“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead”
– 2 Timothy 2:8
This is the first of a series of posts on summarised Lessons from New Wine – United 2014. @johncoles1, the outgoing Director of New Wine spoke on the verse above to open Week 1 of the conference.
* * * * * * *
For someone in Christ, it is not what we do, but who we are – a beloved child of God – which gives us significance.
Jesus baptises us with the Holy Spirit and endows us with the love of the Father. He included you and me, unworthy as we are, to be saved by grace if we put our faith in him. He loves the unlovable, he includes the excluded, and when we put our faith in him, he saves sinners.
‘Christ resurrected’ is the good news we have, the message we must preach, because it uniquely and supernaturally shows just how much God loves us – enough to give his Son to be put to death to defeat our sins – and it gives us our sure and certain hope of eternal life in him.
Declaring this truth glorifies God, and saves the lost.
* * * * * * *
There followed a video testimony from a lady wondrously healed of blindness the previous year, who then recovered from debt through the ministry of Christians Against Poverty. John then challenged us: can we, the church, become known for miraculous happenings in all of our communities; in us, through us, around us; in our friends, and in our communities – to the glory of God, to testify to: his love and grace; to Jesus’ sacrifice; and to the power of the Holy Spirit he left with us.
Faith Unlocked 