New Creation Community (Read Romans 6:1-13)
Pastor Goheen has written, “The death of Jesus brings an ‘end’ to the old age and the resurrection of Jesus inaugurates the age to come, the new creation, the kingdom. As the people of God participate in Jesus’ death and resurrection through faith and baptism they begin to enjoy the powers of the coming age. They are dead to the old age and its sin, and alive to the age to come in Christ.”
This is the reality that we find ourselves in as believers. A new age opens up, a new creation expands, and the Kingdom comes.
In this age the power of God for salvation has been made known. Jesus came to set the captives free, he came to heal, to deliver, to renew, to strengthen, to raise up. There is real hope and power for the drug addict, for the alcoholic, for the broken heart, for the wounded spirit, for the fracturing marriage, for the depressed, the impoverished, the oppressed, the demonized, the despairing. Real hope. Real power. It’s the power of the resurrected Christ given to all who have been made alive to God.
The psalmist writes, “When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." (Psalm 126:1-3) The new creation hope and power of God is not a dream. It is the reality that we find ourselves in as believers.
PRAYER
Pastor Goheen has written, “The death of Jesus brings an ‘end’ to the old age and the resurrection of Jesus inaugurates the age to come, the new creation, the kingdom. As the people of God participate in Jesus’ death and resurrection through faith and baptism they begin to enjoy the powers of the coming age. They are dead to the old age and its sin, and alive to the age to come in Christ.”
This is the reality that we find ourselves in as believers. A new age opens up, a new creation expands, and the Kingdom comes.
In this age the power of God for salvation has been made known. Jesus came to set the captives free, he came to heal, to deliver, to renew, to strengthen, to raise up. There is real hope and power for the drug addict, for the alcoholic, for the broken heart, for the wounded spirit, for the fracturing marriage, for the depressed, the impoverished, the oppressed, the demonized, the despairing. Real hope. Real power. It’s the power of the resurrected Christ given to all who have been made alive to God.
The psalmist writes, “When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." (Psalm 126:1-3) The new creation hope and power of God is not a dream. It is the reality that we find ourselves in as believers.
PRAYER
- Pray that together with one heart and one voice we will declare among the nations “The Lord has done great things for them! For us! And we are filled with joy!”
- May the joy of the Lord be our strength!