Pastor Jimmy Muyango often begins services at the church he leads in Kigali with a clear reminder: “His mercies are new every morning!”
How will this be a “new” year for you? Why not make 2019 a year of relational milestones, defining moments in your relationship with Jesus Christ and in your relationships with your brothers and sisters?
Only in Christ, and only in authentic relationship with true believers, are we assured that we are accepted because of who we are. So, who are we in Christ? What kind of people are we? We want to encourage you with four reminders of who we are. Our faith is a fresh faith—it is ever new!
1. We are people of the New Creation
“Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come”(2 Corinthians 5:17). Positionally, we are new creatures in Christ Jesus. Do you see yourself as a saint who sins or as a sinner trying to become a saint? We are saints!
And, practically, we are renewed every day: “If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:21-24).
2. We are people of the New Covenant
Jesus initiated a new covenant—a promise of eternal relationship with Him. “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20). And, Jesus “who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
3. We are people of the New Commandment
May 2019 be a year filled with love—for God and for others: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34). “I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him” (1 John 2:8-10).
4. We are people of the New Song
Because of all of this, we are able to sing a new song—a song of redemption and hope. “And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reignon the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10).
Thank YOU for making 2018 a banner year at Hope Haven Rwanda. And, for our email subscribers, check your inbox for some fantastic news we just received from Rwanda today!
Happy New Year! Our entire Hope Haven Rwanda team wishes you God’s best in 2019!