I spent my childhood and young adult years in a denomination that seemed to
emphasize the liturgy of the church. As a child, I was taught when to bow, do the
sign of the cross, kneel, stand, sit, chant and sing during the mass. I was so
focused on those things and believed that was the way to show I loved Jesus.
In my late twenties, I was introduced to a church that taught the Bible. They were
very focused on teaching the books of Daniel and Revelation. I felt defeated
trying desperately to keep the law especially the Sabbath day. No matter how
hard I tried, I found myself succumbing to sin. I was afraid if I died without
confessing a sin, I would not be saved.
I met my husband when I was forty and we began studying the Bible together.
This is when I learned that I was no longer bound under the law. Jesus died for all
sin and I was saved by His grace. “For by grace you have been saved through
faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so
that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). I was saved by grace. This hit my heart
so hard I cried for days.
Because of my past, I became acutely aware of legalism in the church. When my
husband and I were looking for a church, the first thing I would do is look at the
offering envelope. If "tithe" was printed on the envelope, I knew that church
wouldn’t work for me. Again, because of my experiences, I needed to belong in a
church that emphasized forgiveness and grace.
I know that God is holy and I know that I am a sinner but I also know that because of the grace that showed in Jesus Christ that I am accepted and loved by God. I am accepted by God not because I am good enough, but because Jesus is. Through my faith, I have the righteousness of Christ and peace with God.
Jesus offers salvation to everyone who will put their faith in Him alone and give up trying the impossible task of earning God's love through good works. In Jesus I am free to love God and grow in holiness knowing that God's love for me is not based upon my performance but his grace. I pray you would come to know that too.
Just like Jesus freed Christina, he can free you too!
Learn more about authentic life change (and experience it for yourself) by visiting our church this Sunday. We meet every Sunday at 10:30am at 15700 Leroy Street in Southgate, right across from Southgate Anderson High School. You can find directions here.
We'd love to have you to join us!
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU VISIT (click)
Here are some highlights of what you can expect when you visit with us:
1. A powerful and relevant message from the Bible that speaks to you wherever you are (by the way, you can check out previous messages here)
2. People who are friendly, loving, and approachable who really care about you, even if they’ve never met you before.
3. Your kids to be taken care of and learn about Jesus in a safe, clean, and fun environment
4. God-centered worship but designed so that every part of the service makes sense to you even if you’ve never been to church before.
Again, we meet at 10:30am at 15700 Leroy Street in Southgate Michigan.