John 3:16 declares the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ in a single verse. It is also a very simple and powerful tool for evangelism. Almost every Christian and many non-believers have this verse memorized. Believers can simply proclaim this single verse to bring the Good News of salvation in Jesus to a lost and dying world desperate to hear it.
Topic: salvation
What do we mean when we refer to salvation, or to being saved? It means you have been rescued from the inevitable results of living in your sin. It means death is not permanent. It means, because of Jesus and His work on the cross of sacrifice, in the tomb of victory, and through the hope of a heavenly future, you do not have to go to hell.
The story of Jesus “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem at the beginning of the final week of His earthly ministry is very familiar. It is tragic to consider that many of those who shouted “Hosanna – blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD” would be the same ones who called vehemently for His crucifixion before the week was out. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple upon His arrival greatly displeased the Jewish leaders whose positions of power and wealth He had challenged by it.
Jesus encountered a rich young man who seemed to be genuinely seeking the way to eternal life. Yet when Jesus called upon him to forsake his earthly riches, he was unable to let go of them in order to follow Jesus and thereby gain entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. We must follow Jesus wholeheartedly seeking the eternal rewards He had promised for those who faithfully follow Him rather than the temporary blessings of this earthly life.
This message begins a new series focused on Paul’s epistle to the churches surrounding Ephesus. It’s no secret that Christians are called to be different. We are to be “new” and not hold on to the “old”. In Ephesians Paul teaches what it’s truly like to be different. We live in a world of rapid moral decline. Therefore, as followers of Jesus Christ, we must train ourselves to function differently than the world. We must learn to fully commit to living a surrendered life and allow the power of God’s Spirit to help us walk in God’s ways and not our own.


