4 Questons

Who is Jesus?

ANSWERS TO TOUGH QUESTIONS


No where in scripture does it tell us that God was created by anyone or anything, nor does it say that Jesus was created by God. Instead, the Bible points to God’s eternality (Psalm 90:2, Exodus 3:14, John 17:5). It is hard for us to grasp the concept of eternality. We often think that there has to be an end. This is because our minds are finite, or limited. God is infinite (without limits).

John 1:1-3 sums it up well when introducing Jesus. It says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” The beginning is not in reference to the beginning of God, but the beginning of the world. It goes on to say that all things where made through him that exist.

Just because we cannot fathom the concept of eternity does not mean we throw it out. Knowledge of God is a gift, not a given.

The idea of someone dying for sins goes all the way back to the the first book of the Bible, Genesis. The first two chapters of Genesis describes a broad stroke overview of how God created everything we see, including man.

God’s relationship with man was very special. God walked with man in perfect union. But in Genesis 3, man chose to disobey God and as a result sin separated God from man.

God made for Adam and Eve a garment of skins as an example of atonement, something dying, or blood shed, for sins. The Old Testament demonstrates how God goes on to set up with man a system of sacrifices to continue to atone for sin. But these sacrifices were not sufficient.

God sent his son, Jesus Christ as the perfect sacrifice. As an atonement for sin. He is called the Lamb of God (John 1:29) who once and for all is the perfect sacrifice for sin.

There are many different ways to prove that the Bible is true, but one approach is to ask if it is real. The Bible was written by real people, in real places, doing real things. There has not been one archeological discovery that contradicts the Bible. In fact, the Bible has helped people discover tons of ancient civilizations and archeological findings.

Alternately, if the Bible were made up or altered you would think that they would have altered the stories to make the characters better, but instead you read about Jonah who ran from God, Rahab who had an immoral past and Sarah who laughed at God. The gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) contain stories of the disciples getting chastised and looking like fools.

The Bible tells the story of real people who struggled to know a real God. The stories in the Bible are not true because they are in the Bible; they are in the Bible because they are true.

The idea that anyone goes to hell is hard to swallow. The Bible describes hell as eternity without God. The fact is that we all deserve punishment. We are a messed up group of humans.

Thankfully God came running to our rescue instead of letting us take the punishment we deserve. He sets up a way for us to dwell with Him forever and that way is through His Son Christ Jesus.

All you have to do is trust in Jesus as your savior and you are saved from the punishment we all deserve (John 14:16). God doesn’t send people to hell, but he also will not require you to spend eternity with Him if you do not choose to. He does in his great love, provide a way. God is perfect love, but God is also perfectly just.

TRANSFORMED - STORIES OF CHANGE

HOW TO KNOW GOD


God loves us so much to send His perfect Son for imperfect people, so they may come into a relationship with Him. When faced with the reality of our sinfulness and Christ's sinlessness it leaves us with a question:

What must I do to be saved?


Contrary to popular belief salvation is not found in being good, doing good, or in religious acts or religious performance. This church cannot save you, but Jesus can and He will.

Salvation is not a formula. An examination of the Scriptures clearly and simply illustrates how to be saved.


The character of God proves the fact that God is love and He loves you. Your deepest desires and greatest needs can be found in Him. God is good. God is just. God is holy. He is the creator of all things, and in him we find life.
(Romans 1:18-20, Romans 2:1-16, Romans 3:22-24, Isaiah 43:6-7)


We are each created by God, but we are separated from God because of our sin. Despite the sinfulness of man, out of God's great love for us, He sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice.Jesus was crucified and took the wrath of God because of our sin and showed His power over sin and death by His resurrection. All who turn to Jesus Christ and trust in His free gift of forgiveness will be reconciled to God forever. It is Jesus Christ alone who is able to remove our sin and allow us to have a relationship with God through His death and resurrection.(Romans 1:21-25, Romans 3:9-20, Romans 3:21-26, Romans 4:25, Romans 5:6-10, Romans 5:18, Romans 6:23, Romans 8:1-4)


God calls us to turn to Him and trust in the power of Christ to save us. We recognize that you still may have questions you need to explore to ensure your understanding. We would love to help you in that journey. We invite you to join us for one of our Worship gatherings.
(Romans 1:17, Romans 3:20-31, Romans 4:22-25, Romans 6:11-14, Romans 8:10-11, Romans 10:9-13)

Following Jesus


Wherever we are in our journey with God, whether we have just come to faith or have been following Jesus for many years, we can always grow in our intimacy with Jesus. We do this by receiving his overwhelming love for us. When we walk through pain or disappointment, we can begin to doubt God’s goodness and see him through the lens of our experiences. At Pleasant Ridge, we have learned that the more we grow in our love relationship with Jesus, the more we are able to love others well. Below are some tangible ways you can begin to love Jesus more.

Baptism is an exciting opportunity to publicly celebrate your faith in Christ, follow Christ's example, and obey Christ's teaching. We encourage you to invite your friends and family and be baptized as soon as possible. If you are interested in being baptized please see one of the Elders or email us. We would love to celebrate this incredible moment with you.

It illustrates Christ's burial, resurrection, and our new life as a follower of Christ. "By our baptism then, we were buried with Him and shared His death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead... so also we may live a new life!" - Romans 6:4

Every person who has believed in Christ. If you have small children who have believed , we encourage you to wait until you think they are old enough to believe and understand the true meaning of baptism before they are baptized. "Those who believed and accepted His message were baptized..." - Acts 2:41

The Greek word "Baptizo" means "To immerse or dip under water". It symbolizes Christ's burial and resurrection! "As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water." - Matthew 3:16
There is no reason to delay. As soon as you receive Christ into your life, you can be baptized."Those who believed...were baptized...that day!" - Acts 2:41
We encourage you to declare your faith in Jesus by sharing your faith story. If you prefer, you can write it down and one of the Elders will read it for you.
Women should wear shorts and a top which will preserve modesty - i.e. dark colored t-shirt. Men may wear swimming trunks and a dark colored t-shirt. Bring a change of clothes, a towel, and a plastic bag for your wet articles of clothing. Changing rooms will be provided.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17

365 Day Bible Reading Plans

Daily Bible reading through the Old and New Testament
Daily Bible reading through the Old and New Testament and Psalms
Daily Bible reading chronological through the entire Bible
Daily Bible reading of Old and New Testaments, Psalms, and Proverbs
Resource used from http://about.esvbible.org/resources/reading/

At Pleasant Ridge we long to be a house of prayer. We believe prayer is a heartfelt conversation between God and his people. In our pursuit of God, we desire to maintain a balance of honoring the word of God and an openness to the Holy Spirit.
Questions about our fellowship?
We understand that visiting a church gathering can be a little intimidating and confusing at times and it's hard to get to know a church based on its website. If you have not found answers to specific questions about our gathering, please get in touch with us.
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