Sharing the Hope and Love of God With the World

      I’m reminded of a story told by Penn of the Penn and Teller magician combo.  Penn is an atheist and in an interview he said the greatest gift he had received was a Bible.  He was asked, “Aren’t you an atheist, so why would you appreciate a Bible as a gift?”  His answer should be taken to heart by all Christians.  He said he didn’t believe that there is a God or that the Bible is true, but the fan, a lady who gave him the Bible did believe it and she wanted to share what was on her mind, which was the greatest gift she could offer and that was the Bible.  “For,” he continued, “In it, she said, is contained the knowledge of eternal life.” 

                Christ gave to the church a commission, marching orders if you will.  He said in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

                Since Christ gave us this commission we are obligated as His disciples to obey Him, just like the lady did with the magician Penn.  We too must share our knowledge of the Hope and Love of God with the world.  We, in God’s church, want everyone to know that John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have eternal life,” applies to them.  And as it says in Acts 26:18: “To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”  

But, you may say, you don’t know what kind of life I have lived, or my sins are too many, or I don’t believe God can forgive me.  But, Christ died for you, taking your sins, no matter what they are onto Himself.  For we just read in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world.” That includes you and me.  “He gave His Son for us.”

 In Romans 6:23, Paul writes, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   The wages, what we get for sin is death.  For 1 John 3:4 says that sin is breaking God’s laws, but through Christ, because He became sin for us, we are forgiven, if we accept that sacrifice and we will receive live everlasting.  In Acts 2:38, Peter was asked, “What are we to do since we have sinned?”  Verse 38 says, “Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  John writes in I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We, in the Church of God, want everyone who visits this web site to know just how much God loves them and to know it’s never too late, or our sins are never too great for the love of God to encompass us.

In Hebrews 6:17 it says, “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose He guaranteed it with an oath, (18) so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.” 

We, that is, those of us who have turned our lives over to God, an act called conversion, remember Acts 2:38 and have fled for refuge to Christ and we know what He did on the cross.  Paul tells us to hold fast to this hope.  The hope is that, when the resurrection from the dead happens at Christ’s return, you and I will be in God’s Kingdom as His child.  I Thessalonians 4:15: “For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen to sleep.  (16) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of that trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first. (17) Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.  (18) Therefore encourage one another with these words.” Our only hope, in this hopeless world, is the return of Christ to this earth as He has promised.

Revelation 20:4 “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed, also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.  They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (5) The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.  This is the first resurrection.  (6) Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection.  Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Then Revelation 21:1: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  (2) And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  (3) and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.  (4) He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

This is only part of the story of the hope and love of God that He offers mankind.  We want everyone who is converted to join with us in spreading this wonderful news.  And to all those who are searching for God, He has promised this in Jeremiah 29:13 “you will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  (14) I will be found by you, declares the Lord.” 

Then you too can join with us and then all of us can do as Peter said in 2 Peter 3:17 “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with error of lawless people and lose your own stability.  (18) But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.  Amen.”

If you are considering baptism and would like counselling please contact Wendell Yeary or Stephen Hicks by using the contact page.  Everything will be kept confidential and no one will pressure you.