Today I want to tell you a story. The Greatest Story there is, at least according to many people. It’s a story about something I believe we all have in common. We want to live. Not just passing the moments or stuck in your mistakes, we want meaning – to make sense of what we’re doing on this planet. Call it truth, goodness, beauty, love – there must be something more than killing time.

Take a minute to hear this story—a snapshot of what’s in the Bible. Maybe you’ll find life here too?

The story starts with God – not some angry sky being who’s anti-everything. Instead, God is Love. God is a family—Father, Son, and Spirit. Out of this dance of love God created the world. We were made to love God, love each other, and love the world, creating an awesome place to live together.

But watch the news any night of the week. Wars, hunger, divorce, hate, corruption, disease. The world is now broken, and we’re all to blame. We thought we could do better on our own. So we turned inward as though the world revolves around me. We ignored God. We used other people. And we abused the planet. We’re all broken, and we all break.

The Bible calls this ‘sin’—we’ve rebelled against God, every single one of us. We’ve broken the world, and humanity has to pay. So, what should God do?

He could just wipe us out, a do-over. That’s justice. But God is love. So He stepped in.

God the Son was born into this broken world, just like one of us. He experienced pain and loss, even heartache and death. God gets what it’s like to be human. Jesus came to represent us all, like the Captain of a team, leading by example. He lived the perfect life, loving God as Father, loving even His enemies, healing the sick, comforting the depressed, and working hard as a carpenter and teacher to make something great of the world.

But more than that, Jesus took the penalty we deserved for breaking the world and rebelling against the giver of life. We deserved death.

When Jesus was killed on the cross, he carried all the sin of the world. He is the bridge between God and humanity. As He died, it was finished. When we recognize our sin, and ask for His forgiveness, we are now free from the past. We are reconnected with God.

To show that love had won, and a new way of life had begun, Jesus was resurrected 3 days later, a fact of history that explains the rise of the Church out of a dead end.

Okay, so what? Is this just a religious story?

No, it’s about reality.

The reality is that every person since then who has turned to Jesus has found a fresh start. They’ve been forgiven for their sin. And then God the Spirit has breathed new life into meaningless existence. The Church is a community of people walking Jesus’ way – reconnected with God, helping the hurting, leading people to freedom, and making something awesome of the world through their work in art and music, education, medicine, and every area of society.

It’s about the reality that God is coming to judge this world and set it right. For everyone aligned with Jesus, they will be resurrected to a new creation without suffering and death, where God is at the centre of it all.

It’s about the reality that if we keep rejecting God, then He respects our choice. We reject the source of all that is true, good, and beautiful. All that is left is hell.

What do you want? God offers life. Are you willing to trust Jesus?

It starts with being honest with God, recognizing that we are broken, and He is the centre of existence. Prayer is just talking with God. Use your own words, but you might like to say something like this:

God, you made me for good, but I’ve gone my own way. I’ve put myself first – I’ve rebelled against you, I’ve hurt others, and I’ve made a mess of your world. Jesus, forgive me. Wipe away my sin. Please, fill me with your Spirit, so I can find life to the full as I walk the way Jesus did.

If you prayed that… it’s fantastic! This is just the start. We’d love to get you connected with others who follow Jesus. Please let us know so we can let you know more about the Christian life.

If you’re not ready, that’s fine. Keep exploring.

Read one of the biographies of Jesus’ life in the Bible to see whether He is worth following.

Try living His way and asking—“God if you’re real, show me.”

Ask a Christian friend why they believe, or find a church to connect in with and see what difference Jesus makes to them.

Whatever you do, let us know how we can help you in making the most important decision of your life.

Dave Benson