What do you hope for?
A new job or new house? Your lottery numbers to come up? Better health?
What if there was something more fulfilling and longer lasting than any of these things. Would you hope for that?
We believe hope like that is available to everyone. It comes in a person - Jesus Christ.
Want to find out more? Join us on a Sunday, get in touch, or continue reading below.
The hope of our faith
Christianity is about God and how he forges a loving relationship with people like you and me through Jesus. A relationship that gives meaning, hope, joy and peace.
God
Many people think of God as an old man sitting on a cloud or as someone who gives people a load of rules to follow.
However, the Bible says differently.
The Bible says God is a God of loving community: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He created us for relationship. For relationship with him, but also for relationship with other people.
Sin
The problem is that we naturally reject our relationship with God by forgetting about him and living as though he doesn’t exist. It’s what the Bible calls sin, a falling short of God’s perfect standards. We all sin and this brings guilt, shame and separation from God. Sinful people can’t come near to a holy, perfect God.
This is why we see a world of broken relationships and disharmony between families and people groups. And we’re powerless to do anything about our separation from God; no amount of “doing good” can erase the sin that has already been committed.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
Jesus
Jesus is God’s solution to our sin.
He came into the world as a man. Jesus was fully man, but lived the perfect life. He was also fully God. As the accounts of Jesus’ life demonstrate, he was able to perform miracles and know people’s thoughts.
But although Jesus performed powerful miracles and taught with great wisdom, those are not the primary reasons he came. He came to die.
Jesus’ death and resurrection are the central events of the Christian faith. It is here that God deals with the problems caused by sin.
The Bible says that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Jesus didn’t deserve death. As the innocent Jesus was killed on a cross, he was taking the disgrace and punishment that was rightly ours. He was healing the broken relationship.
Salvation
Jesus died and was buried. But he didn’t stay dead. After three days he rose again, powerfully conquering death. In doing so, he proved that the humiliation and punishment we deserve had been fully dealt with, giving us a perfect standing before God. God’s justice satisfied, there is now a way for a holy, perfect God to welcome people into his presence.
This healed relationship with God is open to all by faith. The Bible says we’re to repent and believe. Repent simply means to turn; turning from living without God and turning to Jesus as saviour and Lord. It’s not about earning this relationship ourselves, it’s believing Jesus has done all that’s needed for this relationship to begin.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.”
New life
This relationship gives us new spiritual life. A life where guilt and shame from sin is taken away and we’re given the honour of being God’s beloved, adopted children. A life where God dwells with us through his Holy Spirit, giving us the power to live a new life for him. A life where we’re joined with other Christians locally and around the world to be part of God’s amazing family. A life that is radically different.
Eternal life
This new life begins now, and is perfected in heaven. An eternity with no more sin, shame, death, fear, pain, or anything bad, because of what Jesus has done.
Now that is the greatest of all hopes.
“I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling-place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”
This is the Christian faith we believe and proclaim at Christ Church. From it springs our worship and, as a family of believers in Jesus, we think this is the most important good news you’ll ever hear.
We’d love to talk to you more about it.
Want to begin this relationship now?
If you’d like to begin a personal relationship with Jesus today, it’s a simple as believing he is your saviour.
Here are some words you might like to pray:
Heavenly Father, I am sorry for the things I have done wrong. Please forgive me. Thank you for that your son, Jesus, died on the cross so that I might have life. Please come into my life today by your Holy Spirit. Be with me forever, starting now. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
Got questions or want to find out more?
Then come along to one of our informal Explore courses. You don't need any prior knowledge and you won't be forced to do anything you don't want to. It’s simply a friendly, safe space to find out more and ask any questions you have - no question will be off-limit.
Get in touch to find out when the next course is running.