who we are

Our relationship with God can only come from our being united with Christ. Our union with Christ is an act of divine grace that calls, covenantally binds, and applies all of Christ’s redemptive work to us. Through our being in union with Christ, we have new life! It is rooted in and grounded in the salvific work of Jesus and this binding union relationship cannot and will not be changed. Now that we are united with Christ, we are called to have authentic fellowship with our Lord and Savior. Paul reminds us that we have been given this privilege by the Father: “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” 1 Cor. 1:9. We have not been called into the type of union whereby two strangers are dwelling together under the same roof. Rather, we are called into a sweet and intimate type of relationship in which our lives are necessarily interwoven with Christ. His will, plans, and affections must grow into and become our will, plans, and affections. His kingdom is now our kingdom and his glory is now our daily pursuit.

The Christian walk is not one that should be done alone. God has made us a people who desire and need community. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are instrumental in the development of our faith. They are used to encourage, counsel, edify, correct, and disciple one another. A community of believers is one of God’s great blessings in life because after time they are no longer mere acquaintances but they become a family. The people become a place of great refuge and comfort in the distressful world. The author of Hewbrews reminds us not to take advantage and neglect the community of believers readily available to us: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25) We have not been called to a life of solitude but rather one of blessing and close relationships. It is our joy to provide a path to this connection.

How did Jesus teach and preach the good news? He did it with compassion. Compassion happens when we show a response to other people’s suffering and are motivated by a desire to help them. Do you see others that you meet, or pass by, as ‘suffering’ as ‘harassed and helpless’ without Christ? This should motivate us to respond and help them toward Christ who is the good shepherd. Matthew 9:35-38 encourages us to think this way. Having compassion may be hard, it may be difficult, and it may even hurt. It might not be easy to feel for others and their lost state; however,  if we have compassion, we are following in Christ’s footsteps. He does not leave us without a helper and he will provide for us and ready us. If we pray to the Lord of the Harvest, He will equip us and send us out to help. He will give us every resource we need. He is faithful. How wonderful and how awesome is our God, that he would have compassion and mercy on us so that we may show the same to others.

To live a Christ-centered life is to have an internal passion for something greater than what the world externally offers. It is a motivation from within that compels a person to make Jesus their highest aim for the pleasure of bringing God the highest glory. Our goal is that everything we do as a body of believers is through the lens of the Gospel. It is the only thing we wish to promote. The Apostle Paul, after his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), lived his life with a holy motivation that compelled him to glorify God. The Apostle reveals in his letter to the Philippians that he has learned the way of a Christ Centered life: “but whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost everything. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith.” (3:7-9) Like the Apostle Paul, when we seek to make Christ the center of our life, we too will have a different view of those things we once worked so hard to achieve or possess. Truly, it’s not about the things in life that matter as much as it is about keeping Christ at the center of all things so that God will be glorified.