Picture of church building
Wyoming Avenue Baptist Church
123 E. Wyoming Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19120

Phone/Fax: (215) 329-8295
Email: info@wabcphilly.org

Join our community on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/wabcphilly

Wyoming Avenue Baptist Church has reorganized under Grace Church of Philly and is now called Grace Church of Feltonville. We are now meting in the same location every Sunday at 10:00 AM. For more information, contact Pastor John at (917) 981-4249, or visit Grace Church's website.

Looking for Hope?

Jesus offers hope.

But hope for what?

Hope for the future, hope for today, hope that gives us purpose and meaning in this life. Hope for freedom from depression and loneliness, freedom from addiction and sin, freedom from bitterness and hate. But the best hope Jesus gives is the hope of a true relationship with God, our Father. He is a faithful father who loves and cares for his children.

This hope is greater than any other hope, for it is not a wish or a dream, but an assurance of salvation. Jesus promises rest for the weary who come to him. He promises guidance in daily life for those who follow him. He promises eternal life for those who believe in him.  Jesus says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

We desperately need this hope. We can look around at our world, at our communities, even at our families, and see the brokenness in every person. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  We have all fallen short of God’s standard and we all need to be rescued. There is no exception. We cannot please God or heal our brokenness by our own efforts. The desire to serve ourselves, which is disobedience to God, is central to every person.

This is why Jesus died on the cross. The just and proper punishment for our sins is death.  As the only man without sin, Jesus was able to take all of our brokenness, selfishness and disobedience (sin) and die for it on the cross. But he didn’t stay dead – He rose again, showing that his death was not pointless, but that it truly takes away sin.  “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23)

When we turn to Jesus to take away our sin, we are indeed rescued. By believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we can know God as our Father.  “To those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”  (John 1:12). We can have strength to turn away from addictions and hate because Jesus fills that emptiness. We can trust God to provide for us as we work and raise families. We can know that when we die, we too will one day rise from the dead and be with our Father in heaven forever.  The Bible says, “By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also” (1 Corinthians 6:14)

Jesus says,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and
learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 11:28-29

Jesus offers you true hope! But to accept it is to give up all other hopes rooted in anything but Christ.  You must give up control of your life and trust God to do what is good (Romans 8:28), as you walk in obedience to Him.  Only then will you enjoy life as you were made to – in relationship with God.

How can I receive this hope? The hope and salvation that we write about is a free gift of God.  To receive it, you need to:

  1. Recognize that you are a sinner before the holy God. (Romans 3:23)
  2. Repent – turn away from your sin and toward God, and confess your sins to Him. (1 John 1:9)
  3. Believe that Jesus died for you on the cross and rose from the dead. (Romans 5:8)
  4. Pray and invite Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Savior and Lord.  (Romans 10:13)

Prayer is simply talking to God.  The words don’t have to be fancy, and you don’t even have to speak out loud.  Simply put your faith in Him and pray something like this:  “Lord Jesus, I know that I have done things that are evil in your sight.  I know that I deserve to die for my sins.  I believe that you died on the cross for my sins. I ask you to forgive me and take my sins away.  I want to follow you as my Lord and Savior.”

If you accepted Jesus as your Savior, you can know for sure that you are saved.  The Bible says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).