Faith Stories
RON HAMILTON, CCCC CONFERENCE MINISTER
Annual questionnaires will soon be mailed to every member of our Conference. I encourage everyone to fill out their questionnaire online or return a hard copy to the Home Office as quickly as possible. These questionnaires provide the opportunity for us to have the latest information on our membership. They also provide the opportunity for every member minister and every member church to affirm their agreement to our Statement of Faith and to our belief in Congregational polity.
One important statement of our belief shares our conviction on how people have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
“We believe that for salvation of lost and sinful man regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.”
This statement flows from the teaching of Jesus in John 3:5-8:
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
These words are spoken to a religious leader named Nicodemus. This Pharisee comes to Jesus to let him know that he is convinced that Jesus comes from God. In response, Jesus turns the conversation from a belief to rebirth. He makes it clear that religion is not the way to God. Entrance into the Kingdom of God is given to every person who is transformed by the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ.
Many evangelicals believe that there must be more preaching and teaching about sin. The lack of such teaching leads to a soft gospel message that does not call people to repentance. I agree with this and encourage our pastors and churches to call people to confess their sins to God. But a bold gospel also invites people to experience spiritual rebirth through the power of God’s Spirit.
One of my greatest joys in ministry came from membership classes in which people shared their personal faith stories. We asked every people who wanted to join the church to tell our church leadership how they came to a personal relationship with Jesus. Some were raised in godly families. Others experienced dramatic conversions from lives far from God. But, they all experienced something that only God’s Spirit could accomplish. They were reborn to spiritual life. This witness of God’s transforming work is found across our fellowship and unites us as members of the CCCC and as children of God.