“Gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture. The doctrine of grace creates a culture of grace” - Ray Ortlund, The Gospel (pg. 21).
If we understand the gospel according to God’s word, it will influence how we live, both individually and corporately. As we endeavor to pursue our vision and carry out our mission, our intention is to remain focused. In 2010 our elders identified Five Loves and Five Commitments for our church. These have been discribed as “five guideposts” to aid us in remaining grounded and focused on our identity and our calling. These Fives Loves and Five Commitments are as follows:
Love God • Commit to Gathered Worship
Love God's Word & Prayer • Commit to Personal Worship
Love One Another • Commit to Christian Community
Love Our Neighbors • Commit to Serve & Give
Love The Gospel • Commit to Share The Gospel
Love God • Commit to Gathered Worship
If we in our natural, sinful state are, as the Bible states, spiritually dead, blind, lost, and hard-hearted, what hope do we have? How can we ever truly love God? The answer is that God takes the initiative. As 1 John 4:10 states, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that HE LOVED US and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” In salvation, God does a sovereign work of grace. He removes the hard, unbelieving, rebellious heart that does not love him and replaces it with a new heart that loves him and wants to obey and worship him alone (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
When God saves us, we also become part of a new family. In the New Testament we see this new family gathering into local assemblies (churches) for the purpose of mutual accountability & encouragement, fellowship, serving one another, and spreading the gospel. The high point of their fellowship occurred when they gathered together for worship on the first day of the week.
Love God's Word & Prayer • Commit to Personal Worship
When we say that we love God we’re not saying that we merely love the idea of God. We love God who is a person. What's truly remarkable is that God, the sovereign creator and ruler of the universe, personally communicates with us and invites us to communicate with him. The means by which this happens is through his word and prayer.
At Faith we believe an indispensible part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ is growing in the knowledge of his word. We seek to encourage and equip one another in reading, studying, hearing and praying the Bible. And as we grow in the knowledge of God's word, we learn to respond in personal communication with him. As pastor and author Tim Keller says,
“Prayer is continuing a conversation that God has started through his word and his grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with him.” - Tim Keller, Prayer (pg. 48).
Love One Another • Commit to CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
Christians living in loving, devoted, caring community with one another serves as a testament to the world that something supernatural has happened! Pastor and Author Michael Lawrence states that,
“Churches have a chance to show the world what Heaven will be like.” - Michael Lawrence
While salvation is a deeply personal experience, through it God makes us part of a new people. We are adopted into a new family comprised of others who have also experienced a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When we unite ourselves to a local church and fellowship with other believers in love, we corporately “show the world” that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has changed us.
At Faith we seek to foster this type of fellowship through our Faith Group Ministry. Learn more about about Faith Groups.
Love Our Neighbors • Commit to Serve & Give
The gospel reminds us that we were once lost and helpless and God showed us mercy through his Son Jesus Christ. The gospel frees us from our self-centeredness and turns us into servants who joyfully and willingly bless others. It humbles us and reminds us that we once had nothing–lost, dead, at enmity with God, rebelling against him–and he rescued us and showed us mercy. We are reminded that “...while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). Everything we have we owe to him.
As we pursue love for our neighbors at Faith, we do so in response to the mercy we have received. We strive to accomplish this through acts of kindness and compassion, meeting their felt needs, building deep, meaningful relationships with them, and above all sharing with the truth of the gospel with them. We have many opportunities already that are available to people who want to get involved.
Love The Gospel • Commit to Share The Gospel
It is through the message of the gospel that God, by his Holy Spirit, performs “heart transplant surgery,” making dead sinners alive and drawing them to faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, even after experiencing the new birth, our dependence on the gospel doesn’t end. The gospel not only saves us, it sustains us, informing and transforming us in every area of our lives as we seek to follow Jesus.
Following Jesus means inviting others to follow him as well. Having experienced God’s amazing work of grace in our lives, we long to see others experience it as well. This is why, at Faith, we love the gospel and are committed to sharing it both within our local community and to the ends of the earth.