It
all starts with Jesus
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Jesus taught that true religion is not about following laws and rules but about loving God and loving our
neighbour. His parables like the Good Samaritan and his conversations with
people who were normally considered as outcasts - such as
lepers, prostitutes and Roman Soldiers teach us that Jesus
believed that every human being is a child of God. He taught that God wants us live life to the full, but he also warned us that being selfish and always having our own way is not the way to
finding that life and discovering real happiness. Real happiness can only be found in our loving relationships both with God and with other people. |
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“I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly”
John 10:10
“What will it profit you if you gain the whole world but lose your life”
Matthew 16:26 |
What did Jesus do?
Jesus cared for people. He listened to them and helped them. He set people free from the things which troubled them and he healed them of diseases. He was arrested and was executed by being crucified —but even there he prayed for the people who killed him and he asked God his Father to forgive them. After his death his disciples buried him in a tomb nearby, but were surprised three days later to find that the tomb was empty and that people were saying that they had seen Jesus and that he was alive again.
Christians believe that because Jesus died and rose again, so we don’t need to fear death any more. The cross is our Christian symbol because it represents so many things. The suffering of Jesus reminds us that real forgiveness is always costly, and that when God forgives us he is also sorrowful at the mess we make of our lives and the world. |
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The suffering of Jesus also reminds us that God understands what pain is. Jesus was hurt, betrayed, rejected and murdered—he understands what we feel like when we are hurt, betrayed, rejected and in pain. The resurrection of Jesus is the sign that God is always victorious over everything that is evil, painful or destructive. |
The Church
Everyone who has decided to follow Jesus is a member of the Church. The Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostalists and others are all first and foremost Christians.
Although it is possible to follow Jesus and pray on our own, Christians go to Church for a number of reasons.
We go to church because we want to meet with other
Christians and keep Sunday as a special day of the week. We go to church to receive Holy
Communion: Jesus himself told us to “eat and drink this in remembrance of me.” We also go to church to support one another—if everyone said “you don’t need to go to church to be a Christian” then all our churches would close!
Each person has their part to play.
“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood live in me and I in them.”
John 6:56
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What next?
Read about Jesus for yourself! Why not try St. Luke’s Gospel—you might find a more modern version of the Bible like
The New Century Version or
The Message easier to
read..
Go online—Try the Church of England website www.cofe.anglican.org/faith or one of the links it gives about Jesus:
www.rejesus.co.uk or www.christianity.org.uk
Come to church! You will always be welcome at St Mary’s where you will find out more about what it means to be a Christian. Why not join one of our Alpha Courses which we run from time to
time as an introduction to basic Christianity?
Read
more online from St Mary's
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