Hopefully by now you’ve read the first post in this introductory series and you know that we are all about Jesus. You would have seen that the first part of Deakin CU’s mission on campus is to help people Connect with Jesus.
What do we mean when we say we want to connect people to Jesus?
Well the word implies a few things
- Jesus is a person
- You can meet him
- You can be joined to him
- Somehow we as Deakin CU can be part of that process.
Let’s start with the last point because this is the main way we mean ‘connect’
When we use ‘connect’ we are saying
“we want to share the good news that Jesus is God, made human for us and like us. So that for us and like us (our representative and substitute) he takes the punishment we all deserve and died for the sin of each one of us. And not only that, but that he rose again from the grave to become the king over everyone and everything. And that even now He lives and reigns from heaven, and we expect him to return one day soon.”
Why do we want people to hear this wonderful news?
Many reasons actually. For the honour and glory of Jesus – to make him famous. Because it is true and people have a right to know. And, as we mean in our Deakin CU mission statement, it’s because we are convinced that it’s by hearing this news (and especially as we read it in God’s word the Bible) that people can begin a right relationship with Jesus. That people can get to know him as their own saving Lord. Not merely know about him – but truly know him.
This is ‘good news’ worth sharing. Through Jesus we can have our sins forgiven, and our guilt and shame before God and each other is removed.
When we trust in what God has done for us in Jesus we become a new person – an ‘in Christ’ person – the Holy Spirit unites us to Jesus (that is he ‘Connects’ us to Jesus…)
That is, we are ‘connected’ so deeply to Jesus that even as he takes away all the rubbish that is ours (our sin and guilt and shame) he gives us all the blessings that are his: His righteousness, and goodness, loving relationship with God the Father.
We can have hope, purpose, identity and acceptance all by being connected to Jesus.
Connect is all about connecting to Jesus, by his Spirit, through hearing the good news of him.
Deakin CU’s mission on campus is to help people Connect with Jesus.