Church Army New Zealand
Church Army NZ is a Community of Pioneering Evangelists working mainly within the Anglican Church. We seek to serve the least, the last and the lost, by living out and explaining the love of Jesus to every person. Through living in community we teach, model and encourage missional lifestyle.Our current prayer diary is here (.pdf)
For prayer requests, Email us (prayer@ca-nz.org)
Listed below are the fundamental aspects of chrisianity, The four points
God Loves Me
The first thing you need to know is - God loves you; not just with any old 'love' but with a
love that will last forever. You see love is not just something God does, it's what He is. He
defines the true meaning of love. In the Bible it simply says "God is love".
But why would God love us; why would He love you?
Whether you believe it or not, God created you. In the Bible we read "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." You are the work of His hands, His own creation and nothing you or anyone else may do can change that fact or His love for you. In the Bible it says "...neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God...".
But why would God love us; why would He love you?
Whether you believe it or not, God created you. In the Bible we read "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." You are the work of His hands, His own creation and nothing you or anyone else may do can change that fact or His love for you. In the Bible it says "...neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God...".
I Have Sinned
We have a problem! The Bible also tell us "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God". That means that every human being has failed meet the perfect standard of God's
goodness. We have failed because we have done things our way, not God's way. We
have disobeyed His instruction which He wrote in both the Bible and in our consciences.
It's no good saying "I only lied, I haven’t killed anyone", because the Bible says "For
whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all
of it". Whether it's murder or whether it's just a 'white' lie, whether it's adultery or just
jealousy, every sin keeps us from meeting God's standard and has both consequences
and penalty!
The consequences of sin can be numerous. If we lie we can get caught and break
relationships & trust. If we steal we can be caught and prosecuted. But the most serious
consequence of sin is that it separates us from God and from the relationship He created
us to have with Him. Have you ever wondered why God feels so far away?
Even more serious is the penalty for sin. The Bible says "For the wages of sin is
death" i.e. death is what you earn from sinning. Not physical death since that is
inevitable for all of us. It's the ultimate statistic; 1 out of 1 die. The Bible is referring to
spiritual death.
So we all have a big problem. We have all sinned and because God is perfectly just, this sin means we must all face spiritual death and eternal separation from God; what the Bible calls Hell! If you're unhappy about this you'll be pleased to know that because of His great love for you, God was even more unhappy with the situation.
So we all have a big problem. We have all sinned and because God is perfectly just, this sin means we must all face spiritual death and eternal separation from God; what the Bible calls Hell! If you're unhappy about this you'll be pleased to know that because of His great love for you, God was even more unhappy with the situation.
Jesus Died For Me
The plan was this, that Jesus, who was himself God, would be born as a human baby and
live on this earth leading a perfect, sinless life, and that he would voluntarily offer His
own life as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sin.
And this is what He did. The fact that Jesus lived and walked on this earth is historically undeniable. There is more evidence of the existence of Jesus than there is of Julius Caesar. He was born in Bethlehem, grew up as a carpenter, and lived a perfect life. He loved and healed people, taught them about God and was then falsely accused and crucified by the Romans outside of Jerusalem. He did all this willingly because He loved you so much that He wanted to save you. Then Jesus came back to life again after 3 days since death could not hold the son of God.
This wonderful plan is summed up in one of the most well know Bible verses, John 3v16- 18. "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life." (The Message).
You might think that's the end of the matter but there's one more, all-important point that makes the difference between life & death.
And this is what He did. The fact that Jesus lived and walked on this earth is historically undeniable. There is more evidence of the existence of Jesus than there is of Julius Caesar. He was born in Bethlehem, grew up as a carpenter, and lived a perfect life. He loved and healed people, taught them about God and was then falsely accused and crucified by the Romans outside of Jerusalem. He did all this willingly because He loved you so much that He wanted to save you. Then Jesus came back to life again after 3 days since death could not hold the son of God.
This wonderful plan is summed up in one of the most well know Bible verses, John 3v16- 18. "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life." (The Message).
You might think that's the end of the matter but there's one more, all-important point that makes the difference between life & death.
I need to decide to live for God
God has done His part. Jesus gave His own life as a punishment for my sin and for your
sin. We didn't deserve it. It wasn't 'fair' but that's how much God loves you.
But now you have to decide if you want to accept this gift of forgiveness, this promise of eternal life. If you want to be free from the punishment you brought on yourself by not doing things God's way, you need to decide to surrender to God and do things His way from now on.
The choice is yours. You still have free will, just the way God created you. You can surrender your life to God, the creator of the universe who loves you more than anyone else ever will and only wants the best for you, or, you can walk away and face the inevitable consequences.
If you want to know this forgiveness and know this God who created you for relationship with Him, then you can, right now! Just say this prayer and if you are sincere, God will hear and respond.
Dear God, Thankyou that You died for me and want the best for me in every situation. I'm sorry for ignoring You and doing things my way. I realise now that my sin has hurt You and the people around me and for this, I am truly sorry.
Thankyou Jesus that You came and took the punishment for my sin. Thankyou that you gave your life for me.
Please forgive me and help me now as I decide to live only for You. Amen
If you have said this prayer, please contact us Director@ca-nz.org. Church Army offers a free email-based course to help you discover the difference having a relationship with Jesus can make to your life. It's called Now a Christian and involves a daily email for five weeks, with a link to an interactive website on the fourth day of each week. Go to the website to sign up or watch a short film about it to find out more.
But now you have to decide if you want to accept this gift of forgiveness, this promise of eternal life. If you want to be free from the punishment you brought on yourself by not doing things God's way, you need to decide to surrender to God and do things His way from now on.
The choice is yours. You still have free will, just the way God created you. You can surrender your life to God, the creator of the universe who loves you more than anyone else ever will and only wants the best for you, or, you can walk away and face the inevitable consequences.
If you want to know this forgiveness and know this God who created you for relationship with Him, then you can, right now! Just say this prayer and if you are sincere, God will hear and respond.
Dear God, Thankyou that You died for me and want the best for me in every situation. I'm sorry for ignoring You and doing things my way. I realise now that my sin has hurt You and the people around me and for this, I am truly sorry.
Thankyou Jesus that You came and took the punishment for my sin. Thankyou that you gave your life for me.
Please forgive me and help me now as I decide to live only for You. Amen
If you have said this prayer, please contact us Director@ca-nz.org. Church Army offers a free email-based course to help you discover the difference having a relationship with Jesus can make to your life. It's called Now a Christian and involves a daily email for five weeks, with a link to an interactive website on the fourth day of each week. Go to the website to sign up or watch a short film about it to find out more.
34033