By Pastor Stephen Hess –
When you think of “good news”, what comes to mind? Perhaps it’s the birth of a child. Maybe it’s a raise or a promotion at work. Or maybe it’s a biopsy that comes back negative. These are all certainly types of good news, but the Bible says that there is even greater news than all these things. This good news is a message about a person—the person of Jesus—and it is what Christianity is all about.
At Highview, we want to proclaim this good news and share it with as many people as possible. That is why this January we will be starting a new course called “Christianity Explored.” Christianity Explored is a 7-week course that is offered all over the world. It gives you the time and space to think about the big questions of life and to consider the life of the person at the heart of the Christian faith–Jesus Christ.
This course is for all types of people. For those who are non-believers or skeptics, this is a great opportunity to learn about the Christian faith and ask questions in a casual and safe environment. For those who are nominal Christians or who have drifted away from church, this is a great opportunity to be re-introduced to the gospel and see what they are missing. And for those of us who are already committed Christians, this is a great opportunity to remind ourselves of the central truths of the faith and why the message of the gospel is so important.
No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, this course is for you! Each week the focus is on a different aspect of Jesus’ life and of our lives. The course will work through Mark’s Gospel, one of the biographies of Jesus that is found in the Bible. We will explore questions such as:
- What are we doing here?
- Who is Jesus?
- Why did Jesus come?
- Why did Jesus die?
- Why did Jesus rise?
- How can God accept us?
- What does it mean to follow Jesus?
Is there someone you know who needs to be introduced or reintroduced to the gospel? We want you to invite them to come join us as we embark on this course together. What could be more important than exploring the biggest questions in life as we begin the New Year?
This course will be offered on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-7:30 starting on January 4th. You can visit our display table in the narthex for more information about the course as well as invitations that you can hand to a friend or family member. I encourage to be praying about who you can invite to come and hear more about the gospel. They just might discover that it’s the best news they have ever heard.