Life Ministries

    In the Book of Ezekiel, God says; “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you”… In the Psalms, David cries out; “Create in me a clean heart O God.” In the Book of Acts, we read about the early new born church, and we soon discover that these people were somehow changed, transformed, different,…“new”…“Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate with glad and sincere hearts.” Hearts that were hard had been softened…Selfish hearts were now compassionate hearts…When God measures a man, He puts the tape measure around the man’s heart, not his head!  So, the first thing we see is that God desires to give us a new heart to enable us to grow in our relationship with Him and with others. It is always vertical and horizontal!.

    Second, Christians are called to live by new rules. We live by the law of God according to the Word of God. We live by the law of “LOVE”…Gal. 5:14 - “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But, do not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in this single command; “Love your neighbor as yourself”. Within the framework of the Christian walk, we live by the law that says - “In all things LOVE is the motivating force, and the law of love governs every situation and decision.
    Third, as Christians, we have a new view of life and life after life.  We have the hope and the assurance of heaven. 2 Peter 3:13 tells us “But, in keeping with His promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”
    A Sunday school teacher asked her pre-school class; “How many of you would like to go to heaven? All the kids raised their hands except Tommy. The teacher asked why he didn’t want to go to heaven. And, Tommy said, “Because my mom said I have to come right home after church!”  When we are Christians, God gives us a new view of and the assurance of heaven.
    Forth, we have new principles. In other words, we don’t just “know” right from wrong, we “understand” right from wrong…and new morals and new ethics guide our conduct. And, we also are given new spiritual principles which guide our relationship with God.
     Fifth, as Christians we walk a new path…we travel a new road… Jesus called it the “narrow road.”  God calls it the “path of righteous-ness”. We begin to understand the truth of God’s Word and how it relates to our lives; We begin to understand the Why’s and How’s of this life, and what it takes to find true happiness, joy, peace and success!
    Sixth, as Christians, we follow a new leader…His name is Jesus. He becomes our mentor, our leader, our standard by which we live and measure our new life. When Jesus spoke to the people they said; “What is this “NEW” teaching? And, that “He speaks as one with authority?” Which leads us to this morning’s seventh and final new characteristic of the Christian life; We are no longer interested in what the world teaches concerning life, with all its riches and fame and so called “fun.” We have “put off the old self, and put on the NEW self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” which, as Colossians 3:10 says is “Being renewed in the knowledge and image of its creator.”
    A new heart; new rules; a new view of life and death; new morals and principles to live by; a new path to walk, and a new leader to follow; a new way of life! And, this is just the beginning of “all things new!”
    So, if someone tries to tell you there is nothing “new” about the church or Christianity, you tell them to come here for the next few weeks, and they will learn all about how God can and is - making all things new.