The Town

The unity we have in Christ is multiplied by the diverse and gracious gifts Jesus has given to his Church. A healthy church is a church where every member of the body of Christ is looking to discover their gift, enjoy their gifts, and worship God by using their gifts to serve others and love Jesus.

Jesus prayed that the church might be one as He and the Father are one. Unity is a big deal for Jesus and it is a big deal for the Apostles. Why? Because a church that is united under the Gospel puts the manifold wisdom of God on display for the world to see. We are united under one Savior and our pursuit of the one Savior testifies to his power and glory.

Our calling to follow after Christ is a gift and a privilege. But it is also a life that demands the pursuit of holiness. Jesus, who is our hope, has not called us to follow him and remain the same; his love for us continues as he prunes and sanctifies. The Christian is to take seriously this work, as the unity of the church is greatly affected by our sin. This involves identifying sin patterns, walking in community, and wrestling in prayer with the Holy Spirit as we each seek to put off sin and put on righteousness.

The world has no hope if Christians devalue the means God has ordained to draw the world to Himself.

When we are captured and compelled by God's purpose for our lives we become living sacrifices where we at once die to self and live for others.

Jesus has destroyed the wall of hostility - we are a people under one roof and with one family name.

The Resurrection has changed the reality of the world where death once reigned.

You cannot have the glory of Sunday, without the crucifixion on Friday.

A person captured by the good news of the Gospel is a beacon of good news to others – you are God's workmanship.

It is by grace that God saw us as we were, loved us, and saved us to make us what we are.

The Gospel doesn't erase our past, it transforms our past.

Why does it matter that the church meet together? We exist to tell one another of the past, present, and future spiritual blessing we have in Christ as we take part in the grand plan God has for us. There are so many benefits that come with a body that is united in Christ. We support one another, we give thanks for one another and we pray for one another. But all of this happens as we take part in a bigger plan, part of a bigger narrative, that is bigger than any one person.

Why does it matter that the church meet together? We exist to tell one another of the past, present, and future spiritual blessing we have in Christ as we take part in the grand plan God has for us. There are so many benefits that come with a body that is united in Christ. We support one another, we give thanks for one another and we pray for one another. But all of this happens as we take part in a bigger plan, part of a bigger narrative, that is bigger than any one person.

The heart of God is clearly seen in his past faithfulness to His people, the work of Christ on this earth, and the promise of Jesus' return. God has given us the Holy Spirit to remind us that His heart towards us has not changed - He will be our God and we will be His people and this will be accomplished because of his long suffering love for us. Be confident in the fact that God's feeling toward you is not based on anything in you, but rather everything that is in him.

God has shown his love for us by sharing his mind with us. What was previously veiled through shadows and signs has been fully revealed to those whom God has chosen and adopted. Christians have received full access to the plan of the gospel: that God sent his Son to secure redemption and forgive transgressions, and that he will one day unite all things in heaven and earth under the headship of Christ. This should incite the church to worship, persevere thorough trials, and proclaim this good news to everyone God has placed in our paths.

In Ephesians 1, Paul gives us one reason after another to worship God. And yet, these are God's words to his children. He is like a father shouting from the sidelines to his kids, "o I've had you in mind since before time. I chose you just because I love you. It is my desire to give you all that you could ever need – every blessing imaginable. My love for you has no beginning and it has no end. My goal for you is so much more than the vapor of this life. My aim is to be your Father and you my son. I have saved you from something, but I have also given you all that you need to be something – without blemish! The price for which I have bought you back from slavery, the way in which I have forgiven you is according to an bottomless, eternal grace without end. I have met the conditions for your salvation." God's purpose in salvation is to create a new family where He is Father and we are His children.

God has chosen a people for Himself, and this is reason enough for a life of worship.

What does it mean to be "all good"? It is something we all want. It is the desire of the human heart – we want to be in a good place. There are many examples and areas of life that we want to be able to say – "Everything is in order. It's all good." Relationships. Family. Marriage. Job. Children. Retirement. Even when all of these things are "all good" there is always something nagging at us. Because even those who have charmed lives, where everything is all good, there is a deeper need that must be met – because the grave is all bad. This is why, when Paul says, "Blessed be our God and Father in our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ," that there is no other response but doxology. Your greatest need this, no matter how good you think things are, is to know that Eternal God has made you all good in Christ – a greater good than any good that could ever be felt or accomplished on this earth in and of ourselves.

There is a spiritual haze in evangelicalism today. Christians in America are living in a post-Christian culture and we don't always have good answers to the cultural narrative. Our response to change and claims to truth is often a fearful one because we don't know how to respond to the new cultural narrative. How can we not only exist but thrive in a post-Christian culture when the narrative seems so hostile? The answer is found in Ephesians when Paul says that God has given us every spiritual blessing - in Christ. Our identity in Christ will shape the way we live, breathe and interact with new culture in which we are living.