What is the good news of Jesus?

The God of the universe created us in His own image. We exist to love Him and be loved by Him. But we rejected His love. We chose instead to live in rebellion against Him. This is called sin. All who sin deserve to perish eternally. This is sin’s just penalty.

Yet because of His great and persistent love for us, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue us from our rebellion and give us new life. To accomplish this rescue, Jesus died for our sins, fully taking upon Himself the penalty we deserve. Three days after His death, Jesus rose from the grave to defeat sin and death once for all.

To everyone who turns away from their sin and trusts in Jesus, God offers the free gift of salvation. All who are saved will enjoy life with God today and forever. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved!

Want to hear more? Read the following passages of Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:11; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Genesis 3; Romans 3:23, 6:23; Matthew 4:17; John 3:16; Philippians 2:6–11; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Acts 2:21, 38; Ezekiel 36:26–27

“I’ve believed the gospel—now what?”

There’s no greater gift than life with Jesus. If you’ve turned away from sin and trusted Christ for forgiveness, then your journey with Him has just begun! Here are some next steps that will help you grow as a follower of Jesus:

• Read and study the Scriptures. The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is God’s inspired and infallible Word (2 Tim. 3:15–17). It is totally trustworthy and is the only rule of faith and conduct for all believers. Since we have God’s Word, we have the privilege and opportunity to hear from God every day. This is why Jesus called the Bible our “daily bread.”
• Spend time with God in prayer. Prayer is simply communion with the God who loves us. According to the Scriptures, God is a heavenly Father to those who trust in Jesus for salvation (Matt. 6:5–15). We are invited to lay our requests and needs before God with thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6-7). The Holy Spirit helps us when we pray (Rom. 8:26-27) and gives us God’s comfort, guidance, and spiritual counsel (John 14:15-31). We can pray both individually (Matt. 6:6) and with other fellow believers (Acts 2:42). If you’re new to prayer, read and study Matthew 6:9–13 to see how Jesus teaches us to pray. It’s a great place to start!
• Be baptized as a believer. Everyone who repents of their sins and trusts in Jesus Christ alone for salvation is called to undergo the waters of baptism. It is a holy sacrament of the church, alongside communion. If you are interested in baptism, please talk to one of our pastors before or after a Sunday gathering. We would love to help you take this step! The Bible teaches that the following happens in baptism:
  • We show our old self has died with Jesus (Rom. 6:3).
  • We show we have risen to new life with Jesus (Col. 2:12).
  • We are baptized into the body of Christ (Eph. 4:4-6).
  • We proclaim that Jesus is Lord over all things (Matt. 28:16-20).
• Become part of a local church. The church is a community of baptized believers who are committed to living the Christian life together. There is no such thing as a solo believer—every believer is united to Christ and belongs to His body, both local and universal (1 Cor. 12:4-26). At Emmaus, we practice what is commonly called “covenant membership,” which is simply our way of connecting you concretely to the life and ministry of our church. If you’re interested, please visit our membership page to learn more.
• Share the gospel of Jesus with others. One of the greatest ways to stir your own faith and experience the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit is to regularly share your faith with others (Matt. 28:18–20). Scripture says that every believer is a “minister of reconciliation” and therefore called to be on mission for Christ in all of life (2 Cor. 5:11–21). The best way for you to begin sharing Jesus with others is to simply tell the story of how Jesus came to you and saved you (Rev. 12:11).