GOOD NEWS
The word gospel means good news
and it really is good news!
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Stoke on Trent was the home of the British pottery industry in the 18th century, with over 300 potworks, earning it the nickname ‘The Potteries’.
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Made in God's Image
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The Bible likens God to a potter and us to His work.
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"We are the clay, and You our potter;
we are all the work of Your hand"
Isaiah 64v8
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The first two pages of the Bible tell us that humans were made in God's image, that we were created to enjoy relationship with Him and to reflect His character here on earth.
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God's Image Shattered
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The third page of the Bible shows us how that beautiful image was shattered. Humanity broke God's clear commandment. ​This rebellion separated us from God. Although we still understand good and bad, we choose to disobey.
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The many pages after Genesis 3 show us the terrible consequences of this rebellion; injustice, cruelty, idolatry and rebellion. Because of our disobedience we are like a beautiful pot shattered on the floor.
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What do you do with a shattered pot?
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Jesus the Perfect Image
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God didn't just throw us away as broken, worthless things. He loves us and planned a way to rescue us and restore us to what we were created to be. That plan was Jesus.
John 1v1 explains that Jesus is God. Hebrews 1v3 tells us that He is the exact image of God. This is beyond our wildest dreams! Not only has God sent someone to fix this; He has come Himself.
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Jesus, the perfect human and perfect image of God surrendered His life for us, the broken ones. Jesus died on the cross, as if he was a guilty criminal, as if he was a sinner, as if he was us. ​
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The Broken Restored
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Three days after his death, Jesus was alive again! He now offers to restore and forgive any one who will come, trusting Him. He has the power to put the broken back together again.
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In Japan, there is a beautiful art called Kintsugi, where broken pottery pieces are put back together with gold. This means that, not only is the broken restored, but it has even more value than before.
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If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away;
behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5v17
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When a person comes to Jesus He comes to live in them, making them new and beautiful to God.
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That is the gospel message
that really is good news!
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We would love for you to experience the same forgiveness and restoration that we experienced when we came to God through Christ.​
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"confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved"
Romans 10v9
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Please let us know if you have any questions or if you would like to know more.
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If you'd like to read a little more you can read our Welcome to Christianity study. It's a 5 lesson study introducing you to the main themes of Christianity. If you would like to work through this study with someone, please let us know.
