Mission: More Than a Christian Buzzword (Part 2)

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, "Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" (Luke 7:34)

In the previous post (Part 1), we gave consideration to answering the questions of the "who", "what", "when", and "where" of Christian mission. In this post (Part 2), we'll focus on purpose and practicality, as we consider the "why" and "how" of Christian mission.

Why: God's glory is at stake, man's eternity is at stake, and Jesus loved and pursued you

God's glory is at stake. There will come a day when all who love and worship Jesus will gather around his throne to enjoy proclaiming his excellencies forever. If we love Jesus, our desire should be that more and more people be added to that number who will one day bask in his perfection. Jesus' followers love his glory.

Also, man's eternity is at stake. Consider the following:

"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare...

 

All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. It is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors."

 

(C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory)

 

What a sobering thought. Though we will all die (unless Jesus returns first), we will all live forever. Some will live as everlasting splendors, basking in the presence of King Jesus forever. While, others will live as immortal horrors, separated from God forever in an eternal nightmare that offers no hope of waking up. In light of this reality, that which is most essential is that people come face to face with the reality of Jesus Christ.

 

Consider for a moment the following question: Do you remember what life was like before Jesus found you? For some of us, the answer is no. But, for those of us who do remember life before Jesus, we know that were it not for the grace of God, we would still be lost and without hope. We were either messy or moralistic. Yet, Jesus found us. Such grace should move us to become a friend of sinners, spending our lives so that the messy and the moralistic might come face to face with our King and Savior, Jesus.

 

How: both in word and deed

 

If we only proclaim the gospel but don't live gospel-centered lives, we will repel people from Jesus. And, if we only live gospel-centered lives but don't proclaim the gospel, no one will know that it's Jesus who compels us to live the way we do. Thus, the goal is both to practice what we proclaim and also to proclaim what we practice.

 

Such questions (the "who", "what", "when", "where", "why", and "how" of Christian mission) are helpful to consider. But, for many, the question is simply this: What are some practical steps that I can take to become a friend of sinners? If that's you, consider the following steps of a good missionary (adapted from Mark Driscoll's Leadership Network on www.theresurgence.com):

 

go: None of us lives a stationary life. We're all going in some capacity. Yet, that doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to the places in which people who don't know and love Jesus live, work, and play. These are the places to which we must go. We've got to get out of our houses and out of our routines for the sake of the gospel.

 

see: The goal is not just to go, but to see. What's going on in the world around you? What are the idols of the culture in which you live? What are people making ultimate in their lives? What does brokenness look like in your context?

 

feel: When we see the idols of the culture in which we live, when we see brokenness around us, when we see that which is taking place in our context, it should cause us to feel something, be it anger, sadness, and/or hope.

 

do: Such feelings are meant to lead us to respond, to do something about the idolatry and brokenness around us. As Christians, we are instruments of redemption and hope. We are gospel carriers.

So, where do you go? What do you see? What do you feel? And, what are you going to do about it?

As a word of caution, being a friend of sinners will cost you. It will cost you...

time: People who don't know and love Jesus will take up your time. It may take years for a friend to come to know and love Jesus. It may require numerous conversations over numerous cups of coffee over the course of time. Are you willing to sacrifice your time for the sake of the gospel?

money: Numerous cups of coffee will cost you numerous dollars. Are you willing to take a financial hit for the sake of the gospel?

comfort: When you hang out with people who don't know and love Jesus, you don't just get to tell them about your God. You get to hear them tell you about their gods, as well. And, that can sometimes be quite uncomfortable. Are you willing to step outside of your comfort zone for the sake of the gospel?

reputation: The religious types will throw rocks at you for hanging out with reckless pagans. And, the reckless pagans will call you a narrow-minded idiot for not worshiping their gods. You'll get it from both sides if you're faithful to the gospel. Are you willing to take a reputational hit for the sake of the gospel?

convenience: Receiving a phone call at 2am from the friend at the bar who can't drive himself/herself home is never convenient. When you're a friend of people who don't know and love Jesus, your calendar can get messy. Why? Because people are messy. Are you willing to sacrifice convenience for the sake of the gospel?

emotional ease: Listening to people share stories of the devastating effects of sin in their lives is never easy. Listening to the ways in which people not only sin against God, but are sinned against by others, can be emotionally difficult. Are you willing to engage in emotionally difficult conversations and walk through emotionally difficult seasons with people who don't know and love Jesus for the sake of the gospel?

Being a friend of sinners is costly. It cost Jesus his life. In light of Jesus' sacrifice for you, will you sacrifice so that people who don't know and love Jesus might come face to face with him?

Jamey Vizzini
Lead Pastor/Planter
CrossPointe Winter Springs


Mission: More Than a Christian Buzzword (Part 1)

The  Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, "Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" (Luke 7:34)

In the Gospels, Jesus was accused of being a friend of sinners. And, he was (and is). Jesus was a friend of the irreligious lost, those seeking to find meaning apart from God (the Samaritan woman at the well, Zacchaeus, the woman caught in adultery). And, he was a friend of the religious lost, those seeking to obey all of God's rules in an effort to merit His acceptance (Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea). Just read the gospels. They're filled with one encounter after another of Jesus with both the messy and the moralistic. Why? Both need Jesus.

Do you want to be like Jesus? Do you want to be conformed to his image? Most Christians would answer these questions with a "yes". But, sadly, most Christians that I've met are not a friend of sinners. To be a friend of sinners means knowing their names, knowing their hopes and dreams, knowing what they're interested in. And, it ultimately means pointing them to the perfect friend of sinners, Jesus.

Greater love has no one than this, than someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

 

So, are you a friend of sinners? Now that the question is on the table (not assumed), we can give consideration to answering the questions of the "who", "what", "when", "where", "why", and "how" of Christian mission.

 

Who: the individual Christian, as well as Christians in the context of a community on mission

 

Sometimes, we find ourselves completely alone, the only Christian in the midst of people who don't love and worship Jesus. And, other times, we see community and mission overlap, as we spend time with Christians and people who don't love and worship Jesus collectively. Both are important.



 



In moments in which you're the only Christian, you're not alone. Jesus is with you. And, in moments in which you're not the only Christian, you have an opportunity to put on display the strange, yet compelling community that we call the church. The greatest apologetic for the gospel is a people who believe it and live by it.

What: the good news of the person and work of Jesus

That which is most essential is that people come face to face with the reality of Jesus Christ. Thus, we must proclaim the gospel. So, are you able to articulate the gospel? (For more info, see previous blog posts entitled "Don't Assume the Gospel", "Religion vs. The Gospel", and "Shrinking the Cross").

When: from now until we die or until Jesus returns

For some of us, we struggle with the "now" portion of such a statement. We think, "As soon as I become more competent in my understanding of the gospel, I'll seek to point people to Jesus." Just so you know, as a Christian, you're never going to master the gospel. You'll continue to grow in the gospel for the rest of your life. So, tell people about Jesus now. And, remember. You're a Christian because you're not perfect. Jesus is.

For others of us, we struggle with the "until we die or until Jesus returns" portion of such a statement. We think, "I'll tell people about Jesus for now. But, when I'm old and grey, I'm moving to a secluded beach where I can collect shells until I die." Keep this in mind. One of the greatest opportunities that you have to point people to Jesus is the moment just before you breathe your last breath. In that moment, people will hang on every word you say. To say in that moment, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" will grip the hearts of those who don't love and worship Jesus.

Where: everywhere you go

Following his resurrection, Jesus left his disciples with these words:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... (Matthew 28:19)

 

At the risk of sounding super nerdy, the word that we translate "go" in this verse is a participle. Thus, it could just as easily be translated in either of the following two ways:

 

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Going, therefore, make disciples of all nations... (Matthew 28:19)

or
 

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. As you go, therefore, make disciples of all nations... (Matthew 28:19)

 

In other words, the question is not whether or not we're going to go. None of us lives a stationary life. We're all going in some capacity. The idea is that, as you go, you're called to make disciples. And, just so you know, the mission field doesn't just consist of places that require a passport to get to. That's certainly part of it. But, just as important are the places that you go every day. Those are what we call missional pathways. What missional pathways does God put before you on a daily basis? As you go, wherever you go, make disciples.

(Stay tuned for Part 2, in which we'll consider the "why" and "how" of Christian mission)

Jamey Vizzini
Lead Pastor/Planter
CrossPointe Winter Springs



Community: God's Plan in Redemption

The church is not an accident. Before the foundations of the world, God had in mind a plan to redeem a community of people for His glory and for their joy.

 

 

Because God Himself is a community (see Part 1), it makes sense that he would redeem a community of people for Himself. In doing so, he restores us to our original image-bearing purpose of mirroring his being and nature, as we walk together as reconciled people, under the banner of the gospel.

 

The church is a community, not a building or a program. If you're a Christian, you don't "go to church". You "are the church" and you go to "be with the church" in various environments (services/gatherings, small groups, coffee shops, restaurants/bars, dinner tables, parks, and the list goes on).

 

Very simply put, the church is community redeemed. Unlike other forms of community, the redeemed community that we call the church is not based upon performance. Whether you're in or you're out is not based upon what you do or don't do. Rather, the redeemed community that we call the church is based upon identity. Whether you're in or you're out is based upon who you are. And, this is who we are. This is the identity statement of the church:

 

All of us have fallen short of the glory of God, finding our righteousness to be lacking. Thus, we trust in a righteousness not our own. We trust in the perfect righteousness of Jesus, gifted to us by grace, through faith. This is our common thread.  

 

So, I guess you could say that the redeemed community that we call the church is based upon performance...the performance of Jesus on our behalf. He lived the life that we could never live and died the death that we deserve to die. In doing so, he purchased us, giving us a new identity and reconciling us to God and to one another. Under the banner of the gospel, the church has the opportunity and privilege of mirroring God's being and nature. Remember, God Himself is a community. And, we were designed to mirror Him as a community of both unified (one God) and diverse (three persons) image-bearers. What better display of the unity and diversity of the Trinitarian God than the church, a diverse group of people who all unite under the banner of the gospel.

So, what does gospel-centered community look like practically? The apostle Paul answers that question in the following passage:

 

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13)

In light of this passage, the following are characteristics of gospel-centered community (adapted from Matt Chandler's Creature of the Word):

 

genuine love: "Let love be genuine." The entire nature of our relationship with one another (as Christians) is the fact that we have all rebelled against God and need a Savior. Thus, we acknowledge that we're far from perfect. The only perfect one is Jesus. So, we shouldn't be surprised that others aren't perfect. Nor should we feel the need to display a façade of perfection for others. In Christ, we are set free from pretending/fakery and surface-level community and are free to let our love be genuine.

 

hatred of evil: "Abhor what is evil." We want to create safe environments that foster honesty. Yet, we don't want those environments to be warm and welcoming to ongoing, unrepentant sin. Gospel-centered community embraces sinners while making war on sin. We need the redeemed community that we call the church because we have blind spots. You are the greatest enemy of your own joy. You need a community that will walk alongside you and lovingly and graciously help you to kill sin before it kills you.

 

encouragement of good: "Hold fast to what is good."  The goal is not simply to call fouls on one another. As we help one another to put sin to death, we must also speak life into one another. We must encourage our Christian brothers and sisters as we see them growing in the gospel. 

 

affection/honor: "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." The idea here is that the redeemed community that we call the church is a family. This means that, even though some brothers and sisters in Christ may get on your nerves (even the church has a crazy uncle or cousin), you're deeply aware that your big brother Jesus (as the author of Hebrews refers to him) has a deep affection for you, in spite of your many imperfections. His affection for you motivates your affection for this family called the church. As a result, you notice when your brothers and sisters in Christ are missing from the proverbial table. And, you look out for them in the same way that you would your own flesh and blood.  

 

desire to serve: "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." Jesus is the servant Savior who transforms lovers of self into lovers of God and people. In the same way that Jesus came as the embodiment of God to serve others and ultimately sacrifice his life for others, the church is to be the embodiment of God in the culture, serving others and sacrificing for others in a way that points to the person and work of Jesus. Because we've been served by Jesus, we're happy to serve others.

 

future hope, present patience, and constant prayer: "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." In hard times, we need to remind one another to rejoice in future hope and to exercise present patience. A day will come when everything sad will become untrue. Sometimes, we need to be reminded of that. And, we need to be reminded to exercise patience as we walk through those seasons of pain/frustration, knowing that God is purifying us, conforming us to the image of Jesus. And, in all of this, we need a community that will surround us in prayer, lifting us up to our heavenly Father.

 

no man left behind mentality: "Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality." To show hospitality is not simply to open up our homes to one another. It's to open up our lives to one another, welcoming one another in. The idea is that as we mature in our faith, we bring along others for the ride.

 

As you consider this list, in what ways has God gifted you to live out the beauty of the gospel in the context of community? In what ways can you grow more in your understanding of the gospel as it relates to community?

 

Gospel-centered community is both strange and compelling. The greatest apologetic of the gospel is a community of people who believe it and live by it. Community is never meant to be an end in and of itself. Community and mission are inseparable. As people look in on this redeemed community that we call the church, they will get a glimpse of the one who redeems. They will get a glimpse of Jesus.

 

Jamey Vizzini

Lead Pastor/Planter

CrossPointe Winter Springs

 

 



Community: God's Plan in Creation

(1) God Himself is a community.

 There is one God who eternally exists in three distinct persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - who are each fully and equally God, equal in power, glory, and honor without division of essence. Every analogy used in an attempt to explain the Trinitarian God of the Bible falls short. This is due to the fact that God's very being is beyond our full comprehension. Yet, while we cannot know God exhaustively, we can know God truly, as He has revealed Himself to us in Scripture. And, Scripture reveals to us that God Himself is a community. Consider the following verses:

In the beginning, God [the Father]created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)

In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3)

God has always existed as a perfect community. God didn't create human beings out of a sense of loneliness. Perfect love has always existed in the community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

(2) We are God's image-bearers.  

We were designed to mirror God's invisible attributes to the world, reflecting his very being and nature to all of creation.

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." (Genesis 1:26)

Because God Himself is a community, we were designed to mirror Him as a community of both unified (one God) and diverse (three persons) image-bearers. In fact, in the creation story, the one thing that God said wasn't good was that the man should be alone.

Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him." (Genesis 2:18)

We were designed for community. It's why we long for relationships with others, even when we run in the opposite direction at times. It's why we long for communication. It's why nearly 1.2 billion people have a Facebook account today. To a degree, we want to know people and to be known by people. Why? Because we're image-bearers.

In what ways do you seek community? What are some of the ways that you see people seeking community around you?

(3) Sin kills intimacy, thus killing community.

At one point in time, God's first image-bearers had an intimate relationship with Him and with one another. Yet, the birth of sin brought about the death of intimacy/community.

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. (Genesis 3:7)

 

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8)

Prior to their sin, Adam and Eve were naked and were not ashamed. No barriers to intimacy existed. Yet, in the wake of sin and shame, they covered themselves. The fig leaves in Genesis 3 symbolically represent a number of things, one being the barrier to intimacy that sin creates between image-bearers. Yet, sin doesn't just kill intimacy between image-bearers. It also kills intimacy between the image-bearer and God Himself. Prior to their sin, Adam and Even walked intimately with God in the garden of Eden. Yet, in the wake of sin, they sought to hide from God's presence.

We were designed to mirror God as a community. Yet, tragically, we now run from community, afraid to truly be known. We've traded community for isolation. We've traded interpersonal relationships for human autonomy. The mirror is shattered.

What are some of the barriers to community in your own life? What are some of the barriers to community in the lives of those around you?

(Stay tuned for Part 2, "Community: God's Plan in Redemption")

Jamey Vizzini
Lead Pastor/Planter
CrossPointe Winter Springs

Shrinking the Cross

If you’re a Christian, it’s because, at some point along the way, you became keenly aware of God’s holiness, your sinfulness, and your inability to bridge the gap between the two. And God, being rich in mercy, grace, and love, responded in that moment and presented the person and atoning work of Jesus to you. And, by grace, through faith, in the person and work of Jesus, you were made clean.

 

That's how you were saved (past tense salvation). But, did you know that the present work of the gospel is much of the same? To grow as a Christian is to grow in your awareness of God's holiness and your sinfulness. It's not that God is becoming holier or that we are becoming more sinful. Rather, our awareness of both is increasing. As this happens, we become more deeply aware of who Jesus is and what he accomplished for us on the cross. Thus, our love for Jesus grows and his cross looms larger in our lives.

If you find that your love for Jesus isn't increasing, it's likely because you're minimizing God's holiness and/or your sinfulness, thus shrinking the cross.

The following are a few ways that we practically shrink the cross of Jesus Christ (adapted from the CrossPointe Partnership Manual):

Minimizing: We minimize sin by comparing our sin to others who have committed greater and more heinous sins, rather than comparing our sin to a sinless, holy God.

Defending/Legitimizing: We legitimize sin by coming up with reasons why we're the exception to the rule. The problem is that "the rule" is moral perfection and there are no exceptions.

Blaming: We blame shift. We blame our sin on others (including our upbringing, our culture, and/or Satan himself) rather than owning up to the fact that we are the guilty party. It's taking the position that the problem is "out there" rather than "in here".

Hiding: Motivated by shame, we conceal things about ourselves. The problem is that God knows everything about us.

Escaping: We oftentimes run to the next movie, gadget, or project in order to escape the reality of our sin. We're afraid that if we slow down or stop, the reality of our sin might ring loudly through the silence. So, we run and run and run.

Numbing: We run to people and/or things to help ease the pain of reality and the horror of sin. This is similar to escaping. Yet, the goal is not only to avoid reality but to ease the pain.

Worldly Grief: We express worldly grief when we regret the consequences of our sin (the effects of the sin) rather than the sin itself. In this, we fail to acknowledge that ultimately, our sin is against God himself.

Unrepentant Confession: We confess our sin. Yet, we don't actually ever repent of our sin. Thus, confession takes on a therapeutic function without ever leading to godliness.

How is the gospel presently at work in your life? How are you growing in your awareness of God's holiness and your sinfulness? How is the Savior Jesus becoming sweeter to you and the cross looming larger in your life?

Jamey Vizzini
Lead Pastor/Planter
CrossPointe Winter Springs

Religion vs. The Gospel

There are three ways to respond to God's revelation of Himself and His plan for the world:

• Irreligion (relativism): I decide my own truth and meaning in this world outside of God. 
• Religion (moralism): I trust in my own ability to obey God in order to be accepted by Him.
• Gospel (Christianity): I am accepted perfectly in Jesus. Therefore, I can obey God.

Because Winter Springs and the surrounding area is a hyper-religious, under-churched subculture, it would be wise for us to consider the difference between religion and the gospel. Consider the following (adapted from the CrossPointe Partnership Manual) and pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the ways in which you're presently falling into the trap of religion (moralism), as well as the ways in which you're presently believing the gospel.

Religion: "I obey - therefore I'm accepted."
Gospel: "I'm accepted - therefore I obey."

Religion: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.
Gospel: Motivation is based on grateful joy.

Religion: I obey God in order to get things from God.
Gospel: God is the gift. I obey in order to maximize my joy in Him.

Religion: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or myself, since I believe (like Job's friends) that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.
Gospel: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle. But, I know that my punishment fell on Jesus. And, while he may allow this for my training, he will exercise his love within my trial.

Religion: When I am criticized, I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a "good person". Threats to that self-image must be destroyed at all costs.
Gospel: When I am criticized, I struggle. But, it is not critical for me to think of myself as a "good person". My identity is not built on my record or performance but on God's love for me in Christ.

Religion: My prayer life consists largely of petition, and it only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of my environment.
Gospel: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with God.

Religion: My self-image swings between two poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident. But, then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to my standards, I feel humble but not confident. I feel like a failure.
Gospel: My self-image is not based on a view of myself as a moral achiever. In Christ, I am simultaneously sinful and lost, yet accepted. I am so bad that Jesus had to die for me. And, I am so loved that he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deeper and deeper humility and confidence at the same time - neither swaggering nor sniveling.

Religion: Since I look to my own pedigree or performance for acceptability, my heart manufactures idols. It may be my talents, moral record, personal discipline, social status, etc. I absolutely have to have them. They serve as my main source of hope, meaning, happiness, security, and significance - regardless of what I may say that I believe about God.
Gospel: I have many good things in my life - family, work, possessions, hobbies, etc. But none of these good things are ultimate things to me. None of them are things that I absolutely have to have. So, there is a limit to how much anxiety, bitterness, and despondency they can inflict on me when they are threatened or lost.

So, how did you do? If that's even a question in your mind, you've fallen into the trap of religion (moralism) and it's time to repent (not of your sin, but rather your righteousness). The question is not, "How did you do?" The real question is, "How did Jesus do?" And, the answer is this: Jesus lived the perfect life that you and I could never live. Stop trusting in yourself and trust in the perfect merits of Jesus on your behalf. He loves to save not only the irreligious, but the religious.

Jamey Vizzini
Lead Pastor/Planter
CrossPointe Winter Springs
 

Don't Assume The Gospel

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures..." (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
 

One of the most dangerous things that a person can possibly do is to assume the gospel. This is why the apostle Paul essentially says to a group of Christians in the city of Corinth, "Let me remind you of that which is of first importance: Jesus died for your sins and was raised on the third day." Many of us would be offended if someone attempted to remind us of such basic Christian doctrine. So, why would the apostle Paul say such a thing? I believe it's because Paul knew that the propensity of the human heart is to wander from the gospel. Oftentimes, we see the gospel as the shallow end of the pool, something from which we graduate as we move into deeper theological waters. But, nothing could be further from the truth. Because our hearts are fickle, we need to be reminded of the gospel often. Assuming the gospel is the first step on the path toward abandoning the gospel. So, let's not assume anything. The remainder of this blog post is of first importance.

The word gospel comes from the Greek word εὐαγγέλιον, meaning “good news”. So, the gospel is good news. In order to make sense of why we need to hear good news, we have to understand the bad news. Yet, the Bible doesn’t begin with bad news, so we have to go back to the beginning.

 

The Original Good News

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The original creation was one of beauty and harmony. And, God created man in His own image, after his likeness. Male and female He created them. Man was given dominion by God over all other created things. God originally created man without sin. Man was created to enjoy making much of God forever. This is the original good news.

The Bad News
Rooted in the deception of the serpent and the desire to be like God, our first parents, Adam and Eve, sinned against God. As a result of Adam’s sin, the harmony of the original creation was lost and the rest of humanity is born into an inherited sinful state or condition. Simply put, we are all sinners by nature and choice. Although we remain God’s image-bearers, that image is fractured and in need of restoration. The unregenerate man is totally depraved, spiritually dead, enslaved to sin, guilty before God, unable to remedy his lost condition and restore himself to God. Good works don't work. This is the bad news.

The Good News
God, being rich in mercy and grace and love, sent a substitute. Jesus Christ is the gospel, the good news. Jesus is the hero of human history. The second person of the Trinity, Jesus is eternal God. All things were and are created by him, through him, and for him. Not only are all things created by him. All things are sustained by him. He is the incarnate Word of God who, without ceasing to be God, became flesh and dwelt among man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. He is both fully God and fully man, the God-man. He came on a mission to save sinners.

He lived a sinless life, the life we could never live. He died the death that we deserve to die, in accordance with the Scriptures, as our substitute sin-bearer. Our sins were put upon him and he was punished in our place. In this, he revealed God’s love and preserved God’s justice. And, he didn't stay dead. He rose bodily from the dead, conquering sin and death. In doing so, he revealed that the Father was pleased with his sacrifice and thus accepted the payment for sin in full on our behalf. As the risen Son of God, Jesus Christ now sits at the right hand of God the Father, ruling and reigning as our triumphant, exalted King and interceding to God the Father on our behalf as our perfect High Priest and Advocate until he returns.

Salvation
Man can only be saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and work of Jesus alone. By grace, God has done everything necessary in order to reconcile men to himself and to one another. Those who acknowledge the futility of trusting in their own merits and who turn from themselves and their sin and who turn instead to Jesus, trusting in his perfect life, atoning death, and life-giving resurrection, will be saved. In Jesus Christ, we are not only saved from sin and death, but we are restored to our original purpose, as we enjoy making much of God forever.

Is this good news to you?
More than facts to be understood?
Do you know Jesus?
Do you love Jesus?
Do you worship Jesus?

Jamey Vizzini
Lead Pastor/Planter
CrossPointe Winter Springs

A Gospel Community of Worshiping and Serving Theologians on Gospel Mission

Most every church, whether written or unwritten, has some sort of mission/vision statement. The problem is that most people either have no idea of what the mission/vision statement of their church is or they have no way of gauging whether or not they're living out the mission and thus bringing the vision to fulfillment. The vision statement of CrossPointe Winter Springs is as follows:

 

The fulfillment of the vision comes as the people live out the mission of the church. The mission statement of CrossPointe Winter Springs is as follows:

 

So, the idea is this. If we point our community to Jesus Christ (mission), we will see the beauty, harmony and wholeness of God's Kingdom reign in our lives and in our community, as the Gospel radically orients us to Jesus and His mission of renewing the world (vision). The problem is that most people have a difficult time gauging whether or not they're actually pointing their community to Jesus Christ. The question that begs to be answered is, "Who are we as we live out this mission in order to see the vision fulfilled?" We need an identity. Another way to say it is this: A clear identity leads to a successful mission, and a successful mission leads to a fulfilled vision.

 

So, what is our identity? The answer is this: CrossPointe Winter Springs exists to be "A Gospel Community of Worshiping and Serving Theologians on Gospel Mission".

As you can see, the above statement is bookended with the phrases "Gospel Community" and "Gospel Mission". This language communicates the importance of gospel centrality. In all that we do as a church, we want to communicate the centrality of the gospel, as opposed to religion/moralism and irreligion/relativism. This language also communicates the idea of inward edification, accountability, and growth, as well as the idea of outward engagement of the culture with the gospel. In the individualistic culture in which we live, the local church cannot afford to minimize the importance of authentic Christian community. Nor can the local church afford to minimize the importance of pointing an unbelieving world to the person and work of Jesus. Thus, in all that we do as a church, we want to emphasize the centrality of the gospel, the community of God, and the mission of God.

 

In the middle of the two bookends of "Gospel Community" and "Gospel Mission" is the phrase "Worshiping and Serving Theologians". This phrase communicates the all-encompassing nature of the work of the gospel in the life of the Christian. The gospel empowers right thinking (the head), right affections (the heart), and right actions (the hands). The overemphasis of right thinking leads to intellectualism, the overemphasis of right affections leads to emotionalism, and the overemphasis of right actions leads to legalism. Thus, in all that we do as a church, we want to emphasize what it means to have a mind, heart, and will that are used to enjoy making much of God.

 

While imperfect, such an identity statement provides a helpful gauge for us as we seek to live out the mission of the church and thus fulfill the vision of the church. Our goal will be to unpack this statement over the course of the summer, devoting a week to each of the following values: gospel, community, worship, service, theology, and mission. Will you join us, as we seek to grow in our understanding of what it means to be "A Gospel Community of Worshiping and Serving Theologians on Gospel Mission"?

 

Jamey Vizzini
Lead Pastor/Planter
CrossPointe Winter Springs