Celebrating Fruition
Hope #4
In this final installment of Celebrating Fruition I’ll be focusing on our fourth hope that we took to the Lord in August of 2012 (Hope #4 – A Place That’s Centered On The Gospel).
Church plants and planters can often be stereotyped as just angst young people who want to do things different, look cool while they’re doing it and rage against the proverbial “machine” (or typical church experience in this case). Church planters probably all think they’re the ones that will get “church” right unlike their peers in the surrounding communities, right? Church planters want to be revered as trendsetters or as more relevant than any inferior ministry near by, right?
I suppose each of those stereotypes are real temptations for any and everyone in ministry today. Knowing that I am not immune to any of those follies mentioned, we set out to specifically pray for Gospel centeredness in everything that we set out to do with this ministry. Our hearts are wicked and not to be trusted (perhaps especially in ministry) so we need to continually pray for pure Spirit-led intentions.
With that said, as we strive to contextualize the gospel (a concept fleshed out in the Hope #4 post) we want to make much of Jesus and never compromise His truths. We Christians believe that it is this very gospel truth of Jesus that saves (Romans 1:16). If the proclamation of the gospel isn’t the heartbeat of the church then it’s simply not church. We desire to tell people the redemptive story of Jesus and live in holiness for the sake Him who saved us.
Since our launch we have prayerfully pursued a Christocentric approach to teaching at our church. Using The Gospel Project curriculum on Sunday mornings for our children and in mid-week Journey groups for adults and teens has greatly aided us in this venture by always pointing us to the redemptive work of Jesus. We also stay grounded in God’s word with verse-by-verse expository preaching each and every week from the pulpit.
In addition to this, one of my favorite things about The Journey is taking communion each and every weekend with my church family. Personally, this is the first church I’ve ever been a part of that takes communion every Sunday. Not having that background I was a little nervous about this change of pace and feared this sacrament would get routine and/or cold. I was wrong yet again. Sure, communion can be taken in vain and it’s meaning lost no matter it’s frequency. However, a heart that is centered on gospel truth relishes every opportunity to practice this sacrament together with other believers in worship.
Communion offers a weekly platform to express and proclaim our gratitude for Christ’s sinless life lived in our place and blood sacrifice He provided that paid our ransom. It’s a weekly call for all to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus for their reconciliation to God. We may not do an old fashioned “alter-call” at the conclusion of each service but we do invite all to repent, believe and trust in Jesus.
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” John 12:32
At The Journey I’ve witnessed many people learning about the significance of communion as we’ve walked verse by verse through John’s gospel over the past year. I’ve seen some of those people begin to take communion having learned about the gospel message it proclaims. I’ve even talked with several who now worship in communion each week who previously claimed they would never do such a thing. I truly believe Jesus, when made much of through the power of God the Holy Spirit, draws people to himself. Thank you Jesus!
In conclusion I’ll leave you with the words of Paul:
"Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
The Righteousness of God Through Faith
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law."
(Romans 3:19-31, ESV)
We can’t make too much of Jesus and what He has done for us,
Cody Parman
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