How to Believe!

Just believe!

You may have had that told to you at some point.  You may have said that to someone out of frustration, someone whom you have hoped and prayed would come to know Christ.  And for whatever reason, they simply just can’t believe.

Beliefs are a big thing.  In one sense, a belief is an opinion.  We believe our country is headed in the wrong or the right direction, we believe ours sports teams will win this year, and we believe our children will grow up to do no wrong.

Yet we also believe in things and people.  We believe in a car we bought.  We believe in a doctor that might could heal us.  We believe in our spouse.  We believe in the church we attend.  We believe in our leaders.  Believing in something or someone is much more powerful than simple opinions.

So, what do we believe in, for our salvation?  Is it Jesus Christ?  Or is it our families, status, careers, or our good living?

We want people to come to faith, to come to believe in Jesus Christ, for their salvation.  This entails realizing nothing in this world  can save us and we place our faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection.  The bottom line is:  He came to sae us.  He came to save you.  He is the only thing we should believe in for our salvation – on this earth, and for our eternal lives.

But this is tough.  Temptation is all around.  Temptation to believe in everything else.  Other temptations that tell us – “why should you believe in Jesus? After all He’s put you through!”  Why believe when you go through a divorce, when you, or a loved one, get cancer, when loved ones die.  Why believe in Jesus?

We are going through the Apostles’ Creed over the coming months at Bellwether.  The first two words of the Creed states:  ”I Believe.”  Sunday, being Pentecost, we rewind to the beginning of the Apostles’ Creed to see how we can truly believe.  Believe in the words of the Creed.  Believe in the Living Word of Jesus Christ.  The message will be “I believe” and the Scripture focus will be John 20: 1-18.  

We hope you can be with us.  It will be a special Sunday.  Why?

We will celebrate Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit came down the Church was born.  

We will have a Baptism service before our worship service.  It will be at 9:30am outside the Performing Arts Center at Jackson.  We are baptizing Austin Fowkles Barbour, Jr. and will be celebrating with his family.  

We will honor Jeff Nesbit, who after serving Bellwether will be leaving to be the Teaching Pastor at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.  We will pray over he and Whitney as they take this next step in continuing their ministry for Jesus Christ.   

We hope you can be with us Sunday and we hope you will truly believe in the Risen Christ, His Holy Spirit, and His Church.

Acts 1: 8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”