From that simple moment when you get a new pair of shoes and it just seems to brighten your day, to the incredible awe and joy that comes from holding a newborn baby in your arms, there is just something about new things.  That is one of the most amazing things about Jesus.  No matter what has happened in your life or how broken you think things are, Jesus came to make all things new!  It's not about being good enough or trying to be perfect. It's about receiving the new life He came to just simply give you.  Jesus didn't come to make bad people good, He came to make dead people alive! You can be brand new!

1 John 4:8 tells us that "God is love..."

We understand love to a certain degree. We know that our desire when we love someone is that we want to be loved in return. So, God had a dream. His dream was to have a family. He is love and therefore wanted to love and be loved in return. Therefore, God created the heavens and the earth. He created Adam and Eve, a family. However, love is only true if it is freely given, a choice.

So, there was a tree in the garden that God told them they could not eat from. Adam and Eve made the unloving choice and ate from the forbidden tree. Thus sin and disobedience entered into the world, mankind was lost, and things were broken.

God was determined that His dream for a family would happen. He pursued, protected, and revealed Himself to mankind over and over until the right time came and He sent His son, Jesus, to offer rescue to us. He came to make a way home to be family with God. The penalty for disobedience and sin had to be paid. Jesus was perfect and perfectly paid the price for us.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: 

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8

Now, by believing in Jesus, and committing to follow Him, we can become God's children! It's all because He loves us more than we could ever imagine! It's not about rules or getting it all right. It's about knowing God and Him knowing you.

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 

made us alive with Christ

even when we were dead in transgressions—

it is by grace you have been saved."

Ephesians 2:4

So what have you got to do to enter into the family, to discover the love, freedom, and joy that God has for you in Jesus?

"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” 

and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, 

you will be saved."

Romans 10:9

Becoming part of God's family is the greatest decision you will ever make. It not only will fill you with eternal life but will also unleash you into the incredible life He has for you right now. You are the Father's dream!

If you made the decision to follow Jesus, or if you would like to find out more about it, we would love to talk with you about it! 

Contact us at 252-441-6592, by email, or come out to church Sunday! 

We want to walk with you as you take your Next Steps with Jesus.

Baptism is a public declaration of what God has done in your life and who you have become in Him. We baptize by immersion, meaning that we will lower you under and then raise you back up out of the water. This shows that we have identified with Jesus' death and resurrection. 

We believe that when you surrender your life to Jesus you not only are born again but you are also born into a family! So baptism is a family celebration!  In the scripture, Jesus instructs us to be baptized and set the example by being baptized (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 1:9)

Being baptized is also an act of obedience. Obedience to Jesus shows we believe and follow Him. (1 John 2:3). Being baptized shows that we turn away from a life of sin towards Jesus, the only one who can change us (Acts 2:38-41).