Got Questions?

People everywhere have a deep desire for meaning, purpose and significance for their lives. Whether life has been a smooth road or marked by pain and loss, at some point all of us must struggle with ultimate questions: Is there a God? What is truth? Is there life beyond this time and space? These questions can haunt us and create an emptiness that no amount of success, wealth, material possessions or relationships can fill. Why else do successful business people and entertainment personalities who “have everything” lose hope and ruin their lives through crime, drugs or alcohol. As long as we pursue only the fleeting pleasures of life, the void grows larger. It’s a universal human experience.

We believe that only God through His Son Jesus Christ can fill this void in our lives and provide purpose, comfort, peace, fulfillment and lasting joy, and we encourage you to consider the following questions.

Note: In case you don’t quite understand a term or two, please see our glossary.

Is God real?
Many people offer intellectual arguments against the existence of God, but a sensible analysis demonstrates their arguments are weak. God appeals to our minds (intellect) plus our hearts and spirits; however, He is not a theory to be discovered or proven. Rather, He has revealed Himself in the created world around us, in Scripture, in history—and most perfectly—in His Son, Jesus Christ. In short, God reveals Truth to be believed.

We tend to form God in our own image rather than recognizing that He made us in His image, and so if we are to seek God we must be open to who He really is and what He freely gives us. If we take an honest look at the complexity of nature, the created order or the human body, it is truly illogical to suggest that all this simply “happened” without purpose and forethought. God’s handprints are everywhere, if we’ll only take the time to look. Seeing through “new eyes” requires faith, but it also reveals reality (Hebrews 11:1).

We encourage you to read the Bible and be open to what it teaches about God. Try talking with God (praying) and asking Him to make Himself real to you. He promises that He comes to those who seek Him, and you can experience His powerful presence in your life (Luke 11:9). Why not give church a try and ask questions from those who have come to believe in the reality of the Living God who loves us and acts in our lives?

Why would God care about me?
God made each and every person. We are all unique, and humans are wonderfully diverse. God created us for a specific purpose—to be in a personal relationship with Him. He cares about every aspect of our lives, and He acts and moves to demonstrate His love. He loves us not because He should—in fact we can’t earn God’s love, and we certainly don’t deserve it. It is a gift of grace, which is unmerited favor. God makes Himself real in our lives when we open ourselves to Him and accept what He offers. As one Christian teacher says, “God loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way.” That’s why God sent Jesus Christ—He loves us so much that He gave His only Son to die for us so that we can be saved, reconciled and experience eternal life (John 3:16).

Who Is Jesus?
This is the most important question we will ever ask or answer. Ultimately, all individuals must answer this question for themselves. Jesus asked His own disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15) Some of Christ’s followers were confused and didn’t understand who Jesus is and what He came to accomplish. Only the disciple named Peter answered the question correctly, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus demonstrated His identity and purpose through His life and ministry to others. He revealed that He is the Son of God sent into the world because of His great love to bring reconciliation to the broken relationship between God and humanity (John 3:16). Scripture is crystal clear that Jesus is the one and only way to connect with God (John 14:6).

What is sin?
If we are honest about ourselves, we recognize that we consistently don’t live up to what we know is a common standard. If we tell a lie, we feel inside that it is wrong. The Bible calls that “missing the mark” which is the simple definition of sin. God is perfect (holy), and He established standards for right living that allows us to be in relationship with Him. He created us in His image, but we rejected obedience to God and relationship with Him; all of us have sinned and turned from Him (Romans 5:12). Sin separates us from God—we haven’t just “made mistakes” and “enlightenment” won’t address our problems or re-connect us with our Creator. The Bible explains that the penalty of sin is death—separation from God forever (Romans 6:22-23) and, that none of our own efforts can change this reality. Simply put, without Jesus we will spend an eternity without God’s presence.

What is the “Good News”?
Only Jesus—fully man while fully divine—was without sin, and He provides forgiveness of sin through His death and victorious resurrection. He paid the price for our sins and offers every person a dynamic relationship with God if we will only seek Him and believe in Him.

Jesus changed the course of human history, and He invites all people to enter a relationship with Him. It is the most vital and compelling relationship in the world. Having faith is your first step, because “…without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6). Next you need to “turn around” from going your own way (repent), and believe the Good News (Mark 1:15).

We invite you to respond to Jesus’ gift of love, turn away from your sins and receive His forgiveness. Once you acknowledge Him as Savior, the fellowship of other believers in the Church can help you grow. We hope you will explore the Anglican Mission as your source of fellowship and encouragement.

Would things really be different if I were a Christian?
Entering a relationship with God through Christ begins a process of transformation that goes beyond what we can ask or imagine (2 Corinthians 3:18). When we choose to believe in Jesus as our Savior and

accept the gift of love He offers, we receive His own Spirit within us (John 14:16; 20:22). His Spirit changes us bit by bit so that we can begin to be formed and shaped into someone new. The Bible tells us that Christ makes us a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), but as believers and followers of Jesus, we have a responsibility to allow Jesus to direct our lives, living into our new identities. This is what it means to be a disciple—we become part of a faith community of other believers—a church. In this environment we are nurtured, taught and mentored so that our knowledge of God and our faith in Him deepens. We learn how to tell others about Christ and to serve Jesus by serving in the world. The Holy Spirit gives us power and equips us for ministry.

Transformation doesn’t happen immediately, and our relationship with Christ doesn’t mean we never face hard times. But we are promised that He is always present and that He will never leave us. In all times and seasons of life, we are aware of His love, sharing in our joys and sorrows. In the Bible, Jesus tells us to come to Him when we are tired and burdened, and He will lighten our load, taking our burdens on Himself (Matthew 11:28-29). We can place absolute and confident trust in Him, and therefore we always walk in hope.

Is Christianity the only “true” religion?
We believe without question or reservation that Christianity reveals and teaches ultimate, eternal truth. Jesus says with great clarity that He is the only way to restore our broken relationship with God. Christians accept this belief with faith, but how do we know we’re right?

Many people assume that all religions are equal. While religious intolerance is offensive, tolerance of religions doesn’t mean a given religion is “true.” The major world religions claim different truths that are inconsistent with or contradict one another, and so how can they be equally valid? Christianity offers unique distinctives that set it apart from other world religions and give merit to the truth of its teachings:

In summary, Christianity alone proclaims that God in Christ gives believers a new life, a message and a mission.

How does faith provide purpose?
When we enter a relationship with Jesus Christ, we grow to understand that the Creator of the universe loves us with an everlasting love and has called us to join Him in an incredible mission. We call this mission (GC)2, referring to Jesus’ Great Commandments and Great Commission. Jesus instructed us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts and to love all others (Great Commandments, Matthew 22:37-39), and He called us to proclaim His salvation message and teach others to obey all He taught His followers (Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20). In addition to this universal call for all Christians, He has a unique plan for each life (Jeremiah 29:11). There is nothing more fulfilling than knowing we are doing what we were created to do, and it is only through our relationship with Christ that we can discover and joyfully fulfill His plan and purpose for our lives.