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Change for the Better!

by W. Frank Walton

Most people aspire to better themselves. You are created in God’s image and have great potential for positive spiritual growth! Are you looking for a positive change in your life?

Where do we get the lasting power to change spiritually? We invite to you to consider God’s plan for positive change in a negative world.

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
- 2 Cor 5:17

Unchanging Divine Truth

In a rapidly changing world, many look for a spiritual compass to help them make sense of this life. The power for positive change comes from building our lives on unchanging spiritual realities. The Bible can be summed up in 4 words: God, man, sin and salvation.

1. God’s Ultimate Reality. “I am the LORD, I do not change” (Mal 3:6). The God of the Bible “dwells in eternity” (Isa 57:15). He is the uncaused Creator of our marvelously designed universe. He, as the great “I AM” (Ex 3:14), is the self-existent God who defines ultimate reality.

The tried and true way of the changeless God is the only sure foundation for the future. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 1:7). Without the eternal God, there is no ultimate meaning or objective standard of right and wrong. So, how close are you to God now?

2. Man’s Search for Meaning. For every person, God has “set eternity in their heart” (Ecc 3:11). No society of atheists has ever been found. We all have a spiritual dimension that this physical world cannot satisfy. You are made in God’s spiritual “image” (Gen 1:27), fitted for a relationship with Him.

We all have an inner God-shaped space that He alone can fulfill. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecc 12:13-14).

3. Sin’s Deadly Problem. Virtually all the bad changes in the world can be traced to the universal problem of sin. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). If you doubt the reality of sin, most of the headlines in the news are due to sin somewhere: murder, stealing, lying, violence, hatred, selfishness, etc. We know the reality of sin, because we’ve all been hurt or misused by others.

Also, deep in our conscience, we know we’ve done things wrong too. The problem with sin is the spiritual penalty God assigns it. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). Our greatest problem isn’t crime, pollution, terrorism or the federal deficit. It’s our spiritual alienation from God (Isa 59:2).

4. Jesus’ Exclusive Salvation. Despite the problems in the world, there’s hope that things can be better! “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (Jn 3:17). The saving power of Jesus Christ can dynamically lift us up to a new plane of living. He is in the people changing business!

Many things disappoint us in this world, but He is always there – near to help and mighty to save. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8). As members of this local church of Christ, the Lord Christ has changed our lives for the better! We know He can do the same for you and your family.

5. The Bible. “You have been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever” (1 Pet 1:23). The Bible is God’s revealed, perfect will for our lives. Only the Bible tells us where we came from, where we are going, and what God’s plan for our lives is. It’s timeless wisdom that can change your life from the inside out.

We would love to have you study the Bible with us. We offer great family Bible classes for all ages. Our preaching and teaching aim to bring the Bible to life. We’re striving to restore the ideals of New Testament Christianity in faith, practice and spirit (Phil 1:27). We take the Bible seriously enough to have Book, Chapter and Verse for all beliefs and practices.

You can find a church home here in an undenominational congregation of Jesus’ sincere disciples. Our goal is to be just like the Lord’s church we read in the Scriptures (Acts 2:37-47). In Christ, we’ve found forgiveness of sin, peace of mind, joy in living, and a loving family of like-minded believers.

Tap Into God’s Power to Change!

Are you really looking for the power to change for the better? Conversion is changing from the wrong way to the right way, from a self-centered life to a God-centered life. In obeying the gospel, “we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4). Jesus Christ offers real hope of lasting change from self-defeating behavior, rotten attitudes and sinful habits. “If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (Jn 8:36).

The new life of discipleship in following Jesus Christ has the power to make us whole through the gospel (2 Cor 5:21)! Please come visit us! You will be our honored guest. You will find a warm welcome. We hope to see you soon! 

  Respond to this Article on My Blog:
http://larryrouse.blogspot.com/2007/10/change-for-better.html  

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