of people about Jesus. In these conversations I have heard many different opinions on who people think Jesus is. Some have said He is a good moral teacher. Some others have said a prophet who spoke God’s message. While some said the leader of an ancient religion.
To me the most important question in this life is the one Jesus asked to His disciples. “Whom do you say I am?” I believe it is the most important question because it determines our eternal destiny! If we think Jesus was just a teacher, prophet or a leader of an ancient religion, we miss who He really is.
Jesus is the Messiah (Mark 8:29). He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). He came to show us what God is like (John 14:9). He came to die on the cross for our sin and ransom us for God (Mark 10:45). Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 1:1). Jesus is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords (Revelation 17:14). He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6) and the only way to the Father in heaven (Acts 4:12).
Today I want to ask you the same question that Jesus asked His disciples, “Whom do you say that I am?” Who is Jesus to you? It is my hope and prayer that you agree with Peter’s response to Jesus’ question.
Mark 16:9 NLT – After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons.
Some people I have spoken to over the years have said they are not worthy to be saved because of how they have lived their lives. They have said even God would accept me.
In the above verse we see that the first person Jesus appeared to after His resurrection was Mary. She had lived a questionable life and even had seven demons.
If anyone felt unworthy of Jesus’ love it would be Mary. But Jesus met her where she was at and cast out her seven demons. She was a changed person.
Mary became a follower of Jesus and she was one of the people who went to anoint His body with spices after His death. She went with Mary the mother of Jesus and Salome.
I love that the first person Jesus appeared to after His resurrection was Mary. A demon possessed outcast who was transformed by His love and His healing. Her life would never be the same.
If you feel unworthy of God’s love today, I want to say that God has a special love for those who have gone astray. The Bible is filled with people who started off on the wrong path, but found God’s love and healing in Jesus.
If this is you, why not turn to Him today? He is a prayer away and waiting for you with His arms out stretched towards you.
Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am sorry for the way I have lived my life. I ask for a new fresh start today. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sin. I give my life to You today. I want to follow You as my Lord and Saviour. Please bring healing to my heart and soul. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit to strengthen me. Cast out anything that is not of You. I ask in Your name, Amen.
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