Kingdom People: the gospel and our purpose
This year at Youth Camp, so many young people experienced the power and presence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have been so encouraged to hear testimonies of God’s peace, healing, closeness and freedom. This is what happens when people encounter the gospel- good news- of Jesus.
It is through the gospel that we can have a renewed purpose and identity. Put very simply, the gospel is this:
- God created a perfect world and in that perfect world, he created us humans.
- Unfortunately, humans fell into sin which caused the brokenness that we see around us in the world.
- So, Jesus, the Saviour of the world, came down and he lived a perfect life without sin.
- He walked in authority, identity and purpose.
- Jesus died on the cross, taking our place and the sins of humanity, and then he rose again on the third day so that we could have eternal life.
- Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can receive the gift of salvation and walk in authority, purpose and freedom too.
- We are then to go back into the world and preach the gospel.
This gospel is built on intentional love.
We see it in Luke 23, when Jesus is crucified on the cross next to two other criminals. Even in a moment of pain, we see his intentional love, grace and forgiveness. There is a conversation which takes place between the three men, and to one of them Jesus says, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’ Jesus had been beaten, insulted and blasphemed, but despite this, grace shone through and he was willing to bear our sins so that those of us who turn to him can be with him in paradise.
This fills us with such hope, that no matter who we are or what we have done, we can also be with Jesus in paradise.
Through knowing Jesus we can embrace a new identity and unlock our God-given purpose. Jesus re-wires our DNA so that instead of being defined by sin we are defined as children of God, forgiven and loved (Romans 8:15). We are called out of the darkness into light, and our purpose is to declare God’s praises (1 Peter 2:9) to the world.
God loves you.
Jesus died for you.
Jesus rose again for you, and he can renew your sense of purpose today.
- Taken from Amy Garacho’s message.
Next steps:
- Catch up with the service and hear testimonies from youth camp here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2f6EQQIDxw
- Connect with Frontline Youth: https://www.allnations.org.uk/youth
- Pray for our young people and youth team to continue encountering God.