No Middle Ground!

I have just heard a great message from our Senior Pastor's daughter, Olivia Elmes! The question she posed today is "What do we believe about the Gospel?" She was asking what we truly believe - not what we think, or what we may have heard or been told, but what we believe in our hearts and souls to be the truth! 

To understand the question we first need to understand the meaning of belief! The dictionary gives this description:

1. 1.

   an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof.
2. 2.

   trust, faith, or confidence in (someone or something).

It's something that comes from the very core of your being and is not just a passing thought. Thoughts and feelings can be easily changed but belief is not so easily persuaded. It comes from knowing the truth which starts in your head and then travels to your heart and deep into your very soul.

I BELIEVE THAT GOD LOVES ME, CHERISHES ME AND WANTS ME AS A COMPANION AND FRIEND!

I remember when I finally came to see the light of God's truth, that Sunday morning when I raised my hand in response to the prayer of salvation. It hit me like a lightning bolt! Suddenly my heart had hope and an immense weight was lifted from my soul! I cried tears of pure joy that day!

Before that day I had thought I would go to Heaven just because I was a good person, kind to children and animals, and involved in charitable works. I had thought myself a believer - but now I see that I really didn't know God and His heart for me! I didn't truly believe!

Now I see that there is no middle ground. You are either all in or all out! Olivia said that she pictured a great chasm opening up in the ground and I really like this image. You have to be on one side of it or the other because if you are straddling that chasm you are going to fall into the pit! There is literally no middle ground!

Come on people! Open your eyes! Look at what's happening in the world around you. It's collapsing in on itself and spiralling out of control. There is so much negativity along with wars, persecution, prejudice, sickness, famine, floods. droughts, starvation and death all over this world. You see it everywhere you turn!

The good news is that the Gospel is true! You can find salvation, peace and eternal life, but only in Jesus Christ, our Saviour! He who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

In the Old Testament people would need to offer up a sacrifice to have their sins forgiven, but would have to do that over and over again because this was only a temporary measure - rather like sticking a plaster on a gaping wound that will never heal - all because of the fall of Adam which had given mankind a nature of sin. 

Then Jesus came to Earth, lived alongside us as a mortal man and eventually died on the cross, as the Final Sacrifice, to wash away all sin and shame, and to defeat death through His resurrection. Because of Him we now have the Holy Spirit living inside us and all our sins are not just temporarily covered over but completely obliterated as though they never happened.

We are healed from that sinful nature we once had and have been resurrected along with Jesus. He has brought us out of the darkness of sin and shame into His glorious light and we need Him now more than ever. So I declare this in His mighty name:

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek (gentile).

Believe this! Repent of your sins and turn to the only one who truly loves you with an all-consuming passion - without question, unconditionally and eternally! Experience God's agapē love for yourself!

If you want to know more about our church please go to the website at www.family.church or to the Family Church page on Facebook where you can also find and download our app. Check it out! It turned my life around and it could do the same for you!

God bless you all!