"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name”. Matthew 6:9 ESV
Jesus teaches that a perfect starting point for walking with God is to know that He is our Heavenly Father, who is Holy and set apart from everything in our universe. He is the one true God through whom all things exist, and to know Him as Father, and to know His Son, Jesus Christ is to know eternal life.
"And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent”. John 17:3 ESV
"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen”. 2 Peter 3:18 ESV
Through Him, all things were created, and through Him can we have a reconciled relationship with the Father. Through Him alone, we have salvation, and the life we now live is a life of surrendered faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us.
"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved”. Acts 4:12 ESV
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever”. John 15:16 NIV
Jesus' promise to His disciples was the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives as a helper, comforter, peace-giver and advocate. Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, the church was birthed in the power of the Holy Spirit, and it continues in the power of the Holy Spirit.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”. Acts 1:8 ESV
"For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires”. Hebrews 4:12 NLT
Without the Bible, there is no accurate knowledge of God, the world is without meaning, and our identity is lost. The Holy Spirit-inspired scriptures have always been, and will always be, the story of our separation from God by sin and God’s provision for restoration of fellowship through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross.
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”. Matthew 24:35 ESV
"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers”. Acts 2:42 ESV
The church is the fellowship of believers for the purpose of worship, bible-based teaching, the sacrament of communion and prayer. It is the universal body of Christ and is manifest locally through regular gatherings of Christ's disciples who unite under the Lordship of Christ, commissioned to be a light to the world.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". Matthew 28:19 ESV
"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard". Romans 3:23 NLT
The story of Jesus is good news as it tells of our salvation from the penalty of sin. Every person has sinned and, as a result, fallen eternally short of God's holiness; it is through faith and confession of Christ's death, that the debt of sin, death, is forgiven.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".1 John 1:9 ESV
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead". 1 Peter 1:3 ESV
To follow the resurrected Christ is to walk in a living hope. This hope of Christ is an anchor for our soul that allows us, His disciples, to weather the storms of life, endure suffering and push on towards the prize that awaits - eternal glory with Christ.
"This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary". Hebrews 6:19 NLT