Adding to the Number
Over its history, the mission of Christ Church has been animated by the overwhelming reality that we are a people who have been made alive through the finished work of Christ by means of the Holy Spirit. We call this wonderful good news “the gospel” and it gives shape to our life together. For who, being enlivened by the gospel, can fail to enjoy God with worship, embrace others with welcome, look to be equipped with wisdom as we seek to engage the world with winsomeness? If you have been around Christ Church over the last decade, you will recognize that language as our attempt to capture our mission. We want to be a people transformed by the gospel and who live out the gospel life.
As elders we get to hear how this mission is being played out and landing in the hearts of people. Here is a recent testimony that shows both gospel transformation and the missional lifestyle that invites others:
I was raised in the church and went my whole life ... and I’m really grateful for the teaching and beliefs I learned there. For a long time, though, I felt like I was just going through the motions of being a Christian. I would sit through sermons and not really take much away from them, and I started to realize that my faith wasn’t growing. That’s when I began questioning whether I was truly a Christian. I shared this with my friend ... and she invited me to Christ Church last February. After months of attending, listening to the sermons, and spending time in my own devotions, things started to click. I began to understand what it really means to follow Christ, and through that, Jesus completely changed my life and saved me.
This is just one example of the various types of testimonies that we hear, all pointing to a gospel infused life in the context of a gospel infused community. While our hearts are warmed by these types of testimonies, we shouldn't be surprised. The gospel is powerfully transformative. Our communities are in desperate need of transformative healing. It makes sense that people are attracted to this life in Christ. This was certainly the case in Acts. The early church, as we are learning, far from being on their heels following the death of Jesus, was unleashed in the wake of his resurrection and ascension. In the coming weeks we will hear about the coming of the Spirit and the gospel preaching that ensued and how people were being added to their number daily (cf. Acts 2:47). It must have been incredible to see the Spirit at work and to see lives transformed.
But it also came with its challenges. As much as the story of Acts is about the triumphs of the gospel, it is also about its trials. There was persecution. There were misunderstandings, disagreements, and controversies. There were logistical problems and people falling through the cracks. In other words, the early church sounds a lot like the church today.
This Sunday at our town hall during the SS hour, we will be sharing some work that has been done toward Stewarding our Space, one of the directives coming out of last years vision work. As people are drawn to the gospel and find a home at Christ Church we are finding that we have our own logistical challenges ranging from navigating the narthex, to finding a seat for worship, and many more. Please plan to join us either this Sunday or this coming Wednesday at 6:30 as we take up this call together.