The Good News
In a nutshell:
The gospel is the good news that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, came into this world to dwell among us and pay the price for each of our sins by dying on the cross. He died and rose to life again defeating sin and death eternally. He offers every person the chance to be in a right relationship with God by confessing their sins and accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Digging deeper:
The Bible tells us that God is the creator of heaven and earth. “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth” (Genesis 1:1), “For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things” (Romans 11:36). God’s final and most precious creation was human beings, whom He made in His own likeness. “So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). Like a good father, God was thrilled with His new children. Despite the fact that God was gracious in giving them everything they needed to be healthy and fulfilled, Adam and Eve (humanity) decided to actively disobey God by seeking power and knowledge apart from Him; this was the first act of sin. “And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:16-17); “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it" (Genesis 3:6). Sin is when we do something that goes against God’s will. We have each followed in these footsteps, when we are greedy with what we have been given, when we ignore the pain and suffering of the world, when we mock and destroy God's creation, when we choose things that gratify ourselves even at the expense of others... these things separate us from God who is perfect, holy, and good. The Bible teaches us that sin deserves death; eternal separation from God. In His mercy however, He has not abandoned us to be left in this space. Instead, He sent His Son to earth to pay the penalty that we deserve. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). There is nothing we can do to "earn" a place in God's family; no amount of money, or good deeds, or pretending that really, we're not so bad. Romans 10:9 assures us that "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." It is through faith in Jesus alone that you are saved! "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). This is the gospel - the good news - of Jesus Christ!
Going further:
If you are interested in learning more, we must go directly to the source - the Bible! If you are in need of a Bible, I would love to gift you one! Please contact me at misskelly.cm@gmail.com. As well, if you have any questions about the gospel and what it means for you, again, feel free to reach out to me! Even better yet, find a local church that can support you on this journey. The Church is the heart of Christian community. The Miss Kelly - Children's Ministry exists to help you lead children in worship. Visit www.youtube.com/misskellychildrensministry to find free, Christian music for kids. If you would like help finding further resources on raising your children to know and love Jesus, click here.