BETHESDA BAPTIST CHURCH, Felixstowe
Jesus Christ - the way, the truth and the life
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Food for Thought
Christians talk a lot about something called "the gospel" -but occasionally forget that this is not a word that is used much outside the church!
What exactly is "the gospel"? "Gospel" is another word for "good news" - which is very appropriate because what Christians believe is very good news indeed. And it's good news because of something called GRACE.
What is grace?
Grace is not a word used very often these days in everyday conversation so perhaps it's not surprising that people are sometimes unclear about its meaning. Just what exactly is grace... a girl's name, a ceremonial title for addressing a duke or archbishop, a short prayer before a meal, an easy elegance? Yes, it is all of these things. So why is grace so important to Christians? It is because the word has another and even more important meaning. It means also "the undeserved kindness and mercy of God." We at Bethesda have experienced this mercy ourselves and want to use this website to explain more clearly what grace really is.
The gospel of grace
The gospel of grace is good news for a world in crisis. Who would disagree that we live in a problem world? Wars, corrupt politicians and global warming make the headlines. Add to these street violence, drug abuse, school bullying, family feuds… it's not a pretty picture! A hopeless situation? It would be if it weren't for this: God has provided the solution the world needs. He tells us about it in the Bible. Here indeed is good news for a world in crisis!
God's diagnosis
Imagine you are in agony with a pain in your middle. "It's appendicitis," says the doctor. How do you react? Do you get offended and say, "How dare you tell me something so unpleasant? That's the last time I come to your surgery!" Of course not. Unpleasant though it may be, a diagnosis is the first step to a cure.
Many of us have our own theories about society's ills: "Attack poverty, no more fat cats!" Or "Zero tolerance for criminals!" Or "Give everyone an equal chance!" We all tend to pin blame on other people - be it politicians, parents or asylum seekers. But God points the finger at you and me. He says that the root of the problem is the refusal of each one of us to acknowledge and obey him as Creator and Lawgiver - what the Bible calls "sin".
Demanding justice
Justice is precious. We like to see justice done. We often think we deserve a better deal. But have you ever thought what it would be like to get exactly what you deserve - no more, no less - from God, bearing in mind that his standard is total perfection in everything we do, think and say? We judge ourselves by our own standards and can usually point to someone we think is worse than ourselves. But in God's eyes even the best of us falls short. For him to give us what we deserve would mean sending us to hell.
God's amazing gift
"How depressing!" you might say, "If God is absolutely pure and totally just, what hope is there for anyone?" Well, amazingly there is hope! Yes, the situation is desperate, but God has already done something about it. The Bible says, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (1) God sent his own Son, Jesus Christ, into the world on a rescue mission. How did he do it?
The penalty has been paid
If you do a day's work, you have a right to be paid for it. But we don't like to hear of young criminals getting a free holiday - it doesn't seem right somehow. Imagine then this scenario:
A high court judge sentences a young murderer to life. The judge then goes to gaol himself instead of the murderer so that the criminal can be released. Meanwhile he arranges to adopt the youth as his son. He gives the young man a share of his property large enough make him rich. That would really shock us, wouldn't it?
But what God has done is even more shocking. As we've said already, the gospel is the good news of God's grace. Grace is God's kindness free-of-charge to those who deserve the opposite. The gospel of grace is the astonishing message that God himself has paid the penalty that allows his enemies to go free. He has done everything necessary for them to become his friends. More than that, they become members of his family - his own sons and daughters with a share in his riches.
The great exchange
For everyone who believes this message, a great exchange has taken place. Jesus has taken their disobedience and rebellion - the sin that makes them offensive to God - on himself. He has endured the full force of God's justice against them on the cross. In exchange for their sin, Jesus gives them his own perfect righteousness, like a new suit to wear. This makes them fully acceptable to God.
God gives them a new heart so that they love God and hate sin. They look forward to a secure future beyond this life, happy forever with God in the new heavens and new earth which nothing can spoil.
Has it happened for you?
In the Bible, God invites you to believe this message. His favour is not something you can earn or deserve. He's not open to bribes. He urges you to acknowledge your sin, to turn from it and to believe in his Son, Jesus Christ. The only way to be saved is gratefully to accept God's offer of grace.
None of us knows how long we have to accept God's invitation. The Bible teaches us that ". . . He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead." (2)
Wouldn't it be wise to accept it now?
(1) John 3:16 (2) Acts17:31
CHRISTMAS UNWRAPPED
All of us have received unwanted gifts at Christmas. For Joseph the gift of a child, as recorded in Matthew chapter 1, was not something he really wanted. Although he was engaged to Mary, her pregnancy provided grounds for divorce. Not surprisingly, with the associated social disgrace, Joseph wanted to divorce Mary quietly (Matthew 1:19). However, God intervened in a dream reminding Joseph that the child to be born would fulfil Isaiah’s promise: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - which means, God with us.’ (1:23).
Joseph’s world, like our own, is scary and uncertain and it’s not always clear as to what God is doing. So what is the message of the name Immanuel for Joseph, as well as for ourselves as we approach Christmas 2011?
• God is present with us
God assured Joseph through his dream that he was working in all that Joseph was experiencing. The conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit is not unexplained; however the wonder of the incarnation is that the eternal and creator God has entered time and space as a baby.
This baby is both uniquely divine but also fully human. The birth of Jesus means that we can know God personally, not just know about him. The Holy Spirit is committed to making Jesus’ life and character real in us, as well as bringing meaning to our circumstances, just as he worked in the conception of Immanuel.
• God is on our side
Christmas touches some raw nerves in our lives, including stress, family rows, loneliness and financial pressures. However, God does not remain aloof from our experiences. By coming in Jesus he enters our world of hopes and fears, joys and disappointments. Therefore, he can understand what we are going through, as he is alongside us. By the cross and resurrection he gave his life that we might know his life, joy, peace and forgiveness.
For Joseph, as well as us, the Christmas message is one of hope in an uncertain world. It is a time to re-consider the claims of Immanuel (God with us) as we entrust ourselves to him for the coming year.
from http://www.parishpump.co.uk/