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The LifeSpring Statement of Faith The LifeSpring Statement of Faith will give you more detailed
information about what we believe.
What’s all this stuff about "making the journey lighter"? Jesus said to his followers, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you…for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV) When we follow Jesus, we don’t have the burdens we once had. We are free from the burden of trying to be good all the time, of pleasing God in our own efforts. The burden of following Jesus is a light burden…no man-made rules to follow, no guilt and condemnation: only following Jesus. And following Jesus is at the same time the easiest and the hardest thing in the world. It’s hard to let go of our control over our own destinies and efforts to be good enough; and trust him to do it all. But really it’s so easy and simple…just follow Jesus. It’s a very light burden to carry. And what about setting the spirit free? When we don’t know Christ, or don’t let him into every area of our lives, our spirits are in bondage to the sins and compulsions that control us. (By the way, sin isn’t this awful thing we have to feel shame and condemnation over – it’s a part of the human condition that we ALL share!) When we allow Jesus to come into our lives, he sets us free from the power of sin. Then our spirits are set free, and we can truly be who we were created to be; God’s spirit transforms us! The bible tells us: Where the Spirit of God is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect God’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Spirit of God. (2 Corinthians 3:17,18) The Christian life basically involves discovering and growing in these truths! At LCC, we want to help you to do just that. But wasn’t Jesus just a good moral teacher? NO! Jesus claimed to be God. Someone who claims to be God couldn’t be a good moral teacher…unless he really was God. If someone told you they thought they were God, you would either think they were out of their mind, or lying. There would really be no other choice. Or… you could choose to believe they really were God. We believe Jesus is God, he died to bring us freedom from sin and abundant life. I thought all religions were just different paths to God.That’s simply not true! Christianity is different from all other religions in many ways. Christianity is the only religion where God reaches to us instead of the other way around. In other religions, people work hard to connect with God; to be good enough for God’s approval. But God reaches out to us, in Christianity. All we have to do is respond. He not only took the punishment for our sins by his death, he gives us the power to overcome the power of sin in our lives. Christianity is the only religion that has a living leader! Buddha is dead. Mohammed is dead. But Jesus, after dying to pay the penalty for our sins, rose from the dead, and was seen by over 500 people. He’s still alive today. So what does this all mean for me? We’ve mentioned sins, and we’ve mentioned Jesus’ death. How does that all fit together? Well, the truth is, every single person on this planet is a "sinner." There are no exceptions. Our sin has separated us from a meaningful relationship with God, who is holy and perfect. What a bummer, you may say. But really, it’s nothing to be ashamed of (since we are all in the same boat) and nothing to worry about. God sent his son Jesus, 2000 years ago to come to earth as a human being. He lived on this earth, felt the things we felt, did the things we did. He experienced pain and sorrow, happiness and joy. He was fully human and fully God. When he was arrested on false charges, and condemned to die, he accepted this unfairness without complaining. He died, nailed to a cross, to pay the punishment for our sins. When we acknowledge our sin and need of help, and receive this free gift he offers us, we can enjoy the journey that is lighter and a spirit set free! If you would like more information about this, or a free booklet explaining it in more detail, please contact us at the address on the bar at the left. Please note that we will not use your name or address in any way except to communicate with you about the questions you have. |
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© 2000 LifeSpring Covenant Church Serving the community of Loveland since 1952 |
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