Jesus is making all things new. Christians throughout the world start each new week by gathering to celebrate this reality. In fact, our calendars remind us week after week and year after year of the life-changing truth of Jesus. He was born, lived, died, and rose again 2,000 years ago. The world has never been the same. History is forever divided between B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini, a Latin phrase meaning the year of our Lord).

In 2023, local churches get to start a new week and a new year with worship. As we saw in last week’s post, it’s important to look back and remember all that God has done for us, in us, and through us. Stories of God’s past faithfulness embolden us in the moment and point us to our future hope. The gospel itself is a message of past, present, and future . . .

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

This is the heart of our message as disciple-makers. Scripture makes clear that the good news of Jesus is the good news for every Believer. In Christ, we are all new creations.

“Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
Romans 6:3–4

You have the opportunity for a fresh start. The people around you have the opportunity for a fresh start. This is more than just a new year. This is a new life. This is a new story. This is a new future.

The old is gone. The new has come.

Make the most of the new life you’ve been given in Christ.

• Invite others into a new and life-changing relationship with Jesus.
• Provide opportunities for celebration through baptism.
• Start new small groups for disciple-making in the normal, day-to-day rhythms of life.
• Share stories of what Christ has done, is doing, and then see what He will do.

This year, let the calendar serve as your daily, weekly, and ongoing reminder that you’ve been given a fresh start and new life in Christ. He is making everything new—including you and the people around you.

Free Resources

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