A message from the Minister: Welcome! My name is Kevin. We're glad you are visiting our website! May God bless you with an encounter with Him, through His word and Spirit as you visit the site. I pray that God makes a difference in your life in a NEW way through a closer relationship with Him. It is my vision for this church to truly be "a place to believe, a place to belong, and a place to become." 1) It is my passionate desire that anyone who walks through our doors enters a place where they feel safe to BELIEVE...to believe that God loves them right where they are. He loves all of us, though we have all sinned against Him. Face it, we have ALL blown it more times than we can count. We have failed to do what we should have done, we have failed to do what we KNOW God desired that we do. We have things in our lives we wish we had never done (many times, we can look back at certain things in our lives and we say "I can not believe I did that...what on earth was I thinking?") Well, know this - God loves you. The Bible teaches us that God loved the world so much that He sent His son, Jesus, to make the way possible to be absolutely forgiven by God for everything we have done! That's right, everything! Nothing, and I mean nothing, you have done is more powerful that the Son of God, and His death on that cross was to satisfy God's immense judgment against sin (any and all)...this is known as the Gospel (the good news). At the Christian Church of Jacksonville, you can safe to believe this good news, because its preached here without compromise, apology, or reservation. God's word is living, powerful, and can move in amazing ways (Hebrews 4:12). It is the center of what we preach and teach here. No creeds but Christ. No book but the Bible. No historical confessions but that Jesus is Lord. 2) It's also my desire that anyone who comes through our doors enters a place where they know that they can belong! You can belong to a fellowship that is full of IMPERFECT people! That's right...we are not perfect. The Bible clearly teaches that "ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD." (Romans 3:23) Notice that "have sinned" is past tense, yet "fall short" is present tense? Do you ever feel like everyone around you might be guilty of messing up in the past, but now they are somehow better than you? Do you believe that you are somehow better than others? God's word is clear...we ALL fall short (present tense). We are told in Galatians 6:4 that we are NOT to compare our selves to others! You want to know why? Because we have ALL sinned! It is Christ that we must seek to imitate...He is the only One who can rescue us from our sins and failures (but it is so much easier for people to compare themselves with others, since Christ is perfect, and we are not) At the Christian Church of Jacksonville, you can feel safe to belong to a fellowship that is not full of perfect people...we are a fellowship of IMPERFECT people who worship a perfect GOD. 3) Lastly, it is my desire that anyone who comes through our doors comes to understand that this is a place where they can be safe to become! "To become what?", you ask. Simple - to become what God wants you to become. Scripture teaches that God desires for all people to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). What does that mean? It means that God desires that all men see their need for Him, turn from the thing which God hates (sin), and place all your hope on him. Scripture teaches that we can NOT earn God's favor (Ephesians 2:8-9), but God gives it freely to those who will receive it! God wants us to have a fresh, new start with Him, and it is offered through Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and to grow from there in order to bring others the same amazing gift (Matthew 28:18-20). God wants us to become ambassadors for Him, servants of a perfect King, and children of God. The Bible is very clear that we become His children when we receive His Son, Jesus (John 1:12). God never promises an easy life (even though some people on TV claim that He does). What God promises is ETERNAL life with Him, which provides joy and hope when hard times come in this life (and they do come). The early apostles went through very hard times in their lives, but they knew that theirs was a message that all people needed (forgiveness of sin and a new life in Christ). At the Christian Church of Jacksonville, you can Believe. You can Belong, and You can Become what God desires for you to be. You are invited to join us any Sunday you wish! Come as you are, dress as you like. We don't ask you for money, just the honor of your visit. Coffee is available in the back, so make yourself comfortable - there is a place for you! Experience a new start...it is never too late to have a new season in your life! God bless, Kevin
