THE GOSPEL
(How’s that for a theme?)
Religion is a lot more comfortable than The Gospel. Religion can tell us what we have to believe and what we have to achieve to win God’s approval. It gives us a list of standards so we can know when we’ve arrived and can be satisfied with our growth and achievement.
The Gospel, on the other hand, is shocking: Perfect God creates autonomous beings with the right to choose. Longing for our love, He had to give us the choice to refuse His love so that if any of us chose to return to Him and love Him, it would be our own free choice - real love, like His.
His pursuit of our love led Him to become one of us, identify with us in every way, but without sin. And in the face of total rejection by all mankind, He reveals His plan - He takes the punishment due us on Himself and dies. He defeats sin, death and satan and rises from the dead. Then he offers us the way back - not a self improvement plan or a set of rules, but forgiveness for all our sins. This Gospel is shocking because it is a unilateral offer - He did it all and we can only receive. He holds all the cards. If we try to have His offer under any other conditions we end up with …religion.
Jesus did not come to make us nice. He came to make us alive. Without Him, we are dead and eternally lost. With Him, we are redeemed, secure and whole new creatures.
Heavy stuff for kids? I don’t think so. Jesus said that with the faith of a child the miracle of salvation takes place.
This week we’ll laugh, sing and hear wonderful stories but the theme is not religion - it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our Daily Chapel Themes
MONDAY: Who is God?Exodus 2-3
Moses, as a shepherd in Midian, looks back over the design of his early life and wonders: “Why?” And then, in a burning bush, he meets the Great I AM!
TUESDAY: Sin
Genesis 3-4:16
God freely gave all things for Adam and Eve to enjoy except for one tree – and that tree became their consuming desire. Sin had entered the universe – but God has a plan!
WEDNESDAY: It is finished.
Matthew 4: 18-20; John 19: 28-30; John 20: 19-20
Peter sees God’s plan unfold – but what a roller-coaster ride of emotions: from embracing the Messiah-Leader with joy, only to lose Him on a cross, only to receive Him again, risen & victorious. The plan is accomplished!
THURSDAY: The Gospel
Genesis 1:1-Revelation 22:21
Today Jerry explains the Gospel in context of how he came to know his own sin, and trust Jesus as his Savior.
FRIDAY: More Good News: Jesus hasn’t left us alone.
John 20: 19-29; Luke 24: 35-53
Thomas relates how he came to grips with the Risen Jesus and then describes his Savior’s Ascension and promise that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter was coming. Good News!
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| The Crew with Jerry |
One of our Worship Times
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