Hello, and thanks for visiting this page. Chances are, you recently attended a Southern Hills event and were handed a card with a QR code that led here. This page exists to explain some very basic elements of the Christian faith, and invite you to consider taking a next step in your relationship with God.

“gOD SO LOVED”

We believe the Bible paints a picture of a God who is best described as love (1 John 4:16). In love, God created the world, and he created men and women in his image to join him in caring for the world and blessing one another. Even as humans sinned and turned away from their Creator time and time again, and even as they mistreated their fellow humans repeatedly, God pursued them and sought to restore them into reconciled relationships, and into a new and better way of life in his Kingdom. John 3:16 summarizes the ultimate method God used to restore us: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life."

the good news

Christian author NT Wright shares: “Many people today assume that Christianity is one or more of these things – a religion, a moral system, a philosophy. In other words, they assume that Christianity is about advice. But it wasn’t and isn’t. Christianity is, simply, good news.”

The word “gospel” literally means good news. Christians are people who believe in the gospel, the good news that Jesus Christ — who lived a life of compassion, inclusion, righteousness, and love — gives us the clearest picture of who God is (Hebrews 1:3). The good news also includes the fact that Jesus was crucified for our sins and raised from the dead according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), providing us the free gifts of grace. forgiveness, and freedom, as well as an invitation for us to live fully and abundantly in the Kingdom of God. And those gifts are given freely to us not because we deserve them or because we have it all together; they are given because of God’s love and grace for us just as we are (Ephesians 2:1-10).

OUR RESPONSE

God’s love and grace are free gifts that we cannot earn (Ephesians 2:4-10). However, his invitation is something that we must receive and accept. Below are three instances in the book of Acts which show ways we respond to the good news of Jesus and accept his invitation.
Acts 2:36-41
Acts 8:26-40
Acts 16:16-34

There are similarities in these stories. In each case, people hear about Jesus and believe the message about him — that he is God’s anointed one who came to rescue and restore them. They realize the seriousness of their sin, and hear a call to repent, or change their lives to better follow God’s way of love. And in each case they are baptized into Christ, proclaiming him as Lord and reenacting his death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-5). If you want to read more about baptism and what it means, here are a few verses to read:
Galatians 3:26-29
1 Peter 3:18–22
Acts 22:12-16

If you have questions or want to study further, we encourage you to reach out to us. We’re happy to study the Bible with those who are seeking. In addition, we invite you to worship with us during an upcoming Sunday morning service, and to study the Bible in one of our Sunday morning classes.