The Christian Gospel

We live in an age in which communication has been made so much easier than it once was, yet where increasingly people do not know the greatest message of all - that there is a loving God who cares for each and every one of us. As Christians, we believe that God has communicated with people through His Son, Jesus Christ. He did not send something to represent Himself but came in person to our world.

The Christian God is personal, loving, compassionate, holy and yet merciful. We believe that even today, nearly 2000 years after Jesus' life on earth ended, we can still know God personally. He graciously allows us to invite Him into our lives and when we do this, He comes in person and transforms our lives as a result.

We appreciate that you may have many questions about the Christian faith and that is why we regularly run Alpha courses at St Andrew's. If you are interested, or just plain curious, why not join us?

For two thousand years people in every country and culture have discovered that the story of Jesus Christ has brought them to God.

Christianity remains the world's largest religion, and the Bible the world's best selling book. We believe that in Jesus Christ, God was made man and taught his followers about belief, values and the meaning of life.

Jesus Christ lived in what is now the Middle East and was executed by being nailed to a cross in about AD30. He was in his early thirties when he died. Jesus was put on trial for speaking out about his beliefs and criticising the values of his society. He was sentenced to death and was crucified. To the amazement of his followers, who watched him die, three days later Jesus was raised from the dead. This experience transformed the lives of a group of very ordinary men and women. They had witnessed evil overwhelmed by good. Christianity had begun.

We believe that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is God's guarantee that he cares for us forever. We believe that the teachings of Jesus during his lifetime show us the way in which we should live. We aspire to follow these teachings in our daily lives and to apply them.

We know that no-one is perfect and that everyone make mistakes. We all do. But we believe God forgives us when we say sorry to him as we try to learn from what we have done wrong. This is possible because on the cross Jesus paid the penalty for all of our sins.

We don't have all the answers. Only God does. By entering into a relationship with God, through the teachings of Jesus and with the help of his Spirit, we look to serve him better with the life he has given us. Life itself now has a new meaning. No failure or disaster can be beyond recovery.

Once a person has accepted that God cares for them, they look at other people in a new way - for God is equally concerned for each of us. Prayer talking to and listening to God is also for everyone, but it takes time and practice.

All the important things in life work, sex, money, relationships are of concern to God. Human beings are trusted by God to be generous with their lives.

After death we shall account to God for the way we have lived, and for how we have responded to the offer of forgiveness made through Jesus Christ.

One of the most remarkable things Jesus ever did was to entrust to ordinary, fallible people the task of telling the whole world about Him. This high-risk strategy means that the Church has made many mistakes down through the years. It does also mean that when they share their personal experience of Jesus, their friends and family can see the difference Jesus has made. Pam and Laura are two members of St Andrew's who would like to share something of what it means to them to be a Christian. Helen has written poetry as her response to God.

Contact the Church Office or telephone 01223 232255 for further details.