NEWSLETTER
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You may think that these strange creatures, wild and fanatical in their ways, are the recent invention of some money hungry American. Certainly, the term has become more popular in recent years and the publicity some people have received has done the cause of Christianity no good at all, but where does the teaching come from? You may be surprised at the answer to that question, because the teaching comes straight from the New Testament and from the lips of Jesus himself. It is found in the Gospel of John and chapter three. The story related there is about a man called Nicodemus, a Jewish teacher. Nicodemus was obviously very religious, very respectable, and very knowledgeable, many people looked up to him. He came to Jesus at night looking perhaps for a quiet private discussion with him. He opened the conversation by telling Jesus that both he and others recognised that Jesus was genuine, a teacher sent from God. Then he received a shock, because Jesus told him in no uncertain terms, that neither he nor anybody else would see or enter the Kingdom of God without being born again. What Jesus spoke of was a spiritual birth, a birth from above, something brought about by the power of the Holy Spirit. Later in the same chapter, our attention is drawn to the Gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Eternal Son of God, unique and, very special to God, yet God sent Jesus into the world to die on the cross of Calvary in the place of sinners like you and me. Salvation is not something earned by those who try their best. Salvation is not something deserved, by anybody on earth. Salvation is not the right of the religious and respectable. Salvation is a GIFT, freely given to ANYONE who believes in Jesus. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, through Christ and through no other, by hearing and accepting the gospel message. There is no other hope for fallen sinners. Yours sincerely, Eddie Jones Pastor |