Entering the New Year of 2021 as New Creation in Jesus Christ

New Year 2021

As the year 2020 has come to a close and the new year begins, World Olivet Assembly (WOA) churches, ministries and fellowships are reflecting on the meaning of the new creation in Isaiah 65:17 and 2 Corinthians 5:17.

'See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.' - Isaiah 65:17
'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!' - 2 Corinthians 5:17

"This past year has been very different from anything that anyone could have imagined. The pandemic has turned many lives upside down and no place in the world was left untouched by its impact, yet God is faithful and His promises endure forever," said Pastor Mark Spisak, General Secretary of WOA. "We are grateful for God's protection and that He has allowed many developments to take place despite the challenging circumstances. And we are grateful that through the successful development of several vaccines, God is giving us hope for the new year."

"If anything, the year of 2020 has revealed very clearly how finite and vulnerable humans are. The pandemic has stirred up a deep spiritual thirst in many people's hearts for a deeper meaning of life that the world cannot offer, so we pray that God would allow many lost souls to be found and returned to Him this year," Pastor Spisak continued.

"For 2021, the Bible verses that will accompany us at WOA speak about the hope of a new creation. Through the prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Paul, God promises something new that will replace the old, and the old will no longer be remembered. But how can we receive this new life and become a new creation? It is when we truly live in Christ and follow his example. As it says in the earlier verse 'and he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.'" (2 Corinthians 5:15)

"As we begin this new year, we pray that God would not just lead us back to the old normal before the pandemic. But that He would allow us to realize more deeply the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and that receiving this love will continuously draw us closer to God and help us resemble Him more in our lives. And as we live out God's love in this way, may many people be touched and changed and also find the new life in Christ," Pastor Spisak concluded.