For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
At Lakeside, the gospel is of first importance for us as a body of believers in the North Polk community. What is the gospel? It is the Good News of personal salvation in Jesus Christ that invites all of us to Come as you are. Leave Different.
Come as you are.
We are all hopelessly lost (Romans 3:10-12, 3:23). At the earliest opportunity in our lives, we started buying into the lie of “me-first” and self-sufficiency (Romans 1:21-25). We are constantly putting our hope and trust in things that soon fade away, fail to provide the satisfaction our hearts are longing for, and, most importantly, condemn us to an eternity separated from God. The Bible calls this attitude and disposition, sin, or missing the mark. This is the bad news. Our sin separates us from God and the hope of an eternal, transformed life. This is why we are constantly in turmoil with ourselves and those around us. Jesus says to the lost, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened down and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The command is to come to a Person by the name of Jesus!
Leave different.
This is the Good News! God does not leave us with no hope. He provided a way for this separation to be reconciled. The Bible calls this the gospel, which literally means Good News! We cannot reconcile with God through our own good works or any other effort of our own. God sent Jesus, His only Son, to accomplish this reconciliation through His virgin birth, sinless life, sacrificial death and bodily resurrection (I Corinthians 15:3-4). If we put our hope and trust in Jesus and believe in our hearts that it is only through Jesus we can be reconciled to God, God will give us a new heart and hope (John 3:16; Romans 5:1-5; Romans 10:9,10). This is a gracious and free gift from God that only needs to be welcomed and received (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 1:11-13). Believing and receiving in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross results in forgiveness of sin, peace with God (Romans 5:1) and peace with those around us. Thus, you come to Christ as you are, but you leave radically different!
Is this truth new to you? We would love to answer any questions you might have. Please reach out to anyone on staff and let us know!